Back in the early 70s we had a local radio station that played a lot of good hippie music. Then they changed their format. I has hearing what I thought of as the worst song ever produced Melanies Brand New Key at least twice an hour. I quit listening as did many others. They sold out a few months later to a new owner and new format.
I was in Germany in early 1972 and listened to the Armed Forces Network, which played Top 40 tunes. Since, for some reason, "Brand New Key" was close to the top of the charts, it got played a lot. That, and "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing."