When it comes to music, sometimes all you need is a single word to get people interested. Instantly, with a flash of a lone name or idea, the audience is in. Hooked. When that happens, it’s the sign of a talented artist, one who has a lot more than a single word to share when it’s all said and done.
Here below, we wanted to examine that very dynamic. We wanted to highlight three talented musical acts that hooked us with a song known by merely one name. Indeed, these are three one-word classic rock songs from 1968 that are awesome.
Videos by American Songwriter
“Think” by Aretha Franklin from ‘Aretha Now’ (1968)
Perhaps no one in the history of music could get your attention with a single word like Aretha Franklin. Whether she’s singing about respect or about getting your wits together to think more clearly, Franklin knows how to cut through the static, through the white noise, and get to where it counts. We respond to her voice, to her urgency, and to the imperative feeling she creates in her songs. Think! When it comes to her sound, it’s obvious.
“Crossroads” by Cream from ‘Wheels Of Fire’ (1968)
British-born guitar player Eric Clapton has long been a fan of groundbreaking blues player Robert Johnson. And on this track with his band Cream, Clapton covered the Johnson offering, electrifying it and putting his own buzzy spin on the stuff. Clapton took so much from the early American blues artists, then, like others from the British Invasion, he brought it back to American audiences. Here, he was quite successful, and with it, Johnson’s legacy continues to thrive.
“One” by Three Dog Night from ‘Three Dog Night’ (1968)
Another cover, this track was originally released by Harry Nilsson in 1968. But when Three Dog Night covered it shortly thereafter, the offering hit a higher spot on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at No. 5. Most know this song for its opening line: “One is the loneliest number that you’ll ever do.” How true a statement and how perfect a thing to ponder in a pop track. You’ll never think of the single digit the same way again!
Photo by Donaldson Collection/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
More The List
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CIRCA 1966: Singer Mick Jagger of the rock and roll band "The Rolling Stones" performs onstage in circa 1966. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images) -
Aerosmith Aerosmith, Steven Tyler, Vorst-Nationaal, Brussels, Belgium, 31st October 1993. (Photo by Goedefroit Music/Getty Images) -
UNSPECIFIED – JANUARY 01: John LENNON between 1970 and 1973. (Photo by Keystone-France/Gamma-Keystone via Getty Images) -
1972: (L-R) Jim Hodder, David Palmer, Denny Dias, Donald Fagen, Jeff "Skunk" Baxter and Walter Becker of the rock band "Steely Dan" pose for a portrait in 1972. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images) -
Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images -
Kyu Sakamoto. (1941-1985) Japanese singer, best known outside Japan for his international hit song "Ue o Muite Aruko" (known as "Sukiyaki" in English-speaking markets), which was sung in Japanese and sold over 13 million copies. It reached number one in the United States Billboard Hot 100 in June 1963, making Sakamoto the first Asian recording artist to have a number one song on the chart. (Photo by Sjöberg Bildbyrå/ullstein bild via Getty Images) -
Picture taken in 1974 in Stockholm shows the Swedish pop group Abba with its members (L-R) Benny Andersson, Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Agnetha Faltskog and Bjorn Ulvaeus posing after winning the Swedish branch of the Eurovision Song Contest with their song "Waterloo". – Sweden's legendary disco group ABBA announced on April 27, 2018 that they have reunited to record two new songs, 35 years after their last single. The quartet split up in 1982 after dominating the disco scene for more than a decade with hits like "Waterloo", "Dancing Queen", "Mamma Mia" and "Super Trouper". (Photo by Olle LINDEBORG / TT News Agency / AFP) / Sweden OUT (Photo credit should read OLLE LINDEBORG/AFP via Getty Images)
