3 Two-Hit Wonders From the 1960s That Dominated Classic Rock

In the 1960s, rock and roll was just coming into form. Thanks to acts like Bob Dylan and the many that came over from across the Atlantic Ocean as part of the British Invasion, the genre was starting to become the dominant form of musical expression across the world. As a result many groups wrote hit songs that changed their lives.

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But that doesn’t mean all of those bands became household names. Some were two-hit wonders, meaning they were artists who boasted two high-charting songs but then never quite had the same success after that. Here below, we wanted to explore three such examples. A trio of two-hit classic rock wonders that dominated the decade of the 1960s.

[RELATED: 3 Two-Hit Wonder, Foreign-Born Bands that Ruled the 1970s]

The Left Banke: “Walk Away Renée” and “Pretty Ballerina” from Walk Away Renée/Pretty Ballerina (1967)

Released on their debut studio album Walk Away Renée/Pretty Ballerina in 1967, these songs proved to be hits for the New York City-born rock group The Left Banke. In fact, the album itself was named after the two songs that put the group on the proverbial map. While the album peaked at No. 67 on the Billboard Top 200 albums chart, the songs did much better. “Walk Away Renée” hit No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1966 and months later, “Pretty Ballerina” hit No. 15. Today, the group is known as a signature baroque pop band for its lush sonic flavors.

? and the Mysterians: “96 Tears” and “I Need Somebody” from 96 Tears (1966)

These two tracks were released together on the 1966 LP 96 Tears. For the Michigan-born garage rock band ? and the Mysterians, they marked the only two tracks to hit at the top of the charts. Indeed, the album’s titular single even went No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and “I Need Somebody” came in at No. 22. Singing about a broken heart, lead vocalist Rudy Martinez used organ and buzzy guitars to make his point about lost love.

Janis Ian: “Society’s Child (Baby I’ve Been Thinking)” from Janis Ian (1966) and “At Seventeen” from Between the Lines (1974)

Janis Ian was one of those two-hit wonders who spanned multiple decades, but it all began for her in the 1960s with her song “Society’s Child (Baby I’ve Been Thinking).” That moody, harmony-driven love song hit No. 14 on the Billboard Hot 100. And then eight years later, Ian earned another hit with “At Seventeen,” which hit No. 3 on the Hot 100. With a sweet, lilting voice, Ian may not be quite remembered in history as she should. But she’s a lovely, Joni Mitchell-like artist.

Photo by Richard E. Aaron/Redferns