The 1960s were a strange decade. Rock and roll truly made its bones, and production values on records significantly improved. Where would the world be without the likes of the Rolling Stones and Beatles, for instance?
But since there was so much new music, there were a bunch of recording artists who would be around one day and gone the next. This led to an abundance of one-hit wonders.
Some were quite good. Others, we need to ask what people in the '60s were thinking. The tracks were, at times, awful. But in the case of the five that follow, at least they were memorable.
These 1960s one-hit wonders did not deserve their one popular song
Cannibal and the Headhunters - "Land of 1000 Dances" (reached number 30 in the US in 1965)
The track is a listicle. Name as many dances as possible, and hope that that catches peoples attentions. But the name of the band coupled with the title of the track seems creepy.
Moreover, the reason the "na na na na na" part exists in this version is because the vocalist forgot the words. Happy accident? Maybe, but still a terrible tune.
Napoleon XIV - "They're Coming to Take Me Away, Ha-Haaa!" (reached number three in the US in 1966)
Sure, this song is still heard at times today because it's intentionally so weird. The narrator is a person who is clearly insane, and becomes even worse after his dog goes astray. Yes, the song is about a dog and not a person. Because, you know...it would be too offensive if it were about a human being.
We might have come a long way in the way we treat mental illness, so that the song is not heard much, but one might wonder if that will change over the next few years. Sadly, we might all be dealing with mental illness soon.
Five Americans - "Western Union" (reached number five in the US in 1967)
This song isn't horrible on its own (though it is pretty bad), but everything about it is now so dated. Even calling a band "Americans" yada yada yada is odd, unless it's a punk band being ironic. But Western Union? Does anyone know what telegrams are currently?
Plus, this sad track is a Dear John letter, but sent via telegram. How awful. At least, take the time to write a real letter (or make time). How callous. The person receiving the note deserves better.
Don Fardon - "Indian Reservation" (reached number 20 in the US in 1968)
There is little way around this song other than it coming across as racist. This might not be quite as bad had a Native American group done a cover of it, but one might wonder if they would have changed the title of the song slightly. Instead, we get a bunch of mostly white guys singing about hopes for Cherokees.
Perhaps the worst part comes at the end when the lyrics are, "Cherokee nation will return, will return, will return, will return, will return." The thing is, Cherokee tribes still exist, and so do the human beings that make them up.
Zager and Evans - "In the Year 2525 (Exordium & Terminus)" (reached number one in the US in 1969)
The 1960s were weird. People were enamored with space travel, and technology was beginning to boom. Computers were around, but nowhere near what they are like in the 2020s. If someone produced a different-sounding tune about something new, it could become a hit song.
This track is a bummer, though. Ultimately, mankind is overwhelmed by the technology it creates. Maybe if we had stopped at making fire, we would have been fine. Too late now.