3 One-Hit Wonders From the 60s That Became Standards

Sometimes, you write a song and it becomes a hit. Sometimes, that song becomes such a hit that it rockets up the Billboard Hot 100 charts, and your dreams of writing a famous chart-topper come true. And on even rarer occasions, that song becomes so famous that it becomes part of the permanent sonic lexicon. That’s rare, but it does happen for some The following tracks are a trio of songs that enjoyed such success that they became fixtures in the zeitgeist. And while these tracks dropped in the 1960s, they are still permanently in our minds today, some 60 years later. Indeed, these are three one-hit wonders from the 60s that became standards.

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“Wipe Out” by The Surfaris from ‘Play’ (1963)

This is probably the most recognizable of one-hit wonders from the 60s on this list. If you ever encounter a movie, TV show, commercial, or anything else that has to do with surfing, there is a 99.9% chance this song will be involved somehow. An instrumental, this track is synonymous with the water sport. You can imagine a movie montage in your head with tan surfers running around a surf village with sunscreen on their noses and bucket hats on their heads. They’re looking for their boards, the big wave is about to hit! Wipe out! It’s forever part of surf culture and therefore culture at large.

“The Girl From Ipanema” Stan Getz, João Gilberto, and Astrud Gilberto from ‘Getz/Gilberto’ (1964)

Some songs are released and immediately and forever woven into the fabric of culture. That is what happend to this 1964 track from Stan Getz João Gilberto, which was performed by Brazilian samba and bossa nova singer Astrud Gilberto. It’s a song of fantasy, of travel, of flirtation. Of young, sweaty lust. In that way, it’s a timeless song. Because those qualities will never go out of style. We all imagine traveling to a far-off land and finding someone to become infatuated with. This tune is the soundtrack to that particular kind of longing.

“Angel Of The Morning” by Merrilee Rush from ‘Angel of the Morning’ (1968)

A song of sexual and female empowerment from a time when those qualities weren’t nearly as prevalent in modern society as they are today. This track, which a few artists originally recorded before Merrilee Rush got it and made it a hit, is about a woman who is free to love whomever she wants. What a concept! But at the time, it was pretty taboo. In the song, Rush delivers the melody with such passion and confidence that she helped many understand what a strong female presence could be. That’s the beauty of art. Life can learn from it. Since then, the track has been covered a myriad of times, including by rapper Shaggy.

Photo of Merrilee Rush via “Angel Of The Morning” YouTube music video