3 One-Hit Wonders From the 1960s That Hit No. 1 (and Blew Everyone Away)

One-hit wonders have popped up here and there for decades now. Even today, artists will climb the charts and score one Top 40 hit before fading away from the spotlight soon after. And, on rare occasions, such one-hit wonders will make it all the way to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Let’s look at a few one-hit wonders from the 1960s, specifically, that hit No. 1!

“Dominique” by The Singing Nun

Several “singing nuns” got famous back in the day, but the one-hit wonder “Dominique” from 1963 was made famous by a specific singing nun named Jeanne-Paule Marie “Jeannine” Deckers. Deckers’ cover of a Belgian French tune hit No. 1 on the Hot 100 chart that year. And, sadly, her story doesn’t have a happy ending. Due to being taken advantage of by a record label, Deckers made almost no money from her recording contract. She would later leave the order, experience a crisis of faith, and die by her own hand in 1985. It was an absolute tragedy that changed how one might feel listening to this song decades later.

“Eve Of Destruction” by Barry McGuire

I’m still shocked that Barry McGuire would be considered a one-hit wonder based on how talented he is. However, the 1965 folk protest song, “Eve Of Destruction”, was his only major hit. This song peaked at No. 1 on the Hot 100 and multiple other charts. Sadly, his follow-up, “Child Of Our Times”, barely made it to No. 72. He would never score another Top 40 hit on the Hot 100 again. At least “Eve Of Destruction” is an amazing song to be known for.

Fun fact: “Eve Of Destruction” was originally written by P. F. Sloan and was recorded by multiple artists, though McGuire’s version remains the most famous rendition.

“In The Year 2525” by Zager And Evans

How about some late-1960s psychedelic rock on our list of one-hit wonders? “In The Year 2525” by Zager And Evans was basically the song of the year, peaking at No. 1 on the Hot 100, UK Singles, and Canada Top Singles charts in 1969. This odyssey of a song follows the journey of humanity over 10,000 years, and predicts that technology will be the end of mankind. This song would end up being Zager And Evans’ only Hot 100 hit, and they would later break up in 1971.

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