Are They A One-Hit Wonder?

Does your question have something to do with what Canadians call "Boxing Day"? Well, it doesn't matter. Rachel Platten is a one-hit wonder by virtue of having a top-ten hit and a second song that almost nobody remembers.

 
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If we really want to see a fight break out over a band being called a two-hit wonder, I can just leave this here:

Pink Floyd
#1 "Another Brick In The Wall"
#13 "Money"
 
If we really want to see a fight break out over a band being called a two-hit wonder, I can just leave this here:

Pink Floyd
#1 "Another Brick In The Wall"
#13 "Money"
Grateful Dead
Rush
etc.

Also look at the number of #1s on the rock chart.

Certainly not a OHW. Even with your *2* examples -- both memorable and still played.
 
Yep. Not a 'pop act'. One of many bands that pushed the creative envelope in the underground scene to the point it resonated across the globe and made them iconic groundbreakers. They just happen to have two songs that made the top 40 on the pop chart in the US, probably wasn't even intentional. Seven top 40s in the UK.
 
Yep. Not a 'pop act'. One of many bands that pushed the creative envelope in the underground scene to the point it resonated across the globe and made them iconic groundbreakers. They just happen to have two songs that made the top 40 on the pop chart in the US, probably wasn't even intentional. Seven top 40s in the UK.
I am actually surprised they didn't have more hits. I heard several songs from the Wall on my local hits radio station back in 1980.
 
"Run Like Hell" made it to #53
"Comfortably Numb" didn't chart, but it could be one of those technicalities like 'not released in the US as a proper single' or something. Before 1998 the Hot 100 was a singles charts with rules. After that, it was a "songs chart" with less restrictions.

I don't see an official "Comfortably Numb" single on Discogs, but it's one track on several samplers sent to radio, like this one:


I don't know about 1980 or hit radio, but since the early 80s and on rock radio I've heard these many times:

"Another Brick In The Wall (Part 2)"
"Mother"
"Young Lust"
"Hey You"
"Comfortably Numb"
"Run Like Hell"
 
Album charts:

The Dark Side of the Moon - #1, RIAA Diamond (15x Platinum), 45M sales;
Wish You Were Here - #1, RIAA 6x Platinum, 20M sales;
The Wall - #1, RIAA Diamond (23x Platinum), 30M sales;
The Division Bell - #1, RIAA 3x Platinum, 7M sales;
Pulse (live) - #1, RIAA 2x Platinum, 1.5M US sales

Rock charts:

Learning to Fly - #1;
On the Turning Away - #1;
Keep Talking - #1
 
Tara Kemp
#2 "Hold You Tight"
#7 "Piece Of My Heart"

No clue on either song.



This marks having exactly 100 artists who had at least one of their two top 40s chart between 1972-1993 (there are more in this thread outside of those years, but those are the years with artists we at DRC would most likely recognize).

If we want to do some kind of madness-style activity with them to determine who we think are the most-known, most-forgotten, have the biggest disparity between their two hits (how well-known they are today), etc, I am willing to take the surveys and tabulate the results.

Example results:

The artist who, while technically a two-hit wonder, is most subjectively a one-hit wonder according to DRC is:

The artist who has two top 40 pop chart hits that DRC feels is best-known is:

The artist who has two top 40 pop chart hits that DRC feels is most-forgotten is:

The two hit wonder with the highest charting forgotten hit is:


If people are interested, just me know.
 
Jack Johnson
#20 "You and Your Heart"
#38 "Upside Down"

I know #38 and also his first 'minor hit' - "Flake" - which peaked at #73.
 
Got into "Flake" thanks to my CMJ New Music Monthly subscription (2001)


"Upside Down" was for the Curious George movie (2008).
I didn't see it, but I had a 3 year old so I looked into it because he watched that show almost daily.

cg_59.jpg_rgb-h_2016.jpg
 
Jack Johnson
#20 "You and Your Heart"
#38 "Upside Down"

I know #38 and also his first 'minor hit' - "Flake" - which peaked at #73.
Adult contemporary radio wouldn't exist today without him. These songs are all top 10 on the Billboard AAA chart

2002: Flake #1
2003: Bubble Toes #6, The Horizon Has Been Defeated #1, Wasting Time #3
2004: Taylor #5
2005: Sitting, Waiting, Wishing #1, Good People #1, Breakdown #2
2006: Upside Down #1
2007: If I Had Eyes #1
2008: Hope #2
2010: You and Your Heart #1, At or With Me #1
2011: From the Clouds #2
2013: I Got You #1
2017: My Mind is for Sale #2
2020: Don't Let Me Down #1
2022: One Step Ahead #3

Just considering the 10 songs that reached #1 on that chart, I would say the Hot 100 doesn't matter.
 
Got into "Flake" thanks to my CMJ New Music Monthly subscription (2001)


"Upside Down" was for the Curious George movie (2008).
I didn't see it, but I had a 3 year old so I looked into it because he watched that show almost daily.

cg_59.jpg_rgb-h_2016.jpg
I vaguely recall seeing it. I had a 7 year old at the time and I was a big Curious George fan in my toddler years. The plot was utterly forgettable and as such I have forgotten it. And don't remember any music from it at all.
 
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