4 Fantastic Bands From the 1960s That Relied Heavily on Outside Songwriters

In this day and age, it’s hard to imagine a hit band relying only on songs that have already been recorded by others or were provided by outside writers. Yet in the 60s, that could be a viable alternative, provided you could find the right material. The following four bands were extremely successful in the 1960s. But, for the most part, they didn’t write their own stuff, especially when it came to their hit singles.

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Herman’s Hermits

In Peter Noone, Herman’s Hermits boasted a singer whose charisma could carry many different types of material. On their very first single, “I’m Into Something Good”, he showed he could glide through a pop gem by the incredible songwriting duo of Gerry Goffin and Carole King. Later on in the band’s run, he handled uplifting ballads like “Listen People” and “There’s A Kind Of Hush”. And he especially shone on old-fashioned numbers like “I Am Henry VIII, I Am” and “Mrs. Brown, You’ve Got A Lovely Daughter”. None of those smashes were written by the Hermits.

The Hollies

This one comes equipped with a pretty significant asterisk. There was a stretch in the mid-60s where The Hollies sank into a very effective songwriting groove. Big hits “Stop Stop Stop”, “On A Carousel”, and “Carrie Anne” all were written by band members. But that represents the middle portion of a long stretch of hits. Early on, they relied heavily on standout British writer Graham Gouldman, who provided such gems as “Bus Stop”. Later in their hitmaking run, they found ballads “He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother” and (into the 70s) “The Air That I Breathe” from unlikely sources.

The Monkees

Here’s an interesting case. The members of The Monkees would prove, both within the group and as individuals, that they were actually very sharp songwriters. But the four men signed up for a situation where their singles were provided by the best tunesmiths available. This eventually turned into a huge sticking point and helped contribute to the band’s dissolution. Although they generally churned out some album tracks early on in their career, big-ticket singles like No. 1’s “Last Train To Clarksville”, “I’m A Believer”, and “Daydream Believer” arrived from elsewhere.

Three Dog Night

Yes, we know that many of Three Dog Night’s big hits came in the 70s. But they started churning out smashes in 1969. Unique among this list, this band possessed a knack for finding songs from underexposed songwriters and turning them into pop gems. In 1969 and 1970, they scored big with songs from Randy Newman (“Mama Told Me (Not To Come)”), Laura Nyro (“Eli’s Coming”), and Harry Nilsson (“One”). Three Dog Night utilized several different singers, allowing them to find just the right vocalist for whatever song they were tackling.

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