1964 was perhaps the most pivotal year of a tumultuous decade. Major race riots occurred, and three Civil Rights workers were murdered in Mississippi. President Lyndon Johnson, who assumed the presidency following John F. Kennedy’s tragic assassination in November 1963, signed the Civil Rights Act into law. LBJ also escalated U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War. Automobile manufacturer Ford unveiled the Mustang at the New York World’s Fair. Boxer Cassius Clay became the heavyweight champ when he upset Sonny Liston, and soon after he changed his name to Muhammad Ali.
In February, the Beatles arrived at Kennedy Airport in New York City, greeted by 3,000 screaming fans. A week prior, The Fab Four hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the first time with “I Want to Hold Your Hand.” It would be the first of 20 No. 1 hits over the next six years, a record that still holds to this day (although Mariah Carey is nipping at their heels with 19).
This article isn’t going to celebrate the artists with the most hits but rather those with just one hit. “One-hit wonders” are, by 360’s definition, artists who had only one entry in the Top 40 of the Hot 100, Billboard’s pop chart. I’ve selected my six favorite one-hitters from 1964. It’s quite an assortment, from sweet bubblegum pop and frenetic surf rock to gritty blues and polished soul. Hope you enjoy them!
Murmaids – “Popsicles and Icicles”
Songwriter: David Gates
Genre: Pop
Billboard Hot 100: #3 on January 11
Girl group the Murmaids were composed of teenaged sisters Carol and Terry Fischer and their friend Sally Gordon. They were recording backup vocals when infamous producer Kim Fowley discovered them. Fowley, who would years later manage The Runaways and subsequently be accused of sexual assault, produced the Murmaids’ “Popsicles and Icicles,” which broke into the Top 10 in late 1963, ultimately peaking at #3 in early ’64. The dreamy song’s saccharine lyrics were penned by David Gates, who would go on to front the ‘70s soft rock band Bread. The Murmaids cut a few more singles, but struggled to get airplay.
The Rivieras – “California Sun”
Songwriter: Henry Glover
Genre: Surf rock
Hot 100: #5 on February 29
First recorded by Joe Jones and released as a B-side in 1961, “California Sun” was initially a flop. The 1964 cover by the Rivieras, however, was a smash and one of the defining cuts of the surf-rock craze. The Rivieras were a group of high school friends from South Bend, Indiana – surprising considering their hit celebrates West Coast chicks having fun in the sun. The Rivieras released a handful of follow-up singles, but none of them fared better than #93 on the Hot 100. In the decades that followed, “California Sun” would become a favorite of punk rockers, with bands like the Ramones, Rancid, and The Vindictives giving it their three-chord renditions.
Tommy Tucker – “Hi-Heel Sneakers”
Songwriter: Robert Higginbotham aka Tommy Tucker
Genre: Blues
Hot 100: #11 on March 21
In the spring of ’64, blues man Tommy Tucker topped the R&B charts with the up-tempo “Hi-Heel Sneakers.” Tucker’s composition, which has a shuffle beat similar to the Jimmy Reed classic “Big Boss Man,” was released as a rough demo on Chess Records’s subsidiary label Checker, and the raw 12-bar sound certainly benefits from the absence of studio polish. Now a blues standard, “Hi-Heel Sneakers” has been recorded by numerous artists over the years, including Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, the Chambers Brothers, and José Feliciano.
The Swinging Blue Jeans – “Hippy Hippy Shake”
Songwriter: Chan Romero
Genre: Merseybeat
Hot 100: #24 on April 4
Liverpool band The Swinging Blue Jeans played music in a style known as Merseybeat – an upbeat, melodic blend of American rock ‘n’ roll and R&B and British skiffle. Today, the four-piece are best remembered for their cover of “Hippy Hippy Shake,” a song written and recorded by 17-year-old Chan Romero in 1959. “Hippy Hippy Shake” was cut by the Beatles before The Swinging Blue Jeans but was never released as a single. A live version can be found on The Beatles’ Live at the BBC compilation. While The Swinging Blue Jeans are one-hit wonders in the states, “Hippy Hippy Shake” was one of five top 40 hits to hit the UK charts, and it peaked at #2 across the pond.
Irma Thomas – “Wish Someone Would Care”
Songwriter: Irma Thomas
Genre: R&B
Hot 100: #17 on May 16
Irma Thomas, aka the “Soul Queen of New Orleans,” has released some 20 albums since her 1964 long-player debut Wish Someone Would Care. The gospel-tinged title track peaked at #2 on the R&B charts and would be the sole Top 40 pop entry of her storied career. That album also contained the unsuccessful follow-up single, “Time Is On My Side,” which was made famous by the Rolling Stones in ’64 as their first Top 10 hit. Thomas, for her part, was not a fan of the Stones cover. “I really liked that song, and I put my heart and soul into it,” Thomas was quoted as saying. “Then along comes this English group that half-sings it and gets a million-seller.”
Jackie Ross – “Selfish One”
Songwriters: Carl Smith and Wilfred McKinley
Genre: R&B
Hot 100: #11 on September 5
Soul music pioneer Sam Cooke was friends with Jackie Ross’s mother and signed Ross to his SAR label in 1962. Her debut single for SAR, “Hard Times,” failed to chart, and she subsequently spent some time touring with Syl Johnson’s band. Ross’s one big hit, “Selfish One,” came in 1964 as her first single for the Chess label. The tune has a snappy Motown vibe and Ross’s pleasant voice and phrasing sounds a bit like Mary Wells. Ross would leave Chess a couple years later after she received an astonishingly low royalty check for “Selfish One.” Hey Chess, maybe that song was about you.
