Ah, folk rock. The genre really took off in the 1970s, but it started out beautifully in the 1960s. And the following folk rock one-hit wonders from the 1960s are still so good that anyone who doesn’t really know the magic of the genre will get sucked into it in an instant. Let’s take a look at some solitary hits that are still amazing today, shall we?
“Eve Of Destruction” by Barry McGuire (1965)
“Eve Of Destruction”, like many folk rock songs from its era, was also a protest song. Written by P. F. Sloan in 1965, this song was a hefty hit for Barry McGuire. It’s a complex, beautifully written conceptual tune about the Vietnam War, the threat of nuclear war, NASA, the Civil Rights Movement, and the draft. It was a very controversial song at the time for criticizing the state of the world. Some radio stations even banned it. That didn’t stop “Eve Of Destruction” from becoming a No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Sadly, McGuire, despite having a long career that lasted for the rest of the century, never had another Top 40 hit on the Hot 100 again.
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“Different Drum” by The Stone Poneys (1967)
Before Linda Ronstadt was the genre-crossing crooner we know her as today, she was part of a little band called The Stone Poneys. The group had one successful single together, a folk rock baroque pop tune called “Different Drum”. The tune was actually first recorded by The Greenbriar Boys and was even offered to The Monkees. The Stone Poneys took it on in 1967, and “Different Drum” was a No. 13 in the US. None of their subsequent singles charted in the Top 40 again, and the band dissolved in 1968.
“Let’s Get Together” by The Youngbloods (1967)
This song was originally written by Chet Powers but was made into a hit by the band The Youngbloods in 1967. “Let’s Get Together” is a standout single from the band’s debut album. Initially, the folk psychedelic rock song wasn’t that big of a hit. In fact, it didn’t even make it to the Top 40. However, in 1969, the song was used in a PSA as a “call to union” of sorts between Christians and Jewish people. That PSA repopularized the song, and it quickly peaked at No. 5 on the Hot 100 chart. “Let’s Get Together” remains The Youngbloods’ only Top 40 hit and one of the finest folk rock one-hit wonders of the 1960s.
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