3 One-Hit Wonders From 1969 With Melodies That Still Echo Decades Later

Where would the world be without the year 1969? The 12 calendar months provided people with so much to remember, so much to comb over in the decades since. From music and beyond, the time period was key for the growth of art and culture.

Here below, we wanted to highlight three songs from back in the day that continue to stay with us. These are three tracks that knew how to remain memorable. Indeed, these are three one-hit wonders from 1969 with melodies that still echo decades later.

“Spirit In The Sky” by Norman Greenbaum from ‘Spirit In The Sky’ (1969)

Norman Greenbaum’s 1969 hit “Spirit In The Sky” from his album of the same name is one of those songs that you’ve heard 100 times by the time you realize you love it. It’s just one of those tracks that’s in the ether as we grow up. It’s in movies, ads, and television shows. Honestly, it’s everywhere. Then suddenly you look up and realize you love the song. The guitar riffs, the sticky lyrics. All of it. Greenbaum is a hero of the late 1960s.

“Gimme Gimme Good Lovin’” by Crazy Elephant from ‘Crazy Elephant’ (1969)

When you look up examples of the sound of 1969, this track is assuredly on the short list. The organ, the strummed acoustic guitar, the passionate singer offering vivid lyrics—it’s all there in spades. And everything is capped off by the tune’s lush chorus, which is rich with voices and a hook that sticks with you long beyond the tune’s two minutes. Love has always been the subject of popular songs, and Crazy Elephant nailed it with this 1969 offering.

“Something In The Air” by Thunderclap Newman from ‘Hollywood Dream’ (1969)

This is another one of those songs that you’ve heard a number of times before you realized a group of human beings actually wrote it. It’s funny—some tracks seem like they’ve just existed forever. But the truth of the matter is there is a before and after. There are people who actually have to pluck the melodies and rhythms from the heavens. The same is true for “Something In The Air” by Thunderclap Newman. This song is in the ether; it’s part of our collective soul.

Photo by Arthur Grimm/United Archives via Getty Images

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