2. In the Year 2525 (Zager and Evans)

This bleak futuristic tale is a very unusual song, but 1969 was a very unusual year, with Hippie anthems like "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In" going to #1 along with Bubblegum songs like "Sugar, Sugar." The Beatles, Elvis Presley and The Temptations all had classic #1s, but "In the Year 2525" stayed at #1 for 6 weeks, which was longer than any other song that year and earned it the distinction of #1 record of the year 1969. The song reflected the apprehension of the times and also the wonder of technology: it started its chart run the week before the Apollo 11 moon landing. This was the only hit for the Nebraska Folk Rock duo of Denny Zager and Rick Evans. Their followup single, "Mister Turnkey," failed to chart and in 1971, they released their third and final album. Evans was their primary songwriter and wrote this one.