(Credit: Szaniszlo Ivor)

There are some basic things you need in order to get a number one hit. Ideally, the most important is a catchy melody and a good bit of memorability. From there, pretty much anything can be a number one hit, from songs in foreign languages to traditional orchestral music to instrumental passages. But having music in your song is vitally important, and you can’t have music without instruments, right?

Tell that to the scores of acapella groups currently swarming around a college campus near you. Using just voices to create music has been around since the very dawn of music itself. Whether you’re a fan of church choirs or Gregorian chants or freestyle rap, or anything in between, a voice on its own can be incredibly powerful. But it’s not exactly mainstream to have an acapella hit. In fact, there’s only ever been one number one song in the US to be complete instrument-free.

That would be Bobby McFerrin’s inescapable 1988 chart-topper ‘Don’t Worry, Be Happy’. McFerrin was a celebrated jazz vocalist who had worked with legends like Herbie Hancock and Victor Feldman. But McFerrin’s big claim to fame was that he didn’t need a backup – his voice was dexterous enough to fill up entire arrangments all on its own. McFerrin’s ability to be a one-man band with just his voice was a trademark, but McFerrin himself wasn’t a major public figure until a loopy a capella reggae number of his landed on the soundtrack to 1988’s Tom Cruise vehicle Cocktail.

1988 was a bizarre time on the Billboard Hot 100. That year saw major stars like Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston share number ones with classic rock stars like George Harrison and Steve Winwood, Latin freestyle groups like Exposé and Miami Sound Machine, and then-modern rockers like Def Leppard and Guns N’ Roses. In fact, Guns N’ Roses’ ‘Sweet Child O’ Mine’ got replaced at number one by ‘Don’t Worry Be Happy’ (this was also the year ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’ landed at number one, and if you want to learn more about that, you can check out The Week in Number Ones).

McFerrin’s goofy ode to late rent payments and fortune cookie wisdom stayed at the top of the chart for two weeks before being ousted by Def Leppard’s ‘Love Bites’. McFerrin even managed to convince Robin Williams to join him in the song’s video. However, ‘Don’t Worry, Be Happy’ quickly spiralled out of McFerrin’s control, with George H.W. Bush using the song during his campaign for president. McFerrin elected to stop performing the song almost immediately and went back to his improvisational jazz roots, something that prevented him from ever scoring another Billboard hit again.

McFerrin’s doing pretty well for himself, considering he has a pretty lucrative career touring small halls and universities, showing off his acapella skills. He also collaborates with prominent musicians from different genres, including recording albums with Yo-Yo Ma and Chick Corea. But for most of the world, he’ll always be the ‘Don’t Worry, Be Happy’ guy, a distinction that makes him a one-of-one figure when it comes to chart-topping history.

Check out ‘Don’t Worry, Be Happy’ down below.