Are They A One-Hit Wonder?
- Thread starter sadchild
- Start date
Channel98
Don't yell or hit.
Shocking Blue had a number-one hit in February 1970 with Venus, written by guitarist Robbie Van Leeuwen and not to be confused with Frankie Avalon's 1959 number-one hit with the same title. It was Shocking Blue's only top-40 hit. In March 1970, the Jaggerz' The Rapper reached #2. It was their only top-40 hit. In March 1970, Netherlands band The Tee Set reached #5 with Ma Belle Amie. It was their only top-40 hit. In April 1970, Norman Greenbaum's Spirit In The Sky reached #3. It was his only top-40 hit.
In July 1970, Blues Image reached #5 with Ride Captain Ride.. It was their only top-40 hit. In September 1970, Mungo Jerry's In The Summertime reached #3. They never placed another song on the Hot 100. (In the UK, In The Summertime went to number one and they went on to have seven more top-40 hits.) In November 1970, R. Dean Taylor – the R stands for Richard – reached #5 with Indiana Wants Me. It was his only top-40 hit.
I could go on like this for several more hours.
In July 1970, Blues Image reached #5 with Ride Captain Ride.. It was their only top-40 hit. In September 1970, Mungo Jerry's In The Summertime reached #3. They never placed another song on the Hot 100. (In the UK, In The Summertime went to number one and they went on to have seven more top-40 hits.) In November 1970, R. Dean Taylor – the R stands for Richard – reached #5 with Indiana Wants Me. It was his only top-40 hit.
I could go on like this for several more hours.
scotchandcigar
All I wanted was some steak
So, in conclusion, there are many, many true OHWs. We should then stick to the theme of this thread, the purpose of which is to evaluate the ones that are subjective.
Okay, what's your point?
sadchild
Dude
I found one who ties Robbie
Five top 40s
Outfield
Simple Minds
Three top 40s
A Flock Of Seagulls
Animotion
Cutting Crew
Information Society
Knack
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HecticArt
Administrator
Simple Minds only had 3? Crazy, I thought a few more would have been in range.
IdRatherBeSkiing
Sherbert is NOT and NEVER WILL BE ice cream.
Knack had 3? I thought only 2.
sadchild
Dude
My mistake!
They had five!
"Don't You (Forget About Me)"
"Alive and Kicking"
"Sanctify Yourself"
"All the Things She Said"
"See the Lights"
Wiki says six, but Billboard says five. The song in question is "Belfast Child"
sadchild
Dude
IdRatherBeSkiing
Sherbert is NOT and NEVER WILL BE ice cream.
I have never heard or heard of "Baby Talks Dirty".
sadchild
Dude
Me neither.
Here it is at #38. The following week, as Nina would say, it will drop a WHOPPING 27 spots.
Here it is at #38. The following week, as Nina would say, it will drop a WHOPPING 27 spots.
I'm not at home right now, so I can't pull out my copy of Joel Whitburn's Billboard Top 40 book and confirm. But I'm pretty sure Wikipedia is wrong.
Calling Simple Minds a OHW is a greater crime than calling Robbie Nevil one. "Alive and Kicking", "Sanctify Yourself", and "All the Things She Said" were big enough hits and get (IMO) decent airplay on the 1980s stations. I believe they had even more big hits in England.
Not to me. She also had a song called "Man Child" that got some airplay after "Kisses on the Wind"; I think it made the Top 40. "Kisses on the Wind" should be in the regular '80s rotation.
sadchild
Dude
Agreed.
Here's who is doing it:
WHERE ARE THEY NOW: One-Hit Wonders - Insiderhttps://www.insider.com › Entertainment
Nov 17, 2020
The Scottish rock band Simple Minds' 1985 single "Don't You (Forget About Me)" spent 22 weeks on the Hot 100 chart and peaked at No. 1.
10 Cool Things About Simple Minds That Aren’t “Don’t You (Forget About Me)” - Village Voice
"The Villa Angela also provides a nifty rejoinder to any U.S. journalist who rings Kerr up and asks him what it feels like to be a one-hit wonder in America: “I’m sorry, I’m sitting by the pool at my remarkable hotel in one of the most gorgeous places on the entire planet and the reception’s not that great here on top of this stunning hillside, can you repeat the question?”
That is the proper and most appropriate response to that question.
scotchandcigar
All I wanted was some steak
His point is that this
is not true in many cases. His point is that hundreds of artists are, indeed, true OHWs. In all of his examples, it's not just a matter of people forgetting their lesser hits over time; it's that there aren't any lesser hits. That's a worthwhile thing to be aware of.
So you agree with my definition that the label "OHW" belongs to people who did one big thing and disappeared and *not* people who have resumes full of minor hits or works outside of the narrow playlists of radio, right?
(BTW, reread what he wrote. He said "most" artists. Not "all.")
IdRatherBeSkiing
Sherbert is NOT and NEVER WILL BE ice cream.
At this point, I think everybody has their own definition.
But even with this definition, the artist who never gets played enough to break into top 40 on next "hit" would not be considered a one-hit wonder? How about the hot 100? Just the release of that second hit disqualifies?