One Hit, Eternal Greatness
First impressions are everything, and for some artists, it’s all they got before fading away into obscurity. Though a lot of one-hit wonders are incredibly grating—we’re looking at you, “Mambo #5”—others are so incredible, they left us wondering what could’ve been, if only the artists behind them had delivered more hits.
We’ve compiled the ones we think were worthy of a long, successful career—did your favorite make the list?
“Spirit In The Sky”—Norman Greenbaum
This hippie anthem, released in 1969, sounds like it could’ve come from any number of performers from that era—a Crosby, a Stills, a Nash, maybe even a Young. But no, it was Norman Greenbaum, a kid from Massachusetts who grew up Orthodox Jewish, who penned the lyrics about having a friend in Jesus.
After a couple of failed follow-ups to the massive hit, Greenbaum went back to California, where he set up a dairy farm. In the 80s, he came back to the music biz, working behind the scenes as a promoter and manager.
Sterling Munksgard, Shutterstock
“Take On Me”—A-Ha
What “Spirit in the Sky” was to the 60s/70s, “Take on Me” was to the 80s. Everything about the song—from its springy synthesizers, singer Morten Harket’s soaring falsetto, and the unforgettable hand-drawn video—screams 80s. The song was a massive hit, but a-ha didn’t really follow up on it…at least, stateside.
While we might consider “Take On Me” a one-hit wonder, a-ha continued to crank out hit after hit in their native Norway in the late 80s and early 90s. They even performed at the 1994 Lillehammer Olympics in Norway.
Jamesbond raul, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
“Just One Look”—Doris Troy
Though you may not know the name of Doris Troy, you certainly know “Just One Look”—one of the greatest R&B songs of all time. The 1963 release was a hit for Troy, whose story sounds familiar. She grew up in Harlem, singing in the church choir, before penning “Just One Look” and recording it in one 10-minute session, the results of which Atlantic rushed to release.
After other singles disappointed, Troy was signed by The Beatles to Apple Records, but none of the records she made for them sold well. After that, Troy had a long career singing backup—you can hear her on Carly Simon’s iconic track “You’re So Vain”.
“Come On Eileen”—Dexy’s Midnight Runners
“Come on Eileen” might just be the greatest one-hit wonder of all time. It’s incredibly memorable, an unstoppable earworm, and always is a crowd-pleaser at karaoke or on a party playlist. Sadly, the band’s follow-ups were unsuccessful, and they were dropped from their label before they eventually broke up.
Singer and songwriter Kevin Rowland went off on his own, chasing a solo career, but the band has also reunited and played gigs intermittently over the years.
Ueli Frey, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
“In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida”—Iron Butterfly
If you’re going to make a one-hit wonder, you might as well make it last—17 minutes, that is. The epic hard rock from Iron Butterfly was edited down to a tight 2 minutes and 52 seconds for radio play, and ended up staying on the charts for 140 weeks and selling 30 million copies.
After missing a show at Woodstock and disagreements over the band’s musical direction—as well as some unpaid taxes they owed the IRS—the band broke up. Of course, thanks to The Simpsons’ “’In The Garden of Eden by I. Ron Butterfly’” gag, they’ll live on forever with a younger generation.
ATCO Records, Wikimedia Commons
“99 Luftballons”—Nena
It’s no surprise that “99 Luftballons” was a hit in Nena’s native Germany—but when it came to its journey on the charts in the US, the song had everything working against it. American audiences are notorious for giving the cold shoulder to songs sung in other languages, but the catchy tune and repeatable chorus made it a hit—but few people realized the chilling meaning behind the song.
“99 Luftballons” was released at the height of tensions between the US and Soviet Unions, and in the songs, the balloons trigger radar alarms in each superpower, eventually escalating into a full-blown war.
picture alliance, Getty Images
“96 Tears”—? & The Mysterians
In the mid-60s, bands like The Beach Boys and The Beatles churned out pop hits—and then there were the garage rockers like ? & the Mysterians, who put out music that was as weird as their backstory. The Michigan band adapted some of the more psychedelic and surf sounds of West Coast rock for this mega-hit.
Fittingly, considering their haunting sound, their singer, who went by the name “?”, claimed he was an alien from Mars.
Michael Ochs Archives, Getty Images
“Tainted Love”—Soft Cell
Though “Tainted Love” is a prototypical new wave song, it was actually written all the way back in the 1960s for singer Gloria Jones, a Motown singer once known as the Queen of Northern Soul. Though it wasn’t a hit for her, it did climb the charts when the British synthpop duo Soft Cell took a crack at it.
Though their success didn’t last in the US, they continued to chart in the top 40 back home in the UK.
Sire Records, Wikimedia Commons
“No Rain”—Blind Melon
Like many other songs on this list, “No Rain” sounds like it could have been recorded by any number of successful alt or grunge artists of the era—though singer Shannon Hoon’s unique high-pitched, scratchy vocal style set it apart from other chart toppers. The unforgettable video, featuring the iconic “Bee Girl” certainly only aided in the song’s success, which was sadly cut short by Hoon’s untimely death in 1995.
Few people realize, but this wasn’t the only hit song that Hoon sang on—he also recorded back-up vocals for multiple songs on Guns N’ Roses Use Your Illusion I & II, and makes an appearance in the “Don’t Cry” video.
“Mickey”—Toni Basil
Though Toni Basil’s song “Mickey” was a cover, she did add her own twist, in the form of the “Oh Mickey, you’re so fine” chant. Already an accomplished dancer and choreographer, Basil was pushing 40 when she choreographed and filmed the video for the song, appearing in her high school cheerleading uniform. In fact, the year before “Mickey,” Basil had choreographed the video for the Talking Heads’ “Once in a Lifetime”.
“Groove Is In The Heart”—Deee-Lite
How many songs on this list feature a slide whistle, Bootsy Collins backing vocals, and a sample of Eva Gabor repeating a one-letter word (“I”)? Just one: “Groove Is In The Heart”. With this hit, Deee-Lite and Lady Miss Kier brought the New York underground dance scene to the masses, who loved their fun and funny blend of house, hip hop, funk, and disco.
Caught between their dancefloor origins and success with a broader audience, Deee-Lite ultimately decided to return to their roots and stay true to the sound they loved.
“You Get What You Give”—The New Radicals
Unsurprisingly for a band whose hit song’s lyrics cite so many pop cultural figures and moments, New Radicals founding members Gregg Alexander and Danielle Brisebois were Hollywood babies, with Brisebois having grown up playing Stephanie in the classic sitcom All in the Family.
Their radio-friendly sound was contrasted by the lyrics criticizing corporate America, and audiences ate it right up. They followed it up with the break-up anthem “Someday We’ll Know,” but after it and other songs failed to reach the same level of success, Alexander disbanded the New Radicals.
“What’s Up”—4 Non Blondes
“What’s Up” would be a catchy tune even without Linda Perry behind the mic, but it was the singer’s full-throated contralto roar, coming from deep within her chest, that made this song such a hit. Tensions within the band ended any chance for a follow-up hit before it started, and they broke up in 1994—but Perry proved she had plenty of number one hits in her, even without a band.
Perry went on to write iconic hits like Pink’s debut “Get the Party Started,” Christina Aguilera’s “Beautiful,” and Ariana Grande’s “Put Your Hearts Up,” which interpolated parts of “What’s Up”.
“Lovefool”—The Cardigans
There was no better place for a band to be than on the soundtrack to an edgy teen movie in the 1990s, and that’s where Swedish rock band the Cardigans found themselves when their song “Lovefool” made it to the soundtrack for Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet. The song ended up being one of the more memorable entries on the soundtrack, propelling the group to stardom.
Though they had excellent follow-up singles, including “Erase/Rewind” and “My Favorite Game,” they’ve sadly since been relegated to one-hit wonder status stateside.
Christian Bertrand, Shutterstock
“Tubthumping”—Chumbawamba
When it comes to one-hit wonders, there’s a fine line between “good song” and “utterly annoying”. And though many will disagree with us, we have to argue that while this entry might not land on the side of “good song,” it certainly toes the line between that and “annoying”.
Before they charted, Chumbawamba were known for wild songs with lyrics that reflected their anarcho-communist political views. But “Tubthumping” was a departure from that, with lyrics that land solely in the micro-genre of “pub anthems”.
Snowdog, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
“Lovin’ You”—Minnie Riperton
The final entry on our list is a note-perfect love song with a heartbreaking backstory. Singer Minnie Riperton co-wrote “Lovin’ You” with her husband Richard Rudolph after the birth of their daughter Maya…as in Maya Rudolph, of Saturday Night Live fame. Sadly, Riperton was diagnosed with breast cancer, which often left her in great pain.
After a three-year battle with the disease, Minnie Riperton passed away at the age of 31, just a few weeks shy of Maya’s ninth birthday.
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