3 One-Hit Wonders Every 1960s Teen Remembers

Were you a teen in the 1960s and had an affinity for R&B, surf rock, country, and one-hit wonders? If so, the following three songs were probably played on vinyl, on repeat, through much of your puberty years. And what excellent taste you had back then! Let’s take a look, shall we?

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“I Really Love You” by The Stereos (1961)

Teen fans of doo-wop and R&B definitely loved this solitary hit from Leroy Swearingen. And, if you were a teen in the 1980s, you probably also loved George Harrison’s cover of the song on his 1982 album Gone Troppo.

But, we’re talking about 1960s one-hit wonders that teen listeners loved, and Leroy Swearingen and his band The Stereos’ version was quite the hit in 1961. “I Really Love You” peaked at No. 29 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart that year. Sadly, none of the group’s other releases did nearly as well, and the group ceased operations in 1968.

“Hawaii Tattoo” by The Waikikis (1964)

Surf rock was all the rage in the 1960s. And if you were a beach-going teen during that decade, you probably jammed out to this instrumental from The Waikikis on more than one occasion.

“Hawaii Tattoo” was released in 1964 and did particularly well in Belgium, as that was where the song was recorded. It reached the Top 50 in the US, peaking at No. 41. The album of the same name also made it to the Billboard 200 at No. 93. Sadly, the group never had as big a hit again, and their last albums were the 1969 records Moonlight On Diamond Head and Greatest Hits From Hawaii.

“Different Drum” by The Stone Poneys (1967)

If you heard this country rock entry on our list of one-hit wonders as a teen in the late 1960s, it probably spurred a lifelong love of Linda Ronstadt. Though Ronstadt herself is as far from a one-hit wonder as someone can get, her original band, The Stone Poneys, only enjoyed one hit while they were together. “Different Drum” peaked at No. 13 on the Hot 100 chart, and they never scored another Top 40 hit again. The group disbanded in 1968, and Ronstadt kicked off her very successful solo career.

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