"Montego Bay," Bobby Bloom (1970)

A bright chapter in a bizarre pop music story

Peak: #8 on the Hot 100
Streams: 5.1 million

Bobby Bloom’s career couldn’t have started better. In his mid-20s he not only co-wrote the classic “Mony Mony”with Tommy James, but also teamed up with Jeff Barry, the megawatt songwriter-producer behind such smashes as “Chapel of Love,” “Sugar Sugar,” and “Leader of the Pack.”

Together, Barry and Bloom created …