CHUD.com Community › Forums › MUSIC › Music › Great One-Hit Wonders
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

Great One-Hit Wonders

post #1 of 65
3/10/07 at 10:50pm
Thread Starter 
"Turn The Beat Around", Vicki Sue Robinson -- Sorry, ABBA and Gwen Guthrie, this is the. Greatest. Disco. Song. Of. All. Time.

"Ooh Child", The Five Stairsteps -- According to Wikipedia, this brother-and-sister soul group had a successful run in the charts, but this is the only song of theirs that seems to get played any more. It's the song they're remembered for, and it's a great one, a wonderful example of early seventies soul. Their title "The First Family of Soul" got passed on to the Jackson 5, but I think this song is better than anything the J5 have ever done.

"Take A Letter, Maria" - R.B. Greaves -- It's all about the horns.

"Another Girl, Another Planet" -- The Only Ones -- In classic internet hyperbole sense, this song -- which never actually charted -- has been called "the greatest rock and roll song ever recorded." I don't know about that, but it's certainly a testament to how the simple blend of passionate, if off-key vocals, thundering drums, and soaring guitars can sound as epic as any symphony.
Reply
post #2 of 65
3/10/07 at 11:30pm
"Cherchez la femme" by Dr. Buzzard's All-Star Savannah Band: This song is utterly infectious, like yeast or the plague. It's got sort of a swing/big band sound and the lead-singer, Cory Day, has such a smooth, cool, yet bouncey vocal delivery that the song will stick with you for days. This band, btw, went on to become Kid Creole and The Coconuts.

"Chucky's In Love" by Rickie Lee Jones: I know she's still around doing her jazz-thing but in the late-seventies this song was all over the radio and it's still the best example of what her talent is all about.
Reply
post #3 of 65
3/10/07 at 11:37pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by RathBandu
"Ooh Child", The Five Stairsteps -- According to Wikipedia, this brother-and-sister soul group had a successful run in the charts, but this is the only song of theirs that seems to get played any more. It's the song they're remembered for, and it's a great one, a wonderful example of early seventies soul. Their title "The First Family of Soul" got passed on to the Jackson 5, but I think this song is better than anything the J5 have ever done.
Great call, great use of that song in Boyz 'N the Hood, too.

I'll throw out another Motown one-hit. "What Becomes of the Broken Hearted" by Jimmy Ruffin, brother of David Ruffin of The Temptations. I heard this in the trailer for Standing in the Shadows of Motown a few years back and it's been in heavy play for me ever since.
Reply
post #4 of 65
3/10/07 at 11:41pm
Thread Starter 
That is a fantastic song, and the Stiff Records cover done by Dave Stewart and Colin Blundstone's pretty good, too.
Reply
post #5 of 65
3/11/07 at 12:42pm
I was going to say Falco, but I consider him for both "Rock Me Amadeus" and "Der Kommisar" so he doesn't count.

Wall of Voodoo's "Mexican Radio" is pretty fuckin' awesome, though.
Reply
post #6 of 65
3/11/07 at 1:25pm
Keep Your Hands to Yourself-Georgie Sattelites.
Reply
post #7 of 65
3/11/07 at 1:29pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Chavez
I was going to say Falco, but I consider him for both "Rock Me Amadeus" and "Der Kommisar" so he doesn't count.
How dare you forget the genius that is "Vienna Calling." How dare you.
Reply
post #8 of 65
3/11/07 at 1:38pm
And now, the list:

"Some People" - Belouis Some
"Come on Eileen" - Dexy's Midnight Runners
"Green Tambourine" - The Lemon Pipers
"If I Can't Have You" - Yvonne Elliman
"Major Tom" - Peter Schilling
"King Fu Fighting" - Carl Douglas
"The Safety Dance" - Men Without Hats
"The Night Chicago Died" - Paper Lace

That's enough for now.
Reply
post #9 of 65
3/11/07 at 1:43pm
Thread Starter 
I liked "Night Chicago Died," too. When I was thirteen.
Reply
post #10 of 65
3/11/07 at 7:12pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Richard Dickson
"Come on Eileen" - Dexy's Midnight Runners
I fucking HATE HATE HATE that song. They do a mean version of "Jackie Wilson Says" though.
Quote:
"If I Can't Have You" - Yvonne Elliman
"King Fu Fighting" - Carl Douglas
Classics.
Quote:
"The Safety Dance" - Men Without Hats
You bust me on "Vienna Calling" but forget "Pop Goes the World"? For shame, Dickson - for shame.
Reply
post #11 of 65
3/11/07 at 7:13pm
Oh, and greatest one hit wonder = The Archies, "Sugar Sugar".


Thread over.
Reply
post #12 of 65
3/11/07 at 7:15pm
Thread Starter 
"If I Can't Have You" is bliss. And yeah, "Sugar Sugar" is a great pop tune.
Reply
post #13 of 65
3/11/07 at 7:41pm
Some of these only count as one-hit artists in the US:

Love - Alone Again/Or
Desmond Dekker - Israelites
The Zombies - Time of the Season
T. Rex - Bang a Gong
The Church - Under the Milky Way
Mountain - Mississippi Queen
To Know Him is To Love Him - Teddy Bears
Buffalo Springfield - For What It's Worth
Electric Prunes - I Had Too Much to Dream Last Night
Reply
post #14 of 65
3/11/07 at 9:24pm
Technically, Devo was a one hit wonder. And they were awesome.
Reply
post #15 of 65
3/11/07 at 11:58pm
"I'm Too Sexy" - Right Said Fred

The gauntlet has been thrown.

JS
Reply
post #16 of 65
3/12/07 at 11:52am
Quote:
Originally Posted by RathBandu
"Another Girl, Another Planet" -- The Only Ones -- In classic internet hyperbole sense, this song -- which never actually charted -- has been called "the greatest rock and roll song ever recorded." I don't know about that, but it's certainly a testament to how the simple blend of passionate, if off-key vocals, thundering drums, and soaring guitars can sound as epic as any symphony.
A great, great song, but the Replacements (on a good night, at least) did better versions of it. They covered it tons of times on their last couple tours, and Paul Westerberg continued to cover it solo on his first couple tours. They sped it up and tightened it... and, occasionally, Westerberg got all the words right.

Quote:
Originally Posted by barton138
Love - Alone Again/Or
The Zombies - Time of the Season
"My Little Red Book" and "7 and 7 Is" both did way better than "Alone Again Or" (Wikipedia lists "7 and 7 Is" as their commercial peak at 33 on the charts). And the Zombies also had U.S. hits with "She's Not There" and "Tell Her No."

Also, if you like "Come On Eileen," you should check out Dexy's Midnight Runners' Too-Rye-Aye, the album for which it was the single. It's really quite strong (and includes the Van Morrison cover that Chavez mentioned).
Reply
post #17 of 65
3/12/07 at 2:14pm
The ultimate party song: Live is Life by Opus.

Completely cheesy, completely good.
Reply
post #18 of 65
3/12/07 at 3:36pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Chavez
You bust me on "Vienna Calling" but forget "Pop Goes the World"? For shame, Dickson - for shame.
Now let's not kid ourselves here -- "Rock Me Amadeus" and "Safety Dance" are the only songs by each artist that could justifiably be called hits. You can't count every released single as a hit.

That said, here's some more:

"Love Grows Where My Rosemary Goes" - Edison Lighthouse
"Break My Stride" - Matthew Wilder
"Heart and Soul" - T'Pau
"Harden My Heart" - Quarterflash
"What About Me" - Moving Pictures
"On the Loose" - Saga
Reply
post #19 of 65
3/12/07 at 3:47pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
"Love Grows Where My Rosemary Goes" - Edison Lighthouse
"Break My Stride" - Matthew Wilder
Suuuuuuuuuuck.

Also, these threads get real boring, real fast if people just rattle off a bunch of songs without any explanation.
Reply
post #20 of 65
3/12/07 at 3:52pm
Those most certainly do not suck. They're not going to stand up with anything the Beatles or Elvis put out, but the choruses to both those songs are just undeniable.

I think a good one-hit wonder is more about a fun song than about the actual musical quality. If that was there, they'd probably have more than one hit.
Reply
post #21 of 65
3/12/07 at 4:10pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Richard Dickson
Now let's not kid ourselves here -- "Rock Me Amadeus" and "Safety Dance" are the only songs by each artist that could justifiably be called hits. You can't count every released single as a hit.

That said, here's some more:

"Love Grows Where My Rosemary Goes" - Edison Lighthouse
"Break My Stride" - Matthew Wilder
"Heart and Soul" - T'Pau
"Harden My Heart" - Quarterflash
"What About Me" - Moving Pictures
"On the Loose" - Saga
"Pop Goes the World" and "Vienna Calling" both went top 20. "On the Loose" didn't.

I agree enthusiastically with Rath on "Break My Stride," but not on "Love Grows...," which has a nice chorus. Can't say I can quite remember what "What About Me" and "On the Loose" sound like, but I'm positive I've heard them - that probably doesn't speak too well of Moving Pictures or Saga as "great" one-hit wonders. T'Pau and Quarterflash I can take or leave.
Reply
post #22 of 65
3/12/07 at 4:13pm
Rick Springfield played a local summer festival a couple of years ago. I had some friends who went and apparently he played a set that lasted a little over an hour and had no less than 4 full renditions of 'Jessie's Girl' (I have some friends who say it was 6, but I know they were all plastered and I'm going with the low number here). I must say, I can appreciate a one hit wonder who understands why people showed up in the first place. We once had to explain to Eddie Money that we weren't interested in anything he did post 'Take Me Home Tonight'.

More on topic...Possum Kingdom by The Toadies. I know the album is good, but they had one hit and disappeared. Great early 90's tune, though.
Reply
post #23 of 65
3/12/07 at 4:14pm
Sexual - Goddess

Groove is in the heart - Deeeee Lite

Stay - Shakespeares Sister

Banditos - The Refreshments
Reply
post #24 of 65
3/12/07 at 4:14pm
I remember "What About Me" and "On the Loose" being in heavy rotation on MTV, so I assumed they had charted at some point, but I never realized "Pop" and "Vienna" did that well.
Reply
post #25 of 65
3/12/07 at 4:16pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Richard Dickson
I think a good one-hit wonder is more about a fun song than about the actual musical quality. If that was there, they'd probably have more than one hit.
And you know that this is patently untrue, right? Just to use a few examples already named, Rickie Lee Jones, Dexy's Midnight Runners, Wall of Voodoo, the Georgia Satellites, T. Rex, the Church, Buffalo Springfield, and Devo all had careers and followings that extended far beyond the boundaries of their one "hit," and, in some cases, had better songs than their single hits.

Having a hit very often doesn't suggest superior musical quality, but rather the right place at the right time.
Reply
post #26 of 65
3/12/07 at 4:25pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Guttenberg Fan Club
Rick Springfield played a local summer festival a couple of years ago. I had some friends who went and apparently he played a set that lasted a little over an hour and had no less than 4 full renditions of 'Jessie's Girl' (I have some friends who say it was 6, but I know they were all plastered and I'm going with the low number here). I must say, I can appreciate a one hit wonder who understands why people showed up in the first place.
This is true, but I'm kind of surprised that he had to resort to that. I saw him "open" for a hockey game a few years ago (at the end of the set, HE SLID HIS GUITAR ON THE ICE!!!) and was surprised that he was able to fill approximately 45 minutes to an hour with recognizable songs, no repeats. There appeared to be a sizeable, middle-aged Rick Springfield fan club up front and probably craving deep cuts, and I think they would have been very disappointed if he had stuck to "Jessie's Girl" without hitting "Affair of the Heart" or "Don't Talk to Strangers."
Reply
post #27 of 65
3/12/07 at 4:30pm
I didn't know there was a Springfield fan club. As you were talking about in your reply to Dickson, it's easy to forget that while these acts may have had only one hit, there's no doubt a sizable number of people for whom each of these bands represents a lot more than that. Listening to whatever the fuck album Jessie's Girl was on was probably a brings back lots of memories of youthful summers for those who were at the right age set when it came out.

Damn would I have loved to be in the crowd to see the ice slide move.
Reply
post #28 of 65
3/12/07 at 4:42pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Guttenberg Fan Club
I didn't know there was a Springfield fan club. As you were talking about in your reply to Dickson, it's easy to forget that while these acts may have had only one hit, there's no doubt a sizable number of people for whom each of these bands represents a lot more than that. Listening to whatever the fuck album Jessie's Girl was on was probably a brings back lots of memories of youthful summers for those who were at the right age set when it came out.

Damn would I have loved to be in the crowd to see the ice slide move.
To be honest, I'm not sure if they were a legit fan club, but they acted like one (t-shirts, insane enthusiasm, bizarre familiarity).

My second Rick Springfield story: when I was at the Rock'n'Roll Hall of Fame a couple of years ago, there was an exhibit on teen idols, with an emphasis on their clothes. So there were some semi-recognizable outfits displayed on mannequins, and the timeline extended from the 50s or 60s up to Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera (both of whom must be insanely tiny in real life). Most perplexing, though, was a mannequin dressed in a very casual, early 80s style. While many of explanatory cards for the other fashions were elaborately detailed with an approximate year, designer, tour, etc., this one simply said "Rick Springfield's Pants."

I'm assuming the jacket, shoes, shirt, etc. were just reasonable facsimiles of what Rick Springfield might have worn with those pants (which did not appear to be special in any particular way).

Anyway, sorry for the tangent, as Springfield was definitely not a one-hit wonder, though some might remember him as such.
Reply
post #29 of 65
3/12/07 at 4:44pm
Fair enough. I better get caught up on my Rick Springfield discography.

How about 'Deeper Shade of Soul' by Urban Dance Squad? Or was that one hit not high enough to even count?
Reply
post #30 of 65
3/12/07 at 4:50pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by DaveB
And you know that this is patently untrue, right? Just to use a few examples already named, Rickie Lee Jones, Dexy's Midnight Runners, Wall of Voodoo, the Georgia Satellites, T. Rex, the Church, Buffalo Springfield, and Devo all had careers and followings that extended far beyond the boundaries of their one "hit," and, in some cases, had better songs than their single hits.

Having a hit very often doesn't suggest superior musical quality, but rather the right place at the right time.
I guess to me the term conjures up acts that have the one hit and maybe one album the hit came off of and that's it. They don't stick around for years putting out albums. Like you said, it's the lightning in the bottle thing, and in most cases, the band shoots their musical wad on this one catchy song and simply has nothing left.
Reply
post #31 of 65
3/12/07 at 4:55pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Guttenberg Fan Club
Fair enough. I better get caught up on my Rick Springfield discography.

How about 'Deeper Shade of Soul' by Urban Dance Squad? Or was that one hit not high enough to even count?
One-hit wonderness is kind of slippery. It looks like "Deeper Shade of Soul" didn't quite crack the top 20, but, as Dickson did with the Saga and Moving Pictures songs, I remember it getting tons of play on MTV. Plus, it's a pretty fucking great song.
Reply
post #32 of 65
3/12/07 at 4:57pm
Thread Starter 
I don't like that "Rosemary" song because as my local oldies station (WMJI-Magic 105.7), which I grew up listening to, slowly became more and more standard with their song selections, they played that one in heavy rotation and I grew to hate it.

Also, I'm embarrased to admit it, but I really love that Eddie Money song. Something about it has always just worked for me, whether it's the guitar chords or the Ronnie Spector cameo, but it's one of my favorite pop songs from the 80s.
Reply
post #33 of 65
3/12/07 at 5:12pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by RathBandu
Also, I'm embarrased to admit it, but I really love that Eddie Money song. Something about it has always just worked for me, whether it's the guitar chords or the Ronnie Spector cameo, but it's one of my favorite pop songs from the 80s.
I've always sort of liked how it basically has Spector casually rehashing a couple of Ronettes songs in the service of what's kind of a typical Eddie Money song. Her appearance, which sounds effortless and sexy, elevates the hell out of it. Eddie Money is probably the dumbest-sounding guy in rock. I have no idea how bright he really is, but he really comes across as a mouth-breather vocally. So the unintentional meaning I always pick up from it is that this well-meaning shmoe has somehow gotten a shot with this really hot woman, despite being stupid and desperate (and, yeah, I know that he's invoking Ronnie in the song, not pursuing her, but the juxtaposition still stands). I really don't like it aside from the cameo, but that part's really inspired.

Sad to say, though... Eddie Money ain't a one-hit wonder.
Reply
post #34 of 65
3/12/07 at 5:21pm
I remember seeing Money's video for "Shakin'" and thinking he was handicapped or something the way he twitched around in it.
Reply
post #35 of 65
3/12/07 at 5:25pm
When I saw Eddie Money in concert (at the same venue which would later host Rick Springfield and countless other "oh, they did THAT song, too?" bands such as The Guess Who and War) he looked like he belonged in a wheelchair, yet insisted on frequent attempts to shake his ass - winking at the crowd after each attempt. He never quite understood that we were laughing at him, not screaming for more.

Still, I Wanna Go Back brought the house down.
Reply
post #36 of 65
3/13/07 at 11:24am
Quote:
Originally Posted by barton138
The Church - Under the Milky Way
The Church also had the supremely awesome "Unguarded Moment"

Of course I just looked it up only to find that it was never a hit song. Damn shame. It's a great tune.

Quote:
"The Safety Dance" - Men Without Hats
Men Without Hats had a surprising amount of hits in Canada beyond "Pop Goes the World" and "The Safety Dance". Plus Ivan had a decent career doing disco-esque songs in between Men Without Hats albums.

Quote:
"Harden My Heart" - Quarterflash
Quarterflash went to #14 with "Take Me To Heart" and #16 with "Find Another Fool" so if we're counting Top Twenty they aren't one hit wonders.

Quote:
Technically, Devo was a one hit wonder. And they were awesome.
True enough. I'm always surprised that "Girl U Want" was never a hit for them. Of course Soundgarden did a good version of it and Nuno Bettencourt and Robert Palmer did a wanktastic version as well.

I've gotta go with:

Tom Tom Club - Genius of Love

I know that they're members of the Talking Heads but they still only had the one hit.

Brewer and Shipley - One Took Over the Line

Catchy little tune about hitting rock bottom.

Soft Cell - Tainted Love

A song killed by overuse in commercials and 80s compilations but it's still a pretty decent tune.

Icicle Works - Whisper to a Scream (Birds Fly)

Love the muted double kick.

David Essex - Rock On

Catchy as hell. Covered recently, in decent fashion, by Def Leppard.

Michael Penn - No Myth

There's no way he should be a one-hit wonder but apparently he is.
Reply
post #37 of 65
3/13/07 at 1:12pm
Genius of Love is what kept Jesus going when times got tough. He had to go through with it, for mankind, because there is some goodness there. Despite our sins, ourevil, our cruelty, he looked into the future and saw that a group called The Tom Tom Club would create a masterpiece called "Genius of Love".

And there was much rejoicing.
Reply
post #38 of 65
3/13/07 at 1:14pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ryan S~
Icicle Works - Whisper to a Scream (Birds Fly)

Love the muted double kick.
Awesome song.
Reply
post #39 of 65
3/13/07 at 4:44pm
Charles and Eddie's "Would I Lie to You" is a pearl among the one-hit pigshit.

"Do you think I'd give my love away?

THAT'S NOT THE KIND OF GAME I PLAY"
Reply
post #40 of 65
3/13/07 at 11:27pm
Because I have to pay homage to my mid-nineties youth and therefore the one-hit-wonders of that time:

"Roll to Me" by Del Amitri

"Breakfast at Tiffany's" by Deep Blue Something

"All for You" by Sister Hazel

I have to listen when they come on the radio. I don't want to. But I must. Also great for comedy's sake at a party.
Reply
post #41 of 65
3/13/07 at 11:36pm
Thread Starter 
"You say we got nothin' in common..."

Also, does "Closer to Fine" by the Indigo Girls count as a one hit wonder? Like Rusted Root and "Send Me On My Way" (as featured in the hit children's film MATILDA), they've had a long and fruitful career outside of that one song, but that was the only that really achieved mass radio airplay.
Reply
post #42 of 65
3/16/07 at 9:55am
I heard "Never Been Any Reason" by Head East on the radio on the way home from work yesterday and thought it was a big pile of awesome.

"Woman with the sweet lovin' better than a white line"

That lyric just works on so many levels. Or one very awesome level. Probably the latter.
Reply
post #43 of 65
3/27/07 at 2:05pm
Quote:
"Roll to Me" by Del Amitri
When that CD came out, I was a writer at a local music rag in St Louis and found the damn thing in my box to review. So I listened to the whole thing. Then I went out and bought their previous stuff. And since then I've tried to get any release they had.

"Roll to Me" is one of the weakest songs in their catalog.
Reply
post #44 of 65
3/27/07 at 2:13pm
The Oneders- That Thing You Do!
Reply
post #45 of 65
3/28/07 at 3:49am
Thread Starter 
Those guys actually became Fountains of Wayne.
Reply
post #46 of 65
3/28/07 at 4:04am
I have to add "What's Up?" by 4 Non Blondes.
That song is so fun to sing, it just rolls of your tongue. Especially if you're drunk and you sing it in the highest-pitched, fastest voice possible.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ryan S~
Soft Cell - Tainted Love

A song killed by overuse in commercials and 80s compilations but it's still a pretty decent tune.
This one is a remake, too. Ahhh... the things you learn from the radio stations in Grand Theft Auto.
I still prefer the Manson version to both the others, but hey, it's a solid track all around, and that's probably just me.
Reply
post #47 of 65
3/28/07 at 10:53am
Quote:
Originally Posted by The_Bodhisattva
"Roll to Me" by Del Amitri
This song is awesome. I must've done a lot of car-riding in the mid-'90s, because we (my mother and I) often heard this and cranked it up as we both loved it, but, crushingly, it always seemed to be over in 90 seconds. Short but so, so sweet.

"Genius of Love"? Also awesome.

I propose "Go All The Way" by the Raspberries. As far as I know, they had no other hits, and this one is dead brilliant. The chorus is so long and takes so many twists and turns that it's almost all too good to take in on first listen. I was shocked to find out that it was actually written by Eric Carmen.
Reply
post #48 of 65
3/28/07 at 11:23am
Quote:
Originally Posted by RathBandu
Those guys actually became Fountains of Wayne.
I think they were already Fountains of Wayne. Also, it was just Adam Schlesinger, the bassist, who wrote the song, not the rest of the band (which, at the time, was just Schlesinger and Chris Collingwood).

The first couple FoW albums are fantastic, by the way (I especially like Utopia Parkway, but the consensus seems to be that the first one is better). The third has some good moments, too, but you have to get past the ubiquitous "Stacy's Mom" and some deadwood, especially near the end of the album.
Reply
post #49 of 65
3/28/07 at 11:40am
Quote:
Originally Posted by DaveB

Anyway, sorry for the tangent, as Springfield was definitely not a one-hit wonder, though some might remember him as such.
I can vouch for this as well. He had a good string pop confections, a minor acting career, and this wicked cool sci-fi video- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9XXbx5fb2g
Reply
post #50 of 65
3/28/07 at 11:53am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Paul McCartney
I propose "Go All The Way" by the Raspberries. As far as I know, they had no other hits, and this one is dead brilliant. The chorus is so long and takes so many twists and turns that it's almost all too good to take in on first listen. I was shocked to find out that it was actually written by Eric Carmen.
I love that song, but I think they technically had another hit in "I Wanna Be With You." Carmen's slide from the power pop of the Raspberries to adult contemporary sappiness isn't half the plunge that Rod Stewart took from the Faces to his solo stuff of the last three decades or so (mostly because Stewart was even better early on), but it's still kind of a bummer. Like Robin Zander from Cheap Trick, the guy has a terrific voice for power pop.

I picked up a Raspberries best of a few years ago, and there's certainly some cheese that suggests Carmen's later work, but there are some really good songs along the lines of "Go All the Way" and "I Wanna Be With You," too.
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: Music
CHUD.com Community › Forums › MUSIC › Music › Great One-Hit Wonders