madgonad: A-ha - Take on Me

If I'm not mistaken, the followup "The Sun Always Shines On TV" cracked the top 20 in the US as well.


Mentat: And they forgot the greatest One Hit Wonder ever:

I don't quite think they qualify as one-hit wonders. Their songs "Dr. Jones" and "Turn Back Time" were notable hits, even though they never came close to "Barbie Girl".



This list is poignant to me in two regards:

1) I only found out yesterday that New Radicals was the name of the group that did "You Give What You Get". I honestly thought it was The Talking Heads. (Who I honestly though were Tragically Hip until I learned Tragically Hip don't sing "Once In A Lifetime".)

2) I had "You're The Voice" by John Farnham stuck in my head for FIFTEEN YEARS before finally learning the name of it back in 2001. It was very very popular on Canadian radio here in the late 80's.

I would submit Marcy Playground....
Great band, believe it or not. And they're still around.

The Whitetown dude showed up in the Facebook comments after the article.

Harry_Seldon: When a problem comes along...

[i3.ytimg.com image 480x360]

You must wippit?

madgonad: A lot of those aren't really one-hit-wonders, and the list completely missed a few of the most notorious:

Dexy's Midnight Runners - Come on Eileen
Tomy Tutone - 867-5309(Jenny)
A-ha - Take on Me
Los Del Rio - Macarena
Bobby McFerrin - Don't Worry, Be Happy

Brits can't fathom that Americans think of Dexy's Midnight Runners as a one-hit-wonder. They were quite successful in their home country. I don't understand how "Geno" is unknown here; it was so many times better than "Come on Eileen". Granted, the video for "Geno" was not as professional as that for "Come on Eileen", but it was consistent with plenty of the videos of the era, and better than many.

I thank Life on Mars and Ashes to Ashes for introducing me to a slew of songs and bands from the 70s and 80s with which I had no familiarity at all or that, if I had heard them at all, they were so obscure here that I have no recollection.

I despise "Don't Worry, Be Happy". It is excruciatingly; but McFerrin's theme song to The Bronx Zoo TV series was outstanding.

List fails without Kermit Washington.

Devo fans always get butthurt when it's pointed out that yes, they only had one single hit above #40 on the Billboard Hot 100. Then they try to redefine the term "one-hit wonder".

Twist2005: What about that Black Velvet song? Alyssa....Alanna...somebody Miles.

Ugh. You couldn't turn on a radio in 1989 without hearing that song.

/in a flash, she was gone, it happened so soon.

Need_MindBleach: Mentat: And they forgot the greatest One Hit Wonder ever:

For pop fluff, I actually like quite a few of Aqua's other songs.

I was coming in hear to say that. I was listening to them this morning.

LOVE MISSILE F1-11!


oh, and this:

No Biz Markee, You got what I need?

He lives around here and DJs at clubs now and then

Scurvy Dog: Twist2005: What about that Black Velvet song? Alyssa....Alanna...somebody Miles.

Ugh. You couldn't turn on a radio in 1989 without hearing that song.

/in a flash, she was gone, it happened so soon.

my dad bought that tape. YEECH. Bad taste dad has bad taste.

One-hit Wonder (as classified by the Guinness Book of Hit Singles): one single, that gets to #1 and not 1 single other week in the top 75. White Town qualifies, most of that list doesn't.

And any list without this is just wrong: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZgIk2b68gQ&feature=related

BretMavrik: Whatthefark: Quiet Riot?

Autograph?

What's sad is these two songs get regular airplay, I'm talking multiple times a day, on Portland airwaves.

Quiet Riot doesn't count, they had two hits on "Metal Health". And Autograph doesn't count because "Turn Up the Radio" is a terrible, terrible song. You should switch to 94.7, at least their robo-DJs play decent stuff. Don't get me wrong, I dig a lot of the cheese-metal from the 80s but I'm under no illusions that it's any good.

Omahawg: is there no love for rick astley?

He only has one song that people remember him for now, but he had a couple of hits back in the 80s.

QR may have had two hits, but no one remembers it without looking it up. QR is known for Mental Health and their singer being a dick IRL.
I agree with you about Autograph. I just can't understand why it gets so much play. I really wish this town would get a hard rock/metal station. It's been over a year since KUFO went off the air.

MagSeven: While if you followed them, you'd know they weren't technically One Hit Wonder's (most just maintained careers overseas)
Some of my favorites:
Superdrag
Nada Surf
Ash
Supergrass

I listened to Nada Surf and Supergrass on the way to work just today. I'm not sure Supergrass even counts as a one-hit wonder over here, though: "Alright", "Sun Hits The Sky", and "Pumping On Your Stereo" all did about as well as each other in the US.

M/A/R/R/S has to be the ultimate one-hit wonder. They only ever made one song and it went to #1! The story I heard was that Ivo Tennant-Watts, the owner of 4AD, thought it would be really cool if A.R. Kane and Colourbox did a crossover record. Ivo has a great ear for music (after all, the collaboration did work--could you imagine how great an entire record of theirs would sound?) but didn't have much of an idea of how different personalities would work together. From what I understand A.R. Kane and Colourbox got to the studio, realized they weren't going to work together, so they decided to pass one song back and forth until they had something they both liked. Even then they couldn't do that. Colourbox pasted together a bunch of samples, then A. R. Kane added guitar over the top. That was it.

skepticultist: quatchi: I actually really farking love Whale's "Hobo Humping Slobo Babe".

Dude, I forgot that song existed. I loved that song.

James "Laid" was another one-hit wonder from around then that has been mostly forgotten.

That's because they weren't really a one hit wonder.

Sit Down

Born of Frustration

Ring The Bells

doczoidberg: I would submit Marcy Playground....
Great band, believe it or not. And they're still around.

THIS! Sex and Candy is the only song I've ever heard from MP.

ChrisDe: [cache.deadspin.com image 308x417]

List fails without Kermit Washington.

That could start a whole different list by itself.

KingoftheCheese: The only song on that list that I liked was the New Radicals Flying Lizards one.

Fixed for me

No "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida?"

Or the Chambers Brothers' "Time Has Come Today?"

I'm old

Scurvy Dog: Twist2005: What about that Black Velvet song? Alyssa....Alanna...somebody Miles.

Ugh. You couldn't turn on a radio in 1989 without hearing that song.

/in a flash, she was gone, it happened so soon.

IIRC, Black Velvet was recorded as an "ironic" one-off song (the rest of the album was "hard rock"). People were confused as to where to classify her "music". The band was (reportedly) surprised the song did so well, as they recorded it as a joke.

shastacola: keithgabryelski: The Knack were amazing

Amazing is a pretty strong word for The Knack.It's like calling The Archies or Tommy Roe amazing.

The Archies are pretty durned good, amazing would be a stretch. They are the bubble gum pop standard. With excellent production values to boot. Tommy Roe just gets annoying after 45 seconds.

DjangoStonereaver: Disposable Rob: Devo fans always get butthurt when it's pointed out that yes, they only had one single hit above #40 on the Billboard Hot 100. Then they try to redefine the term "one-hit wonder".

I came here to say a much less snarky version of this.

Technically, DEVO were one-hit wonders.

But still awesome.

/Saw them last year - they put on an amazing show.

quatchi: fusillade762: quatchi: Lamb - God Bless

Think it's a religious based pro life tune but even as an atheist pro choicer I dig it big time.

Closest thing to a hit they ever had.

Lamb is awesome. I would recommend their first album ("Lamb") highly. Every time I loan it to someone I have trouble getting it back.

Thought of another one:

Wall Of Voodoo - Mexican Radio

Mmmm, loves me some WoV.

Stan Ridgeway's solo album "Mosquitos" has been a constant companion for me since I picked it up many years ago.

Calling Out to Carol.

So few singing storytellers left.

WoV also did a killer version of Ring of Fire. Not only that, but it was used in the porn film "Night Dreams".

US3-Cantaloop(Flip Fantasia)

These guys should have been bigger IMHO.

/Funky funky
//Unfortunately, innovation is usually frowned upon

Pete: Liz Taylor really messed him up! He might have brain damage.

Liz Lemon: God. Maybe the musical guest can do some extra songs this week. Who is it?

Pete: James Blunt.

Liz Lemon: Ugghh.

keithgabryelski: Disposable Rob: Devo fans always get butthurt when it's pointed out that yes, they only had one single hit above #40 on the Billboard Hot 100. Then they try to redefine the term "one-hit wonder".

http://www.billboard.com/#/artist/devo/chart-history/4453
whip it #14
working in a coal mine #43
theme from doctor detroit #59
energy #70

you were saying?

By above #40 he meant /joke?

Amusing, I'm listening to the 1 hit wonder station on Slacker now..

Up next - Sex and Candy - Marcy Playground

ZMugg: Scurvy Dog: Twist2005: What about that Black Velvet song? Alyssa....Alanna...somebody Miles.

Ugh. You couldn't turn on a radio in 1989 without hearing that song.

/in a flash, she was gone, it happened so soon.

IIRC, Black Velvet was recorded as an "ironic" one-off song (the rest of the album was "hard rock"). People were confused as to where to classify her "music". The band was (reportedly) surprised the song did so well, as they recorded it as a joke.

As I remember, "Love Is" (or whatever it was called), their other hit, wasn't really that bad. I was into hard rock at the time. I wouldn't have ever called myself a fan of their music, but I thought that particular song was okay.

LewDux: By above #40 he meant <40
/joke?

ftfm

very late to post to this thread but..

"Mary Hill liked to hang out in Cherry Hill Park"?

keithgabryelski: Disposable Rob: Devo fans always get butthurt when it's pointed out that yes, they only had one single hit above #40 on the Billboard Hot 100. Then they try to redefine the term "one-hit wonder".

http://www.billboard.com/#/artist/devo/chart-history/4453
whip it #14
working in a coal mine #43
theme from doctor detroit #59
energy #70

you were saying?

For decades, the terms "hit" applied to anything that "hit" the top 40. Basically, if Casey Kasem or Rick Dees never played it, it was never a hit. I will concede that the Top 40 station format dying off, companies valuing albums sales over single sales, and iPods and all that, the term "hit" is less clearly defined, if it can be anymore. But Devo was mostly active during a time when a hit was easily defined and they only had one (and it wasn't even a Top Ten hit).

Looks more like a to do list for when you go back in time to stop events from happening...

Up next - Closing Time - Semisonic

keithgabryelski: what I consider one-hit wonders:

Alone again naturally (gilbert o'sullivan)
Afternoon delight (starland vocal band)
Kung fu fighting (carl douglas)

Gilbert O'sullivan Had that "You're A Bad dog Baby ,and I don't want You Around" song too.

Ishkur: I don't think "One Hit Wonder" truly exists. It's all a matter of perspective.

What you think is a one hit is simply a popular song that has reached YOUR personal sphere of attention and notice, but the act itself has endured for years as a beloved and successful group in their own scene. But because you don't partake in that scene (or even enjoy that style of music), you don't notice the rest of their works.

e.g., The Cardigans. "Lovefool" is not terribly representative of their musical style. Check out one of the best pop songs you've never heard: Link