One Hit Wonders: 1960-1969

Submitted by Imposter on Fri, 11/10/2006 - 03:25
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  • 1960

  • "Alley-Oop" - Hollywood Argyles (1)
  • "Angela Jones" - Johnny Ferguson (27)
  • "Baby Oh Baby" - The Shells (21)
  • "Barbara" - The Temptations (29)
  • "Diamonds And Pearls" - The Paradons (18)
  • "Forever" - The Little Dippers (9)
  • "Let's Think About Living" - Bob Luman (7)
  • "Look For A Star" - Garry Miles (16)
  • "Love You So" - Ron Holden with The Thunderbirds (7)
  • "The Madison" - Al Brown (23)
  • "Money (That's What I Want)" - Barrett Strong (23)
  • "Mountain Of Love" - Harold Dorman (21)
  • "Mule Skinner Blues" - The Fendermen (5)
  • "Ruby Duby Du" - Tobin Mathews & Co. (30)
  • "Summer Set" - Monty Kelly And His Orchestra (30)
  • "There's Something On Your Mind Part 2" - Bobby Marchan (31)
  • "Tracy's Theme" - Spencer Ross (13)
  • "Yogi" - The Ivy Three (8)

  • 1961

  • "Asia Minor" - Kokomo (8)
  • "The Astronaut (Pars 1 & 2)" - Jose Jimenez (19)
  • "Baby Sittin' Boogie" - Buzz Clifford (6)
  • "Foot Stomping - Part 1" - The Flares (25)
  • "Funny How Time Slips Away" - Jimmy Elledge (22)
  • "Ginnie Bell" - Paul Dino (38)
  • "The Graduation Song - Pomp And Circumstance" - Adrian Kimberly (34)
  • "I Really Love You" - The Stereos (29)
  • "A Little Bit Of Soap" - The Jarmels (12)
  • "Lost Love" - H.B. Barnum (35)
  • "Lover's Island" - The Blue Jays (31)
  • "Mexico" - Bob Moore and His Orch. (7)
  • "Nag" - The Halos (25)
  • "Once Upon A Time" - Rochell And The Candles (26)
  • "Peanut Butter" - The Marathons (20)
  • "Rama Lama Ding Dong" - The Edsels (21)
  • "(Ghost) Riders In The Sky" - Ramrods (30)
  • "Small Sad Sam" - Phil McLean (21)
  • "Stick Shift" - Duals (25)
  • "Three Hearts In A Tangle" - Roy Drusky (35)
  • "You Can't Sit Down Part 2" - Philip Upchurch Combo (29)
  • "Your Ma Said You Cried In Your Sleep Last Night" - Keny Dino (24)

  • 1962

  • "Al Di La'" - Emilio Pericoli (6)
  • "Bongo Stomp" - Little Joey And The Flips (33)
  • "Cast Your Fate To The Wind" - Vince Guaraldi Trio (22)
  • "The Cinnamon Cinder (It's A Very Nice Dance)" - The Pastel Six (25)
  • "Comin' Home Baby" - Mel Torme (36)
  • "Dear One" - Larry Finnegan (11)
  • "Don't Go Near The Indians" - Rex Allen (17)
  • "Hide & Go Seek, Part I Bunker Hill (33)
  • "I Love You" - The Volume's (22)
  • "I Wish That We We're Married" - Ronnie and The Hi-Lites (16)
  • "My Boomerang Won't Come Back" - Charlie Drake (21)
  • "My Coloring Book" - Sandy Stewart (20)
  • "Party Lights" - Claudine Clark (5)
  • "Percolator (Twist)" - Billy Joe & The Checkmates (10)
  • "The Push And Kick" - Mark Valentino (27)
  • "Remember Then" - The Earls (24)
  • "Shout! Shout! (Knock Yourself Out)" - Ernie Maresca (6)
  • "That Stranger Used To Be My Girl" - Trade Martin (28)
  • "Till Death Do Us Part" - Bob Braun (26)
  • "Torture" - Kris Jensen (20)
  • "Village Of Love" - Nathaniel Mayer (22)
  • "Wiggle Wobble" - Les Cooper and the Soul Rockers (22)

  • 1963

  • "The Boy Next Door" - The Secrets (18)
  • "Bust Out" - The Busters (25)
  • "Dominique" - The Singing Nun (1)
  • "El Watusi" - Ray Barretto (17)
  • "Hootenanny" - The Glencoves (38)
  • "I Wonder What She's Doing Tonite" - Barry And The Tamerlanes (21)
  • "Just One Look" - Doris Troy (10)
  • "Letter From Sherry" - Dale Ward (25)
  • "Little Band Of Gold" - James Gilreath (21)
  • "Martian Hop" - The Ran-Dells (16)
  • "Midnight Mary" - Joey Powers (10)
  • "More" - Kai Winding & Orchestra (8)
  • "On Top Of Spaghetti" - Tom Glazer (14)
  • "Our Winter Love" - Bill Pursell (9)
  • "Pipeline" - The Chantay's (4)
  • "Please Don't Talk To The Lifeguard" - Diane Ray (31)
  • "Popsicles And Icicles" - The Murmaids (3)
  • "Sally, Go 'Round The Roses" - The Jaynetts (2)
  • "Swinging On A Star" - Big Dee Irwin (with Little Eva) (38)
  • "Wonderful Summer" - Robin Ward (14)

  • 1964

  • "Farmer John" - The Premiers (19)
  • "Forever" - Pete Drake (25)
  • "I'm Into Something Good" - Earl-Jean (38)
  • "The Jerk" - The Larks (7)
  • "Mixed-Up, Shook-Up, Girl" - Patty & The Emblems (37)
  • "Penetration" - The Pyramids (18)
  • "Remember Me" - Rita Pavone (26)
  • "Shaggy Dog" - Mickey Lee Lane (38)
  • "We Love You Beatles" - The Carefrees (39)

  • 1965

  • "Concrete And Clay" - Eddie Rambeau (35)
  • "The Dawn Of Correction" - The Spokesmen (36)
  • "The Duck" - Jackie Lee (14)
  • "I Do" - The Marvelows (37)
  • "Land Of 1000 Dances" - Cannibal and The Headhunters (30)
  • "Liar, Liar" - The Castaways (12)
  • "The Men In My Little Girl's Life" - Mike Douglas (6)
  • "My The Bird Of Paradise Fly Up Your Nose" - "Little" Jimmy Dickens (15)
  • "One Has My Name (The Other Has My Heart)" - Barry Young (13)
  • "You've Got To Hide Your Love Away" - The Silkie (10)

  • 1966

  • "Batman Theme" - Neal Hefti (35)
  • "Day For Decision" - Johnny Sea (35)
  • "Galiant Men" - Senator Everett McKinley Dirksen (29)
  • "Hey Joe" - The Leaves (31)
  • "History Repeats Itself" - Buddy Starcher (39)
  • "I Can't Grow Peaches On A Cherry Tree" - Just Us (34)
  • "Michelle" - David & Jonathan (18)
  • "Psychotic Reaction" - Count Five (5)
  • "(When She Needs Good Lovin') She Comes To Me" - The Chicago Loop (37)
  • "Summer Samba (So Nice)" - Walter Wanderley (26)
  • "Sweet Dreams" - Tommy McLain (15)
  • "Walkin' My Cat Named Dog" - Norma Tanega (22)

  • 1967

  • "Ding Dong! The Witch Is Dead" - The Fifth Estate (11)
  • "I Was Kaiser Bill's Batman" - Whistling Jack Smith (20)
  • "Let It Out (Let It All Hang Out)" - The Hombres (12)
  • "My Girl Josephine" - Jerry Jaye (29)
  • "Next Plane To London" - The Rose Garden (17)
  • "An Open Letter To My Teenage Son" - Victor Lundberg (10)
  • "Skip A Rope" - Henson Cargill (25)
  • "Sunshine Girl" - The Parade (20)
  • "The Sweetest Thing This Side Of Heaven" - Chris Bartley (32)
  • "Yellow Balloon" - The Yellow Balloon (25)

  • 1968

  • "Baby, Come Back" - The Equals (32)
  • "Fire" - The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown (2)
  • "The Funky Judge" - Bull & The Matadors (39)
  • "Here Comes The Judge" - Pigmeat Markham (19)
  • "I Love You" - People (14)
  • "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me" - Madline Bell (26)
  • "Journey To The Center Of The Mind" - The Amboy Dukes (16)
  • "Little Arrows" - Leapy Lee (16)
  • "Naturally Stoned" - The Avant-Garde (40)
  • "A Question Of Temperature" - The Balloon Farm (37)
  • "Quick Joey Small (Run Joey Run)" - Kasenetz-Katz Singing Orchestral Circus (25)
  • "Shape Of Things To Come" - Max Frost And The Troopers (22)

  • 1969

  • "Abraham, Martin And John" - Moms Mabley (35)
  • "Echo Park" - Keith Barbour (40)
  • "Gimme Gimme Good Lovin'" - Crazy Elephant (12)
  • "Good Old Rock 'N Roll" - Cat Mother and the All Night News Boys (21)
  • "Groovy Grubworm" - Harlow Wilcox and the Oakies (30)
  • "Hot Smoke & Sasafrass" - The Bubble Puppy (14)
  • "In The Year 2525 (Exordium & Terminus)" - Zager & Evans (1)
  • "Israelites" - Desmond Dekker & The Aces (9)
  • "Jealous Kind Of Fella" - Garland Green (20)
  • "Jesus Is A Soul Man" - Lawrence Reynolds (28)
  • "Moonflight" - Vik Venus (38)
  • "My Pledge Of Love" - Joe Jeffrey Group (14)
  • "Nothing But A Heartache" - The Flirtations (34)
  • "One Tin Soldier" - The Original Caste (34)
  • "Quentin's Theme" - Charles Randolph Grean Sounds (13)
  • "Something In The Air" - Thunderclap Newman (37)
  • "When I Die" - Motherlode (18)
  • "You, I" - The Rugbys (24)
Author Comments: 

There are probably as many definitions of "one hit wonder" as there are one hit wonders, and here's one more. For this list I'm selecting artists that had just one song in the top 40 of Billboard's Hot 100 Singles charts, and no other entries anywhere in the top 100. This will account for some of the more popular one-hit wonders being omitted (Tommy Tutone had a top 40 single prior to the phone # song, for example).

On a few occasions some artists had technically a single hit, but were part of a previous group that did have several charting singles. I've done my best to mark those.

Finally, if anybody spots any mistakes, please do let me know.