A history of popular music, as told by 100 one-hit wonders (part 9) 

19. Warren Zevon --•-- Werewolves of London --- (Peaked: May 13, 1978 at # 21)

18. The Marcels --•-- Blue Moon --- (Peaked: April 9, 1961 at # 21)

The marriage of pop music in mainstream movies started, I think, during the opening credits of "Easy Rider" with Steppenwolf’s “Born To Be Wild.” Sometimes the concept works really well ("Mean Streets" or Stealers Wheel’s “Stuck In the Middle” to drown out the nasty business taking place in the warehouse in "Reservoir Dogs"). Other times it feels random, obvious or overdone (see "Casino," with a soundtrack 58 songs long; watching the movie is like having a radio on in the same room). "An American Werewolf in London" used three different covers of “Blue Moon” on its soundtrack; the Marcels’ doo-wop version playing over the closing credits is a sigh of relief coming at the end of a scary and intense movie. The song "Werewolves of London" was recorded and released three years before the movie and aside from the titles, there's no connection. It marked Warren Zevon’s only Top 40 hit in a long career. 

17. Focus –•– Hocus Pocus — (Peaked: June 2, 1973 at # 9)                                      

Like “Tubular Bells” and “In-A-Gadda-Da Vida,” another marathon listen edited down for AM radio, featuring a stupidly memorable guitar riff that playing air guitar was invented for, whistling and a verse “sung” in a yodel reminiscent of Popeye’s voice from the old Fleischer cartoons. 

16. Astrud Gilberto –•– The Girl from Ipanema — (Peaked: July 18, 1964 at # 5)             

America’s brief flirtation with bossa nova started here (and pretty much ended by 1969 with Sergio Mendes’ samba covers of pop hits). Winner of the Record of the Year Grammy in 1965 and said to be the second-most covered song in pop, behind “Yesterday.” 

15. Lou Reed –•– Walk on the Wild Side — (Peaked: April 28, 1973 at # 16)        

14. Patti Smith Group –•– Because the Night — (Peaked: June 24, 1978 at # 13)

Two of the unlikeliest visitors ever to Top 40 radio. Reed’s Warhol fairy tale had the offensively nonchalant hipster reference to “colored girls,” that also served as the song’s hook (along with the slippery bassline). "Because The Night," written by Bruce Springsteen and left off “Darkness on the Edge of Town,” was more conventional, with thundering drums and a heroic guitar solo. One of the all-time surreal radio experiences was hearing these bohemian rhapsodies on AM radio, concluding with the “WABC!” chime-time jingle.  

13. The Chantays –•– Pipeline — (Peaked: May 4, 1963 at # 4)                                

Understated surf instrumental with enough reverb echo to make it sound like it was recorded underwater. One of the few surf bands to include an electric piano. 

12. Count Five –•– Psychotic Reaction — (Peaked: October 15, 1966 at # 5) 

11. The Music Machine –•– Talk Talk — (Peaked: January 14, 1967 at # 15)      

The mid-60s was ripe with bands made of teenagers who’d finally figured out how to play the guitars they begged their parents for after seeing the Beatles on Ed Sullivan. Some were lucky enough to cut a single or two for a local record label before going off to college or getting drafted. The Count Five’s "Psychotic Reaction" was a Yardbirds homage, from the wailing harmonica to the freak-out instrumental section. "Talk Talk" clocks in at only 1:59, a dizzying rollercoaster ride of teenage angst, until the singer finally confesses, “Can't seem to talk about the things that bother me/Seems to be what everybody has against me.” In some alternate reality, "Talk Talk" tops every listener poll as the greatest song ever. And maybe because it just looked cool, the Music Machine each wore a black glove on their left hand.