Who Was Your Favorite One Hit Wonder

Sean,

I am glad that you liked my list. Not only are these songs some of my favorite one hit wonder tunes, but they are also some of my favorite songs ever recorded.

As for Thin Lizzy, I hesitated putting them on the list. I knew someone was going to call me on this. :) Technically, they were a one hit wonder, since "The Boys are Back in Town" was their only Top 40 hit. "Jailbreak" was a great song, but it never charted on the Billboard Top 40.

Many of the songs referenced in this thread are not by one hit wonders at all. The Yardbirds, for example, had 6 Top 40 hits with "For Your Love," "Heart Full of Soul," "I'm A Man," "Shapes of Things," "Over Under Sideways Down," and "Happenings Ten Years Time Ago."

I loved "Funky Cold Medina." Tone Loc, however, had an even bigger hit with "Wild Thing" (also a very decent song).

I liked your original list, too, for you mentioned some really great songs. I always liked "Fire," "Amie," "War," and "Jackie Blue" among others on your list. Believe it or not Pure Prairie League had four Top 40 hits including "Let Me Love You Tonight" which charted much higher than "Amie." Edwin Starr also had four Top 40 hits. Do you remember "Twenty-Five Miles?" Even the Ozark Mountain Daredevils had a hit before "Jackie Blue" with "If You Want to Get to Heaven."

I definitely remember Flash and the Pan. Did you know that their guitarist George Young was the older brother of AC/DC's Angus and Malcolm Young?

I knew my knowledge of obscure songs and music trivia would come in handy some day! So, Sean, am I requalified for the K-Tel record collection?

Which way are you going, Billy?
Poppy Family?

Vortex: Your first post was LOADED with good tunes. Having said that, i've got to call you on Thin Lizzy. What about "Jailbreak"??? : )

You're listing of the Easybeats made me think of the band that they became later in life i.e. Flash and the Pan. Remember "Hey, St Peter" ???

The songs i listed in my first post weren't necessarily anything that i would want to listen to ( so i "cheated" too ), but just songs that popped into my mind. Some were quite bad and it's a shame that we remember those sometimes more than the good ones : )

As far as Buscis' question about the Cowsills, weren't they the band that originally performed the song "Hair"??? By the way, this is a GREAT thread and some of the listings have really brought back some memories / great tunes.

Ohlala: Frankie? How about "Two Tribes" and "Relax". No K-Tel's for you : )

Anybody up for some "Funky Cold Medina" by Tone Loc ??? : ) Sean
>

PS... For some reason, i keep thinking that Norman Greenbaum did both Spirit in the Sky and Eve of Destruction. Without this thread, i wouldn't be giving Barry McGuire the credit he deserves : )

PS... Not only do The Dickies do a jammin version of the Banana Splits theme as mentioned above, they do Eve of Destruction in "hyper-drive". You should hear them do the theme song to the kiddie "robot" show called "Gigantor" too. Those guys know how to have fun. Oh, to be young again.... : )

Fmpnd,

I can't believe that I forgot "One Fine Morning" -- that's a great song!

I am also a big fan of Cold Blood. It's nice to know that there are others who appreciate Chase. I can only imagine what great work Bill Chase could have produced had he not died so young. You are incredibly lucky to have seen them live. I bet you are also a big fan of Blood, Sweat & Tears.

I forgot to mention another two of my favorites:

"Let It Out (Let It All Hang Out)" by the Hombres

"Liar, Liar" by the Castaways

Jsonic: I checked three sources including a recording that I have, and they all say that "The Rapper" was by The Jaggerz not Jaggerz. It's a great song by the way.

And how about these:

"Double Shot (Of My Baby's Love)" by the Swingin' Medallions

"Little Girl" by Syndicate of Sound

Long live the One Hit Wonders!

Did anyone mention 'For your Love' by the Yardbirds?

I watch too much VH1: Sinead O' Connor and Frankie Goes to Hollywood

How about "In the year 2525" by Exordium and Terminus.....

I had The Rapper as a 45 and I thought it was just Jaggerz not The Jaggerz that did it. I was right and must now correct my previous correction.

Paul Mauriat "Love is Blue" This song was on every five minutes in '68 and was an instrumental. It was the biggest song of the year. I never really got it and still don't.

Last Kiss - J. frank Wilson

Where Oh Where Can My Baby Be.....

(correction)' (We Ain't Got) Nothin' Yet'by the Blues Magoos, from the album 'Psychedelic Lollipop'
'Tobacco Road' by the Nashville Teens.

Chevie Van --Sammy John /Toast and Tea--Marmalade Another one by Tin Tin but I can't remember. Side Show--Blue Magic.---Oh,--- Pop Corn by Hot Butter.---Lets Just Kiss and Say Goodbye--Manhattans This is driving me crazy;(not a song title) There are so many others. At 65 the memory just isn't there. Busic2; this is the best thread in years,congrats.

The Cowsills were a family group. The TV show The Partridge Family was based on them. How bout Jeanie C. Riley and her hit "Harper Valley PTA"? There was a movie based on it with Barbara Eden. There was also a movie based on " Ode to Billy Joe" with Robbie Benson. How bout any other cheesey movies based on songs. I think Kenny Rogers' "The Gambler" was a movie too. Slight correction the song The Rapper was by The Jaggerz not The Jags.

O.K. I'm listening to this Time-Life collection and I just had to share this with everyone. How about:

The Cowsills / The Rain, The Park, and Other Things.

(I Love the Flower Girl)!!!!!!

Flowers in her hair.
Flowers everywhere.

Who the hell were the Cowsills?

children of the sun , billy thorpe.

Since we're fessing up, I'll have to mention Sam the Sham's other "hit":
"Don't Fool With Fu Man Chu".
Vortex: Didn't I see you at peace-stock walking around in a purple haze?
More vintage psychedelia: "Pretty Ballerina" - The Left Banke

Speaking of Bongs -

Panama Red - New Riders of the Purple Sage???

Here is a website for you all. Have fun!

http://www.onehitwondercentral.com/

.

Reflections of My life - the Marmalade
The Smell of Incense - Southwest FOB
Flying on the Ground (Buffalo Springfield Song) - Thomas Edison's Electric Light Bulb - This in re-release would be a hit today in country pop

Fmpnd, Talk about memories...... all's I need now is a bong!

I just got back from Borders, Costco, and Gerosa records. $161 later, I'm on a 60s binge. At Costco, they had an incredible Time-Life 3 CD set called "60s Gold". All songs are digitally remastered from "original analog sources". What the hell that means I couldn't tell you. But man, they sound incredible. For #35.00, I would highly recommend the collection. 60 songs. Many of the ones we're discussing today.

I don't care what ANYBODY sez......Music was GREAT back then.

And Thanks to everyone, this IS a really great thread.

Music brings out the best in people.

I was just going to add Crow and Lighthouse. Good choice!

Well since alot of you listed more than one, who remembers these:
TALK,TALK - MUSIC MACHINE
EVIL WOMAN - CROW
ELOUISE - BARRY RYAN
ONE FINE MORNING - LIGHTHOUSE
I am still looking for 1,2, AND 4 on CD. I have them all on vinyl, mostly 45s that is. These are also some of my all time favorite songs, that I still listen to, along with VEHICLE and LITTLE GREEN BAG, which were already mentioned.
Sonny

Have to add "Lunatic Fringe" by Red Rider, a band that used to feature Tom Cochrane.

Vortex, GREAT post!

I am the biggest Chase fan on the planet!! I have triples of all of his LPs!! He and his band were MONSTERS live!

Funky Nassau (go that LP too - love it)

Green Eyed Lady is one of my all time favs too!

The Horse!! OH MY GOD! Junior High here I come, Played that song a thousand times.

Dancing in the Moonlight! Smiling Faces! Way cool have them too!! I have to drag them all out now!!

You are right about Classics IV!

Buscis2 - I have an extra copy of the Classics IV LP - if you send me your address, I'll send it to you.

Hey guys, even though they had a couples hits, does any one remember one of my all time favorite songs by one of my favorite bands: "One Fine Morning" by Lighthouse????

How about a band called Malo (Santana's brother)

"Funky on My Back" by Cold Blood???

Buscis@ - GREAT Post - thanks for bringing back some fantastic memories!!!

did anyone see lulu on the pbs blues documentary....she still rules.

I am a big fan of "Green-Eyed Lady" by Sugarloaf although for the record they are not a one hit wonder. They had another great hit with "Don't Call Us, We'll Call You" in 1975.

Several other of my favorite one hit wonders have also been mentioned here including "Incense and Peppermints" by the Strawberry Alarm Clock (they, too, had a second hit with "Tomorrow" off the same album), "Vehicle" by the Ides of March, "Black Betty" by Ram Jam, and "Smoke from a Distant Fire" by the Sanford/Townsend Band.

My all-time favorite one hit wonder (and there are many from which to choose) is probably "Play that Funky Music" by Wild Cherry. You can never get enough of that song.

Here are a few more of my favorites:

"Get It On" by Chase (one of the best bands of all time)

"How Long" by Ace

"More Today than Yesterday" by Spiral Staircase

"Journey to the Center of the Mind" by the Amboy Dukes

"Hold Your Head Up" by Argent (believe it or not that was their only Top 40 single)

"Funky Nassau-Part 1" by The Beginning of the End

"Hocus Pocus" by Focus

"Precious and Few" by Climax

"Right Place Wrong Time" by Doctor John (his only hit)

"Frday on My Mind" by the Easybeats

"All Right Now" by Free

"Nobody But Me" by the Human Beinz

"Dancing in the Moonlight" by King Harvest

"Green Tambourine" by the Lemon Pipers

"The Horse" by Cliff Nobles & Co.

"Life is a Rock (But the Radio Rolled Me)" by Reunion

"The Boys are Back in Town" by Thin Lizzy

"Polk Salad Annie" by Tony Joe White

"Get Together" by the Youngbloods

and

"Smiling Faces Sometimes" by the Undisputed Truth

By the way, The Classics IV had five hits including the greats "Spooky," "Stormy'" and "Traces."

'One Toke Over The Line(sweet Jesus)'by Brewer and Shipley

Imin2u, AWESOME!!! "To sir with Love". Such a great tune.

Makes me think of "Ode to Billy Joe" by Bobbie Gentry.

I think that was 1967?

And Papa said to Mama as he passed around the blackeyed peas
"Well, Billy Joe never had a lick of sense, pass the biscuits, please"
"There's five more acres in the lower forty I've got to plow"
And Mama said it was shame about Billy Joe, anyhow
Seems like nothin' ever comes to no good up on Choctaw Ridge
And now Billy Joe MacAllister's jumped off the Tallahatchie Bridge.

Music was so cool then.

Baltimora.....Tarzan Boy
Level 42......Lessons in Love
B-Movie.......Switch On - Switch Off
Limahl........Never Ending Story
Fine Young Cannibals....She Drives Me Crazy
Madness...........Our House
Blind Melon......No Rain
General Public.....Tenderness
Wild Swan........Immaculate
KajaGoogoo........Too Shy
Marc Almond.......Tears Run Ring
Paul Hardcastle....19
Blow Monkeys......Digging Your Scene
Sly Fox.........Lets go All The way
Johnny Hates Jazz......Shattered Dreams
When in Rome.......The Promise
Soft Cell.........Tainted Love
Jo Boxer........Just Got Lucky
Taco..........Puttin On Ritz
Icicle Works......Whispher to a Scream
Nena..........99 LuftBalloons
Reflex.......Politics of Dancing

Lots more.....

'Master Jack' by Four Jacks and a Jill.
'To Sir With Love' by Lulu
'We Ain't Got Nuthin Yet' by The Psychedelic Lollipop
'Too Much To Dream Last Night'by the Electric Prunes
'Timothy' by the Bouys. Where did he go anyway?
'Frankford El' by the American Dream. You can't get to heaven on the Frankford El,
Cause the Frankford El goes straight to...
'Faydra' by Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazelwood.
'Hot Smoke and Sasafrass' by Bubble Puppy.
I could go on and on...

oH MAN! Just heard "Too Sir, With Love" Lulu EXCELLENT

Shocking Blue "Venus"

The Tee Set "Ma Belle Ami"

Terry Jacks "Seasons in the Sun"

Bobby Goldsboro " Honey"

Little Eva "Locomotion"

Strawberry Alarm Clock "Incense and Peppermints"

Sgt. Barry Sadler "Ballad of the Green Berets"

Scott McKenzie "If You're Going to San Francisco"

B. J. Thomas "Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head"

Charlie daniels Band "Devil Went Down to Georgia"

Also Golden Earring had a 2nd hit many years after Radar Love with Bullet Hits the Bone so they should be excluded.

"Do it till your satisfied" by "BT Express".

"I want to Thank you" by Alicia Myers

"Superwoman" by Karyn White. And this album had the legendary Jeff Lober, Babyface and LA Reid behind it.

I'll second "Melt With You" by Modern English. Great tune.

Many of these bands had other albums, but not other hits.

"In the Summertime" by Mungo Jerry, anyone?

A true one hit wonder, 'Tighter and Tighter' by Alive N Kicking. Maybe not a one hit wonder, 'Shine' by Collective Soul.

I don't know if this is the correct title but how about "I'll stop the World" by Modern English.

99 red ballons, or the alternative German version, 99 luft(sp?) ballons

"Pass the Dutchie" -- Musical Youth

A TRUE one-hit wonder. Kansas??? Come on now...

-Richard

How about a 1.5 hit wonder? Remember "The Shoop Shoop Song" by Betty Everett? She also did a version of "Let It Be Me" with Jerry Butler. That makes her the only one-and-a-half hit wonder I know of!

"Band Of Gold" Freda Paine

I hate nit pickin' BUT Pilot was the pre-Alan Parsons Project guys w/o Alan. In fact these are the same guys that backed up Kate Bush.

Another neat note: Ed Stasium engineered the Pilot album. This is one guy to really check out. He's done hundreds (if not a few thousand albums) including the 1st Talking Heads, all the first era Ramones albums, the Mick Jagger solo album, the grammy winning Glady's Knight and the Pips records "Midnight Train To Georgia" and "Imagination", and, oh yeah, "Band Of Gold" by Freda Paine! And many, many, many more. I miss you Ed and best of luck.

Are You Ready-Pacific Gas and Electric-the long version
Signs-Five Man Electrical Band-Tesla did a later version, but I think the Electrical version is much better
Hot Smoke and Sasafrass-The Bubble Puppy-garage band extraordinare
Reflections of My Life-The Marmalade-serious, sad pop
Where Evil Grows-The Poppy Family

Smith - "Baby It's You"
Pilot - "Magic"

Ozfly, Al Kooper wrote This Diamond Ring, he played on Dylan's Highway 61 Revisited, formed The Blues Project and the original (and best) Blood, Sweat and Tears, and Super Session with Mike Bloomfield. The one hit wonder of This Diamond Ring was performed by Gary Lewis and The Playboys. Gary Lewis is the son of Jerry Lewis.

Other one hit wonders:
Fire—The Crazy World of Arthur Brown (they put on an amazing live show)
Dominique— The Singing Nun (I hated that song)
Eve of Destruction—Barry McGuire
Good Morning Britain—Aztec Camera
The Way—Fastball
Crazy—Icehouse (they had lots of hits in Austraila, but only one here)

Africa by Toto

The old saying, "You made your bed, now lie in it" is holding true.

I can't get this fucking Till Tuesday song out of my head!

They weren't kidding. Voice DO Carry. I was humming it last night while listening to the Thelma Houston that Vayasteve reminded me of.

I'm losing it.

Of course, most of these probably had a career in the UK - some no doubt a good career - but I think these bands only hit the US charts once with decent songs in the late 70's/80's:

The Corgis - Everybody's Got To Learn Sometime
Aztec Camera - Oblivious
Prefab Sprout - When Love Breaks Down (although perhaps hit later with "Looking for Atlantis")
Dream Academy - Life In A Northern Town
Ultravox/Midge Ure - Reap The Wild Wind
Nik Kershaw - Wouldn't It Be Good

It seemed like several disco/soul acts seemed to have only one hit ... Of course, at the time I wasn't exactly following the charts. Still - I don't remember many acts that hit multiple times - Chic, Tavares, Donna Summer, KC - any others???

Odysses (sp?) - Native New Yorker
Anita Ward? - You Can Ring My Bell
Minnie Ripperton - Loving You
Rose Royce - Car Wash
Merrie Wilson? - Telephone Man

One hit balladeers of the 70's include -
Kenny someone or other - I Like Dreaming ('cos dreaming can make you mine)
David Soul - Don't Give Up On Us, Baby

reg

I posted one trying in vain to follow the "rules" but here goes a few more...

Gerry Doucet "Mama Let that Boy Play Some Rock 'n Roll"

Trooper "Two for the Show"

Eddy and the Cruisers "Dark Side"

Stevie Wright "Evie" hmmm, dunno I have the spelling right on the artist or song. Oh well...

Don McLean "American Pie"

Murray Head "Say it Ain't So"

Queensryche "Silent Lucidity"

There are dozens more and I know some of you will disagree that these bands were one-hit wonders, but to my aged ears this is the short list that came to mind. Cheers, Jeff

Blues Image, "Ride Captain Ride" For some reason, that really struck me as a teenager.

Actually, I'd put several in front of that, but they've been mentioned -- Green Eyed Lady, 96 Tears & Spirit in the Sky at the forefront.

By the way, the Mountain Climbing album is an excellent group of songs (e.g., Theme for an Imaginary Western written by Jack Bruce) so even though they only had one big hit (Roll Over Beethoven was a smaller one perhaps), they had one of the 50 best albums made in rock, IMO.

Also, I heard an interview with the guy who wrote "This Diamond Ring" (can't remember the name) and his vision for that was very bluesy/R&B. To this day, he hates the pop rendition. He has a version of his own which is very good, but I love the pop one.

Bluenose. I often ask the same question. Is music less fun, or are we less fun? It's tough to figure. I honestly think that the stuff from the 50/60/70 era was better stuff. There were so many different influences back then. Just think about the influence of Motown alone.

"I'm on Fire" - The Dwight Twilley Band. Anyone else remember these guys?