You’d be surprised at how many songs from the 1950s you know and know well today. Even though the decade is some 75 years in the past, there are important tracks from the era that remain part of the zeitgeist. And that’s just what we wanted to highlight below.
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We wanted to explore three unique and memorable one-hit wonders from the 1950s that we still love today. Three tracks that have stood the test of time and stood our personal test of playlist worthiness! Indeed, these are three one-hit wonders from 1958—to be exact—that we can’t help but stan always and forever.
“Tequila” by The Champs from ‘Go, Champs, Go!’ (1958)
Fans of instrumental songs, rock music, Pee-Wee Herman, and dive bars can all unite on this track. So, perhaps it’s no wonder why and how this tune from The Champs hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1958. As you’ll see below, it’s one of several one-hit wonders to take the top spot. Were music listeners just more open to new songs in 1958? Who knows—but what we do know is “Tequila” freaking rocks.
“The Purple People Eater” by Sheb Wooley (Single, 1958)
A great and vivid song about a monster from outer space that came down to… play rock music? Was this the origin of Ziggy Stardust, too? Well, David Bowie references aside, this 1958 track from Sheb Wooley is a great one for the Halloween season or for any season. The cartoonish image of the monster is so clear, and Sheb Wooley sings with so much fun that his track remains a favorite today.
“To Know Him Is To Love Him” by The Teddy Bears (Single, 1958)
Written by the notorious Phil Spector, this song was eerily inspired by his father’s gravestone, which read, “To Know Him Was to Love Him”. That detail can send chills down your spine, knowing Spector’s history today. The song was later performed by Spector’s own group, The Teddy Bears (also very eerie), and it hit No. 1 for three weeks in 1958. …And let’s never speak of this again!
Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
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