My Favorite One Hit Wonders of the 60s: Medicine Man (#3)
By Four Walls
@FourWalls (76509)
United States
July 20, 2016 8:03am CST
As I have a few minutes and it's tournament night I thought I'd better get the top ten lists entered. I don't expect to be out until midnight the way I was last night, but you never know! Here's another song from my list of ten favorite one-hit wonders of the 1960s, continuing a theme of discussions that @teamfreak16 and I have been running through the 80s and 70s.
#3: Medicine Man - Buchanan Brothers
First things first: the Buchanan Brothers weren't brothers. It was actually the production team of Terry Cashman (who later had the hit "Talkin' Baseball") and Tommy West, the duo who produced all of Jim Croce's records in his short but brilliant career.
Teamed up with Gene Pistilli they wrote songs for Spanky and Our Gang ("Sunday Will Never Be the Same") and recorded a song that became a top 30 hit, 1969's "Medicine Man."
There's really nothing to this song lyrically. It just has a great beat and harmonies. And maybe there's sentimentality that ranks this song so high: my brother had the 45 of it, and I remember him playing it a lot (with our mom's permission: she actually liked this song, too! Dad, not so much...
).
But whatever it is, this song's got the cure, it's for sure.
Medicine Man (Part 1)
Written by Terry Cashman, Gene Pistili, and Tommy West
Recorded by the Buchanan Brothers
Released as a single, 1969
Here's a very well-edited rendition of the song (beating the "fade-out" for part one and into part two, which was the B-side):


Live lip sync. Stereo redubbed and edited to PART 1 and 2 Cashman, Pistilli and West also had a #22 hit single (#15 in Canada), "Medicine Man", under the nam...
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4 responses
@teamfreak16 (43418)
• Denver, Colorado
20 Jul 16
I don't remember this, but it's pretty groovy.
1 person likes this
@clrumfelt (5560)
• Tennessee Ridge, Tennessee
20 Jul 16
"Silver Threads and Golden Needles" and "Green Tambourine" are 2 of my favorites, and I also like "Wipeout," by the Safaris and "Spirit in the Sky," by Norman Greenbaum.
1 person likes this
@JohnRoberts (109845)
• Los Angeles, California
20 Jul 16
Not familiar with this song or group. It's got that 60s sound and I like the go go girls.
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