Remember what it was like to get up early in the morning as a kid and jump in the family car to head to school? If you were an elder 60s kid, you got to listen to some amazing pop music on the car radio, I bet. And I also bet that you still remember the following four hit songs from 1960, all because you heard them on the radio on the way to school. Let’s get nostalgic, shall we?
“Wild One” by Bobby Rydell from ‘Bobby’s Biggest Hits’
Remember this rock and roll classic? Bobby Rydell had a smash hit on his hands with “Wild One”. The song spent a whopping 16 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, ultimately peaking at No. 2. The song was also quite a hit on the R&B chart, where it peaked at No. 10.
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“Cathy’s Clown” by The Everly Brothers from ‘A Date With The Everly Brothers’
I couldn’t skip The Everly Brothers on our list of songs from 1960 that you probably heard on your way to school. The pair were enjoying quite the career renaissance back then. “Cathy’s Clown” is definitely the most memorable of their songs from that year, and the pop classic about a man who is humiliated by a girl he loves ended up being a huge hit on the charts. “Cathy’s Clown” peaked at No. 1 on the Hot 100, Hot R&B Singles, and UK Official Singles charts.
“It’s Now Or Never” by Elvis Presley
If I couldn’t skip The Everly Brothers, then I definitely couldn’t skip Elvis Presley on this list. There are a few songs by the King that I could have included here, but I decided to go with “It’s Now Or Never”. This song remains Presley’s biggest career hit, with over 20 million copies sold around the globe. “It’s Now Or Never”, naturally, was a pop hit, peaking at No. 1 across the board in the US, UK, Canada, and much of Europe.
“The Twist” by Chubby Checker from ‘Twist With Chubby Checker’
Hear it once, and you’ll never forget it. This insanely catchy pop-rock tune from Chubby Checker was easily the song of the year in 1960. When one thinks of dance tunes, particularly those that revolve around a particular dance craze, one often thinks of “The Twist”. Listeners young and old loved it back in 1960. “The Twist” peaked at No. 1 on the Hot 100 chart.
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