Here's a thread about artists who were big (but not huge) and cool (but only to the people that knew them). But then they had that one big hit...
..and suddenly they were huge, everyone and their mother knew them, it was no longer cool to say you liked them. And they soon became has-been's, living off of their 15 minutes of fame.
I'll start with:
Mighty Mighty Bosstones
In 1994, I had a subscription to RockVideo Monthly. A VHS tape was sent to house each month. The May tape had "Simmer Down" by the Bosstones. I went out and bought their EP Ska Core, The Devil and More which had "Simmer Down" and "Someday I Suppose". They were already big here in Boston, invited by Steven Tyler to open for Aerosmith on New Years Eve. And they were making an impact outside of New England. "Someday I Suppose" was a top 20 modern rock hit. In 1995, they were in the Alicia Silverstone movie Clueless. A while later I bought their EP Where'd You Go. Its title track is great too. There was a big buzz about them and it was cool to say you liked their music. In 1996 and 1997, they were on the Warped Tour.
In 1997, they released Let's Face It, and, well, let's face it, aside from the smash hit "The Impression That I Get" the rest of the album wasn't good. "Impression" went to #1 on the modern rock chart and #23 on the airplay chart (not qualified for the Hot 100). It was also a top 30 hit in Canada, Australia and the UK. The band played that hit on SNL, then went on Sesame Street and was featured on the CD Elmopalooza. Everyone knew who they were and most people loved them (well, they loved that one song - ask them what other Bosstones they liked and it was, "Uhm... Erm...."). It was no longer "hip" to say you liked them.
Their next album tanked (I liked the lead single "So Sad To Say", but might have been the only one). Their label dropped them and they soon became another band that lived on through their past glory until breaking up in 2022.
..and suddenly they were huge, everyone and their mother knew them, it was no longer cool to say you liked them. And they soon became has-been's, living off of their 15 minutes of fame.
I'll start with:
Mighty Mighty Bosstones
In 1994, I had a subscription to RockVideo Monthly. A VHS tape was sent to house each month. The May tape had "Simmer Down" by the Bosstones. I went out and bought their EP Ska Core, The Devil and More which had "Simmer Down" and "Someday I Suppose". They were already big here in Boston, invited by Steven Tyler to open for Aerosmith on New Years Eve. And they were making an impact outside of New England. "Someday I Suppose" was a top 20 modern rock hit. In 1995, they were in the Alicia Silverstone movie Clueless. A while later I bought their EP Where'd You Go. Its title track is great too. There was a big buzz about them and it was cool to say you liked their music. In 1996 and 1997, they were on the Warped Tour.
In 1997, they released Let's Face It, and, well, let's face it, aside from the smash hit "The Impression That I Get" the rest of the album wasn't good. "Impression" went to #1 on the modern rock chart and #23 on the airplay chart (not qualified for the Hot 100). It was also a top 30 hit in Canada, Australia and the UK. The band played that hit on SNL, then went on Sesame Street and was featured on the CD Elmopalooza. Everyone knew who they were and most people loved them (well, they loved that one song - ask them what other Bosstones they liked and it was, "Uhm... Erm...."). It was no longer "hip" to say you liked them.
Their next album tanked (I liked the lead single "So Sad To Say", but might have been the only one). Their label dropped them and they soon became another band that lived on through their past glory until breaking up in 2022.
