These 3 Songs Were Everywhere in 1966—So Why Did We Stop Listening to Them?

These catchy songs from 1966 were once all the rage back in the day but have since slipped through the cracks. Nobody seems to talk about them anymore, and that’s a real shame. These tunes are genuinely great, and I think they deserve to be revisited. Let’s take a look!

“Sweet Pea” by Tommy Roe from ‘Sweet Pea’

This song is easily one of the most optimistic and uplifting bubblegum pop songs of 1966, and you just can’t beat that addicting earworm chorus. And yet, I can’t remember the last time I heard this song on the radio, even on oldies channels.

“Sweet Pea” by Tommy Roe was a No. 1 hit in Canada and New Zealand and did fairly well on the Billboard Hot 100 chart at No. 8. If you were very young in 1966 and were in the midst of puppy love that year, I bet you listened to this gem quite a few times.

“Working In The Coal Mine” by Lee Dorsey from ‘Working In The Coal Mine – Holy Cow’

Remember this Lee Dorsey R&B hit? This song is classic New Orleans grooviness wrapped up in an addictive, pop radio-friendly tune. In fact, it was everywhere on the radio in 1966. Today, though? I can’t recall the last time I heard it out in the wild, or even someone mention it.

“Working In The Coal Mine” by Lee Dorsey was written and arranged by Allen Toussaint. The song was a big hit in the US and UK, peaking at No. 8 on the Hot 100 and UK Singles chart.

“Sunny” by Bobby Hebb from ‘Sunny’

This jazz standard is a total classic and a very catchy song on our list of earworm songs from 1966. But outside of jazz circles, I never heard about how influential and incredible this soulful song is. That’s surprising, given how much of an international hit it was in 1966.

“Sunny” by Bobby Hebb remains one of the most performed and recorded songs in music history, with renditions from the likes of Cher, James Brown, and many more. Hebb’s original version peaked at No. 2 on the Hot 100 and No. 12 on the UK Singles chart.

Photo by David Redfern/Redferns