Music - One hit wonders, what makes them different?

[richdvd]

Quote:
Hootie And the Blowfish - Every Time I Look Around

The entire first album

One album wonder...good call
Pretty close to that.

[sacajaweeda]

One of the stations here used to have a segment every night (this was way back in the late 80s or early 90s) called "Yank it or Crank it" where the DJ would spin something nobody had heard of and for like 10-15 minutes they'd to the call-in thing and people would tell him either yank it or crank it then they'd tally up the votes. Maybe there are some stations around that still do shit like that, which I think is cool, but none of the stations in this area do shit like that nowadays. Everything is so commercial now. Pre-programmed song lists, etc. You're kidding yourself if you think you can still even call in a request anymore. Radio has really gone to shit, IMHO.

[richdvd]

Everything is so commercial now. Pre-programmed song lists, etc. You're kidding yourself if you think you can still even call in a request anymore. Radio has really gone to shit, IMHO.

Unfortunately...that's mainly the way it is.
Even MTV use to be great 10 or more years ago.
Now its all stupid reality shows and shit.
What happened to music videos?
I tend to watch VH1 Classic quite often...lots of good old vids.

[Ziffelpig]

Men at Work and Deep Purple aren't one hit wonders. There are a few more listed on here that aren't either. I think people need to go to google and search if they don't know what one hit wonders means.

And the guy who said Poison and Robert Palmer obviously knows nothing about music.

I'm not saying that they are with out talent or that I don't like them, I am saying that to the masses these artists have one and only one recognizable song(name association) that has achieved any replay value or had any continued longevity.
Music is very subjective, and sadly Robert Palmer is always going to be remembered for "Addicted to love" because of the video and those hot brunettes, not for his talent,or body of work, Poison well....And as I stated previously Deep Purple is known(to the masses) for one song and one song only,it's sad but it's true.

[sacajaweeda]

I saw Rick Springfield on a list somewhere in this thread. I'm a Springfield fan, so as far as I'm concerned all his songs were hits

[richdvd]

I'm not saying that they are with out talent or that I don't like them, I am saying that to the masses these artists have one and only one recognizable song(name association) that has achieved any replay value or had any continued longevity.
Music is very subjective, and sadly Robert Palmer is always going to be remembered for "Addicted to love" because of the video and those hot brunettes, not for his talent,or body of work, Poison well....And as I stated previously Deep Purple is known(to the masses) for one song and one song only,it's sad but it's true.

Robert Palmer-Addicted to Love and Simply Irresistable

Poison-Every Rose has it's Thorn, Talk Dirty to Me, Unskinny Bop...and maybe a few more

Deep Purple-Hush and Smoke on the Water

[lordsmurf]

I still think a lot of people are lost on "hit" vs "well, it was on the radio for a few weeks one time".

You tend to hear "hits" years and years later. Anything that gets easily forgotten was definitely not a hit. Hits transcend generations to quite a degree too.

[vitualis]

The things is, for a lot of "one hit wonders", their one hit probably isn't that good either. Sure, it may live in living memory for a decade or so (which is a lot better than most) but in 3 or 4 decades it will be gone.

Real hits survive and survive ... sometimes you'll know the music but not the artist; e.g., a lot of stuff from Elvis, the Beatles, Bee Gees, Burt Bacharach in more recent times.


That still pales when you consider the stuff that REALLY lasted... classical music --> Beethoven, Mozart, etc. For the most popular pieces, the vast majority of people will know the tune (and probably like it) but have no idea who wrote it. Can you imagine people still listing and performing YOUR music 200 or 300 years from now

Regards.

[Ripper2860]

I agree. Just because a song is a "Hit" does not make a "Classic".

[housepig]

You tend to hear "hits" years and years later. Anything that gets easily forgotten was definitely not a hit. Hits transcend generations to quite a degree too.

with the exception of Deep Purple, I've heard every song on my counter-argument list within the past two weeks on the radio... and I only listen to commercial radio when I'm working in my workshop, the only station that comes in is an 80's-hits station.

[Capmaster]

This one-hit-wonder list of mine goes back a few:

Winchester Cathedral - The New Vaudeville Band
Walk Right In - The Rooftop Singers
Games - Redeye
Resurrection Shuffle - Ashton, Gardner & Dyke
The Ballad of Bonnie & Clyde - Georgie Fame
Who Put the Bomp In the Bomp, Bomp, Bomp - Barry Mann
Hippy Hippy Shake - Swinging Blue Jeans
Girl From Ipanema - Astrid Gilberto & Stan Getz
Pipeline - The Chantays
Apache - Jorgen Ingmann and his Guitar

[Rookie64]

Yea, I tend to disagree a lot with what people will call a One Hit Wonder...but I also know many people don't really follow the charts (or even care) and also don't pay much attention to what's played on the radio or in movies.


Some that were listed had a few hits and have quite a few really good songs that either you might not know they were the ones that sang 'em but you'd know 'em if you heard 'em again.
Some had great songs that weren't as popular but still made the charts.


Charts however do not reflect *good* music -
"Weird Al" Yankovic, Right Said Fred, The Buggles, Rick Dees (Disco Duck), etc all managed to score a big hit...but these people are among the worst recording artists in history!

One song by each is all anyone in their right mind can handle :P


It is also extremley sad that some of you guys know more Britney Spears songs than songs by some that were listed as one hit wonders.


Instead of quoting each post...I'll just list a few here that were mentioned:

Tommy Tutone - yes, it's true Jenny 867-5309 was their only hit.
But they were a fairly decent band and had quite a few albums since.
They had a pretty good follow-up to that song, a pretty catchy tune called Get Around Girl, which could've easily been a hit if it had more airplay.
MTV only ran the video a couple times and it didn't get much play on the radio...I went out and bought the single at the time though and it was easy to find in record stores at that time.
It's somehow become extinct since.


German singer, Nena (99 Red Balloons), only had two English versions the songs she recorded, so it's not really a wonder why she didn't continue the success.
I will give her more credit for her second american single, Just A Dream, which was a lot better and could've been a hit had it gotten airplay.
MTV only gave it a couple plays.
She turned up years later topless all over the 'net - but that didn't help revive her singing career. Perhaps those hairy armpits of hers in the 99 Red Ballons days scared the fans away
Though it didn't hurt Madonna's career (Madonna may hold the record for being the hairiest woman alive - I don't even know a lot of guys who are that hairy...Good thing she can now afford Nair).

Toni Basil just did the singing thing as a side project - she was/is an actress and choreographer.
Some of you might know her best from the movie Easy Rider - she's the nudie cutie in the LSD scene.
She's acted in a number of movies over the years - most were B movie flops. She been nude in few as well.

The song Mickey, just happened by chance - probably MTV giving a lot of airplay and it being something out of the ordinary that got it attention.
She had a better song, Over My Head, that could've made the charts had been given airplay.
She was one of the first recording artists to release a full album on VHS, having music videos for every song on the album.
That only been done by Blondie (Eat To The Beat) prior.
Toni Basil still made TV apperances on VH1 in recent years...and by her big ego, I doubt she considers herself a one hit wonder


Kenny Loggins:
I'm not sure what you're considering his only hit.
He had a few big hits -
I'm Alright (Theme song from Caddyshack)
Footloose (Theme song from the movie, Footloose)
Danger Zone
Whenever I Call You Friend with Stevie Nicks - one of the most played songs on the radio in the late '70s...and continues to get airplay to this day.
This Is It with Michael McDonald (of The Doobie Brothers)...another one that was always on the radio.
Your Mama Don't Dance - '70s classic
Danny's Song - another '70s classic, which was covered by Anne Murray and also a hit for her.


Aldo Nova:
Monkey On Your Back
Ball And Chain
(Life Is Just A) Fantasy

all 3 were pretty big hits - lots of airplay on the radio and MTV


Shena Easton:
Strut (also was used in commercial jingles)
Almost Over You (very big hit)
Sugar Walls (a song about a part of her anatomy which was written by Prince and was controversal at the time)
For Your Eyes Only (title song from the James Bond movie)
We've Got Tonight (Bob Seger cover)
U Got The Look (duet with Prince - very big hit)


Adam Ant:
This guy probably holds the world record for having the most music videos to be haevily played on MTV! And most of them were released close together.

Antmusic (with The Ants...was used to promote MTV in early days and actually the song that made New Wave mainstream)

Dog Eat Dog (with The Ants)

Ant Rap (the first Rap song to be played on MTV)

Stand And Deliver
Prince Charming
Goody Two Shoes
Desperate But Not Serious
Friend Or Foe
Puss 'n Boots
Strip
Vive le Rock

If you had MTV in 1981 to 1985...trust me, you would see Adam Ant on there.


Flock of Seagulls:
Also given much airplay on MTV in the early years.

Space Age Love Song
Wishing
I Ran

They performed two full live concerts on MTV as well

not as popular Flock of Seagulls but often played -

DNA
Messages
Modern Love Is Automatic
The More You Live, The More You Love
Nightmares
(It's Not Me) Talking
The Traveller
Telecommunication
You Can Run

They were all over the place in the early '80s.
Lots of 12" remixes from them too - it started a trend at that point.
Prior to that, you would only find Disco 12" remix singles.


Cyndi Lauper:
Girls Just Wanna Have Fun
She Bop
Good Enough (Goonies Theme Song)
Time After Time
Money Changes Everything
I Drove All Night (the sexy video that has a movie playing on Cyndi's nude body thru-out the video)...this song later became popular for Roy Orbison.

Some of her best:
World Is Stone
I Had A Love (with her early '80s band, Blue Angel)
Magazine Cover (with Blue Angel)
Maybe He'll Know (with Blue Angel)
Lorraine (with Blue Angel)
Witness (which was originally done with Blue Angel)
Sally's Pigeons
I'm Gonna Be Strong

She did a number of full concerts on MTV, Showtime, etc
in the early - mid '80s

Was a part of the USA For Africa charity
Performed in Roger Water's live production of THE WALL with several other artists.

Cyndi's been involved in so much over the years - from acting to managing wrestling...and so out there in the limelight that it's hard for me to believe anyone would consider her a one hit wonder.

She was on top of the charts just being a backup singer - in the '70s, on the Vicki Sue Robinson hit, Turn The Beat Around.


Robert Palmer:
Bad Case Of Loving You (was a very big hit song long before Addicted To Love

Robert Palmer is another artist who was frequently seen on MTV in the early days -
Looking For Clues
Some Guys Have All The Luck (which Rod Stewart later covered)
Johnny and Mary (which had later been covered by Tina Turner and Ellen Foley)
Every Kinda People (his first hit from the '70s)

He also was a part of The Power Station and revived the T. Rex song,
Bang A Gong (Get It On)

Worked with UB40 and Chrissie Hynde also.



Nancy Sinatra:
was very big in the '60s

Sugar Town (probably as well known as These Boots Are Made For Walkin' and is a much better song)

Some Velvet Morning (with Lee Hazelwood...has become a cult hit being covered by punk bands)
Summer Wine
Something Stupid (duet with her dad, Frank Sinatra)
Jackson (with Lee Hazelwood)
Lady Bird
Friday's Child
Shades
How Does That Grab You Darlin'
Coastin'
Oh You Beautiful Doll
The More I See You (which is now being used as a commercial jingle)

She's also done a number of movie theme songs (including James Bond)
and had an acting career as well.


Deep Purple:
Hush
Perfect Strangers
Knocking At Your Back Door
Black Night
Woman From Tokyo
Highway Star

Ritchie Blackmore and Roger Glover also members of Rainbow, and they've had several hits.


Meat Loaf:
Two Out Of Three Ain't Bad
Paradise By The Dashboard Light (one of the most played ever on rock stations...that's Ellen foley on vocals...Karla DeVito is the one lip syncing in the video...but she toured for the live shows)
You Took The Words Right Out Of My Mouth
Dead Ringer For Love (with Cher - an early MTV favorite)

Performed a killer live version of
All Revved Up With No Place To Go on SNL in the late '70s


Oingo Boingo:
not a chart hit, but became a cult hit when they first came into the public eye with the video, (I Love) Little Girls which was often played on MTV in the early years.


You can hear that song playing in the background in the movie Tempest during 14 year old Molly Ringwald's nude skinny dip scene, while being spied on by an old perv.


One clue to look for when claiming somone is a on hit wonder -
If the band/artist has a Greatest Hits album or multiple Greatest Hits compilations of their own material, then they are not considered one hit wonders


One hit wonders usually share compilations with other artists who only had one hit.

[yoda313]

Hello,

[quote="Rookie64"] Weird Al Yankovic, Right Said Fred, The Buggles, Rick Dees (Disco Duck), etc all managed to score a big hit...but these people are among the worst recording artists in history! [/qoute]

Your opinion! :P :P

Actually Weird Al got a grammy (or whatever the music equivalent of an emmy is) for his last album "Poodle Hat" that came out a year or two ago. The problem is no regular radio station plays his music (which is quite good if you ever LISTEN to it! ).

He is the best comedic singer out there and can sing better than many of the newer acts out there. Plus he's extremely nimble on the stage and can do goofy things like lifting his legs over his head and the sort.

Kevin

[Rookie64]

Your opinion! :P :P

Actually Weird Al got a grammy (or whatever the music equivalent of an emmy is) for his last album "Poodle Hat" that came out a year or two ago. The problem is no regular radio station plays his music (which is quite good if you ever LISTEN to it! ).

He is the best comedic singer out there and can sing better than many of the newer acts out there. Plus he's extremely nimble on the stage and can do goofy things like lifting his legs over his head and the sort.

Kevin

Cheech & Chong topped the charts with comedy singles also - but I don't consider them good singers. They are great comedians and entertainers.

Even though Weird Al can carry a tune, he's not in the league of the recording acts that were around during the time he was on top of the charts.

What I was getting at is there is so much great music out there...and the charts don't cover that much of it.

People will buy what they're exposed to - that's why those songs make it and others don't.
Most don't venture or bother to go beyond what is played in the media such as radio, TV and in mainstream movies...so they only know of the stuff they hear.

There's too much out there that only a small percentage will make it to the charts.

And what makes the charts doesn't represent the best of what's out there.
Hope that makes sense...since I caught a bunch of typos I made in my last post

[Cobra]

http://www.uc.edu/news/kellaris.htm

http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/biology/b103/f03/web3/d1medina.html

Interesting phsycology behind this.

[Ripper2860]

1 Hit wonders ...

Sniff and the Tears -- Driver's Seat

The Knack -- My Sherona

[Rookie64]

How 'bout Benny Mardones...had only one hit but re-recorded it ten years later and had another hit with the same song, Into The Night


Roger Voudouris' one hit, Get Used To It...said 'cause I'll be around...hmm I don't think so