3 Top 40 Hits From 1968 That Every 60s Kid Still Knows by Heart Today
The article revisits three Top 40 hits released in 1968: Percy Sledge’s “Take Time To Know Her”, Steppenwolf’s “Magic Carpet Ride” and The Box Tops’ “Cry Like A Baby”. It presents them as enduring songs associated with the nostalgia of the late 1960s and recalls their chart success and origins.
Sledge’s song reached the Top 10 on Billboard’s R&B chart and the Top 20 on the Hot 100, becoming his last major hit. Steppenwolf’s “Magic Carpet Ride” was the band’s second Top 5 single of 1968, after “Born To Be Wild”, and its last to reach that position. “Cry Like A Baby”, written by Dan Penn and Spooner Oldham, was inspired by Oldham saying he was so tired he could “cry like a baby” after a fruitless night of songwriting.
- Three familiar chart hits came out in 1968.
- Sledge and Steppenwolf scored major chart successes.
- A tired songwriter inspired “Cry Like A Baby”.
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In 1968, radio singles could reach audiences through pop and rhythm and blues charts, which tracked different parts of the music market. The three songs featured here came from very different acts: soul singer Percy Sledge, rock band Steppenwolf and pop group The Box Tops.
“Take Time To Know Her” became one of Sledge’s last major hits, while “Magic Carpet Ride” followed Steppenwolf’s “Born To Be Wild” into the upper reaches of the charts. The Box Tops’ “Cry Like A Baby” was written by songwriters Dan Penn and Spooner Oldham, drawing on a remark Oldham made after a tiring night of songwriting.
These records reflect the range of popular music in the late 1960s and the role radio charts played in measuring a song’s reach. Their continued recognition also connects them with listeners’ memories of that period.