# One Hit Wonders



## TMMKC (Aug 2, 2007)

Here's a totally inane thread for a Friday....

Whether it's Debbie Boone's "You Light Up My Life" or Rupert Holmes' "Escape" (a.k.a. "The Pina Colada Song"), what's your favorite one-hit wonder?

For some reason, I love The New Radicals' "You Only Get What You Give."


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## Wayfarer (Mar 19, 2006)

Great thread! Not sure I can limit it to one though.

Pure Morning by Placebo
That "bee" song by Blind Melon

There's two good ones to start with.

Excellent thread idea TMMKC


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## Cruiser (Jul 21, 2006)

It's a tie with me between _Inna Gadda Davida_ by Iron Butterfly and _Louie Louie_ by The Kingsmen.

Not far behind is _Ninety Six Tears_ by Question Mark and the Mysterians.

Cruiser


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## AMVanquish (May 24, 2005)

How about "Born to be Alive" by Patrick Hernandez?


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## ksinc (May 30, 2005)

Two are on my iPod.

"Obsession" by ANIMOTION

"The Politics of Dancing" by RE-FLEX


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## Relayer (Nov 9, 2005)

"Ride Captain Ride" Blues Image


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## ksinc (May 30, 2005)

I think "Mississippi Queen" by MOUNTAIN is too.

oops "Turn Up the Radio" by AUTOGRAPH

Well, I can't tell what is and what isn't. Some are on some lists and some are not. I found "Under the Milky Way" by THE CHURCH on one list, but I also have "Reptile" which was a more popular song (I thought); maybe not.


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## Relayer (Nov 9, 2005)

One more very good one (one hit wonder in the US, anyway...)

"Ma Belle Amie" by Tee-Set


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## StevenRocks (May 24, 2005)

"Break My Stride" by Matthew Wilder. Not just cheese. Premium cheese.


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## Liberty Ship (Jan 26, 2006)

"The Lion Sleeps Tonight," by The Tokens.

Wait!!!!! I have just educated myself, courtesy of the Internet. The Tokens borrowed the melody and the rythm from a Zulu, Solomon Linda.

Here is a link; scroll to the bottom and click on the Media link:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solomon_Linda

You learn something new every day. For years I had claimed that "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" was a song with no similar work in popular culture.


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## PedanticTurkey (Jan 26, 2008)

Liberty Ship said:


> "The Lion Sleeps Tonight," by The Tokens.
> 
> Wait!!!!! I have just educated myself, courtesy of the Internet. The Tokens borrowed the melody and the rythm from a Zulu, Solomon Linda.
> 
> ...


Fascinating. It really warms my heart to hear that his heirs sued Disney for using it in the Lion King.


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## Chip-HP (May 5, 2008)

FWIW ... *The Kingsmen* had 7 other BB chart records besides *Louie Louie* (including *The Jolly Green Giant *that made it to #4) and *The Tokens* had 11 besides *The Lion Sleeps Tonight* (including *Tonight I Fell in Love* that hit #15).


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## Wayfarer (Mar 19, 2006)

Tainted Love by Soft Cell
I Ran by Flock of Seagulls


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## Cruiser (Jul 21, 2006)

Chip-HP said:


> *The Kingsmen* had 7 other BB chart records besides *Louie Louie* (including *The Jolly Green Giant *that made it to #4)


Technically you're correct; however, it was an entirely different band. With the exception of the drummer, only the name of the band was the same. For all practical purposes The Kingsmen that recorded Louie Louie ceased to exist after 1963.

It's no different than The Byrds. After Roger McGuinn, David Crosby, Chris Hillman, et al, left with only the drummer remaining, the new Byrds went on to have another hit record, but it wasn't The Byrds despite the name of the band. Bands were always changing personnel, but when all that is left of the original band is the drummer, it isn't the original band.

But again, you are correct in that The Kingsmen, in name at least, did have some other success.

Cruiser


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## Wayfarer (Mar 19, 2006)

The Final Countdown by Europe
I'm Not An Addict by K's Choice


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## Beresford (Mar 30, 2006)

"Macarena." Know it drove people nuts but I still like it. :icon_smile_big:


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## Beresford (Mar 30, 2006)

And then there's "Weapon of Choice" by Fatboy Slim. Absolutely the best music video ever made:






(Christopher Walken for President)


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## Laxplayer (Apr 26, 2006)

Wayfarer said:


> Great thread! Not sure I can limit it to one though.
> 
> Pure Morning by Placebo
> That "bee" song by Blind Melon
> ...


No Rain is the name of the bee song IIRC.

Come On Eileen-Dexys Midnight Runners
Video Killed the Radio Star-Buggles
Stuck in the Middle With You-Stealers Wheel (I will always think of that scene in Resevoir Dogs with this one) 
The Safety Dance-Men Without Hats (just makes me laugh)


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## DukeGrad (Dec 28, 2003)

*One hit numbers*

Gentlemen

How about Graham Nash and Military Madness, and I agree with Question Mark and the mysterians.

Whitesnake and the blonde babe on the hood of the jag! That song propelled them.
How about Gene McDaniel and hundred pounds of clay!

Nice day my friends


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## Acct2000 (Sep 24, 2005)

I really like "Blinded by Science" by Thomas Dolby.


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## DukeGrad (Dec 28, 2003)

*Ralayer/Cruiser*

Relayer

I love that crappy song by the way. My Belle Amie.. And Cruiser, Louie/Louie!
My era!

I bought a Mountain CD for 3 bucks about 6 months ago, with the long version of Mississippi Queen!
I believe this song, and Deep Purples Hush, and Kentucky Woman were really great tunes then.
I still have a hard time dealing with the term oldies. I still hear and think of them as present.
I enjoyed the 80 rock era too.
Anyway, have nice day gentlemen


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## DukeGrad (Dec 28, 2003)

*Few more one hit*

Gents, how about these!

Pushin too Hard The Seeds
Dirty Water The Standells
We aint got nothin yet The Blues Magoos

Great stuuf

Nice day


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## gnatty8 (Nov 7, 2006)

Blind Melon? OHW? I would have to disagree. They put out more great music, including Change, Galaxie, and Tones of Home. And Fatboy Slim? I think they put out a fair amount of decent music, including Praise You which was very widely played.

Real one hit wonders? Unfortunately, the Vapors, who did Turning Japanese, and were really never heard from again, and of course, The Buggles (Video Killed the Radio Star). And who could forget Chumbawamba?


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## Wayfarer (Mar 19, 2006)

Eddie Murphy with "Party All The Time"
Rockwell with "Somebody Is Always Watching Me"
Right Said Fred with "I'm Too Sexy"
Nena with "99 Red Love Ballons"
Falco with "Rock Me Amadeus"

BTW, a OHW is usually taken to mean a band that only made the Top 40 once in their careers. I mean, look at the Grateful Dead. Technically speaking, they were OHW but we all know the length and depth of their career. So just because a band made other music that got listened too, does not mean they are not technically OHW.


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## Laxplayer (Apr 26, 2006)

What's up-4 Non Blondes
Steal My Sunshine-Len
Black Velvet-Allanah Myles
Black Betty-Ram Jam


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## JerseyJohn (Oct 26, 2007)

_Green Onions_ by Booker T. & the MGs ...


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## TMMKC (Aug 2, 2007)

Wayfarer said:


> Great thread! Not sure I can limit it to one though.
> 
> Pure Morning by Placebo
> That "bee" song by Blind Melon
> ...


Thankyouveddymuch...

"Smoke From A Distant Fire" by The Standford Townsend Band
"Brandy" by Looking Glass
"Breakfast at Tiffany's" by Deep Blue Something


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## Rossini (Oct 7, 2007)

Wayfarer said:


> BTW, a OHW is usually taken to mean a band that only made the Top 40 once in their careers. I mean, look at the Grateful Dead. Technically speaking, they were OHW but we all know the length and depth of their career. So just because a band made other music that got listened too, does not mean they are not technically OHW.


A true one-hit wonder is, in fact, an act where *the* *one-hit is the* *defining characteristic of their career* thereby excluding acts that are defined more by their albums success and therefore excluding the likes of Placebo and the Grateful Dead, or Led Zeppelin.

So Ladies and Gentlemen, for your musical delectation and aural delight, I give you:

The Reynolds Girls - I'd Rather Jack.

:devil:


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## Wayfarer (Mar 19, 2006)

Rossini said:


> A true one-hit wonder is, in fact, an act where *the* *one-hit is the* *defining characteristic of their career* thereby excluding acts that are defined more by their albums success and therefore excluding the likes of Placebo and the Grateful Dead, or Led Zeppelin.
> 
> So Ladies and Gentlemen, for your musical delectation and aural delight, I give you:
> 
> ...


Wiki says I am correct :devil:

Take On Me by A-Ha


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## Laxplayer (Apr 26, 2006)

Wayfarer said:


> Wiki says I am correct :devil:
> 
> Take On Me by A-Ha


LOL I remember that video.


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## Wayfarer (Mar 19, 2006)

Laxplayer said:


> LOL I remember that video.


Yeah, it was quite the thing for that day and age.


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## Rossini (Oct 7, 2007)

Wayfarer said:


> Wiki says I am correct :devil:
> 
> Take On Me by A-Ha


Doesn't that make me even more right?! :icon_smile_big:

Seriously though, you have to follow the logic or I'll come round and scare The Living Daylights out of you. Whatever you choose, regardless, remember the sun always shines on TV.


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## Wayfarer (Mar 19, 2006)

Rossini said:


> Doesn't that make me even more right?! :icon_smile_big:
> 
> Seriously though, you have to follow the logic or I'll come round and scare The Living Daylights out of you. Whatever you choose, regardless, remember the sun always shines on TV.


:biggrin2:

Does anyone else think the 80s were a decade with more than its share of OHW?


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## Rossini (Oct 7, 2007)

Of course - because of the buoyancy of the singles market in the 80s and the money to be made almost everyone who could had a go.

Alexei Sayle - _'Ullo John! Gotta New Motor?_' (1982)


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## Wayfarer (Mar 19, 2006)

Rossini said:


> Of course - because of the buoyancy of the singles market in the 80s and the money to be made almost everyone who could had a go.
> 
> Alexei Sayle - _'Ullo John! Gotta New Motor?_' (1982)


Rico Suave by Geraldo

Oh, "Butterfly" by Crazy Town. Now the dood is washed up and on Celebrity Rehab


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## Rossini (Oct 7, 2007)

Rico Suuuuaaaaaveeeeee


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## ajo (Oct 22, 2007)

forsbergacct2000 said:


> I really like "Blinded by Science" by Thomas Dolby.


Great song but what he did by wearing those Ripley spectacles in the video was unforgivable after that every man and his dog started wearing them. I wonder was this the moment in the 80's when spectacles became face furniture? 
I have two Sugar Sugar by the Archies and Spirit in the Sky by Norman Greenbaum


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## Cruiser (Jul 21, 2006)

Wayfarer said:


> Does anyone else think the 80s were a decade with more than its share of OHW?


The 80's were, to me anyway, a vast wasteland for music; except maybe of course for the 90's. What's out there now is definitely better than anything since the 70's, IMO.

Cruiser


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## Acct2000 (Sep 24, 2005)

I forgot about Sugar, Sugar by the Archies. I was at the bubble gum age and loved that song. I still really like the vocal harmony arrangements.


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## gnatty8 (Nov 7, 2006)

Not sure I agree Cruiser. Many great punk, metal, and new wave bands put out some fantastic music. Examples:

- U2
- Dead Kennedys
- REM
- TSOL
- Ultravox
- Echo and the Bunnymen
- Waterboys
- Big Country
- Melvins
- Police
- Metallica
- Style Council
- The Smiths
- New Order
- The Cure
- Bauhaus
- The Clash

The hair band years were a writeoff, but these bands put out some great music that is still relevant today.


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## Acct2000 (Sep 24, 2005)

No B-52s, Gnatty???? (Sniff)


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## ajo (Oct 22, 2007)

forsbergacct2000 said:


> I forgot about Sugar, Sugar by the Archies. I was at the bubble gum age and loved that song. I still really like the vocal harmony arrangements.


Well i also have 'i think i love you' by the Partridge Family on the ipod and your right about the vocal arrangements, mind you my teenage son and i both cringed the other day then they played The Ohio Fruit Gum Company 'yummy yummy' on the radio.


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## Relayer (Nov 9, 2005)

1910 Fruitgum Company

Also had smaller hits - Simple Simon Says, and 1-2-3 Red Light.


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## StevenRocks (May 24, 2005)

Cruiser said:


> The 80's were, to me anyway, a vast wasteland for music; except maybe of course for the 90's. What's out there now is definitely better than anything since the 70's, IMO.
> 
> Cruiser


I wholeheartedly disagree. This decade's music has been about marketing to demographics rather than actual talent. It's all retreads, with almost no innovation. The '80s and '90s could at least claim real musical movements.


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## ksinc (May 30, 2005)

Wayfarer said:


> :biggrin2:
> 
> Does anyone else think the 80s were a decade with more than its share of OHW?


Yep. Definitely.


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## Wayfarer (Mar 19, 2006)

Cruiser said:


> The 80's were, to me anyway, a vast wasteland for music; except maybe of course for the 90's. What's out there now is definitely better than anything since the 70's, IMO.
> 
> Cruiser


Cruiser, basically....you're wrong. From Neil Young to Yes to Asia to Tom Petty to Prince to Depeche Mode to Van Halen to Sade to Yes to Asia to ELO to Styx to Queen to The Police to Dire Straights to Grateful Dead to the Kinks to Rush to April Wine to Heart to Billy Joel to Bruce Springstein to U2...much good music was made in the 80s. You are doubly wrong about the 90s.

It was the 70's that was the avocado green of music. Oh wait. The 70's was avocado green. The 60s were done, not yet the energy of the 80s. Kind of sad.


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## ksinc (May 30, 2005)

The 80s rocked! :aportnoy:


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## Laxplayer (Apr 26, 2006)

Wayfarer said:


> Cruiser, basically....you're wrong. From Neil Young to Yes to Asia to Tom Petty to Prince to Depeche Mode to Van Halen to Sade to Yes to Asia to ELO to Styx to Queen to The Police to Dire Straights to Grateful Dead to the Kinks to Rush to April Wine to Heart to Billy Joel to Bruce Springstein to U2...much good music was made in the 80s. You are doubly wrong about the 90s.
> 
> It was the 70's that was the avocado green of music. Oh wait. The 70's was avocado green. The 60s were done, not yet the energy of the 80s. Kind of sad.


I agree, and would add Pearl Jam (McCready should be on the guitar solo thread), Dinosaur Jr, Foo Fighters, The Pogues, Hüsker Dü, Pixies, Fugazi, R.E.M., Violent Femmes, TMBG, The Cure, Stone Roses, Phish....man, you could go on and on with this list.

Edit: looks like gnatty already covered REM and The Cure, so I will add two more: Smashing Pumpkins and Sonic Youth.

I like this thread. Has anyone else pulled out some of their old CDs and been rockin' like I have?


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## AMVanquish (May 24, 2005)

Rossini said:


> Doesn't that make me even more right?! :icon_smile_big:
> 
> Seriously though, you have to follow the logic or I'll come round and scare The Living Daylights out of you. Whatever you choose, regardless, remember the sun always shines on TV.


Has anyone else been Hunting High and Low for a resolution to this point of contention? Is it the consensus that a OHW is based on the charts, or more on the lasting impressions of the listening audience?


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## Welton'82 (Mar 17, 2008)

I've always been under the impression that the ultimate OHW was Looking Glass, with their chart topper, "Brandy" in 1972.

_""Brandy (You're a Fine Girl)" was not the label's first choice as a single. However, the song was picked off the album by a deejay in Washington, D.C., who played the song heavily and built up a strong local demand. When finally issued as a 45, "Brandy" sold slowly, but eventually gained momentum and finally peaked at number one in August 1972. The same month, it was certified as a million-seller by the RIAA. __More than a year went by before Looking Glass scored a follow-up hit, but it finally came in September 1973. However, "Jimmy Loves Marianne" was only a mild seller. Soon after, Elliot Lurie, who'd written and sung lead on both Looking Glass hits, announced he was leaving the group to begin a solo career. The others replaced him and then changed the group's name to one word -- Lookinglass. However, the whole band fell apart soon afterward."_

https://www.superseventies.com/1972_9singles.html


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## Rossini (Oct 7, 2007)

^^ Both Dinosaur Jr., and The Smiths could have worthy entries in the guitar solo thread. Yet another '80s suggestion:

Full Metal Jacket (I Wanna Be Your Drill Instructor) - Abigail Mead & Nigel Goulding.


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## 16128 (Feb 8, 2005)

gnatty8 said:


> Not sure I agree Cruiser. Many great punk, metal, and new wave bands put out some fantastic music. Examples:
> 
> - U2
> - Dead Kennedys
> ...


Nice!

My YouTube playlist is made up of many, many one-hit wonders. I've always been a "great single" person and usually hate the rest of the album, so I'm really pleased that it's possible to get ONE song at a time now.

The La's - There She Goes 





Iko Iko by the Belle Stars, I Love The Nightlife - Alicia Bridges, Da Da Da by Trio, Walk Away Renee by the Left Banke, Dear God by XTC (I know they had more than one hit).

I was really happy to dig up CCCP - American Soviets recently - I had this on vinyl and it really reminds me of 80s dance clubs:


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## 16128 (Feb 8, 2005)

Rossini said:


> ^^ Both Dinosaur Jr., and The Smiths could have worthy entries in the guitar solo thread. Yet another '80s suggestion:
> 
> Full Metal Jacket (I Wanna Be Your Drill Instructor) - Abigail Mead & Nigel Goulding.


On that note, 19 by Paul Hardcastle


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## Cruiser (Jul 21, 2006)

Wayfarer said:


> Cruiser, basically....you're wrong. From Neil Young to Yes to Asia to Tom Petty to Prince to Depeche Mode to Van Halen to Sade to Yes to Asia to ELO to Styx to Queen to The Police to Dire Straights to Grateful Dead to the Kinks to Rush to April Wine to Heart to Billy Joel to Bruce Springstein to U2...much good music was made in the 80s. You are doubly wrong about the 90s.


Of course it is all just each person's opinion, but in my opinion the music between 1965 and 1972 was the best that I've encountered during my lifetime. I'm not saying that there was no good music after 1972, just not nearly as much. I do like Billy Joel, but he never got better than his 1971 recording of "_Captain Jack_" in my opinion.

Take Neil Young for example, one of my all time favorites. I've been to see him several times, but I think by far his best work was done in the late 60's and early 70's with perhaps his 1972 "_Harvest_" album being his high water mark; although I will concede that 1992's "_Harvest Moon_" was also very good. But in the end by the time the 1976 concert with The Band documented in "_The Last Waltz_" his most creative and memorable work was behind him. I just saw him a couple of years ago in concert and clearly his early works were the reason most were there.

Cruiser


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## Wayfarer (Mar 19, 2006)

Cruiser said:


> Of course it is all just each person's opinion, but in my opinion the music between *1965 and 1972 was the best that I've encountered during my lifetime. *





Cruiser said:


> *The 80's were, to me anyway, a vast wasteland for music;* except maybe of course for the 90's.


So is your goal to turn a thread about OHWs, that we were all rather enjoying, into an argument? I mean, are you that bored with life?

Back to the enjoyable thread:

Youth of the Nation by POD


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## Acct2000 (Sep 24, 2005)

"Bread and Butter" was a fun novelty song in the early sixties (by the Newbeats). 

Sigh. I just googled it and they had three other minor hits, but they did chart. Oh well, I like the song and I'm too lazy to delete this now. I used to have some fun doing it on stage, but some bands were unwilling to be seen in public doing the song. LOL

One that I had to sing for a couple years, but hated was "Don't Worry, Be Happy" by Bobby McFerrin. If that was not his only hit, I don't think he had any others that got nearly as big. 

I HATED singing that song. I tried to tank it the first time we did it. (Promises were made to get me to learn the song and it became obvious that they would not be kept.) I sang the song with a ridiculous Jamaican accent hoping to get the song dropped from our band's list. I got a standing ovation and had to sing the song every night for six months (WITH the ridiculous Jamaican accent) (sigh).

Years later, that band's fans would tell me how great I sang that wretched song, and it was all I could do to avoid cringing in front of someone when they brought it up. (They WERE trying to be nice to me.) The memories - - -


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## Wayfarer (Mar 19, 2006)

LOL, great story FB2K.

Fountains of Wayne, Stacey's Mom.


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## Rossini (Oct 7, 2007)

^ I feel your pain! :icon_smile_big:

And, yes, any more discussion on this particular thread about which decade was better and I'll kindly refer the honourable gentleman involved to another 80's one hit wonder, this time by Joe Dolce:

"Shaddap You Face".

:devil:


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## Cruiser (Jul 21, 2006)

Wayfarer said:


> So is your goal to turn a thread about OHWs, that we were all rather enjoying, into an argument? I mean, are you that bored with life?


Don't you think this kind of crap has gone on long enough? For crying out loud, you asked the freaking question:



> Does anyone else think the 80s were a decade with more than its share of OHW?


I just responded to that. To me OHW's are a sign of less than creative artists so yes I do think the 80's had more OHW's. You didn't say that it was a rhetorical question, and then you responded and disagreed with me. If it was off point why didn't you just let it die without responding? And now I'm responsible for taking the thread off course, and then one of your buddies chimes in pointing the finger at me also.

You guys really take the cake.

Cruiser


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## ksinc (May 30, 2005)

AMVanquish said:


> Has anyone else been Hunting High and Low for a resolution to this point of contention? Is it the consensus that a OHW is based on the charts, or more on the lasting impressions of the listening audience?


Hunting high and low was a good song. I don't know who sang it.

OOPS! Apparently A-Ha sang it. I think that removes them from the OHW list. 
Plus Take on Me and the Sun Always Shines on TV were #1 and #20 respectively in the US.


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## Wayfarer (Mar 19, 2006)

Cruiser said:


> Don't you think this kind of crap has gone on long enough? For crying out loud, you asked the freaking question:
> 
> I just responded to that. To me OHW's are a sign of less than creative artists so yes I do think the 80's had more OHW's. You didn't say that it was a rhetorical question, and then you responded and disagreed with me. If it was off point why didn't you just let it die without responding? And now I'm responsible for taking the thread off course, and then one of your buddies chimes in pointing the finger at me also.
> 
> ...


From asking about OHW of the 80s you decided to tell us what a musical wasteland the 80s was. And now you want to continue to argue...and we take the cake? Sorry buddy, I am not going to be party to ruining this fun thread. Carry on the fight without me!

Ksinc, sounds like A-Ha might have to come off the list.

Can we get Amy Winehouse on the list yet?


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## Rossini (Oct 7, 2007)

Cruiser said:


> To me OHW's are a sign of less than creative artists so yes I do think the 80's had more OHW's.


As I said earlier in the thread, I think they're a sign of a buoyant market where record companies will try a wider variety of acts solely to cash in on the singles opportunity, and where perhaps conditions were right to allow in "amateur" acts on a one-off basis. Not all OHW's are like this of course. But that's why the 80s has more. It's a separate matter entirely from what decade is best and, in any case, both conversations should be pursued in a new thread where I'm sure everyone would be delighted to weigh in.

Scarlet Fantastic - No Memory (80s).


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## Wayfarer (Mar 19, 2006)

For the electronica/emo crowd:

Days Go By from Dirty Vegas


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## Cruiser (Jul 21, 2006)

forsbergacct2000 said:


> "Bread and Butter" was a fun novelty song in the early sixties (by the Newbeats).


Some trivia. The guy who sang the falsetto part (I like bread and butter, I like toast and jam) in "Bread and Butter" co-wrote "Wind Beneath My Wings" years later.

Cruiser


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## jamgood (Feb 8, 2006)

I'm so old and out of the loop here.

Stay, Maurice Williams & The Zodiacs, 1960.

The shortest record to ever reach #1 in the U.S. Recorded, as an afterthought, in one take in an army surplus Quonset hut adjacent to Ft. Jackson, SC. Resurrected by the movie Dirty Dancing, partially filmed in Lake Lure, NC as a Catskills resort. A OHW double-play.

The Zodiacs also have a certified RIAA Gold Record for "May I", a record that never made it into the Billboard Hot 100.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maurice_Williams_(doo-wop_artist)

Another regional Carolinas beach music staple, The Tams 1964 recording of Hey Girl Don't Bother Me ironically reached #1 on the UK singles chart in 1971 due to its "northern soul" popularity.

(Several other OHW (top 40) only recognizable to misspent youth habitues of Carolina coastal caucasian r&b-honky-tonks and their subset of piedmont Carolina cinder block beach music dives, so won't bother to list)

Nap time


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## Senator LooGAR (Apr 19, 2008)

3 pages in, and no mention of The Letter by The Box Tops?


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## Cruiser (Jul 21, 2006)

Senator LooGAR said:


> 3 pages in, and no mention of The Letter by The Box Tops?


Probably because they weren't a one hit wonder. In addition to "_The Letter"_ which went to number one they had "_Cry Like a Baby_" which went to number two, along with some lesser hits. All in all The Boxtops had two albums go gold. Definitely not a one hit wonder.

I got to meet Alex Chilton once years ago, but well after the glory days. That was really a thrill as I really liked The Boxtops.

Cruiser


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## TMMKC (Aug 2, 2007)

Laxplayer said:


> I like this thread. Has anyone else pulled out some of their old CDs and been rockin' like I have?


Not yet, but I'm tempted! By last count, I have 350+ CDs...so I have lots of listening ahead of me next week while working. The turntable gave out years ago, so the vinyl sits unplayed in an orange crate in the basement .

It's probably a good thing my hairline gave out years ago too, lest I be tempted to grab a can of mousse and give myself a "Flock of Seagulls" hair-do!

A couple more OHWs from the 1980s....

"I Want Candy" by Bow Wow Wow
"Whisper to a Scream" by Icicle Works


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## Rossini (Oct 7, 2007)

Note: Bow Wow Wow also had a big hit with "Go Wild in The Country".


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## gnatty8 (Nov 7, 2006)

OMC - How Bizarre

Almost anybody from American Idol who subsequently released a record


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## TMMKC (Aug 2, 2007)

Rossini said:


> Note: Bow Wow Wow also had a big hit with "Go Wild in The Country".


Didn't know that...I don't recall the song at all.

Another one from the 90s:

"Sex & Candy" by Marcy Playground


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## Frank aka The Minotaur (Nov 12, 2004)

Beresford said:


> "Macarena." Know it drove people nuts but I still like it. :icon_smile_big:


Me too.


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## XdryMartini (Jan 5, 2008)

How about:

-Crazy World of Arthur Brown - Fire (1968)
-Lulu - To Sir with Love
-Safaris - Wipeout


Just a few I thought of...


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## Frank aka The Minotaur (Nov 12, 2004)

Wang Chung - Wang Chung
Ring My Bell - Anita Ward
My Sharona - The Knack
Cum On Feel The Noise - Quiet Riot
Disco Duck - Rick Dees
Convoy - CW McCall
Mickey - Toni Basil
Take On Me - aha
Spirit In The Sky - Norman Greenbaum

Yes, I cheated a little bit. :devil:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One-hit_wonder


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## Acct2000 (Sep 24, 2005)

Frank, this thread is one of the types of things I think of when I think of you as a poster.

What took you so long??

Mickey was schlock, I suppose, but I LOVED that song. Sigh. I was not in a band with a female singer when it was a hit, so I never got to do the song. (Alas - missed opportunities.)


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## Rossini (Oct 7, 2007)

XdryMartini said:


> How about:
> 
> -Lulu - To Sir with Love


Lulu has had a number of other hits, notably "Shout". :icon_smile:


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## Wayfarer (Mar 19, 2006)

gnatty8 said:


> Almost anybody from American Idol who subsequently released a record


:icon_hailthee:


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## Wayfarer (Mar 19, 2006)

Frank, I already tried A-Ha but ksinc knocked them out of contention as they had other Top 40 hits. Maybe Lamal would qualify from his solo career though? Never Ending Story.

I think Quiet Riot had more than one hit too.

I still want a ruling on Amy Winehouse. I think she is going to qualify with "Rehab".


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## ksinc (May 30, 2005)

Wayfarer said:


> Frank, I already tried A-Ha but ksinc knocked them out of contention as they had other Top 40 hits. Maybe Lamal would qualify from his solo career though? Never Ending Story.
> 
> I think Quiet Riot had more than one hit too.
> 
> I still want a ruling on Amy Winehouse. I think she is going to qualify with "Rehab".


Well, the "wonder" part works.


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## Rossini (Oct 7, 2007)

Wayfarer said:


> Frank, I already tried A-Ha but ksinc knocked them out of contention as they had other Top 40 hits.


Actually, I think you'll find I might have highlighted that first. :icon_smile:

Typically Tropical - Barbados


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## Frank aka The Minotaur (Nov 12, 2004)

Wayfarer said:


> Frank, I already tried A-Ha but ksinc knocked them out of contention as they had other Top 40 hits. Maybe Lamal would qualify from his solo career though? Never Ending Story.
> 
> I think Quiet Riot had more than one hit too.
> 
> I still want a ruling on Amy Winehouse. I think she is going to qualify with "Rehab".


Aha! :icon_smile_big:


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## TMMKC (Aug 2, 2007)

Frank aka The Minotaur said:


> Spirit In The Sky - Norman Greenbaum


Did Norman Greenbaum have the most un-rock-and-roll-star name every known to mankind or what!? There's nothing in particular wrong with his name (if I had an uncle named Norman), but I imagine it might have had something with him being a OHW.:icon_smile_big:


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## Wayfarer (Mar 19, 2006)

TMMKC said:


> Did Norman Greenbaum have the most un-rock-and-roll-star name every known to mankind or what!? There's nothing in particular wrong with his name (if I had an uncle named Norman), but I imagine it might have had something with him being a OHW.:icon_smile_big:


I have to offer up another name for that award TMMKC, and when you read the name, you will understand why:

John (Cougar) Mellancamp


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## ksinc (May 30, 2005)

TMMKC said:


> Did Norman Greenbaum have the most un-rock-and-roll-star name every known to mankind or what!? There's nothing in particular wrong with his name (if I had an uncle named Norman), but I imagine it might have had something with him being a OHW.:icon_smile_big:


LOL It might be a tie at worst. There was another guy that recently died that had a name similar to that.


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## ksinc (May 30, 2005)

Wayfarer said:


> John (Cougar) Mellancamp


He's a sexy old lady?  NTTAWWT


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## Rossini (Oct 7, 2007)

^ Speaking of which...

Gina G - "Ooh, Aah, Just a Little Bit"


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## 44XT (Aug 2, 2005)

How about:

"Magic" by Pilot and "Blown it all Sky High" by Jigsaw?

I'd vote for Sanford Townsend Bands "Smoke from a Distant Fire" but I play this song at least once a week, so it is a better song than that, in my books.


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## gnatty8 (Nov 7, 2006)

A little before my time, but I think most acts that released disco songs may qualify, with the exception of the Bee Gees and that awful Kiss song "I Was Made for Loving You..."


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## TMMKC (Aug 2, 2007)

44XT said:


> I'd vote for Sanford Townsend Bands "Smoke from a Distant Fire" but I play this song at least once a week, so it is a better song than that, in my books.


I love that song and would list it in my top 100 favorite songs of all time. Interesting that group never had another hit.


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## Rossini (Oct 7, 2007)

Shampoo - Trouble.

You're right about disco and also 90s/2k dance acts - lots of one hits, but many are lacking in that classic novelty/curiosity or zeitgeist aspect that makes it a "wonder" as well as a one-hit.


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