The No. 1 Song On July 24, 1969 Sounds Even More Prophetic Today
On July 24, 1969, "In the Year 2525 (Exordium & Terminus)" was in the middle of its six-week span as the No. 1 song in the United States. Unflinchingly harrowing, if not casually terrifying, it remains a shocking and eerie warning of the awful future that could very well await the human race. As dark and psychedelic as anything else countercultural bands like the Doors or Jefferson Airplane were releasing at the time, "In the Year 2525 (Exordium & Terminus)" is both a rock song from 1969 that sounds even cooler today, yet it was also one of the worst No. 1 hits of the 1960s.
"In the Year 2525 (Exordium & Terminus)" originated with Nebraska folk-rock duo Zager & Evans, who self-released the apocalyptic single in Omaha before RCA Records turned it into a massive national hit. Just three weeks after it debuted on the Hot 100 in June 1969, it had climbed up to No. 1. The song is a fascinating '60s relic and a product of its time. Amidst social unrest, the ongoing Vietnam War, and other issues, many people felt like civilization was crumbling in 1969, and "In the Year 2525 (Exordium & Terminus)" reflected and explored that collective anxiety. More than five decades after the song hit the airwaves, it's worth a fresh listen.
If In the Year 2525 predicted the future, humanity is doomed
Rick Evans of the Eccentrics needed only half an hour to write "In the Year 2525 (Exordium & Terminus)," and since his band didn't want to play it, he formed Zager & Evans with former group member Danny Zager. Tired of handling slow songs, they embraced the definitely not boring "In the Year 2525 (Exordium & Terminus)." With eight brief, rapid-fire verses, plus a bridge but no real chorus, its music is as structurally odd and experimental as its lyrics are weird and scary. Each verse looks forward several centuries or more for a snapshot of how humanity has evolved. By 2525, we've somehow avoided distinction, and by 3535, daily living will be primarily pill-based, per Evans' lyrics. In 4545, people won't have use of their eyes or teeth anymore, and in 5555, all activity will be sourced to machines. In 6565, humans will gestate in test tubes in advance of a potential apocalypse in 8510, with the age of mankind ending a couple millennia after that.
Not only is "In the Year 2525 (Exordium & Terminus)," a one-hit wonder rock song from the '60s, but it's a true and absolute one-hit wonder. After "In the Year 2525" dominated the summer of 1969 and then fell off the Hot 100, the duo never charted there again.