3 of the Best Forgotten No. 1 Hits of 60s Folk Music

Here are some No. 1 hits from 60s folk that you likely forgot about. Give them a listen, though; they might surprise you.

“Eve Of Destruction” by Barry McGuire

This song was actually banned by several radio stations back in its day because of its political content. However, this actually made people curious about “Eve Of Destruction”. Hence, it ended up going all the way to No. 1.

P.F. Sloan, who wrote the song, describes “Eve Of Destruction” as the song that ruined Barry McGuire’s artist career.

“I have felt it was a love song and written as a prayer because, to cure an ill you need to know what is sick,” he explained of its lyrics, per Songfacts. “In my youthful zeal [at the age of 19] I hadn’t realized that this would be taken as an attack on The System!”

“Walk Right In” by The Rooftop Singers

The Rooftop Singers were actually put together specifically to record a version of Gus Cannon’s song, “Walk Right In”. In 1963, their version went No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and the later Adult Contemporary Chart. As group member Erik Darling told Wesley Hyatt, two 12-string guitars were used in the making of “Walk Right In”.

“You couldn’t buy a 12-string guitar…” he shared. “I ordered one from the Gibson Company, but in order to record [the song] with two 12-strings, we had to wait for the company to build a second one for Bill [Svanoe, guitarist/vocalist] !” 

“In The Year 2525 (Exordium and Terminus)” by Zager And Evans

Zager And Evans attempt to predict the future in “In The Year 2525”. This song went No. 1 in July of 1969. The folk-rock duo time travels through 10 centuries, predicting how humans will be impacted by technology and change. The song ends with the end of “man’s reign” on earth and then starts back up again.

In the year 9595
I’m kinda wonderin’ if man is gonna be alive
He’s taken everything this old Earth can give
And he ain’t put back nothin’.

Now it’s been ten thousand years
Man has cried a billion tears
For what he never knew
Now, man’s reign is through.

Photo by: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

The post 3 of the Best Forgotten No. 1 Hits of 60s Folk Music appeared first on American Songwriter.