One-hit wonder  

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In the music industry, a one-hit wonder is an artist generally known for only one hit single. There are hundreds of one-hit wonders. As described below, the one-hit wonders are ranked into lists of songs in pop music, but also some lists in classical music, as well. There are also "two-hit wonders" having only two hit singles. The definition of "one-hit wonder" varies depending on context, such as sometimes viewing only hits in the U.S. despite having other, international, hits. The term one-hit wonder has also been applied to other fields, such as with authors, actors, or athletes, who have only one major success.

Contents

Characteristics

Examples include Rick Dees’ "Disco Duck" (related to the disco craze of the 1970s); C.W. McCall's "Convoy" (related to the CB radio craze of the 1970s); and Buckner & Garcia’s "Pac Man Fever" (related to the 1980s-era arcade game Pac Man). Some artists, such as Shannon Hoon of Blind Melon, for example, had his career cut short by his untimely death, while others, such as New Radicals and The La's, broke up immediately after their one-hit's chart success. More commonly, however, one-hit wonders are serious-minded musicians who struggled to continue their success after their popularity waned.

Because one-hit wonders are popular for only a brief time, their hits often have nostalgic value and are featured on era-centric compilations and soundtracks to period films. One-hit wonders are normal in any era of pop music, but are most common during reigns of entire genres that do not last for more than a few years, such as disco, new wave and grunge.Template:Fact

Though the term is sometimes used in a derogatory manner, some fans often have a great passion for these songs and the artists who created them. Some one-hit wonder artists have embraced this following openly, while others distance themselves from their hit in an attempt to craft successful songs with different sounds, or embark on new careers as songwriters (such as Linda Perry of 4 Non Blondes and Gregg Alexander of New Radicals), or recording industry executives (such as Gerardo). One-hit artists who possess an artistic legacy with exceptionally commercially unsuccessful recordings (e.g. Randy Newman with 12 Songs or Buffy Sainte-Marie with Illuminations) may however distance themselves severely from their hit single ("Short People", "Mister Can't You See") as they are likely to feel their hit in no way represents what they stand for.

Questions of definition

Most American music industry insiders consider a song in the top forty positions of the Billboard Hot 100 to be a hit. Thus, any performer who recorded only one song that reached the Top 40 is, technically, a one-hit wonder. However, the term is more generally applied to musicians best known for only one song, meaning that some artists who fit the above criteria are not considered one-hit wonders, while others who do not are considered such.

Wayne Jancik's book The Billboard Book of One-Hit Wonders (Billboard Books, 1998) defines a one-hit wonder rather conservatively, as "an act that has won a position on Billboard's national, pop, Top 40 just once." He therefore includes such performers as Janis Joplin (for "Me and Bobby McGee") or Jimi Hendrix (for "All Along the Watchtower"), solely on the basis of their Top 40 performance. In his definition of an "act", Jancik distinguishes between a solo performer and any group he or she may have performed in; thus Roger Daltrey is distinguished from The Who. He restricts his reporting time to the period from the start of the "rock-and-roll era" (defined by the author as 1 January 1955 to 31 December 1992). The latter date was picked to allow a five-year "lag time" before publication for a listed one-hit wonder to produce a second hit; this unfortunately does not allow for a longer hiatus between hits for a particular performer. For example, Lenny Kravitz is listed for "It Ain't Over 'til It's Over" (No. 2, August 1991);<ref>Jancik 1998, p487</ref> the book therefore misses subsequent hits, such as "Fly Away", which reached #12 on the Billboard chart in 1999.

In the United Kingdom, the term one-hit wonder is used to describe a singer or band who had only one hit reach the Top 75 on the UK Singles Chart.Template:Fact The term was first used by the Guinness Book of Hit Singles from the 1970s, and originally referred strictly to those artists whose first chart action was: "a number one hit, and then nothing else, ever." This is now commonly known as a "true" one hit wonder.

Here are some other criteria that also affect a performer’s status as a one-hit wonder:

Jancik, however, includes many of these artists, as they fall within his strict definition as a single act with a single top-40 placement.

  • Some artists, including Livin' Joy, Wall of Voodoo, and Modern English, never had a top-40 pop hit, but did have a song that received considerable airplay, even long after its day of release.
  • Many popular British artists like Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Robbie Williams, The Verve, Blur, BBMak, All Saints, Billie Piper, Busted and Take That are considered one-hit wonders in the US, although they can remain popular elsewhere. Conversely, two British bands, Wang Chung and Breathe, as well as the Anglo-Australian duo Air Supply, are one-hit wonders in the UK but not in the US; Wang Chung and Breathe reached the US Top 40 five times each, and Air Supply made the Billboard top 5 eight times.
  • Prominent members of popular groups who have only one solo hit typically are not seen as one-hit wonders. Steely Dan's Donald Fagen, The Lovin' Spoonful's John Sebastian, The Beach Boys' Brian Wilson, and Michael Nesmith of The Monkees each achieved chart success only once as solo artists, but are all well-known for their contributions to music through their respective bands.
  • Conversely, groups led by popular solo artists are usually not called one-hit wonders. Derek & the Dominos' sole hit "Layla" is associated with group leader Eric Clapton, who had great success and fame before and after the Dominos.
  • Performers who have consistent success in one part of the world but who are known for only one song outside that region are usually considered one-hit wonders in the latter. Austria's Falco, Germany’s Nena and Canada's Tom Cochrane were successful in their homelands, but are considered one-hit wonders in the US and UK.
    • A small number of artists have the distinction of being regarded as one-hit wonders in both the US and UK, but with different songs. American husband and wife duo Art and Dotty Todd scored a hit in the UK with "Broken Wings" in 1953, but did not make it to the top forty in their homeland until "Chanson D'Amour (Song Of Love)" in 1958. Rock band The Icicle Works' sole UK top 50 hit was 1983's "Love Is A Wonderful Colour"; however, in North America, their only top 40 entry was "Whisper to a Scream (Birds Fly)" in 1984. Semisonic scored a US hit with "Closing Time" in 1998, but are better known in the UK for "Secret Smile", from their album Feeling Strangely Fine.
  • Performers who are successful in specific genres, but produce only one crossover hit, are generally considered one-hit wonders by the public at large, but not by fans of their respective genres. Celtic music singer Loreena McKennitt and Christian rock group Jars of Clay are popular within their respective genres, but known to the greater public for a single song each. Similar situations are common among crossover country artists and hair metal groups.
  • Performers who had more than one Top 40 hit are sometimes considered one-hit wonders, if one song greatly overshadows the rest of their repertoire. a-ha’s "Take on Me" made the top 10 of VH1's 100 Greatest One-hit Wonders[1], even though the group had two Billboard Top 20 singles: "Take on Me" and "The Sun Always Shines on TV". However, "Take On Me" is much more remembered today, at least in the US (note that "The Sun Always Shines on TV" was a #1 hit in the UK: higher than "Take on Me"). Similarly, Great White is sometimes called a one-hit wonder for "Once Bitten Twice Shy", but "The Angel Song" was also a Top 40 hit. Furthermore, the band had several songs that charted under the Top 40 but did well on genre-specific charts that were quite popular among fans of the hair metal and hard rock genres. Strawberry Alarm Clock's #1 "Incense and Peppermints" so overshadowed their #23 "Tomorrow" that they are often considered a one-hit wonder. The same applies for Falco in the US; his #1 "Rock Me Amadeus" greatly overshadowed its #18 follow-up single "Vienna Calling" in that country. The same is true for German singer Peter Schilling whose international hit "Major Tom (Coming Home)" vastly overshadowed the album it was released on and the titular single from it, "Different Story (World of Lust and Crime)". Billy Ray Cyrus reached #1 with "Achy Breaky Heart" in 1992; although he had many other country hits, he did not return to the Top 40 until 2008 with "Ready, Set, Don't Go"; by that time, he had become better-known as an actor and the father of Miley Cyrus, with whom he stars in the series Hannah Montana.
  • Some artists, such as The Fugees, had a number of hits chart quite high on Billboard's charts. Yet "Killing Me Softly with His Song" is remembered after the days of their popularity.
  • Performers like Golden Earring, The Foundations, The Left Banke, Maxine Nightingale, Donna Fargo, A Taste of Honey, Mr. Mister, Jan Hammer, Johnny Logan, Vanessa Paradis, The Fat Boys, Pilot and Ugly Kid Joe, who produced two major hits before fading into obscurity, are sometimes called "two-hit wonders," but this term is not as common.
  • Deutsche Grammophon and Vox Records have both released albums of classical one-hit wonders. The de-facto criterion common to the albums is composers who have a single work that has become popular outside classical circles as several of the composers on both albums are known for multiple works inside classical circles. The works on these albums (or fragments and variations) are frequently heard in movies, television shows and commercials.

Other uses

The term "one-hit wonder" is occasionally used to refer to an artist, other than a musical performer, who is best known for a single work. Examples in literature include Harper Lee's only novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, which sold 30 million copies; and author Joseph Heller, who wrote several novels, but is still best known for Catch-22. Margaret Mitchell never wrote another book after her first novel, Gone With the Wind, was a smash best-seller. The term is also applied to in the film industry: one such case lies in the career of actress Natasha Henstridge, who has yet to match the success of the 1995 film, Species. Classical composers such as Johann Pachelbel, despite being very popular in his time, known today almost solely for Pachelbel's Canon, are also sometimes described thus. [2]

In the sports world, there are several athletes known to casual sports fans for one event in their careers. Examples include Bill Mazeroski, who is the only player in Major League Baseball history to end a seventh game of the World Series with a walk-off home run;<ref>Mazeroski, however, is a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame, due heavily to his status as one of the greatest defensive infielders of all time.</ref> Paul Henderson, a Canadian ice hockey player who scored the deciding goal in the 1972 Summit Series; and Jimmy Glass, an English football goalkeeper, who is remembered for scoring a goal in the last seconds of the final day of 1998-99 English Third Division that kept his club in The Football League. His subsequently released biography was titled One-Hit Wonder.

In drug culture, the term 'one-hit wonder' is often applied to highly potent specific varieties of substances, such as certain strains of cannabis that require only one "hit" (a single inhalation of smoke), or a "hit" of LSD (a single dose), to achieve the desired psychoactive effects.

Lists of greatest one-hit wonders

VH1's list of "100 greatest one-hit wonders"

In 2002, the American cable network VH1 aired a countdown of the VH1's 100 Greatest One-hit Wonders[3]. It listed musicians with only one American hit, regardless of international success, which has been substantial and long-lived for musicians like a-ha and Nena (see below). In fact, if the "only one American hit" criterion had been strictly applied, a-ha and Falco would not be eligible for the list, as they each actually had two top-20 US hits—although as noted above their second hits were greatly overshadowed in the US by the prior hit. The same goes for Vanilla Ice - his follow up to his #1 hit was a #4 hit titled, "Play Tha Funky Music". Gerardo also had another Top 15 hit. Los del Río likewise had two top forty hits, though both were versions of Macarena.Template:Facts

The countdown also omitted acts such as Jimi Hendrix and Grateful Dead who, while technically charting with only one single, became too well-known for their entire bodies of work to merit inclusion on the list. They did get mentioned, though, in a short segment of one hit wonders that had popular followings. The top ten consisted of:

  1. Los del Río — "Macarena" (1996)
  2. Soft Cell — "Tainted Love" (1982)
  3. Dexys Midnight Runners – "Come On Eileen" (1982)
  4. Right Said Fred — "I'm Too Sexy" (1992)
  5. Toni Basil — "Mickey" (1982)
  6. Baha Men — "Who Let the Dogs Out?" (2000)
  7. Vanilla Ice — "Ice Ice Baby" (1990)
  8. a-ha — "Take On Me" (1985)
  9. Gerardo — "Rico Suave" (1991)
  10. Nena — "99 Luftballons" (1984)

Soft Cell, Dexys Midnight Runners, Right Said Fred, Baha Men, and Vanilla Ice have had multiple hits in the UK; and a-ha have had continued international success to this day, selling 80,000,000 records,Template:Facts and would therefore not qualify as one-hit wonders. Gerardo has never had any hits in the UK at all. This leaves only Toni Basil, Nena and Los del Río from this list as one-hit wonders on both English-speaking sides of the Atlantic, though Nena has continued her success in Germanic countries.

Channel 4's "50 Greatest One Hit Wonders"

A 2006 television poll, conducted by Channel 4 in the UK, asked viewers to select their favourite one hit wonder from a shortlist of 60 [4]. Respondents could also vote by e-mail to select a song that was not on the original list, if they so wished. The top 50 were:

  1. "Kung Fu Fighting" – Carl Douglas
  2. "99 Red Balloons" – Nena
  3. "Because I Got High" – Afroman
  4. "Sugar, Sugar" – The Archies
  5. "Can You Dig It?" – The Mock Turtles
  6. "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life" – Monty Python
  7. "Spirit in the Sky" – Doctor and the Medics (also Norman Greenbaum)
  8. "Who Let the Dogs Out" – Baha Men
  9. "The Safety Dance" – Men Without Hats
  10. "Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps Please" – Splodgenessabounds
  11. "Groove is in the Heart" – Deee-Lite
  12. "Trouble" – Shampoo
  13. "It's Raining Men" – The Weather Girls
  14. "All By Myself" – Eric Carmen
  15. "Jilted John" – Jilted John
  16. "I’ll Be There For You" – The Rembrandts
  17. "Doctorin’ the Tardis" – The Timelords
  18. "Rock Me Amadeus" – Falco
  19. "Flat Beat" – Mr. Oizo
  20. "Video Killed the Radio Star" – Buggles
  21. "Je t'aime... moi non plus" – Jane Birkin & Serge Gainsbourg
  22. "Mambo No. 5 (A Little Bit Of…)" – Lou Bega
  23. "Turning Japanese" – The Vapors
  24. "Mickey" – Toni Basil
  25. "Mouldy Old Dough" – Lieutenant Pigeon
  26. "Pump Up The Volume" – M/A/R/R/S
  27. "Lovin' You" – Minnie Riperton
  28. "Axel F" – Harold Faltermeyer (also well known for the Grammy Award winning Top Gun Anthem)
  29. "Fuck It (I Don’t Want You Back)" – Eamon
  30. "I'm the Urban Spaceman" – The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band
  31. "Spaceman" – Babylon Zoo
  32. "My Sharona" – The Knack
  33. "Shaddap You Face" – Joe Dolce Music Theatre
  34. "Everybody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen)" – Baz Luhrmann
  35. "Matchstalk Men and Matchstalk Cats and Dogs (Lowry’s Song)" – Brian & Michael
  36. "MacArthur Park" – Richard Harris
  37. "Monster Mash" – Bobby ‘Boris’ Pickett & The Crypt-Kickers
  38. "Rapper’s Delight" – Sugarhill Gang
  39. "Fire" – Crazy World of Arthur Brown
  40. "The One and Only" – Chesney Hawkes
  41. "Louie, Louie" – The Kingsmen
  42. "Since Yesterday" – Strawberry Switchblade
  43. "My Boy Lollipop" – Millie Small
  44. "Money" – Flying Lizards
  45. "Stutter Rap (No Sleep ‘til Bedtime)" – Morris Minor and the Majors
  46. "Just Say No" – Grange Hill Cast
  47. "Woo Hoo" – The 5.6.7.8's
  48. "Japanese Boy" – Aneka
  49. "Save Your Love" – Renee and Renato
  50. "Brimful of Asha" – Cornershop

Even this list is riddled with inaccuracies, since at least fifteen of the fifty acts ranked in the Top 50 by the poll had multiple Top 40 hits in the UK singles chart, thus disqualifying them from the appellation 'one-hit wonder', although the success of the other hits was (with one very notable exception) of a lesser measure than those included in the poll:

  • Millie reached No. 30 with 'Sweet William' in 1964.
  • Lieutenant Pigeon reached No. 17 with 'Desperate Dan' in 1972.
  • Carl Douglas reached No. 35 with 'Dance the Kung Fu' in 1974 and No. 25 with 'Run Back' in 1977.
  • The Buggles reached No. 16 with 'Living in the Plastic Age' and No. 38 with 'Clean Clean' in 1980.
  • Splodgenessabounds reached No. 26 with the double A-side 'Two Little Boys' / 'Horse' in 1980.
  • Doctor and the Medics reached No. 29 with 'Burn' in 1986.
  • Falco reached No. 10 with 'Vienna Calling' in 1986.
  • Deee-Lite reached No. 25 with the double A-side 'Power of Love'/'Deee-Lite Theme' in 1990.
  • Chesney Hawkes reached No. 27 with 'I'm a Man Not a Boy' in 1991.
  • Shampoo reached No. 27 with 'Viva La Megababes' in 1994, No. 21 with 'Delicious' in 1995, No. 36 with 'Trouble (1995)' in 1995, and No. 25 with 'Girl Power' in 1996, thus notching up no fewer than five hits including two different versions of 'Trouble'.
  • Babylon Zoo reached No. 17 with 'Animal Army' and No. 32 with 'The Boy with the X-ray Eyes' in 1996.
  • Cornershop reached No. 23 with 'Sleep on the Left Side' in 1998 and No. 37 with 'Lessons Learnt From Rocky I To Rocky III' in 2002.
  • Baha Men reached No. 14 with 'You All Dat' in 2001 and No. 16 with 'Move It Like This' in 2002.
  • Afroman reached No. 10 with 'Crazy Rap' in 2002.
  • Eamon (featuring Ghostface) reached No. 27 with 'Love Them' in 2004.
  • Most notably, The Timelords reached the UK Top 40 eight times—once under that name; once as The Justified Ancients of Mu Mu; once as 2K; and five times, including one #1, under their best-known name, The KLF.

"20 to 1: One Hit Wonders"

In 2005, the Australian series 20 to 1 aired their episode 20 to 1: One Hit Wonders, a list of songs that had been the only one by that artist to have success in Australia.

20. Tainted Love - Soft Cell

19. Mambo No.5 - Lou Bega

18. Venus - Shocking Blue

17. Achy Breaky Heart - Billy Ray Cyrus

16. Mickey - Toni Basil

15. I'll Be Gone - Spectrum

14. Tubthumping - Chumbawamba

13. Counting the Beat - The Swingers

12. Slice of Heaven - Dave Dobbyn & The Herbs

11. Rockin' Robin - Bobby Day

10. Pass the Dutchie - Musical Youth

9. Don't Worry, Be Happy - Bobby McFerrin

8. 99 Luftballoons - Nena

7. Spirit in the Sky - Norman Greenbaum

6. Come on Eileen - Dexys Midnight Runners

5. Funkytown - Lipps Inc

4. Turning Japanese - The Vapors

3. Video Killed the Radio Star - The Buggles

2. Born to Be Alive - Patrick Hernandez

1. My Sharona - The Knack

C4's UChoose40: One Hit Wonders

In September 2006, New Zealand's terrestrial music channel, C4, aired an episode dedicated to "One Hit Wonders" on the weekly theme-based chart show, UChoose40, where the chart was ranked entirely by viewer's votes from the website. Moreover, Meredith Brooks's hit single "Bitch" was mentioned on the candidates list but failed to make the Top 40.

The top ten ranking are as follows:

  1. "The Final Countdown" – Europe (1986)
  2. "Teenage Dirtbag" – Wheatus (2000)
  3. "How Bizarre" – OMC (1996)
  4. "Because I Got High" – Afroman (2001)
  5. "Ice Ice Baby" – Vanilla Ice (1990)
  6. "Eye of the Tiger" – Survivor (1982)
  7. "Tubthumping" – Chumbawamba (1997)
  8. "My Sharona" – The Knack (1979)
  9. "Video Killed the Radio Star" – Buggles (1979)
  10. "Who Let The Dogs Out?" – Baha Men (2000)
  11. "I Touch Myself" - Divinyls (1991)

Classical music one-hit wonders

Deutsche Grammophon and Vox Records have both released albums of classical one-hit wonders. Many of the works on the CDs are from composers who have two or more works that are popular in classical music circles but have a single work that has become popular outside these circles. The works will be familiar to most people because they have been used in commercials or in movies and television shows. The two CDs differ but the works common to both are:

  1. Johann PachelbelCanon in D
  2. Samuel BarberAdagio for Strings
  3. attrib. Tomaso AlbinoniAdagio in G minor (this was actually written by Remo Giazotto and contains no Albinoni material)
  4. Jean-Joseph MouretRondeau from Symphonies and Fanfares for the King's Supper (theme to Masterpiece, formerly Masterpiece Theatre)
  5. Luigi Boccherini – minuet from String Quintet in E
  6. Jeremiah Clarke – "Trumpet Voluntary"
  7. Jules Massenet – Meditation from his opera "Thais"
  8. Pietro Mascagni – "Cavalleria rusticana"
  9. Léo Delibes – "The Flower Duet"
  10. Mikhail Ippolitov-Ivanov – "Caucasian Sketches"
  11. Amilcare Ponchielli – "Dance of the Hours" from the opera "La Gioconda"
  12. Charles-Marie Widor – Toccata from Symphony for Organ No. 5
  13. Aram Khachaturian – "Sabre Dance" from the ballet "Gayane"
  14. Marc-Antoine CharpentierTe Deum

"Two-hit wonder"

Some artists have managed to gain recognition for just two songs based on one or more of the above descriptions, and are often referred to as two-hit wonders. Though this term is not official in the music industry, the term is used by many fans. Theoretically, the terms "three-hit wonders", etc. could also be used. Notable examples of two-hit wonders in the United States include:


NB: The peak positions shown are in the Billboard Hot 100 only and do not hold true in other countries, where some of these artists have had more than two hits - for example, Neneh Cherry has had nine distinct solo Top 40 hits in the UK and Sophie B. Hawkins four; others have had only one - for example, A Taste of Honey charted in the UK with 'Boogie Oogie Oogie' only and Wang Chung reached the UK Top 40 with "Dance Hall Days" only; and still others have had two but not both the same songs - for example, Billy Ray Cyrus has charted in the UK with 'Achy Breaky Heart' and 'Could've Been Me' in 1992 but did not chart in 2008 at all. Marc Anthony has also had continued success in the Spanish-speaking world, including the Latin music market within the US. The peak positions also do not hold true for other charts in the US—in addition to Anthony's success on the US Latin charts, Vertical Horizon has since charted on the Billboard Adult Top 40 several times, and Billy Ray Cyrus had five top-10 country hits between the two named hits.

One-hit wonders in the US

This is a list of musical artists whose one hit came out in the 1960s.

The list contains recording artists who reached the Top 40 of the U.S. pop chart (the Billboard Hot 100) with just one single.

Artists in italics have only one Top 40 hit, but either

  • had other songs chart on genre-specific charts
  • have had success and influence within their genre or the annals of popular music and/or
    • a long-lasting and devoted cult following
    • wider success in other fields of the music industry, e.g., songwriting, production, etc.
  • are a non-American act who have had wider success in their homeland

Artists

1960

Song Performer Peak date Peak
"Sandy" Larry Hall January 4, 1960 15
"If I Had a Girl" Rod Lauren January 25, 1960 31
"Teen Angel" Mark Dinning February 8, 1960 1
"Tracy's Theme" Spencer Ross February 22, 1960 13
"Rockin' Little Angel" Ray Smith February 22, 1960 22
"(There Was a) Tall Oak Tree" Dorsey Burnette March 7, 1960 23
"Forever" The Little Dippers March 28, 1960 9
"Summer Set" Monty Kelly April 4, 1960 30
"Money (That's What I Want)" Barrett Strong April 18, 1960 23
"Fannie Mae" Buster Brown May 2, 1960 38
"Angela Jones" Johnny Ferguson May 2, 1960 27
"Let the Little Girl Dance" Billy Bland May 16, 1960 7
"The Madison" Al Brown's Tunetoppers featuring Cookie Brown May 16, 1960 23
"Barbara" The Temptations May 16, 1960 29
"The Madison Time–Part 1" Ray Bryant Trio May 16, 1960 30
"Mountain of Love" Harold Dorman May 23, 1960 21
"Ooh Poo Pah Doo–Part II" Jessie Hill May 23, 1960 28
"He'll Have to Stay" Jeanne Black May 30, 1960 4
"Love You So" Ron Holden June 13, 1960 7
"There Is Something on Your Mind (Part 2)" Bobby Marchan June 13, 1960 31
"Alley Oop" The Hollywood Argyles July 11, 1960 1
"Mule Skinner Blues" The Fendermen July 11, 1960 5
"Look for a Star" Garry Mills July 25, 1960 26
"Look for a Star" Deane Hawley July 25, 1960 34
"Image of a Girl" The Safaris August 1, 1960 6
"Please Help Me, I'm Falling" Hank Locklin August 1, 1960 8
"Look for a Star"<ref>Not to be confused with another recording of the song the same year by one-hit wonder Garry Mills.</ref> Garry Miles August 1, 1960 16
"Hot Rod Lincoln" Johnny Bond<ref>A country music star of the 1940s through 1960s who had seven top 10 country hits, most notably 1965's "Ten Little Bottles."</ref> August 8, 1960 26
"Over the Rainbow" The Demensions September 5, 1960 16
"Hot Rod Lincoln" Charlie Ryan and the Timberlane Riders September 5, 1960 33
"Yogi" The Ivy Three September 19, 1960 8
"A Million to One" Jimmy Charles September 26, 1960 5
"Mr. Custer" Larry Verne October 10, 1960 1
"Let's Think About Living" Bob Luman<ref name="More successful on country charts" /> October 24, 1960 7
"Diamonds and Pearls" The Paradons October 24, 1960 18
"You Talk Too Much" Joe Jones November 14, 1960 6
"Stay" Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs November 21, 1960 1
"Ruby Duby Du" Tobin Mathews and Co. November 28, 1960 30
"Don't Go to Strangers" Etta Jones<ref>A critically lauded jazz singer who had three Grammy nominations.</ref> December 12, 1960 36
"Sailor (Your Home Is the Sea)" Lolita December 19, 1960 5

1961

Song Performer Peak date Peak
"Baby, Oh Baby" The Shells January 16, 1961 21
"Angel Baby" Rosie & The Originals January 23, 1961 5
"Lost Love" H.B. Barnum February 6, 1961 35
"(Ghost) Riders in the Sky" The Ramrods February 20, 1961 30
"There's a Moon Out Tonight" The Capris February 27, 1961 3
"Angel on My Shoulders" Shelby Flint February 27, 1961 22
"Baby Sittin' Boogie" Buzz Clifford March 13, 1961 6
"Apache" Jørgen Ingmann and his Guitar April 3, 1961 2
"Once Upon a Time" Rochell and the Candles April 10, 1961 26
"Hideaway" Freddy King<ref>A seminal blues rock guitarist who has been cited as an influence by Peter Green, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Kenny Wayne Shepherd.</ref> April 10, 1961 29
"Ginnie Bell" Paul Dino April 10, 1961 38
"Asia Minor" Kokomo April 17, 1961 8
"Please Love Me Forever" Cathy Jean and the Roommates April 24, 1961 12
"I'm a Fool to Care" Joe Barry April 24, 1961 24
"Baby Blue" The Echoes May 1, 1961 12
"Mother-In-Law" Ernie K-Doe<ref>Later gained fame as a DJ with New Orleans community station WWOZ.</ref> May 22, 1961 1
"Daddy's Home" Shep and the Limelites May 29, 1961 2
"Hello Walls" Faron Young<ref name="More successful on country charts"/> May 29, 1961 12
"Triangle" Janie Grant May 29, 1961 29
"Exodus" Eddie Harris June 5, 1961 36
"Heart and Soul" The Cleftones July 3, 1961 18
"Peanut Butter" The Marathons June 19, 1961 20
"Rama Lama Ding Dong" The Edsels June 19, 1961 21
"Count Every Star" Donnie and the Dreamers June 19, 1961 35
"Better Tell Him No" The Starlets June 19, 1961 38
"Those Oldies But Goodies (Remind Me of You)" Little Caesar & the Romans June 26, 1961 9
"Three Hearts in a Tangle" Roy Drusky<ref name="More successful on country charts" /> June 26, 1961 35
"You Can't Sit Down, Part 2" Philip Upchurch Combo July 3, 1961 29
"Tonight (Could Be the Night)" The Velvets July 10, 1961 26
"The Graduation Song...Pomp and Circumstance" Adrian Kimberly July 10, 1961 34
"Yellow Bird" Arthur Lyman<ref>An influential Hawaiian populariser of exotica.</ref> July 24, 1961 4
"I Like It Like That, Part 1" Chris Kenner July 31, 1961 2
"Last Night" The Mar-Keys August 7, 1961 3
"Pretty Little Angel Eyes" Curtis Lee August 7, 1961 7
"I Just Don't Understand" Ann-Margret<ref>Better known as an actress.</ref> September 11, 1961 17
"When We Get Married" The Dreamlovers September 18, 1961 10
"A Little Bit of Soap" The Jarmels September 18, 1961 12
"Nag" The Halos September 18, 1961 25
"Lovers Island" The Blue Jays September 18, 1961 31
"Who Put the Bomp (in the Bomp, Bomp, Bomp)" Barry Mann<ref>Half of prolific songwriting partnership with Cynthia Weil.</ref> September 25, 1961 7
"The Astronaut (Part 1 and 2)" Jose Jimenez (Bill Dana) October 2, 1961 19
"Mexico" Bob Moore and His Orchestra<ref>Most famous as a session bassist; played with Bob Dylan.</ref> October 2, 1961 7
"Take Five" Dave Brubeck Quartet<ref>Seminal jazz group; their album Time Out is regarded as one of the greatest jazz albums.</ref> October 9, 1961 25
"Water Boy" Don Shirley October 9, 1961 40
"This Time" Troy Shondell October 23, 1961 6
"Stick Shift" The Duals October 23, 1961 25
"I Really Love You" The Stereos October 23, 1961 29
"Foot Stompin'–Part 1" The Flares October 30, 1961 25
"Funny How Time Slips Away" Jimmy Elledge November 13, 1961 22
"You're the Reason" Bobby Edwards November 20, 1961 11
"Language of Love" John D. Loudermilk<ref>Better known as a songwriter.</ref> December 11, 1961 32
"Your Ma Said You Cried in Your Sleep Last Night" Kenny Dino December 25, 1961 24

1962

Song Performer Peak date Peak
"Small Sad Sam" Phil McLean January 20, 1962 21
"I Know (You Don't Love Me No More)" Barbara George January 27, 1962 3
"If You Got to Make a Fool of Somebody" James Ray January 27, 1962 22
"Hey! Baby" Bruce Channel March 10, 1962 1
"Midnight In Moscow" Kenny Ball and His Jazzmen March 17, 1962 2
"Let Me In" The Sensations March 17, 1962 4
"What's Your Name" Don and Juan March 17, 1962 7
"Percolator (Twist)" Billy Joe and the Checkmates March 17, 1962 10
"My Boomerang Won't Come Back" Charlie Drake March 17, 1962 21
"Smoky Places" The Corsairs March 17, 1962 12
"Jamie" Eddie Holland<ref>One-third of Holland-Dozier-Holland, the songwriting and production team that was responsible for much of the Motown Sound.</ref> March 24, 1962 30
"Love Letters" Ketty Lester April 14, 1962 5
"Dear One" Larry Finnegan April 21, 1962 11
"You Better Move On" Arthur Alexander<ref>A seminal rock pioneer cited as an influence by the Beatles and the Rolling Stones.</ref> April 21, 1962 24
"The Jam–Part 1" Bobby Gregg and His Friends April 21, 1962 29
"Cinderella" Jack Ross April 28, 1962 16
"Shout! Shout! (Knock Yourself Out)" Ernie Maresca May 19, 1962 6
"Stranger on the Shore" Mr. Acker Bilk<ref>Had more success in his native United Kingdom.</ref> May 26, 1962 1
"I Wish That We Were Married" Ronnie & the Hi-Lites May 26, 1962 16
"I Sold My Heart to the Junkman" The Blue-Belles<ref>The original group of Patti Labelle and Nona Hendryx.</ref> June 2, 1962 15
"Walk on the Wild Side–Part 2" Jimmy Smith June 23, 1962 21
"Village of Love" Nathaniel Mayer and the Fabulous Twilights June 23, 1962 22
"Teach Me Tonight" George Maharis June 23, 1962 25
"Theme from Ben Casey" Valjean June 23, 1962 28
"I Love You" The Volume's June 30, 1962 22
"Al Di La" Emilio Pericoli July 7, 1962 6
"Snap Your Fingers" Joe Henderson July 7, 1962 8
"The Stripper" David Rose and His Orchestra July 7, 1962 1
"Wolverton Mountain" Claude King<ref name="More successful on country charts" /> July 21, 1962 6
"Johnny Get Angry" Joanie Sommers July 21, 1962 7
"I Need Your Loving" Don Gardner and Dee Dee Ford July 28, 1962 20
"Bongo Stomp" Little Joey and the Flips July 28, 1962 33
"You'll Lose a Good Thing" Barbara Lynn<ref>One of first female rockers.</ref> August 11, 1962 8
"Party Lights" Claudine Clark September 1, 1962 5
"Till Death Do Us Part" Bob Braun September 1, 1962 26
"Silver Threads and Golden Needles" The Springfields<ref>Band member Dusty Springfield would go on to have a successful career as a solo artist with many hits in the 1960s; the group also had several hits in the UK.</ref> September 22, 1962 20
"A Wonderful Dream" The Majors September 22, 1962 22
"(I'm the Girl On) Wolverton Mountain" Jo Ann Campbell September 22, 1962 38
"Alley Cat" Bent Fabric and his Piano September 29, 1962 7
"I Remember You" Frank Ifield<ref>Has had more success in his native United Kingdom.</ref> October 13, 1962 5
"Don't Go Near the Indians" Rex Allen<ref>A highly influential Western artist of the 1940s through 1960s, who also had several successful country hits. Father of country singer Rex Allen, Jr. (a successful star in his own right).</ref> October 20, 1962 17
"Do You Love Me" The Contours October 27, 1962 3
"Hide and Go Seek–Part 1" Bunker Hill October 27, 1962 33
"Close to Cathy" Mike Clifford November 3, 1962 12
"Torture" Kris Jensen November 3, 1962 20
"Pop Pop Pop-Pie" The Sherrys November 17, 1962 35
"That Stranger Used to Be My Girl" Trade Martin November 17, 1962 28
"Mama Sing a Song" Stan Kenton<ref>An influential jazz bandleader and pianist.</ref> November 17, 1962 32
"I Got a Woman, Part 1" Jimmy McGriff November 24, 1962 20
"Bobby's Girl" Marcie Blane December 1, 1962 3
"The Push and Kick" Mark Valentino December 15, 1962 27
"Telstar" The Tornados<ref>Had wider success in their native UK and maintain a devoted cult following to this day.</ref> December 22, 1962 1
"Let's Go (Pony)" The Routers December 22, 1962 19

1963

Song Performer Peak date Peak
"Wiggle Wobble" Les Cooper and his Soul Rockers January 12, 1963 22
"Tell Him" The Exciters January 19, 1963 4
"Remember Then" The Earls<ref>Have a devoted cult following on oldies circuit.</ref> January 26, 1963 24
"Cinnamon Cinder (It's a Very Nice Dance)" The Pastel Six February 2, 1963 25
"Loop De Loop" Johnny Thunder February 9, 1963 4
"From a Jack to a King" Ned Miller<ref name="More successful on country charts" /> February 16, 1963 6
"Fly Me to the Moon–Bossa Nova" Joe Harnell and his Orchestra February 23, 1963 14
"Cast Your Fate to the Wind" Vince Guaraldi Trio<ref>Vince Guaraldi was a respected jazz pianist who is most remembered today as the composer of music for nearly 20 animated adaptations of the Peanuts comic strip.</ref> February 23, 1963 22
"Rhythm of the Rain" The Cascades March 9, 1963 3
"Wild Weekend" The Rebels March 9, 1963 8
"Mama Didn't Lie" Jan Bradley March 9, 1963 14
"Our Winter Love" Bill Pursell March 30, 1963 9
"Yakety Sax" Boots Randolph<ref>More well-known as an accompanyist for many performers in rock, pop, and country music</ref> April 6, 1963 35
"Mr. Bass Man" Johnny Cymbal<ref>Johnny Cymbal also recorded "Cinnamon" as Derek (listed as a one-hit wonder in 1969)</ref> April 13, 1963 16
"Pipeline" The Chantays May 4, 1963 4
"Little Band of Gold" James Gilreath May 11, 1963 21
"Killer Joe" The Rocky Fellers May 18, 1963 16
"Hot Pastrami" The Dartells May 25, 1963 11
"El Watusi" Ray Barretto June 1, 1963 17
"The Love of My Man" Theola Kilgore June 1, 1963 21
"That's How Heartaches Are Made" Baby Washington June 1, 1963 40
"Still" Bill Anderson<ref>Has had seven No. 1 hits (and many more top 10 hits) on the Hot Country Singles chart. In addition, he has been a highly successful and influential songwriter in the country genre.</ref> June 8, 1963 8
"Sukiyaki" Kyu Sakamoto<ref>Hugely successful in his native Japan, and ranked by HMV Japan as one of the 20 most influential popular musicians in that country.</ref> June 15, 1963 1
"On Top of Spaghetti" Tom Glazer and the Do-Re-Mi Children's Chorus July 6, 1963 14
"Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport" Rolf Harris<ref>More successful in the UK and Australia; but most famous as a comedian.</ref> July 13, 1963 3
"Swingin' on a Star" Big Dee Irwin<ref>and Little Eva.</ref> July 13, 1963 38
"Just One Look" Doris Troy July 27, 1963 10
"Hootenanny" The Glencoves July 27, 1963 38
"Till Then" The Classics August 3, 1963 20
"Six Days on the Road" Dave Dudley<ref name="More successful on country charts" /> August 3, 1963 32
"Wipe Out" The Surfaris<ref>Have a devoted cult following; bassist Ken Forssi later played with Love (listed below).</ref> August 10, 1963 2
"The Lonely Surfer" Jack Nitzsche<ref>Most famous as a producer with Neil Young and The Rolling Stones.</ref> August 10, 1963 39
"More" Kai Winding August 24, 1963 8
"Denise" Randy & the Rainbows August 24, 1963 10
"Mockingbird" Inez and Charlie Foxx September 7, 1963 7
"Please Don't Talk to the Lifeguard" Diane Ray September 21, 1963 31
"Sally, Go 'Round the Roses" The Jaynetts September 28, 1963 2
"Martian Hop" The Ran-Dells September 28, 1963 16
"The Kind of Boy You Can't Forget" The Raindrops<ref>The Raindrops were a studio creation of the Brill Building husband-and-wife songwriting team of Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich, who wrote many popular "girl group" songs in the early 1960s</ref> September 28, 1963 17
"Part Time Love" Little Johnny Taylor October 5, 1963 19
"Birthday Party" The Pixies Three October 5, 1963 40
"Bust Out" The Busters October 12, 1963 25
"Talk to Me" Sunny & the Sunglows October 26, 1963 11
"Maria Elena" Los Indios Tabajaras November 16, 1963 6
"Cry to Me" Betty Harris November 16, 1963 25
"Washington Square" The Village Stompers November 23, 1963 2
"Dominique" The Singing Nun<ref>Well-known as a social activist after she left religious life in 1967 and performed as Luc Dominique.</ref> December 7, 1963 1
"I Wonder What She's Doing Tonight" Barry & the Tamerlanes December 7, 1963 21
"Wonderful Summer" Robin Ward<ref>More famous as a session singer in film music: it is said that her voice can be heard in over eight hundred films.</ref> December 14, 1963 14
"You Don't Have to Be a Baby to Cry" The Caravelles December 21, 1963 3
"The Boy Next Door" The Secrets December 28, 1963 18

1964

Song Performer Peak date Peak
"Midnight Mary" Joey Powers January 4, 1964 10
"Popsicles and Icicles" The Murmaids January 11, 1964 3
"What Kind of Fool (Do You Think I Am)" The Tams<ref>Had two other hits on the R&B chart, and three UK Top 40 hits in 1970, 1971 and 1987.</ref> February 22, 1964 9
"Letter from Sherry" Dale Ward February 22, 1964 25
"California Sun" The Rivieras February 29, 1964 5
"Penetration" The Pyramids March 14, 1964 18
"Who Do You Love" The Sapphires March 14, 1964 9
"I Wish You Love" Gloria Lynne March 14, 1964 28
"High-Heel Sneakers" Tommy Tucker March 21, 1964 11
"Hippy Hippy Shake" The Swinging Blue Jeans<ref>Featured Jim Rodford of The Kinks and Terry Sylvester of The Hollies; also had other hits in the United Kingdom.</ref> April 4, 1964 24
"Rip Van Winkle" The Devotions April 4, 1964 36
"We Love You Beatles" The Carefrees April 11, 1964 39
"Forever" Peter Drake and his Talking Steel Guitar April 25, 1964 25
"Shangri-La" Robert Maxwell and His Harp and Orchestra May 2, 1964 6
"Charade" Sammy Kaye and his Orchestra<ref>Better known as a big band jazz songwriter and performer.</ref> May 9, 1964 36
"Wish Someone Would Care" Irma Thomas<ref>More successful on R&B charts, and also retains devoted cult following.</ref> May 16, 1964 17
"White on White" Danny Williams May 16, 1964 9
"(Just Like) Romeo and Juliet" The Reflections May 30, 1964 6
"Remember Me" Rita Pavone July 11, 1964 26
"The Girl from Ipanema" Astrud Gilberto<ref name="Better known as a jazz artist">An acclaimed jazz artist.</ref> July 18, 1964 5
"You're My World" Cilla Black<ref>Had nineteen UK Top 40 hits, and at one point the richest female entertainer there.</ref> August 1, 1964 26
"Farmer John" The Premiers August 1, 1964 19
"I Wanna Love Him So Bad" The Jelly Beans August 8, 1964 9
"I'm Into Somethin' Good" Earl-Jean August 8, 1964 38
"Steal Away" Jimmy Hughes August 15, 1964 17
"She's the One" The Chartbusters August 15, 1964 33
"Mixed-Up, Shook-Up Girl" Patty & the Emblems August 15, 1964 37
"Haunted House" Jumpin' Gene Simmons<ref>Not to be confused with Gene Simmons, the bassist from KISS.</ref> August 29, 1964 11
"Selfish One" Jackie Ross September 5, 1964 11
"Funny (How Time Slips Away)" Joe Hinton October 10, 1964 13
"We'll Sing in the Sunshine" Gale Garnett October 17, 1964 4
"Little Honda" The Hondells October 31, 1964 9
"Last Kiss" J. Frank Wilson and the Cavaliers November 7, 1964 2
"Tobacco Road" The Nashville Teens<ref>Had wider success in their native UK; also featured renowned keyboardist John Hawken and drummer Barry Jenkins.</ref> November 7, 1964 14
"Have I the Right?" The Honeycombs November 14, 1964 5
"Shaggy Dog" Mickey Lee Lane November 28, 1964 38
"Hawaii Tattoo" The Waikikis December 5, 1964 33
"Ringo" Lorne Greene<ref name="actor" /> December 5, 1964 1

1965

Song Performer Peak date Peak
"The Wedding" Julie Rogers January 2, 1965 10
"My Love, Forgive Me (Amore, Scusami)" Robert Goulet<ref>Better known as actor, but also performed much film music.</ref> January 2, 1965 16
"Leader of the Laundromat" The Detergents January 9, 1965 19
"The Jerk" The Larks January 16, 1965 7
"Twine Time" Alvin Cash and the Crawlers February 20, 1965 14
"The Boy from New York City" The Ad Libs February 27, 1965 8
"I've Got a Tiger By the Tail" Buck Owens<ref>Had 21 No. 1 hits on the Hot Country Singles chart, plus many more top 10 hits; influential for the Bakersfield Sound of country music. Co-host of the TV series Hee Haw.</ref> February 27, 1965 25
"It's Alright" Adam Faith with The Roulettes February 27, 1965 31
"New York is a Lonely Town" The Trade Winds March 6, 1965 32
"The Birds and the Bees" Jewel Akens March 20, 1965 3
"Goldfinger" Shirley Bassey<ref>Hugely successful in her native UK where she has received a DBE.</ref> March 27, 1965 8
"Don't Mess Up a Good Thing" Bobby McClure March 27, 1965 33
"Land of a Thousand Dances" Cannibal & the Headhunters April 17, 1965 30
"Cast Your Fate to the Wind" Sounds Orchestral May 8, 1965 10
"The Entertainer" Tony Clarke May 8, 1965 31
"We're Gonna Make It" Little Milton<ref>Had seventeen R&B Top 40 hits.</ref> May 15, 1965 25
"Baby the Rain Must Fall" Glenn Yarbrough May 22, 1965 12
"Oo Wee Baby, I Love You" Fred Hughes May 29, 1965 23
"Concrete and Clay" Eddie Rambeau June 5, 1965 35
"Concrete and Clay" Unit 4 + 2 June 12, 1965 28
"I Do" The Marvelows July 3, 1965 37
"A Walk in the Black Forest" Horst Jankowski July 10, 1965 12
"You Turn Me On (Turn On Song)" Ian Whitcomb and Bluesville July 17, 1965 8
"The Dawn of Correction" The Spokesmen September 18, 1965 26
"Eve of Destruction" Barry McGuire<ref>In the 1970s, McGuire had a second successful career in contemporary Christian music.</ref> September 25, 1965 1
"Liar, Liar" The Castaways October 23, 1965 12
"Keep on Dancing" The Gentrys<ref>A band that featured Jimmy Hart, who is a well known professional wrestling manager.</ref> October 30, 1965 4
"Hungry for Love" San Remo Golden Strings October 30, 1965 27
"Everyone's Gone to the Moon" Jonathan King<ref>Most famous as a record producer, boss of record labels Decca and UK and finally as a U.S. reporter on Top of the Pops.</ref> November 6, 1965 17
"You've Got to Hide Your Love Away" The Silkie November 27, 1965 10
"May the Bird of Paradise Fly Up Your Nose" Little Jimmy Dickens<ref>A legendary country music artist and longtime Grand Ole Opry member who had many country hits from 1949 through the late 1960s.</ref> December 4, 1965 15
"Don't Think Twice" Wonder Who?<ref>Made up of the members of The Four Seasons, who have had much success on the Hot 100.</ref> December 25, 1965 12

1966

Song Performer Peak date Peak
"One Has My Name (The Other Has My Heart)" Barry Young January 1, 1966 13
"Harlem Nocturne" The Viscounts January 1, 1966 39
"Flowers on the Wall" The Statler Brothers<ref name="More successful on country charts" /> January 8, 1966 4
"Lies" The Knickerbockers<ref>Cited as an influence by The Knack.</ref> January 22, 1966 20
"The Duck" Jackie Lee<ref>The Earl of Bob & Earl.</ref> January 22, 1966 14
"The Men in My Little Girl's Life" Mike Douglas<ref>Better known as a talk show host.</ref> February 5, 1966 6
"No Matter What Shape (Your Stomach's In)" The T-Bones<ref>Later had several soft rock hits in the 1970s, recording under their new band name Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds.</ref> February 5, 1966 3
"Michelle" David and Jonathan<ref>Better known as a songwriting duo (Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress).</ref> February 12, 1966 18
"Elusive Butterfly" Bob Lind March 12, 1966 5
"The Cheater" Bob Kuban and the In-Men March 12, 1966 12
"Batman Theme" Neal Hefti<ref>Better known as a jazz musician with Count Basie; also played with Frank Sinatra.</ref> March 12, 1966 35
"Love Makes the World Go Round" Deon Jackson<ref name="autogenerated1">Has had more success with two top 40 hits on the Hot Rhythm & Blues Singles chart.</ref> March 19, 1966 11
"Walkin' My Cat Named Dog" Norma Tanega April 9, 1966 22
"Caroline, No" Brian Wilson<ref>The main creative force and founding member of The Beach Boys.</ref> April 30, 1966 32
"I Can't Grow Peaches on a Cherry Tree" Just Us<ref>Member Chip Taylor is better known as a songwriter (Wild Thing, Angel of the Morning).</ref> May 14, 1966 24
"History Repeats Itself" Buddy Starcher May 14, 1966 39
"The Ballad of Irving" Frank Gallop<ref>A well-known television and radio personality.</ref> May 28, 1966 34
"Barefootin'" Robert Parker June 18, 1966 7
"Oh How Happy" The Shades of Blue June 25, 1966 12
"Cool Jerk" The Capitols<ref>Cited as an influence by Archie Bell.</ref> July 2, 1966 7
"Doubleshot (Of My Baby's Love)" The Swingin' Medallions July 2, 1966 17
"Day of Decision" Johnny Sea<ref name="More successful on country charts" /> July 2, 1966 35
"Little Girl" Syndicate of Sound July 9, 1966 8
"Dirty Water" The Standells<ref>Have a devoted cult following; also sometimes seen as protopunk influence. Briefly featured Lowell George of Little Feat fame.</ref> July 9, 1966 11
"Hey Joe" The Leaves<ref>Bassist Jim Pons later joined The Turtles.</ref> July 9, 1966 31
"7 and 7 Is" Love<ref>A highly influential psychedelic band; their 1967 album Forever Changes is a staple of best-albums lists. Locally stars but never toured outside L.A. thus had no success elsewhere.</ref> July 30, 1966 33
"They're Coming to Take Me Away, Ha-Haaa!" Napoleon XIV<ref>Pseudonym of Jerry Samuels, a successful songwriter who also wrote #3 hit "The Shelter of Your Arms" for Sammy Davis, Jr.</ref> August 13, 1966 3
"Somewhere, My Love" Ray Conniff<ref>Well-known in the easy listening genre, with considerable success on album charts.</ref> August 13, 1966 9
"Searching for My Love" Bobby Moore & the Rhythm Aces August 13, 1966 27
"Sweet Dreams" Tommy McLain August 20, 1966 15
"Tar and Cement" Verdelle Smith August 20, 1966 38
"Black Is Black" Los Bravos<ref>Had two top 40 hits in the UK.</ref> October 1, 1966 4
"Open the Door to Your Heart" Darrell Banks<ref name="autogenerated1"/> October 1, 1966 27
"Almost Persuaded" David Houston<ref>The godson of 1920s singer Gene Austin, Houston had many top 10 singles, including seven No. 1 songs, on the Hot Country Singles chart from 1963-1974.</ref> October 1, 1966 24
"Psychotic Reaction" Count Five<ref>An influential protopunk band, cited by The Stooges and The Doors; made famous by Lester Bangs.</ref> October 15, 1966 5
"Summer Samba (So Nice)" Walter Wanderley<ref>A popular bossa nova pianist, cited as an influence by the aforementioned Astrud Gilberto.</ref> October 15, 1966 26
"Winchester Cathedral" The New Vaudeville Band<ref>Fronted by well-known songwriter Geoff Stephens (The Crying Game, There's a Kind of Hush.)</ref> December 3, 1966 1
"(When She Needs Good Lovin') She Comes to Me" Chicago Loop December 3, 1966 37
"But It's Alright" J.J. Jackson<ref>Also a well-known songwriter</ref> December 10, 1966 22

1967

Song Performer Peak date Peak
"Talk Talk" The Music Machine January 14, 1967 15
"There's Got to Be a Word!" The Innocence January 14, 1967 34
"Gallant Men" Senator Everett McKinley Dirksen<ref>At the time, he was serving the last of his three terms in the United States Senate. He is most remembered today as the main drafter of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.</ref> January 21, 1967 29
"Niki Hoeky" P.J. Proby<ref>More successful in his home country of the UK, and in Australia.</ref> January 28, 1967 25
"Wild Thing" Senator Bobby<ref>Pseudonymous release by Bill Minkin.</ref> February 4, 1967 20
"(We Ain't Got) Nothin' Yet" Blues Magoos February 11, 1967 5
"Music to Watch Girls By" Bob Crewe Generation<ref>Bob Crewe is a very well known songwriter and producer.</ref> February 11, 1967 15
"Stand By Me" Spyder Turner February 11, 1967 12
"Hello Hello" Sopwith Camel February 11, 1967 26
"Mercy, Mercy, Mercy" Cannonball Adderley<ref>An influential musician in the jazz scene, where he played with Miles Davis and Bill Evans on Kind of Blue and Milestones.</ref> February 25, 1967 11
"Pushing Too Hard" The Seeds<ref>A cult garage band, cited as an influence by many post-punk groups like The Fall.</ref> February 25, 1967 36
"It Takes Two" Kim Weston<ref>and Marvin Gaye.</ref> March 4, 1967 14
"Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye" The Casinos March 11, 1967 6
"Sit Down, I Think I Love You" The Mojo Men March 18, 1967 36
"For What It's Worth" Buffalo Springfield<ref>A highly influential folk-rock group that spawned the career of Neil Young, Stephen Stills and Jim Messina.</ref> March 25, 1967 7
"Friday on My Mind" The Easybeats<ref>Had wider success in Australian homeland.</ref> May 20, 1967 16
"Yellow Balloon" The Yellow Balloon May 20, 1967 25
"Sunshine Girl" Parade May 27, 1967 20
"My Girl Josephine" Jerry Jaye May 27, 1967 29
"I Was Kaiser Bill's Batman" Whistling Jack Smith June 3, 1967 20
"Do It Again a Little Bit Slower" Jon and Robin and the In-Crowd June 24, 1967 18
"Ding-Dong! The Witch Is Dead" The Fifth Estate July 1, 1967 11
"Little Bit O' Soul" The Music Explosion July 8, 1967 2
"Come on Down to My Boat" Every Mother's Son July 8, 1967 6
"For Your Precious Love" Oscar Toney, Jr. July 8, 1967 23
"Let the Good Times Roll and Feels So Good" Bunny Sigler August 19, 1967 22
"The Sweetest Thing This Side of Heaven" Chris Bartley August 19, 1967 32
"Hypnotized" Linda Jones August 26, 1967 21
"(I Wanna) Testify" The Parliaments<ref>Members later formed funk group Parliament; group member George Clinton is the leader of Parliament-Funkadelic.</ref> September 23, 1967 20
"Blue's Theme" Davie Allan and the Arrows September 23, 1967 37
"Little Ole Man (Uptight–Everything's Alright)" Bill Cosby<ref>Better known as a television comedian/actor with The Bill Cosby Show, Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids and The Cosby Show.</ref> October 14, 1967 4
"Let It Out (Let It All Hang Out)" The Hombres November 18, 1967 12
"Everlasting Love" Robert Knight November 18, 1967 13
"Pata Pata" Miriam Makeba<ref>More famous as an anti-apartheid activist.</ref> November 25, 1967 12
"Back on the Street Again" Sunshine Company November 25, 1967 36
"An Open Letter to My Teenage Son" Victor Lundberg December 2, 1967 10
"Beautiful People" Kenny O'Dell<ref>More successful as a country music songwriter ("Behind Closed Doors" by Charlie Rich, "Mama He's Crazy" by The Judds, and many others). Also had a few country hits of his own.</ref> December 16, 1967 38
"Next Plane to London" The Rose Garden December 30, 1967 17

1968

Song Performer Peak date Peak
"Judy in Disguise (With Glasses)" John Fred and His Playboy Band January 20, 1968 1
"Love Power" The Sandpebbles January 27, 1968 22
"Green Tambourine" The Lemon Pipers February 3, 1968 1
"Nobody but Me" The Human Beinz February 3, 1968 8
"Love Is Blue"<ref>Love Is Blue is the first instrumental to hit #1 on the Billboard pop chart since Telstar did it on Dec. 22, 1962.</ref> Paul Mauriat and His Orchestra<ref>Mauriat was highly successful as a songwriter for Mireille Mathieu and was a superstar in Europe, and Japan.</ref> February 10, 1968 1
"I'm Gonna Make You Love Me" Madeline Bell February 10, 1968 26
"Skip a Rope" Henson Cargill<ref name="More successful on country charts" /> February 10, 1968 25
"Born Free" The Hesitations February 17, 1968 38
"Country Girl–City Man" Judy Clay March 23, 1968 36
"A Question of Temperature" The Balloon Farm March 23, 1968 37
"Playboy" Gene and Debbe April 13, 1968 17
"Does Your Mama Know About Me" Bobby Taylor & the Vancouvers<ref>Group included Thomas Chong, later known as Tommy Chong of famed comedy duo Cheech and Chong</ref> April 20, 1968 29
"Sweet Inspiraton" The Sweet Inspirations April 27, 1968 18
"Summertime Blues" Blue Cheer<ref name=metal>A highly influential band in the development of heavy metal.</ref> May 4, 1968 14
"The Good, The Bad and the Ugly" Hugo Montenegro June 1, 1968 2
"Master Jack" Four Jacks and a Jill June 8, 1968 18
"MacArthur Park" Richard Harris<ref name=actor>Better known as an actor.</ref> June 22, 1968 2
"Reach Out of the Darkness" Friend and Lover June 22, 1968 10
"I Love You" People June 22, 1968 14
"The Horse" Cliff Nobles and Co. June 29, 1968 2
"Angel of the Morning" Merrilee Rush and the Turnabouts June 29, 1968 7
"Tip Toe Thru' The Tulips With Me" Tiny Tim<ref>Has a highly devoted cult following, and has been cited as an influence by Current 93 and Nurse with Wound.</ref> June 29, 1968 17
"Here Comes the Judge" Shorty Long July 6, 1968 8
"Grazing in the Grass" Hugh Masekela<ref name="Better known as a jazz artist"/> July 20, 1968 1
"Here Comes the Judge" Pigmeat Markham<ref>Better known as comedian.</ref> July 27, 1968 19
"Pictures of Matchstick Men" Status Quo<ref>One of the most successful bands ever in their UK homeland, and has a devoted cult called the "Quo Army". Had over 50 hits in their native UK.</ref> August 3, 1968 12
"Classical Gas" Mason Williams<ref>Also a successful composer, writer, and comedian</ref> August 3, 1968 2
"Journey to the Center of the Mind" The Amboy Dukes<ref>Best known for spawning the career of Ted Nugent.</ref> August 24, 1968 16
"Love Makes a Woman" Barbara Acklin August 31, 1968 15
"Naturally Stoned" The Avant-Garde<ref>Group member Chuck Woolery is better known as a game show host.</ref> August 31, 1968 40
"Harper Valley PTA" Jeannie C. Riley<ref name="More successful on country charts" /> September 21, 1968 1
"In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" Iron Butterfly<ref name=metal /> September 28, 1968 30
"Girl Watcher" The O'Kaysions October 5, 1968 5
"Indian Reservation" Don Fardon October 5, 1968 20
"Quick Joey Small (Run Joey Run)" Kasenetz-Katz Singing Orchestral Circus<ref>A group featuring many well known bubblegum pop musicians.</ref> October 5, 1968 25
"Fire" Crazy World of Arthur Brown<ref>Founder of shock rock and major influence on Alice Cooper and KISS. A later edition of the band featured drummer Carl Palmer, more famous with ELP.</ref> October 19, 1968 2
"All Along the Watchtower" The Jimi Hendrix Experience<ref>An extremely influential band led by guitarist Jimi Hendrix.</ref> October 19, 1968 20
"Baby, Come Back" The Equals<ref>The group's leader was Eddy Grant, later of "Electric Avenue" fame.</ref> October 26, 1968 32
"Shape of Things to Come" Max Frost and the Troopers October 26, 1968 22
"Piece of My Heart" Big Brother and the Holding Company<ref>At this time, the group's lead singer was influential singer and later one-hit wonder Janis Joplin.</ref> November 9, 1968 12
"The Funky Judge" Bull & the Matadors November 16, 1968 39
"Little Arrows" Leapy Lee December 7, 1968 16
"Shame, Shame" The Magic Lanterns December 21, 1968 29

1969

Song Performer Peak date Peak
"Lo Mucho Que Te Quiero (The More I Love You)" Rene y Rene January 4, 1969 14
"Cinnamon" Derek<ref>Johnny Cymbal (Derek's real name) also recorded "Mr. Bass Man" under his own name (listed as a one-hit wonder in 1963)</ref> January 11, 1969 11
"The Worst That Could Happen" Brooklyn Bridge<ref>Lead singer Johnny Maestro was also the original lead singer of The Crests.</ref> February 1, 1969 3
"I Got a Line on You" Spirit<ref>One of the leaders of the psychedelic rock movement; more critically than commercially lauded.</ref> March 15, 1969 25
"The Letter" The Arbors April 5, 1969 20
"Hot Smoke and Sassafras" Bubble Puppy April 19, 1969 14
"Gimme Gimme Good Lovin'" Crazy Elephant May 3, 1969 12
"Will You Be Staying After Sunday" Peppermint Rainbow May 3, 1969 32
"Nothing but a Heartache" The Flirtations May 24, 1969 34
"Love (Can Make You Happy)" Mercy May 31, 1969 2
"Morning Girl" The Neon Philharmonic<ref>The original band of session bassist and record producer Norbert Putnam.</ref> June 7, 1969 17
"More Today Than Yesterday" Spiral Starecase June 14, 1969 12
"Israelites" Desmond Dekker and the Aces<ref>Regarded as the most popular Jamaican reggae singer before Bob Marley.</ref> June 28, 1969 9
"Black Pearl" The Checkmates, LTD. July 5, 1969 13
"Medicine Man" The Buchanan Brothers July 5, 1969 22
"In the Year 2525 (Exordium and Terminus)" Zager and Evans July 12, 1969 1
"Color Him Father" The Winstons July 19, 1969 7
"Abraham, Martin and John" Moms Mabley<ref>More famous as a comedian.</ref> July 19, 1969 35
"My Pledge of Love" Joe Jeffrey Group July 26, 1969 14
"Quentin's Theme" Charles Randolph Grean Sounde August 2, 1969 13
"Yesterday, When I Was Young" Roy Clark<ref>Better known as a country artist, where in his genre had a string of top 40 hits — many of them top 10 — on the Hot Country Singles chart from 1963-1980. Co-host of Hee Haw.</ref> August 2, 1969 19
"Good Old Rock and Roll" Cat Mother & the All Night News Boys August 2, 1969 21
"Reconsider Me" Johnny Adams August 2, 1969 28
"Nobody But You Babe" Clarence Reid<ref>Better known for his X-rated rap albums under the name Blowfly.</ref> August 2, 1969 40
"Moonflight" Vik Venus August 9, 1969 38
"Polk Salad Annie" Tony Joe White<ref>An important influence on swamp rock.</ref> August 23, 1969 8
"Sugar on Sunday" Clique August 30, 1969 22
"Get Together"<ref>Originally charted at #62 in 1967.</ref> The Youngbloods<ref>A highly acclaimed folk-rock group. Member Jesse Colin Young went on to a successful solo career.</ref> September 6, 1969 5
"Birthday" Underground Sunshine September 6, 1969 26
"Did You See Her Eyes" The Illusion September 6, 1969 32
"Keem-O-Sabe" The Electric Indian September 27, 1969 16
"When I Die" Motherlode October 11, 1969 18
"In a Moment" The Intrigues October 11, 1969 31
"Tracy" The Cuff Links October 25, 1969 9
"You, I" The Rugbys October 25, 1969 24
"Make Believe" Wind<ref>Lead singer Tony Orlando was more famous with the band Dawn.</ref> October 25, 1969 28
"Jealous Kind of Fella" Garland Green November 1, 1969 20
"Baby It's You" Smith November 1, 1969 5
"Jesus Is a Soul Man" Lawrence Reynolds November 1, 1969 28
"Something in the Air" Thunderclap Newman November 1, 1969 37
"Echo Park" Keith Barbour November 1, 1969 40
"Smile a Little Smile for Me" The Flying Machine November 22, 1969 5
"Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye" Steam December 6, 1969 1
"Groovy Grubworm" Harlow Wilcox and the Oakies December 13, 1969 30


See also

References




Unless indicated otherwise, the text in this article is either based on Wikipedia article "One-hit wonder" or another language Wikipedia page thereof used under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License; or on research by Jahsonic and friends. See Art and Popular Culture's copyright notice.

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