3 One-Hit Wonders From the 1960s That Had Enough “It” Factor To Become Superstars

One-hit wonders are often happy to remain content with hitting it big just once for a short amount of time. When it comes to the following one-hit wonders from the 1960s, though, I can’t help but think they had enough talent to become superstars, rather than one-hit wonders. It’s an unfortunate truth, but the charts really don’t reflect one’s musical talent all the time.

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The Troggs

“Wild Thing” is one of the most instantly recognizable rock songs of the 1960s. And yet, The Troggs did not launch into superstardom the way one would expect them to. They enjoyed some success with songs like “Love Is All Around” and “With A Girl Like You”, but “Wild Thing” was their only No. 1 hit in the US.

Many would consider The Troggs to be two-hit wonders, as “Love Is All Around” peaked at No. 7 on the Hot 100. I’ll include them on this list anyway, as “Wild Thing” has massively outlived the popularity of “Love Is All Around” in the decades that have passed. Either way, The Troggs should have been way bigger.

? And The Mysterians

It still blows my mind that this proto-punk outfit is a one-hit wonder, one that never took off on a mainstream level as they should have. This group is still together today (thankfully), so maybe there’s enough time for modern audiences to recognize their brilliance while the core members are still around.

This garage rock band is best known for “96 Tears” from 1966. That song would hit No. 1 in the US and Canada. ? And The Mysterians enjoyed a little bit of follow-up success with “I Need Somebody” that year. However, “96 Tears” remains their only Top 20 hit. They deserved better, considering they were one of the earliest examples of proto-punk in history.

The Peppermint Rainbow

How about a particularly underrated entry on our list of one-hit wonders from the 1960s who should have been superstars? Sunshine pop had its time, and certainly didn’t last forever. However, I think The Peppermint Rainbow deserved to enjoy lasting success through the 1970s, rather than breaking up at the start of the decade. This sunshine pop outfit enjoyed just one Top 40 hit on the Hot 100, the 1969 single “Will You Be Staying After Sunday”. The vocalists in this outfit were on another level.

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