The thing about soft rock is that it was never an exclusive genre. Cross-pollinating among pop, rock, country rock and, especially, adult contemporary music of the day, the best soft rock records ...

Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Hugh McIntyre covers music, with a focus on the global charts.

Ahead of the full reveal on Dec. 9 -- after The Billboard 2025 No. 1s Livestream, hosted by Druski -- check out a pair of year-end rock top 10s.

Revisit three songs from 1969 that set the precedent for soft rock. These songs, more or less, built an entire sub-genre.