Listening to the Beeb just now … the last few moments of this programme talks about one hit wonders. Earlier in the show they discussed Finlandia (Sibelius) and sumothersong (Kenny wheeler). The latter was new to me and worth exploring, if like me you don’t like jazz. Also new to me was the news that the tune Finlandia has been adopted as a second national anthem
My favourite today is 99 red ballon’s by Nena. What would be yours?
In The Year 2025 by Zager and Evans. Always makes me feel uneasy.
Thankfully it was 2525.
I am just reading this book about one of the ultimate one hit wonders.
It did however give Pete Townshend his only related No 1.
Got to be Car 67 by Driver 67
Here’s my favourite
Some of these polls of one hit wonders aren’t strictly true.
One put A-ha Take on Me, although they had many more hits. Even Nena 99 balloons continued to have further success in many other European countries.
Nevertheless my favourite “One hit wonder” has to be..
Six-Seven bro.
(quoting my teenage daughter)
Funnily enough my favourite one hit wonder is Something in the Air.
Was about to post when I saw yours.
Great minds etc. etc……..
We lived in a flat below some students who played it over and over so can’t stand it now
M - Pop Muzik. Big hit here in the UK.
Got me thinking, there was a follow up with Moonlight and Muzak. Admittedly a minor hit compared to pop muzik.
He, Robin Scott, aka M turned up later with Ryuichi Sakamoto and Adrian Belew on the Left Handed Dream album.
Some things I think of as one hit wonders are only because I either didn’t hear anything else from the artist (and at a time before internet research was limited unless someone was very serious about pursuing something), other to me are one hit wonders because I simply didn’t like anything else they did.
In the first category:
Scott McKenzie’s Are you going to San Francisco
Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band I’m the Urban Spaceman
Keith West Grocer Jack
Love Sculpture Sabre Dance
Troggs Wild Thing (But I liked The Goodies’ cover more!)
In the second category:
Roxy Music Virginia Plain,
Whitney Houston I will always love you
Posting this prompts me to look into those in the first category to see if they did do anything else I liked.
They Shoot Horses Don’t They - Racing Cars
Played a lot in the 5th year common room back in 1977. Don’t think they had any other hits
Just about a hit. Great song.
Not a one hit wonder to me, having (I think) all their albums, but perhaps of course Driver’s Seat may have been their only “hit” (I don’t know as I never heard any as singles). Whilst good, some other tracks are better to my mind.
Yes, remember this one. Peel was very keen on it. Also from this time Climax Blues Band - ‘Couldn’t Get It Right’ (1976) and Deaf School - ‘Taxi’ (1977). The latter was a ‘Peel’s big 45’.
Somebody That I Used to Know by Gotye; huge global hit, but could never follow it up.
