JPF Home Page Forums General Messages General Message Forum What Are Your Most Memorable One-Hit-Wonder Songs?

Over the years, there have been so many "One-Hit-Wonders" that are really good in one way or another. So, I often wondered why the artist/group never had another one. So, what are your favorite or most memorable? I am defining One-Hit-Wonder as a group or artist who had one monster hit but never charted very high (Top 40, or so) again...ever. Here are mine, in order of the most memorable for me:


(1) "Since I Fell For You" Lenny Welch

(2) "We'll Sing In The Sunshine" Gail Garnett

(3) "Brandy" by The Looking Glass

(4) "I Remember You" Frank Ifield

(5) The Whispering Wind" Mandy Barnett

(6) "Alone Again, Naturally" Gilbert O'Sullivan


So, what are yours?

My all time favourite one hit wonder was Wild Cherry's Play That Funky Music. What a great beat. I do not recall hearing anything else by them. They just vanished.
Re Gilbert O'sullivan, HE HAD A NUMBER OF UK HITS and his own tv show as did Frank Ifield he was actually Australian.

Great topic, Al...

My two favorites:

"In the Year 2525" by Zager and Evans

"Hot Smoke and Sassafras" by the Bubble Puppy


Scott

Well,
Hard to say which one. A song that I liked was WHY DO FOOLS FALL IN LOVE by Frankie Lymon.

"Groove Is In the Heart" - Deee-Lite

Tim Curry - I Do The Rock

Ha ha ha ha!

I've seen threads like this before.
We always find that some artists who were one-hit-wonders in the U.S. were Big Stars in the U.K. or elsewhere, (Cliff Richard, anyone?) and versey vicey.

Have fun...

"It Never Rains In Southern California" - Albert Hammond
"How Do You Do" - Mouth and MacNeil
"Beach Baby" - First Class
"Toast and Marmalade For Tea" - Tin Tin

"Jenny" by tommy tutone (867-5309)
"total eclipse of the heart" by bonnie tylor?
"centerfold" jgeils band
"keep your hands to yourself" georgia sattlelites
"the rainbow connection" kermit the frog

-steve

A whole slew of cheezy 70's tunes..
Don't Pull Your Love--Hamliton Joe, Frank, and Reynolds
Vehicle--Ides of March
Come and Get Your Love---Redbone
My Maria--B.W Stevenson {Later a hit for Brooks and Dunn}
Signs ---5 Man Electrical Band {Later a hit for Tesla}
Drift Away--Doby Gray {Later a hit for Uncle Cracker, and possibly the greatest hook of all time}

But my all-time fave is neither cheezy, nor from the 70's
Walking in Memphis--Mark Cohn

Easy! "Friday On My Mind" (1966) by The Easybeats!
Explosive, unforgettable song/production, for me anyway.

A great record on all accounts, in my opinion. It's like they were given this one great internationally hit record by the music god and then told to do something else. They actually were trying to do other things in music, which is maybe why they didn't have another hit. (Creativity may have led to having no more than one hit). Below will explain.

Taken from a site:
In search of repeating their success, and under the guidance of the adventurous team of Vanda and Young, they recorded in a variety of different styles including soul, psychedelia and ballads, but none of their efforts met with much success and The Easybeats folded in 1969.

Big Jim….” My all time favourite one hit wonder was Wild Cherry's Play That Funky Music. What a great beat. I do not recall hearing anything else by them. They just vanished.”

Ahh! You’ve stumbled upon the tip of a One-Hit iceberg!

The central figure is Donny Iris.

He did The Rapper,” back in the day with the Jaggerz.

He did “Play That Funky Music,” while with Wild Cherry.

And he did “Ah Leah,” solo, in about 1982.

This one guy was a one-hit wonder….three separate times.

I know of no other such case!

I’ll show my age here as well as my memory.
96 Tears ? and the Mysterions
In The Summertime.... Mungo Jerry
My Sharonna.... The Knack
Achy Breaky Heart.... Billy Ray Cyrus
Ride Captain Ride.... Blues Image
Spirit in the Sky.... Norman Greenbaum
Brother Louie.... Stories
Whip It.... Devo
She Blinded Me With science.... Thomas Dolby
And my favorite Whoa Black Betty.... by Ram Jam

"Tiptoe Through the Tulips" Tiny Tim.
Yeah, no joke. I think everyone was glad he only had one hit, but it got me interested in weird instruments.

Hey John - I recently found out that the guy that wrote "Friday on my mind" was the big brother to two members of AC/DC. Keepin' the music in the family no doubt.

Then there was also "Come on Eileen" Dexy's Midnight Runners. I think it was the overalls in the video that did them in.

Actually, one of my favorite One-Hit-Wonders, was (ahem) The Wonders…fictitious band in Tom Hanks’ movie, “That Thing You Do.”

Loved that flick….and the single.


And Bowie did a cool version of Friday On My Mind, too.

Yes! The Oneders! (O needers), remember how they had the name like that at first, and was called the funny version, so Hanks had then change it to Wonders? LOL! First saw that film while on vacation in Williamsburg, VA. Loved the song and film too. Good won! I mean one.

Iggy,,,,Ackey you know what? "Pop goes the weezle" was better!

Dancing in the Moonlight by King Harvest I believe.

"Walking on Sunshine" by Katrina and the Waves
--hasn't been mentioned yet.

Love that "Play that Funky Music," too.
Just bought a Funk compilation album with that on it.

Fun topic!
I would be thrilled to have a one-hit wonder. I'd be glad to have MORE than one hit of course, but even ONE--I could carefully take it to the bank and pay for my six kids' college tuition, and then some. hehee

Linda

A few of the songs mentioned where not the artist's only hit. Gilbert O'Sullivan had a hit with "Claire." Georgia Satellites had a smaller hit with "Battleship Chains." Billy Ray Cyrus has had a string of country hits. There were a couple others.

We can all be thankful that Mouth & McNeil stopped where they did.

I once heard that "In the Year 2525" was the biggest hit ever by an act that never had another Top 40. I don't know if that record has been eclipsed, unless it was Debby Boone and "You Light Up My Life."

Hi Alan, Two songs come to mind, both from the early seventies. "Indiana Want's Me" and "Timothy". Don't remember who recorded either. Oh yea I thought of another one. "Little Green Bag". Ben

Actually, Sofa, Bonnie Tyler and J. Geils Band both produced some other fairly well-known tunes.

Bonnie Tyler - "It's A Heartache," "Holding Out For A Hero"
J. Geils - "Freeze Frame," "Love Stinks," "Must of Got Lost"

And Ben, "Indiana Wants Me" was recorded by R. Dean Taylor. I don't remember "Timothy".

Greg

WOW! I'd like to hear a few of these again. How about "Stuck in the Middle" by Stealers Wheel. Or "Hey Baby" by Bruce Channel. You guys and gals have really dredged up some moldy oldies...

"Timothy" if I remember, was a song about some guys stuck in a mine collapse. Kinda like "Big John", only I think they ate Timmy...That was the popular conjecture at the time and i take no responsibility for the veracity of it.

Hi y'all:

The Strawberry Alarm Clock/Incense and Peppermints

Argent/Hold Your Head Up
--Rod Argent fomerly of "the Zombies"

Luther Ingram/If Lovin' You Is Wrong (I Don't Want To Be Right)

Scott Mackenzie/San Fransisco
--I think John Phillips of the Mamas and Papas wrote this

Edison Lighthouse/Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes)

David Essex/Rock On
--had several UK hits, though

Bobbie Gentry/Ode To Billy Joe

Five Stairsteps/Ooh Child

Ides of March/Vehicle

Danny O'Keefe/Good Time Charlie's Got the Blues
--I think Leo Sayer had a hit with O'Keefe's "Magdelena"

Tim Hardin/Simple Song of Freedom
--well known 60s folk artist, his only hit was this Bobby Darin penned tune, as a return gift for Darin having made a hit out of Hardin's "If I Were a Carpenter"...I think that's the right timeline...

Cheers,
Mike

yep, and the guy who wrote that was the same guy who wrote and sang "Escape (the Pina Colada Song)" ....Rupert Holmes

I don't believe anyone mentioned "The Cars" by Gary Numan.
Although many underground acts and early punkers like that don't rely on the top 40 and seemingly have unintentional top 40 hits.

Makes me wonder how many memorable sounding songs hav'nt been heard.

Matt

I just joined a band that has this tune on their set list. I thought it was a misprint when I saw it. I'm thinkin' Average White Band. Talk about 'one hit wonders'!

wow! now, there's a blast from the past!
yeah, love those tunes, iggy!

Alone Again Or - Love
Locomotion - Little Eva
Angel Baby - Rosie and the Originals


Timothy, I believe was performed by a group called The Buoys

Ah, but Love had another hit "Little Red Book" ... strangely enough, a "Bacharach and David" tune...go figure...

Hi Bob,

We listened to the same radio stations in the 70s, LOL...

I do think Redbone had at least one other hit: "Witch Queen of New Orleans"

Love Marc Cohn, what ever happened to him?

B.W. Stevenson had a distinct voice, too, I can still hear him in my mind.

Vehicle/Ides of March...what a great horn section; only rivaled by the horns on Chase's "Get It On"...

"Don't Pull Your Love" -- Great song, poor enunciation--I always thought the lyric was "...I'll just lay me down, trifle hard to get"

aah...and the damned supermarkets are trying to spoil one of the best penned songs ever--that being "Drift Away" by Dobie Gray...don't forget the bridge, ("and when my mind is free..."
...that part still gives me goosebumps...


Best wishes,
Mike

Mike , you ARE a wise man! To back Truman up, several other artists mentioned were NOT one hit wonders...Bonnie Tyler ,along with "Total Eclipse of the Heart"[written by Jim Steinman, who wrote all of Meatloaf's songs} also had "It's a Heartache"... and of course the J. Geils band were a venerable R&B flavored arena-rock band long before they "sold out" in the 80's...
"Timothy" was indeed a one hit wonder by The Bouys... Marc Cohn was shot in the head by a would-be carjacker on the way to a gig in Denver last year, and thankfully fought off his attacker and survived....I've been playing "Drift Away "in my set for the last 20 years, and it never fails to get a HUGE response {one of the greatest pop songs of all-time IMHO.]... "Pick up the Pieces" is the name of The Average White Band instrumental.... The lead singer of Stealers Wheel was Gerry Rafferty who went on to have another one --hit wonder song with "Baker Street". As far as the Donnie Iris referrance, there was a guy who's name eludes me who was a session singer on a number of one hit wonders..."Love Grows" by Edison Lighthouse, "Precious and Few' by Climax, and "United we Stand" by Brotherhood of Man in the 70"s....Cliff Richard only had one or two hits in the U.S, but had a boatload of hits in the U.K... Sorry to be such a know-it-all but this is a fun thread!

While we're at it...How about a shout-out to a couple of JPF mentors..Alan O'Day with "Undercover Angel" {Though he has written many others} and Walter Egan "Magnet and Steel"{with Stevie Nicks and Lindsay Buckingham on harmony vocals}

Bob, that session singer you referenced is Ron Dante. Among many other things he did, he was the lead voice on those bubblegum hits by "The Archies."

"My Sharona" - The Knack
(maybe 2 hits, with "Good Girls Don't", but still...)

I thought Andy Kim {speaking of one-hit wonders "Rock me Gently"{!} was the voice behind the Archies!

Hi Truman,

If you are referring to the singer of "Love Grows" by "Edison Lighthouse", that was actually a guy named Tony Burrows, who had three songs in the top ten simultaneously under different band names, the aforementioned, and "My Baby Loves Lovin' by "White Plains" and "United We Stand" by "the Brotherhood of Man"...later had hits singing "Beach Baby" by First Class and earlier with "Gimme Dat Ding" by the Pipkins.

Ron Dante did sing the Archies hits "Sugar Sugar" and the obligitory attempt to repeat "Jingle Jangle"...was ALSO the voice of the "Cuff Links" who scored with "Tracy"...Dante went on to produce a young Barry Manilow...

Best wishes,
Mike

I'm almost positive the lead singer was a guy named Sonny Geraci (sp?) cuz I can hear Casey Casem in my head saying "featuring..." ... I listened to American Top 40 religiously 'til 1975 or thereabouts...

Mike

God Bless Google!

And Wikipedia! Many people think it's unreliable, but I've found lots of good information there.

GB

I almost forgot my favorite in this category:

The Youngbloods/Get Together

Jessie Colin-Young became one of the early staples of the young "FM Album Rock" format in the mid 70s...

caught me! LOL...actually I knew that 3/5 were Tony Burrows singing, though I'm not particularly proud...heh heh...

Here's something different...Reggae guys who were one -hit wonders.
Johnny Nash-"I Can See Clearly Now"
Eddie Grant--"Electric Ave"

Gloria- Shadows of Knight

Gloria- Laura Brannigan

Howz that? 2 with the same name!!!

Venus- Shocking Blue
Love is blue- Paul Maraut (sic)
The legend of Bonnie and Clyde- don't know
Winchester cathedral- something vaudville band?
Here come da judge- don't know
Reflections of my life- Marmalade
Ma Belle Amie- Tea Set

Bob,

--also Desmond Dekker's "The Isrealites", where every kid loved to imitate the baritone's nasally "oh, oh.....the ISrealITES" like some weird reggae doo-wop hybrid.

Mike

hello to all,

remember the group ANIMOTION?

jjlanuza

Well, you guys hit most of them but here's a few I remember:

Pictures Of Matchstick Men - Status Quo
Next Plane to London - The Rose Garden
To Much to Dream - Electric Prunes

The Starland Vocal Band: "afternoon delight"

As a solo act Lou Grahm "Midnight Blue" does that count?

oohh yes there are hundreds on yahoo.

How about the song that would put any rapper to shame..."Life Is a Rock, But The Radio Rolled Me" by REUNION. Oh wait..They also had the "Put The Lime In The Coconut" song too..