"One hit wonders" that actually have other very good songs/other hits.

[Deepster]

I was thinking about this after and you're probably not far off. Shame because I like most of their other stuff more.

Agreed. Saw them open for Lenny Kravitz at the Mullens Center. Had to be 94? I liked them as much, if not more.

 

[87Xfer]

Agreed. Saw them open for Lenny Kravitz at the Mullens Center. Had to be 94? I liked them as much, if not more.

I don't doubt that at all. Not to derail the thread, but quarantine = need for diversion. I'm dating myself here, but did anyone here ever see a show at Riverside Park in Agawam (the amusement park - pretty sure it became a Six Flags)?

I remember seeing the Screaming Trees and the Spin Doctors there (it was probably around the time of the UConn Dream Season), and they were both really good. I have no recollection of who opened for who, but it was a great show from start to finish.

*edited to make readable...

 

[A10 fan]

I think a hit is defined as a record that reaches the Billboard Top 40. Thus you can have that one big hit, and then several more that reach the bottom 60 of the Top 100, and you'd still be considered a one hit wonder. Also, there are many major r&b, and country acts that have tons of hits in their genre, but if they only crack the pop Top 100 once, they would be technically considered a one hit wonder.

 

[superjohn]

I don't doubt that at all. Not to derail the thread, but quarantine = need for diversion. I'm dating myself here, but did anyone here ever see a show at Riverside Park in Agawam (the amusement park)? I remember seeing the Screaming Trees and the Spin Doctors there, and they were both really good. I have now recollection of who opened for who, but it was a great show from start to finish.

I was there, 8th grade. Screaming Trees, Soul Asylum, and Spin Doctors.

 

[87Xfer]

I was there, 8th grade. Screaming Trees, Soul Asylum, and Spin Doctors.

Wow. That's the one. I hope i didn't spill my beer on you!

 

[Stoneman]

The Knack- My Sharona... The whole first album was amazing. And on the second album they have a song called Africa which still blows me away. They did have a minor hit with “good girls don’t.” But I’m choosing not to count it

 

[Waquoit]

Iirc @Waquoit has noted some good entries in this category before.

I love my one hit wonders. But most of them truly had only one good song. But after some thought, what came to mind was the band Talk Talk. They had that eponymous hit single on MTV back in the 80's. But I found their later album Spirit of Eden and it's really something, unlike what came before. I went to All Music to see how they described it and it said "songs exist far outside of the pop idiom, drawing instead on ambient textures, jazz-like arrangements, and avant-garde accents". I liked playing it at work with headphones.

 

[87Xfer]

I love my one hit wonders. But most of them truly had only one good song. But after some thought, what came to mind was the band Talk Talk. They had that eponymous hit single on MTV back in the 80's. But I found their later album Spirit of Eden and it's really something, unlike what came before. I went to All Music to see how they described it and it said "songs exist far outside of the pop idiom, drawing instead on ambient textures, jazz-like arrangements, and avant-garde accents". I liked playing it at work with headphones.

Thanks for that. I really liked "it's my Life", but don't remember much else. Sorta liked the No Doubt version too.

 

[jdb50]

Overkill is also awesome.


Edit: Looks like I should have scrolled down, others called this also.

This song was used at the end of a "Scrubs" episode and was really well done.

 

[District-Husky]

Between ages 9-12, I was a huge Presidents of the United States of America fan and listening to them 20+ years later, their stuff still holds up and I enjoy rocking out to them every once in a while.

Sounds funny to say, but they were very influential to me as a kid and their songs were some of the first songs I learned how to play on guitar. My friend Ian was a big fan of the band too, and we were in a band together in our teens and early 20s. In 4th grade, I have fond memories of going over to his house and, along with his older brother two years our senior, we'd pretend we were in this band, air-guitarring and singing along to their cd's.

I love their twangy, garage-y type sounds and they sound kinda like a sugar-coated Morphine in the sense that there are five strong in total between the two guitar players. Their level of imagination for a bunch of grown men is pretty impressive.

One of my favorite songs by them is "Bath of Fire".

Bath Of Fire

presidents of the united statesalbum- II

www.youtube.com

The Presidents of the United States is still alive - at least the lead singer and songwriter Chris Bellew is - as Casper Babypants. My kids LOVE him. And what's crazy is that when I hear Presidents songs now I realize, like Chris says, he was actually writing children's music the whole time. Guy puts out an album or two a year. Here's a sample:

the stump hotel

Those looney lads at Mukpuddy in New Zealand have done it again! They made me this amazing, silly, bright and genius video for the song The Stump Hotel from ...

www.youtube.com

stompy the bear

The amazing Charlotte Blacker made me this sweet little video for the song Stompy The Bear from the album HOT DOG! I saw another movie she did one day and em...

www.youtube.com

baby's getting up (fan video)

This is a fun little video by the people at 2 Plush 2 Productions. They manipulate these little stuffed animals and make the magic happen! That little dog BE...

www.youtube.com

 

[superjohn]

I love my one hit wonders. But most of them truly had only one good song. But after some thought, what came to mind was the band Talk Talk. They had that eponymous hit single on MTV back in the 80's. But I found their later album Spirit of Eden and it's really something, unlike what came before. I went to All Music to see how they described it and it said "songs exist far outside of the pop idiom, drawing instead on ambient textures, jazz-like arrangements, and avant-garde accents". I liked playing it at work with headphones.

One of my favorite songs...

Watch "Talk Talk - Life's What You Make It (Official Video)" on YouTube

 

[lonsharkin51]

This one is surprising considering how lame their one hit was:

 

[Dove]

Crazy career for this guy, Tony Carey. Sang for Rainbow, then went solo, then known for the Planet P Project.

But this is the song...

 

[HuskyHawk]

Not quite rock and roll, but Anna Nalick had a big hit with this. I had a mild virtual crush on her despite being married and 20 years older so bought the album. Whole album is very solid. Writes her own stuff and has a nice jazzy voice.

 

[storrsroars]

Thanks for that. I really liked "it's my Life", but don't remember much else. Sorta liked the No Doubt version too.

"It's My Life" was arguably a bigger success than "Talk Talk" having charted on the US Top 40 (31 vs 26 for Talk Talk) and becoming the #1 dance track for a week or two.

So I call foul on "one hit wonder". They're not Kajagoogoo.

 

[Waquoit]

I guess I got nuttin', then. Still a good album.

 

[Dream Jobbed 2.0]

I mean there are litterally millions of great bands/artists that have no “hits.”

 

[storrsroars]

I mean there are litterally millions of great bands/artists that have no “hits.”

You should start a thread for them!

 

[Deepster]

Wow. That's the one. I hope i didn't spill my beer on you!

I was there too. I was convinced the Spin Doctors were here to stay. Oops.

 

[nomar]

Led Zeppelin only had one Gold Record as a single (Whole Lotta Love).

I guess Touch of Grey makes the Dead a one-hit wonder too, then. (Peaked at #9; second-highest chart location was Truckin' at #64.)

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

With no expectation that this will find much of an audience here, I offer an alternative to "Walk Away Renee"...

 

[alexd]

The Divinyls.... There was a lot more to their 1991 self titled LP than 'I touch myself"....

 

[storrsroars]

Remembering back to when WLIR was all 80s new wave and half the artists they played were one-hit wonders, a lot of them featured in this thread, you'd occasionally hit upon what could be best called a "novelty act". Malcolm McLaren was king of these, having been involved with the New York Dolls and later managing the Sex Pistols, Adam Ant and Bow Wow Wow in addition to his own music, which included stuff like "Buffalo Girls" and "Madame Butterfly" (which I still listen to this day).

While "I Want Candy" became a mainstream hit for Bow Wow Wow, it was "Sexy Eiffel Tower" that got into medium rotation on WLIR. And while I'd hardly call it a "very good song" as per the thread title, it did have two things going for it - an African beat and a deranged 14 year old female singer making orgasmic squeals. IOW, it was not a song easily forgotten once you heard it.

 

[Waquoit]

I guess Touch of Grey makes the Dead a one-hit wonder too, then. (Peaked at #9; second-highest chart location was Truckin' at #64.)

That is technically correct, imo. That's a better example.

 

[metsfan2323]

I know very little about the Barenaked Ladies but they probably would fit this odd category.