Breakthrough
Hep Stars recorded their next three singles in one six-hour session without overdubs on three-track equipment. They performed in the TV program Drop In in March 1965. In April, they had three songs in the radio playlist top 4 at the same time: "Cadillac", "Farmer John" and "Tribute To Buddy Holly". On the sales chart "Cadillac" and "Farmer" peaked at #1 for one week and four weeks respectively, while "Tribute" peaked at #5. Hedlund became the band's figure-head and the first true pop star in Sweden, the band itself being headline material in tabloids and various youth-oriented magazines.
Other Swedish bands such as Tages and Shanes who largely wrote their own songs made a remark on Hep Stars using cover versions. This motivated Andersson to try to write songs for the band. Also it was a hard job to try to find fresh songs to the band's repertoire. The first song he introduced to band was "No Response" which reached #3 in the charts. The band was at the height of popularity, especially among rock audiences, during 1965-1966 with both cover and original songs. In 1966, they performed 150 gigs in Sweden only. The popularity grew rapidly and the band was highly successful also in Norway and Finland making several tours in both countries.
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