# 3 Hit Songs From 1964 That Don’t Make Much Sense, but We Still Love Them Anyway

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/3-hit-songs-from-1964-that-dont-make-much-sense-but-we-still-love-them-anyway/
- Published: 2026-07-21T16:30:00+00:00
- Updated: 2026-07-21T17:21:24+00:00
- Original publisher: American Songwriter
- Original article: https://americansongwriter.com/3-hit-songs-from-1964-that-dont-make-much-sense-but-we-still-love-them-anyway/
- Topics: Americas, Entertainment, Music, World

## Key points

- Feature revisits three quirky-lyric hit songs from 1964.
- Bobby Freeman's "C'mon And Swim" was actually about a dance.
- Newbeats and Major Lance tracks also had big chart success.

## Summary

This is a light music-nostalgia listicle from American Songwriter highlighting three 1964 hit singles whose lyrics are quirky or nonsensical yet remain beloved by fans of 1960s pop. It's a retrospective feature rather than breaking news, celebrating the era's playful, unrestrained songwriting.

The three songs featured are Bobby Freeman's "C'mon And Swim" (actually about a dance move, not swimming, and his second Top 5 pop hit), The Newbeats' "Bread And Butter" (their debut and biggest single, about a partner's odd food preferences), and Major Lance's "Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, Um" (his only R&B number one, which also reached the pop Top 5). Each track is noted for its charting success and enduring appeal despite lyrics that make little literal sense.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.