Jump to content

Favorite One Hit Wonders

Huntman

By Huntman
in The Dog Pound

Recommended Posts

cappyboy Newbie

cappyboy

Posted
Posted
<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="randomfreeze" data-cite="randomfreeze" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="27260" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>My favorite band with only one hit song is the Grateful Dead...but you've got to be a little bit brain dead to call them a one hit wonder.<p> </p></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> And here's a prime example of why I hate seeing this topic spring up every so often. Define "hit". Heck define "one hit wonder". Because if you're strict about it, at least here in the States, the Dead are the unarguable kings of the one hit wonders because of all the stuff that makes it seem a bit brain dead to call them that.</p><p> </p><p> How about someone like a Billy Ray Cyrus or a Lee Greenwood? Sure, they only had the one song that crossed over. But while Achy Breaky Heart may be Billy Ray's signature song, tunes like Some Gave All and Busy Man were big hits within the country genre as well. Some Gave All hitting twice for that matter. First when it was released in I want to say 1997 and again for obvious reasons during the 9/11 tribute season in 2001. Ditto Greenwood where his signature of God Bless The USA hit twice. Once during its release in the 80's and again when it crossed over. But like Billy Ray, he also has genre hits like Dixie Road and I.O.U that were significant within the scene.</p><p> </p><p> Or take The Rembrandts. Sure, everyone knows I'll Be There For You because of Friends. But Just The Way It Is Baby wasn't exactly a small song a couple years or so prior. In some places, it was just as inescapable as Achy Breaky Heart when both were just freshly out. Living in northern New England at the time, I thought I'd never hear the back of that song. By the time I'll Be There For You came out, it was like "Oh no. Not AGAIN with these guys." Just The Way It Is Baby wasn't the landmark I'll Be There For You was naturally. But it still ought to be enough of a hit to pull them out of this discussion. </p><p> </p><p> And that's not even touching on bands like The Divinyls or Spandau Ballet who may have hit only once in the US but were big back home. Or whose song was an afterthought in the moment and only gained its cult status after the fact. And then, there's my starting point of the Grateful Dead. Too much mud here. Too many disputable variables.</p>
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Comradebot Newbie

Comradebot

Posted
Posted
<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="cappyboy" data-cite="cappyboy" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="27260" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>And here's a prime example of why I hate seeing this topic spring up every so often. Define "hit". Heck define "one hit wonder". Because if you're strict about it, at least here in the States, the Dead are the unarguable kings of the one hit wonders because of all the stuff that makes it seem a bit brain dead to call them that.<p> </p><p> How about someone like a Billy Ray Cyrus or a Lee Greenwood? Sure, they only had the one song that crossed over. But while Achy Breaky Heart may be Billy Ray's signature song, tunes like Some Gave All and Busy Man were big hits within the country genre as well. Some Gave All hitting twice for that matter. First when it was released in I want to say 1997 and again for obvious reasons during the 9/11 tribute season in 2001. Ditto Greenwood where his signature of God Bless The USA hit twice. Once during its release in the 80's and again when it crossed over. But like Billy Ray, he also has genre hits like Dixie Road and I.O.U that were significant within the scene.</p><p> </p><p> Or take The Rembrandts. Sure, everyone knows I'll Be There For You because of Friends. But Just The Way It Is Baby wasn't exactly a small song a couple years or so prior. In some places, it was just as inescapable as Achy Breaky Heart when both were just freshly out. Living in northern New England at the time, I thought I'd never hear the back of that song. By the time I'll Be There For You came out, it was like "Oh no. Not AGAIN with these guys." Just The Way It Is Baby wasn't the landmark I'll Be There For You was naturally. But it still ought to be enough of a hit to pull them out of this discussion. </p><p> </p><p> And that's not even touching on bands like The Divinyls or Spandau Ballet who may have hit only once in the US but were big back home. Or whose song was an afterthought in the moment and only gained its cult status after the fact. And then, there's my starting point of the Grateful Dead. Too much mud here. Too many disputable variables.</p></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> You take this far too seriously.</p><p> </p><p> </p><div class="ipsEmbeddedVideo"><div><iframe width="200" height="113" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/dQw4w9WgXcQ?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="" title="Rick Astley - Never Gonna Give You Up (Official Music Video)"></iframe></div></div>
Link to comment
Share on other sites
InfectedGT Newbie

InfectedGT

Posted
Posted

<p>Not sure if this counts but who cares?</p><p> </p><p>

Rick Astley - Never Gonna Give You Up</p><p> </p><p>

 

</p><div class="ipsEmbeddedVideo"><div><iframe width="200" height="113" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/dQw4w9WgXcQ?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="" title="Rick Astley - Never Gonna Give You Up (Official Music Video)"></iframe></div></div>

Link to comment
Share on other sites
cappyboy Newbie

cappyboy

Posted
Posted
<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="InfectedGT" data-cite="InfectedGT" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="27260" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Not sure if this counts but who cares?<p> </p><p> Rick Astley - Never Gonna Give You Up</p><p> </p><p> </p><div class="ipsEmbeddedVideo"><div><iframe width="200" height="113" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/dQw4w9WgXcQ?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="" title="Rick Astley - Never Gonna Give You Up (Official Music Video)"></iframe></div></div></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> Nope. He'd be a two hit wonder. Together Forever was a really big song for him as well.</p>
Link to comment
Share on other sites
D-Lyrium Collaborator

D-Lyrium

Posted
Posted

Using the exact same video made that post win.

 


I agree with Cappy, although maybe he was taking it a tad seriously. One Hit Wonders are supposed to be just that, bands/artists who only ever had one hit. Like Joe Dolce. Even better (because Dolce had two other songs that at least charted in Aussieland, even if they weren't hits), Carl Douglas. Everyone knows Kung Fu Fighting. Literally everyone. IIRC he only ever released two other singles (maybe it was two other albums), and they were both ****. Now he's a publisher or a producer or somesuch.

 


Having one hit bigger than all your other hits =/= One Hit Wonder.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
cappyboy Newbie

cappyboy

Posted
Posted
But when you think about it, they're the same song. :p

 

Dude, I had the album for a while. It was all essentially the same song when you got down to it even though it had 12 different tracks. It was no wonder he hit twice from that album. He should have sounded good on more than one song. He had so much practice at it. :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites
randomfreeze Newbie

randomfreeze

Posted
Posted
And here's a prime example of why I hate seeing this topic spring up every so often. Define "hit". Heck define "one hit wonder". Because if you're strict about it, at least here in the States, the Dead are the unarguable kings of the one hit wonders because of all the stuff that makes it seem a bit brain dead to call them that.

 

I think the generally accepted term for one hit wonder is a single song on the Top 40 Billboard chart, which is all the Dead have. So by that definition, they are a one hit wonder. From my perspective though with bands like the Dead, I'd rather say they only have one hit instead of calling the band a one hit wonder. It's a small difference, but one hit wonder has a negative connotation associate with it that as a fan I won't admit/acknowledge :).

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Remianen Apprentice

Remianen

Posted
Posted
Funny, never heard of this guy. Only Scatman I remember is Scatman Crothers and that's been ages ago. Pretty sure he passed on in the late 80's or thereabouts.

 

Why does it not surprise me that the only Scatman cappyboy is familiar with is the one most younger fans know as the voice of Jazz from the Transformers cartoon? :p

 

The Curmudgeon rant

 

Now cappyboy, you know I like to poke fun at you but it's really not that serious. One Hit Wonder involves ONLY the Billboard singles chart (top 40 way back when, Hot 100 now) and ONLY in the good ol' US of A. Mind you, it's ONLY the Hot 100 so a song could hit #1 on the R&B, Adult Contemporary, Gospel, Country, Rap, New Age, or whatever other chart and the artist would still be a one hit wonder due to their only "hit" on the pop chart. It's a spurious designation that tends to be derogatory in common usage, and most people have no clue of what it really means. Girls Aloud would technically be a NO hit wonder, despite their chart performance in the UK.

 

Wanna hear something funny? Technically, Garth Brooks is a one hit wonder (his only top-40 charting song was as his pseudo-Prince like persona, Chris Gaines). The term itself is meaningless when artists can come out with a song and immediately be top-10 just based on name value or controversy (hi Chris Brown). Rush is never going to have the kind of audience traction that exists for "current" artists so they're highly unlikely to score another "hit".

 

I think the generally accepted term for one hit wonder is a single song on the Top 40 Billboard chart, which is all the Dead have. So by that definition, they are a one hit wonder. From my perspective though with bands like the Dead, I'd rather say they only have one hit instead of calling the band a one hit wonder. It's a small difference, but one hit wonder has a negative connotation associate with it that as a fan I won't admit/acknowledge :).

 

Yeah, this. So I'll name my favorite one hit wonders......

 

Jimi Hendrix

Loreena McKennitt

Beck - Loser ("Soy un perdedor....")

Prodigy

Garth Brooks - Standing Outside the Fire

Incubus

Link to comment
Share on other sites
James Casey Newbie

James Casey

Posted
Posted

Heh. Funny hearing Girls Aloud called a one hit wonder. I had no idea they'd even made the charts in the US. What song did you get?

 

It seems like OHW's quite often do an 'ironic' poppy release, completely different from everything else they normally do, and to their horror it gets associated with them for ever more.

 

Going back to the 80s, I believe that Extreme and Mr. Big were both relatively well known acts within their circles, but then they released More Than Words and I'm The One... and are forever destined for vh1's Top 100 Soft Rock Classics and so on.

 

I even remember an episode of Alvin and the Chipmunks kid of invoking this, where Dave does a spoof metal song to make fun of Alvin etc. when they try and go metal. He became a huge hit, and had to perform under a disguise so the kids didn't recognise him :)

 

Anyway, how about:

 

Bran Van 3000 - Drinking in LA

Deep Blue Something - Breakfast At Tiffany's

The Rasmus - In The Shadows

Babybird - You're Gorgeous (Eight top 40 hits in five years, still recording, Johnny Depp plays on the new album, but this is far and away his/their biggest song)

White Town - Your Woman (recently sampled for a song in the charts here in the UK)

Cornershop - Brimful of Asha

Babylon Zoo - Spaceman (The Levi's effect - and a funny story as the sample in the ad made the song famous, and it turned out the song was nothing like the sample which had been speeded up. The version eventually released was the entire song remixed to match the sample)

Barenaked Ladies - One Week

 

All songs that charted in the UK in the late 90s/early 200s, all of which are likely recognisable to anyone who listened to music in that time, and all of which completely overshadow the rest of the artists' output in this country (if any).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing
×
×
  • Create New...