# Remember When Wild Cherry Released Their Only No. 1 Hit in 1976?

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/remember-when-wild-cherry-released-their-only-no-1-hit-in-1976/
- Published: 2026-10-28T16:30:00+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-04T01:39:38+00:00
- Original publisher: American Songwriter
- Original article: https://americansongwriter.com/remember-when-wild-cherry-released-their-only-no-1-hit-in-1976/
- Topics: Entertainment, Music

## Key points

- Wild Cherry’s “Play That Funky Music” was their only No. 1 hit.
- The 1976 single topped the Hot 100 for three weeks.
- Its lyrics grew from the band’s move towards dance music.

## Summary

After years of releasing singles with little radio success, Wild Cherry scored their first major hit in 1976 with “Play That Funky Music”. The song topped two Billboard charts and became the band’s only No. 1 hit, marking a decisive shift from their earlier rock sound towards dance music.

Written by band member Rob Parissi, the song drew on the group’s experience as a working cover band as disco grew and rock clubs closed. It spent three weeks at No. 1 on the Hot 100 and two weeks atop the Hot Soul Singles chart, and reached the top 15 on Billboard’s National Disco Action chart. Wild Cherry never had another Top 40 single, though Vanilla Ice recorded his own version in 1990.

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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.