No one sets out to be a one-hit wonder, but even if that's the highest level of fame you reach, you're still doing a lot better than most people! These musicians and groups from the 60s might not have a massively memorable discography, but that doesn't mean they weren't important to the decade. Let's check out the most memorable one-hit wonders of the 1960s!
"Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye" is one of the most endearing songs of the 1960s and a staple at sporting events, but the “band” Steam was just a collection of studio musicians with the help of a producer. They only ever made a handful of songs and weren't ever truly a real band.
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Although somewhat morbid, “Teen Angel” reached #1 on the U.S. charts, but Mark Dinning couldn’t duplicate the same success again. His 3 sisters, however, had 4 Top 20 hits as the group The Dinning Sisters.
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Ernie K-Doe’s song hit #1 in 1961, but it almost didn’t happen. A background singer implored him to keep trying after he wanted to give up on the song following several failed takes.
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This Bruce Channel one-and-only topped the charts for three weeks in 1962. It was also featured on the Dirty Dancing soundtrack in 1987.
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“Stranger on the Shore” was the first British song to top the American charts, but Mr. Acker Bilk couldn’t ever duplicate his success across the pond again.
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“Wipe Out” is recognized around the world for symbolizing surfer culture and conjuring up images of Hawaii, but the Surfaris couldn’t conjure up another hit on the Billboard Hot 100.
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Known as “Ue o Muite Aruko” in its native Japan, the song was retitled “Sukiyaki” for American audiences, even though the term has nothing to do with the song.
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While he might have been a one-hit wonder in the world of music, Richard Harris also received 2 Oscar nominations for Best Actor and won a Golden Globe in 1968.
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Perhaps more famous for his starring role on the original Bonanza, actor Lorne Greene also scored a #1 hit at the end of 1964.
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“Stay” is the shortest song to ever reach #1 on the American music chart, clocking in at only 1 minute and 34 seconds. It found renewed popularity in the 1980s after being featured on the Dirty Dancing soundtrack.
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Wayne Fontana was more popular in his native England than he was stateside. That being said, he did manage to reach #1 on the Billboard charts with “Game of Love.”
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Barry McGuire reached #1 with this protest song in 1965. Two more of his songs charted in the top 100, but nothing ever reached this level of success.
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Part of the reason the New Vaudeville Band were one-hit wonders was that they weren’t truly a real band. Geoff Stephens hired session musicians to record the original song.
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“I Like It Like That” was Chris Kenner’s biggest hit, reaching #2 on the Billboard charts. Other songs of his also became hits, but they were covers by different artists, not original works.
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None of the other songs by Wilson or the Cavaliers achieved the success of this #2 Billboard hit. Pearl Jam covered the song and also reached the same position with it.
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Sung by Jeannine Deckers, a Dominican sister, the song became a worldwide hit in 11 countries and spawned a fictionalized semi-biographical film starring Debbie Reynolds.
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This instrumental piece by French composer Paul Mauriat spent 5 weeks at #1. The original Luxembourgish version actually has lyrics.
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This song topped that charts in both the U.S. and the U.K., but the pop-rock duo couldn’t ever replicate their success. The song did stay at #1 for six weeks in the U.S., however.
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Ingmann’s version of “Apache” reached #2 in the U.S., and it was covered by multiple artists over the course of the years. It is sampled heavily on Sir Mix-A-Lot’s “Jump On It.”
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None of the other singles by The Music Explosion charted inside the top 100, but “Little Bit O’ Soul” remains notable for its bass riff.
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Peaking at #2, “Daddy’s Home” remains James Sheppard’s most popular and was covered by Jermaine Jackson, Junior English, and Cliff Richardson.
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Kenny Ball was a highly popular artist in the UK, but this rendition of “Midnight in Moscow” remains his only major hit in the United States.
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The Jaynetts were one of the first girl groups to find success at the top of the charts, but after this #2 hit, their successive releases never charted as highly.
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Ohio-based band The Lemon Pipers had a couple other songs that rose to around #50 on the Billboard, but they remain most famous for this 1697 hit.
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The Village Stompers created a unique folk-dixie style with #2 hit “Washington Square.” Their follow up songs only ranked on the Billboard Bubbling Under charts, however.
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Larry Verne found a #1 hit with “Mr. Custer”, but his other “popular” 1960 song only reached a peak of 75 on the Billboard Hot 100.
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The title is an obvious parody of “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds.” When it did reach #1 on the charts, it knocked another Beatles song (“Hello, Goodbye”) out of the top spot.
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Mercy only had 2 songs chart on the Billboard Hot 100. While this one was a #2 hit, the other peaked at #79, making them a qualified one-hit wonder.
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“Rhythm of the Rain” became an international hit for the Cascades in 1962, but none of their subsequent songs charted around the world.
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While "Alley Oop" was the Hollywood Argyles only major hit as performers, member Gary S. Paxton went on to pen more notable songs, such as “Monster Mash.”
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