Hi, everyone! I thought it would be a fun op-ed idea to talk about something novel in the music industry: one-hit wonders. Though some people might find them bad, annoying, or just plain unlistenable, I beg to differ. These one-hit wonders are a rare breed of songs that are so good, yet, for whatever reason, their artists couldn't keep up the same success going forward. With the rise of many single-heavy artists in the last five years, there haven't really been any pieces of music you could call "one-hit wonders" anymore. Everything in this music landscape moves so quickly to the point where there’s so many artists to compete with for that honor. To immortalize the phenomenon, I have compiled a list of all of my favorite songs that were so nice that you DIDN'T have to say 'em twice:
1960s/70s:
“Stand by Me” -Ben E. King (1961)
Wait, hold up, isn’t this a movie, too? Odd…
Oh, that, and Sean Kingston sampled it on “Beautiful Girls.”
“Monster Mash” -Bobby “Boris” Pickett (1962)
This is one of the most timeless novelty songs ever made. Some are often super annoying and not fun to listen to, but “Monster Mash” is a completely different breed.
“In a Gadda-da-Vida”- Iron Butterfly (1968)
I just discovered this track over the summer, and it’s kind of a funny story about how I learned about it: It was featured in one of my favorite gags from The Simpsons !
“American Pie” -Don McLean (1971)
This song is about as American (as apple) Pie… it’s simple, yet so deep at the same time. Eight minutes and thirty-six seconds of awesomeness. While the lyrics may seem fun and simple on a first listen, listen closer- you’ll definitely get a different interpretation of what Don McLean is trying to say.
“Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl)” -Looking Glass (1972)
Even though they weren’t around for long, Looking Glass’ 1972 hit really pioneered the genre that you either love or hate: yacht rock.
“Stuck in the Middle With You” -Stealers Wheel (1973)
Ah, yes. A classic gem from the early 70s. I remember hearing this song for the first time in middle school, and fell in love with its catchy guitar lines... Plus, Gerry Rafferty’s uncanny vocal delivery. Gotta love it.
“Play That Funky Music” -Wild Cherry (1976)
Quite literally, so funky. Thick basslines, groovy drums and a catchy-ass hook. Out of all the songs on this list, “Play That Funky Music” goes down as one of my favorites.
“Rappers’ Delight” -The Sugarhill Gang (1979)
“Rapper’s Delight” is important for two reasons: One, it’s historical. It was one of the first rap tracks to really hit the mainstream. Reason two, nostalgia. That song takes me back to high school band camp. As tradition, four seniors would rap the song from beginning to end… let’s just say that when I finally rose up to being a senior, I took my verse and crushed it out of the park.
1980s:
“Turning Japanese” -The Vapors (1981)
I haven’t seen this cut featured on a lot of “Best One-Hit Wonders” lists, and this is one that I feel like gets a little overlooked. The 80s were certainly jam-packed full of them, but “Turning Japanese” has a lot of great elements that makes it special. Whether it’s the dope synth lines or the abstract lyrical material, I hope that you can appreciate this song as much as I do.
“I Melt With You” -Modern English (1982)
An absolute classic, dreamy as all hell. Let’s not talk about that really bad, mid-2000s Bowling For Soup cover though... It is definitely not something to write home about.
“Come on Eileen” -Dexy’s Midnight Runners (1982)
Despite having some vocals on the borderline of yodeling, the UK rockers were one of the early pioneers of the Second British Invasion - and for good reason.
“Electric Avenue” -Eddy Grant (1983)
The synths, paired with Eddy Grant’s undeniably catchy vocals, this song makes you just wanna rock down to Electric Avenue (and then we’ll take it higher!).
“Take on Me” -A-ha (1985)
Yes, it’s a meme, a big meme, but you’re crazy if you don’t like this song. It takes something as dynamic as the sound of the 1980s and captures it in sound. Three minute and forty-nine seconds of beauty.
“Never Gonna Give You Up” -Rick Astley (1987)
If you clicked that link, you were victims of one of the greatest pranks in Internet history. In all seriousness, I unironically enjoy this song, man. Even though the instrumental is a little cheesy by today’s standards, you can’t disagree that Rick Astley has such a great voice. The dude was 21 years old and he sounded like he was fifty.
1990s:
“Ice Ice Baby” -Vanilla Ice (1990)
Even though Vanilla Ice completely stole “Under Pressure” from Queen and Bowie, it’s still a joy to hear this come on when I shuffle through a 90s pop playlist.
“Return of the Mack” -Mark Morrison (1995)
I don’t really feel like “Return of the Mack” is ever in the conversation of greatest one-hit wonders, but I always took a liking to it. On a brighter note, it’s definitely cool to see it get back into the mainstream after being featured on those Google ads.
“How Bizarre” -OMC (1995)
This is another one of those one-hit wonders that is unconventional. From its lyrics (the Chevy joke in the first verse) to its instrumentation (accordion, trumpet, etc.), “How Bizarre” is one of those cuts that you gotta love for its carefree nature.
“Semi-Charmed Life” -Third Eye Blind (1997)
I interviewed these guys! I’m not putting it on here to plug that, but god damn. “Semi-Charmed” is a classic song in my life that I grew up listening to, and still enjoy to this day.
“Tubthumping” -Chumbawamba (1997)
I only need to say nine simple words, and that will get you on your feet and singing…
“I GET KNOCKED DOWN! BUT I GET UP AGAIN!”
“Mambo No. 5” -Lou Bega (1999)
No one-hit wonders list would be complete without mentioning Daniel Lubega’s 1999 chart-topping hit. Some outlets consider it to be one of the worst songs of all time, but I completely disagree. If this classic Nathan For You sketch doesn’t change your opinion on it, then I guess I don’t know what to tell you.
2000s:
“Lady (Hear Me Tonight)” -Modjo (2000)
I love a lot of that late 90s/early 2000s French house music, it definitely produced its share of great songs. While “Lady” does a great job with its sample flip, I also have to shout out “Music Sounds Better Than You” by Stardust and “Starlight” by the Superman Lovers. Both are great if you want to dive into that genre.
“Stacy’s Mom” -Fountains of Wayne (2003)
This song is absolutely iconic, from its hilarious lyrics to its catchy melodies, “Stacy’s Mom” is one of those one-hit wonders that I will never get sick of hearing. Plus, the music video for this song made me laugh my ass off the first time I saw it, and I’m sure you will, too.
“Bad Day” -Daniel Powter (2005)
My mom always told me I would rock out to this song as a kid. Not sure why, but I guess I have to include it here for nostalgia purposes.
“Crazy” -Gnarls Barkley (2006)
Cee-Lo Green is an animal. Even though he couldn’t stay relevant past the early 2010s, this mid-aughts R&B banger still goes hard to the day.
“American Boy” -Estelle ft. Kanye West (2007)
Another classic from my childhood. I love the juxtaposition of the light, airy production on the verses, then the pulsating bassline over Estelle’s chorus. Plus, it has Yeezy, so it’s automatically a certified banger.
“Stereo Love” -Edward Maya ft. Vika Jigulina (2009)
It’s come back around as a meme in the TikTok era, but “Stereo Love” is another one of those dance tracks that’s infectious.
2010s:
“Too Close” -Alex Clare (2011)
It’s kind of a bummer Alex Clare never got much publicity aside from this song. He hasn’t put out a full-length since 2016, but 2011’s “Too Close” was a song that really showed some serious potential back in the day. It was kind of an underappreciated predecessor to the dubstep that guys like Skrillex and Deadmau5 really perfected.
“Party Rock Anthem” -LMFAO (2011)
LMFAO is already an iconic band name, but nothing will ever top the legacy this song left on the pop charts.
“Somebody That I Used To Know” -Gotye (2011)
Unironically, I think this is a song that would have been good if it didn’t end up topping the charts. Like the aforementioned Alex Clare, Gotye was an artist that I wish I saw more from. The incredibly soft, acoustic ballad still hits hard when you listen.
“Gangnam Style” -PSY (2012)
Before bands like BTS, there was PSY, throwing his catchy K-Pop anthem into the American airwaves. And boy, did everyone eat that song up. Myself included, but this hit was really one of the first I remembered seeing all over the internet back in the day.
“Riptide” -Vance Joy (2014)
Like I said with songs like “Turning Japanese” and “How Bizarre,” Vance Joy had rather ambiguous lyrics and something as bare-bones as a ukulele powering the track. That chorus is on a whole new level of awesomeness, though.
So, do you agree with my picks? What are some of your favorite one-hit wonders? Are there any songs you think I should have mentioned or should listen to? If so, feel free to reach out to me! I'm always open to new music suggestions, and I wish more people would take advantage of that! Anyways, I appreciate any readers checking this out, and I hope you guys continue to check out more bazzreviews content down the road!
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