No decade produced music quite like the 1960s. And no one-hit wonders from any decade match just how unique those solitary hitmakers were in the 1960s. As the clocks tick on, every new generation will inevitably discover the music from way back in the day, now thanks to easy access via the internet. I wouldn’t be surprised if Gen Z kicked off a 1960s psychedelia revival movement at some point in the future. After all, they’ve already discovered the following three 1960s one-hit wonders. Let’s revisit some classics, shall we?
“Incense And Peppermints” by Strawberry Alarm Clock
As younger listeners begin to discover the magic of 1960s music and psychedelia, they inevitably come across this very memorable classic from 1967. “Incense And Peppermints” by Strawberry Alarm Clock was released in 1967 during the Summer of Love. It’s one of the finest pieces of work in psychedelic pop from that era.
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Sadly for Strawberry Alarm Clock, though, it would be their only hit. “Incense And Peppermints” topped the Billboard Hot 100 and Cashbox charts that year, and also hit No. 1 on the CHUM chart in Canada. They never saw another Top 20 hit on the Hot 100 again and would disappear from the charts by 1969.
“In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida” by Iron Butterfly
I’ve been pleasantly surprised to hear this rock classic pop up here and there on youth-dominated social media platforms like TikTok in the last few years. I certainly get the appeal; good acid rock is timeless. “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida” by Iron Butterfly was released in 1968 and reached No. 30 on the Hot 100 chart. After that, the band never released another Top 40 hit again.
“Sugar, Sugar” by The Archies
Every decade, I feel like this song from a “fictional” band continues to pop up on social media. I can certainly see why, because “Sugar, Sugar” by The Archies is one of the catchiest one-hit wonders of the 1960s.
This bubblegum pop tune dropped in 1969. It was the work of Jeff Barry and Andy Kim, published under The Archies, a fictional band from the then-popular Archie Comics. In reality, The Archies were made up of a laundry list of session musicians. Sadly, their work under that moniker never made it to No. 1 on the Hot 100 again. However, some would consider The Archies to be two-hit wonders, as the follow-up “Jingle Jangle” made it to No. 10 on the Hot 100 the same year as “Sugar, Sugar”.
Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
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UNITED KINGDOM – JANUARY 01: HAMMERSMITH ODEON Photo of Bill WITHERS, 231-233 (Photo by Fin Costello/Redferns) -
UNSPECIFIED – CIRCA 1970: Photo of Dottie West Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images -
LOS ANGELES – FEBRUARY 7: Vicki Lawrence, CBS television actress and singer. February 7, 1973. (Photo by CBS via Getty Images) -
Paul Revere & The Raiders Perform American pop group Paul Revere & the Raiders perform in matching outfits, probably on a television studio set, mid 1960s. The band includes Mark Lindsay (third left) as the vocalist and Paul Revere (right) on keyboards. (Photo by Authenticated News/Getty Images) -
LOS ANGELES – MARCH 10: Singer and band leader Brian Wilson of the rock and roll group 'The Beach Boys' goofs around during a portrait session at Pacific Ocean Park on March 10, 1966 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Earl Leaf/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images) -
Reba McEntire performs at San Jose Arena on November 23, 1994 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images) -
Mick Jagger performing with The Rolling Stones during a secret gig live at the 100 Club in London's Oxford Street. They were billed as 'Diz And The Doormen'. May 31 1982. (Photo by Dave Hogan/Getty Images)
