It seems like for the longest time I’ve believed that if a piece of music has words, they’d better be meaningful. I’ve been a huge fan of instrumental music, even in my earliest years of listening.

My love of music without words spilled over into the classical genre late in my teens, but I look and hear back fondly on a small, select group of popular songs in the 1960s and ‘70s.

Submitted for your approval, my list of 15 intelligent and thoughtful songs:

• “Where Have All the Flowers Gone” 1962, as recorded by the Kingston Trio. One of the earliest folk rock tunes to question the reasons for war.
• “Little Boxes,” 1963, as recorded by the Pete Seeger and written by Malvina Reynolds. I didn’t understand it back then, but since then I’ve grown to appreciate its message, best used with the TV series “Weeds.”
• “Like a Rolling Stone,” 1965, as written and recorded by Bob Dylan. Astonishing rhyming while remaining true to the message and attitude.
• “Eve of Destruction,” 1965, as recorded by Barry McGuire. Much-maligned iconic anti-war song that jump started a musical movement.
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• “Nowhere Man,” 1966, as recorded by the Beatles, as written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney. Rings true for too many Americans today.
• “Dangling Conversation,” 1966, as written and recorded by Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel. An excellent portrayal of a crumbling marriage with haunting imagery.
• “Those Were the Days,” 1968, as recorded by Miriam Hopkin. A savage and accurate indictment on the failure of my generation to change the world. It still wounds me deeply when I hear it.
• “Both Sides Now,” 1969, as written by Joni Mitchell and recorded by Judy Collins. Neatly summarizes how little we know about what’s important.
• “War,” 1970, as recorded by Edwin Starr. Unapologetic attack on war as immoral and useless. I doubt it could become a hit song today.
• “Cherokee People (The Lament of an Indian Reservation),” 1971, as recorded by Paul Revere & the Raiders. A teen heart-throb group shocks just about everybody with a thoughtful and sympathetic shout out to Native Americans.
• “Vincent,” 1972, as written and recorded by Don McLean. An emotional and insightful tribute to the great artist Vincent Van Gogh.
• “Cat’s in the Cradle,” 1974, as written an recorded by Harry Chapin. A troubling assessment of a relationship between father and son, and an indictment on materialistic priorities.
• “At Seventeen,” 1975, as written and recorded by Janis Ian. She tore the cover off the phony social hierarchy of high school and exposed the unfair plight of “ugly duckling girls like me.”
• “Send in the Clowns,” 1977, as recorded by Judy Collins. A haunting and gentle tale about wisdom gained too late.
• “Dust in the Wind,” 1978, as recorded by Kansas. Oh, the futility of it all.

“All the memories came flooding back…” — Vivian Stanshall.