10 votes

Favorite one-hit wonder artists?

Tags: ask, survey

There's tons of one hit wonder artists out there. Those who made one or two hits but then faded into obscurity.

Have any of you ever pursued these artists' other music, and if so, who stood out to you the most?

25 comments

  1. [3]
    Thoughtninja
    Link
    For me it's Marcy Playground. They had the smash hit Sex and Candy and also much lesser known but still played frequently Saint Joe On The Schoolbus. They should have been more recognized because...

    For me it's Marcy Playground. They had the smash hit Sex and Candy and also much lesser known but still played frequently Saint Joe On The Schoolbus. They should have been more recognized because the self titled debut record these songs are from is flawless. They could picked at random for singles since there's not a bad track to be found. Their few later albums are really good as well. They never deserved obscurity IMO.

    4 votes
    1. [2]
      boredop
      Link Parent
      I work with their bassist. He keeps his platinum record for Sex and Candy at his desk.

      I work with their bassist. He keeps his platinum record for Sex and Candy at his desk.

      3 votes
      1. Thoughtninja
        Link Parent
        That's awesome but did the single go platinum or the whole self titled record?

        That's awesome but did the single go platinum or the whole self titled record?

        1 vote
  2. [3]
    spit-evil-olive-tips
    Link
    Dire Straits. I think the only songs I've ever heard by them are Sultans of Swing and Money for Nothing.

    Dire Straits. I think the only songs I've ever heard by them are Sultans of Swing and Money for Nothing.

    2 votes
    1. chocolate
      Link Parent
      I don't think they count as one hit wonders.

      I don't think they count as one hit wonders.

      8 votes
    2. json
      Link Parent
      Certainly not one hit wonders. A couple of other songs by them that I like are Brother in Arms and Romeo & Juliet.

      Certainly not one hit wonders.

      A couple of other songs by them that I like are Brother in Arms and Romeo & Juliet.

  3. [6]
    Comment deleted by author
    Link
    1. [5]
      phedre
      Link Parent
      I wonder if they would have made it "big" if their singer hadn't died. Sad story.

      I wonder if they would have made it "big" if their singer hadn't died. Sad story.

      1 vote
      1. boredop
        Link Parent
        See also: Mother Love Bone.

        See also: Mother Love Bone.

      2. [3]
        tomf
        Link Parent
        Blind Melon's Blind Melon, and Soup were pretty big records when they came out. His death may have brought in some extra publicity, but I wouldn't attribute their success to Hoon's death.

        Blind Melon's Blind Melon, and Soup were pretty big records when they came out. His death may have brought in some extra publicity, but I wouldn't attribute their success to Hoon's death.

        1. [2]
          phedre
          Link Parent
          No, you're reading me backwards: I think they would have been bigger if he hadn't died.

          No, you're reading me backwards: I think they would have been bigger if he hadn't died.

          1 vote
          1. tomf
            Link Parent
            oh! that makes sense. I totally agree.

            oh! that makes sense. I totally agree.

  4. boredop
    Link
    My favorite one-hit wonder artist is probably Irma Thomas. Her only big national hit was I Wish Someone Would Care. But she had a bunch of other great tunes that were successful in and around New...

    My favorite one-hit wonder artist is probably Irma Thomas. Her only big national hit was I Wish Someone Would Care. But she had a bunch of other great tunes that were successful in and around New Orleans, and has had a long career that still continues to this day. And her voice was and still is amazing. She really is one of the best soul singers ever.

    But my favorite song by a one-hit wonder might be I Put A Spell On You by Screamin' Jay Hawkins.

    2 votes
  5. [7]
    demifiend
    Link
    Every time I listen to Savage Garden I think of two things: reading Anne Rice's The Vampire Lestat courting my wife almost twenty years ago The band got their name from the Rice novel, and one of...

    Every time I listen to Savage Garden I think of two things:

    • reading Anne Rice's The Vampire Lestat
    • courting my wife almost twenty years ago

    The band got their name from the Rice novel, and one of the first gifts my wife gave me when we got together was their albums. She wanted to make sure I understood that Australia had more to offer musically than AC/DC. :)

    1 vote
    1. [6]
      chocolate
      Link Parent
      And she picked Savage Garden to demonstrate Australian music?

      And she picked Savage Garden to demonstrate Australian music?

      1. [3]
        json
        Link Parent
        It's certainly different from AC/DC. But Midnight Oil, Men at Work, John Butler Trio, Crowded House*, Cold Chisel and Jimmy Barnes' solo work, Icehouse, Little River Band... *shared by New Zealand...

        It's certainly different from AC/DC.

        But Midnight Oil, Men at Work, John Butler Trio, Crowded House*, Cold Chisel and Jimmy Barnes' solo work, Icehouse, Little River Band...

        *shared by New Zealand because bloody Aussies never gonna steal Neil Finn.

        1. demifiend
          Link Parent
          Men at Work made it to the States, and I've got at least one of their albums on vinyl. :)

          Men at Work

          Men at Work made it to the States, and I've got at least one of their albums on vinyl. :)

        2. gerikson
          Link Parent
          Don't forget The Triffids!

          Don't forget The Triffids!

      2. [2]
        demifiend
        Link Parent
        I didn't fall in love with her for her taste in music. :)

        I didn't fall in love with her for her taste in music. :)

        1. chocolate
          Link Parent
          My wife is Indian. I completely relate.

          My wife is Indian. I completely relate.

          1 vote
  6. lars
    Link
    My favorite one hit wonder artists is OK GO. Their albums are really good especially the first two. It's been awhile since I listened to it so Id have to look up which one I liked better than the...

    My favorite one hit wonder artists is OK GO. Their albums are really good especially the first two. It's been awhile since I listened to it so Id have to look up which one I liked better than the other. But there was one where every single song was incredible.

  7. [2]
    tomf
    Link
    For old, but not too old one hit wonders, Soft Cell (Tainted Love), Dexy's Midnight Runners (Come on Eileen) and Nena (99 Red Balloons / Luftballons) come to mind. Once we leave former top-40, I'd...

    For old, but not too old one hit wonders, Soft Cell (Tainted Love), Dexy's Midnight Runners (Come on Eileen) and Nena (99 Red Balloons / Luftballons) come to mind.

    Once we leave former top-40, I'd have to say that Avi Buffalo (What's In It For?) is probably my favorite. I've followed his somewhat quiet career ever since, but nothing past this track was big in the indie world.

    1. Michael-Schmidt
      Link Parent
      Nena had several big hits and is playing big gigs in Germany.

      Nena had several big hits and is playing big gigs in Germany.

      1 vote
  8. Erik
    Link
    Do we count Eve 6? They kinda had two hits, Inside Out was big and than Here's to the Night was even bigger. I wish they'd keep making more music, but it's clear that the guys consider the band...

    Do we count Eve 6? They kinda had two hits, Inside Out was big and than Here's to the Night was even bigger. I wish they'd keep making more music, but it's clear that the guys consider the band just a thing they have to do rather than what they like based on their side projects.

  9. [2]
    niktereuto
    Link
    Reptilla, by The Strokes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8-tXG8KrWs The Strokes became popular in a very weird and interesting time in music. The economy had just gone bad, and popular music in...

    Reptilla, by The Strokes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8-tXG8KrWs

    The Strokes became popular in a very weird and interesting time in music. The economy had just gone bad, and popular music in general was shifting away from metal over to disco (Slipknot -> MGMT -> Daft Punk/Random Access Memories). But for a very short time- 2008 - 2010- it genuinely looked like Grunge might make a comeback of sorts under the guise of lo-fi.

    Alas, it never happened. Rock went full disco with MGMTs "Electric Feel", then dropped off the face of the fucking Earth altogether and went completely underground. I don't know of a single mainstream rock song created by a relatively new rock band that has reached the billboard top 100 in nearly a decade (So, Foo Fighters don't count).

    Rock as a genre, in the mainstream, simply no longer exists.

    Another one hit wonder that came out at this time was "Ride" by The Vines: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KL_dI3GtB4o

    Anecdotally speaking, the result is that people such as myself who graduated high school around 2007 - 2010 all really like rock music- but most people I've met who graduated before or after do not.

    1. jgb
      Link Parent
      Not a one hit wonder. 'Is This It' is one of the influential albums of the 21st century so far.

      Not a one hit wonder. 'Is This It' is one of the influential albums of the 21st century so far.

      1 vote