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Joe Bonamassa Forum → Other Artists → Favorite One Hit Wonders
The Swingin Medallions - Double Shot of My Babys Love
Free -"All Right Now"
Thin Lizzy "The Boys Are Back In Town"
These were not one hit wonders in the UK, in fact they had higher chart positions with other songs. Whiskey In the Jar could have been a one hit wonder if for Lizzy at one stage, howver the success of The Boys, Jailbreak, Don't Believe A Word, Dancing In The Moonlight, Waiting On An Alibi, Killer on the Loose ensured it was not. As for Free, Wishing Well and My Brother Jake were also big hits.
Its like saying the Scorpians were on hit wonders because Wind Of Change was their only big hit in the UK, whilst I'm pretty sure they had plently of top selling songs in Germany. Black Sabbath only released Paranoid as a single, but you could not call them a one hit wonder either.
A true one hit wonder is an artist that are only known for one song, ie Mungo Jerry in the Summertime, not album orientated rock bands.
I thought it'd get a response from you George. Only one 'hit' in the UK though I think.
gsj wrote:'Radar Love'....Golden Earring.
I'm surprised at you, a man with your knowledge. Radar Love was a monster hit all over the world, after which Golden Earring continued to have a long and successful career in Holland with numerous chart hits. In my book that excludes them from being one hit wonders.
How about Fire by Arthur Brown?
I hate to put a dampener on what is otherwise a great thread, but it's becoming obvious that what's a "one hit wonder" in one country is definitley not in another. For example, Soft Cell had hits with Tainted Love and Wave Goodbye, Say Hello in the UK and Focus had hits with Hocus Pocus in the US, UK and other parts of Europe and with Sylvia in the UK, but not in the US.
It's fun anyway.
Phil
yeah thin lizzy were far from one hit wonders as well, i don't really care what country your in if you are outside of the sahara desert you know who thin lizzy is.
TURNING JAPONESE by THE VAPORS
Turning Japanese, and if you don't know what that means I'm sure any of our Brit members (no pun intended) will tell you.
Not A Wanker,
J Dawg
one hit who??? if they only got one I dont want to know bleh
Peace
Bluezman
Video Killed The Radio Star............The Buggles First video played on MTV, back when they actually played
music.
Journey To The Center Of Your Mind............The Amboy Dukes A very young Ted Nugent.
Hang On Sloopy.............The McCoys A very young Ric Derringer, the official state song of Ohio and
popular @ Ohio State sports events.
C'mon Feel The Noise...........Slade Then Quiet Riot covered it and made a career out of it.
Baker Street..........................Gerry Rafferty A song he wrote about gettin' away from it all and he did.
Hot Rod Lincoln............Commander Cody Still live and giggin'
Jeopardy...........Greg Kihn Morning DJ on KFOX 98.5 San Jose
Inscence & Peppermints......Strawberry Alarm Clock Ed King's band before joining Skynyrd
867-5309 Jenny Jenny..........Tommy Tutone Know how many people had to change their phone #'s
More to Come,
J Dawg
Another good one:
Hold Your Head Up - Argent
Keith wrote:The RiverCat^-^ wrote:I just have to correct this because Free was far from a one-hit wonder. They were alot popular Overseas than here.
"Fire and Water" was a popular song for them also. Most people might think that Free is a one-hit wonder because that is the only song they know. And sometimes people don't even know who it is by. But Free was a big influential British Blues Band that never got enough credit.Let me clarify then..in the US, that was their only hit. I'm quite aware of Free, but in this country it was their only hit.
That was there only hit in the U.S. but I don't believe thay are a One Hit Wonder. Because to me a One Hit Wonder means "you have one hit and you wonder where they are. "
That was never the case with Free, Jimi Hendrix or Janis Joplin. They were always there.
Rock music is more oriented to Albums. It's not about 1 hit, it's about a number of great songs on an album, as evidenced by the 3 artists I listed above.
The Top 40 is more based on singles. Plus there are alot of R&B songs that never made it to the top 40 but were popular on the R&B charts.
Gotcha, so now we're clarifying the rules. Take a band like Status Quo, who only had 1 hit in the U.S., yet have had over 60 chart hits in the UK alone,(More than The Stones) and have sold over 118 million albums world wide. One hit wonder here in the States, with a song ("Pictures Of Matchstick Men") which has really nothing to do with most of their catalog.
I was going by here in the States. Lizzy had a lot of hits overseas, but just the one here. To the average person, if they know anything by Thin Lizzy, "Boys" is the song.
And the hits just keep awwwwwn comin'
My Sharona..................The Knack
5 O'clock World...........................The Vogues
What I Like About You........................The Romantics
Dirty Water..................................................The Standells
" Don't ever wanna lose ya " - New England
Soft Cell???? Phil...behave
Here's a real one hit wonder.... "Je t'aime" Jane Birkin & Serge Gainsbourg
I hate to put a dampener on what is otherwise a great thread, but it's becoming obvious that what's a "one hit wonder" in one country is definitley not in another. For example, Soft Cell had hits with Tainted Love and Wave Goodbye, Say Hello in the UK and Focus had hits with Hocus Pocus in the US, UK and other parts of Europe and with Sylvia in the UK, but not in the US.
It's fun anyway.
Phil
The RiverCat^-^ wrote:Keith wrote:Let me clarify then..in the US, that was their only hit. I'm quite aware of Free, but in this country it was their only hit.
That was there only hit in the U.S. but I don't believe thay are a One Hit Wonder. Because to me a One Hit Wonder means "you have one hit and you wonder where they are. "
That was never the case with Free, Jimi Hendrix or Janis Joplin. They were always there.
Rock music is more oriented to Albums. It's not about 1 hit, it's about a number of great songs on an album, as evidenced by the 3 artists I listed above.
The Top 40 is more based on singles. Plus there are alot of R&B songs that never made it to the top 40 but were popular on the R&B charts.
Gotcha, so now we're clarifying the rules. Take a band like Status Quo, who only had 1 hit in the U.S., yet have had over 60 chart hits in the UK alone,(More than The Stones) and have sold over 118 million albums world wide. One hit wonder here in the States, with a song ("Pictures Of Matchstick Men") which has really nothing to do with most of their catalog.
I was going by here in the States. Lizzy had a lot of hits overseas, but just the one here. To the average person, if they know anything by Thin Lizzy, "Boys" is the song.
But the topic isn't "one hit wonders" in the United States. And a big key word is "wonder". Bands that only had one hit and not any other popular songs or didn't do much else. That is not the case with Free and Thin Lizzy. They are established bands and so putting them under "one-hit wonders" is misleading to their legacy of music and who they are. Now the average pop fan may only know "boys" but rock fans know alot more about Thin Lizzy. That's like saying Joe is a no-hit wonder, but we all know better than that. His music kills most number 1 hits today.
It's like saying Paul Rodgers is not an established singer because most "pop" fans don't know who he is. Even rock fans don't know his name. Ask who fronted Free and Bad Company and you'll get a "huh". Yet people in the music business know exactly who he is and what he means as a vocalist, how many he has inspired. He is going down as one of the greatest rock and roll singers ever but he may never make it into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland. That is why numbers don't always tell the whole picture.
Big Log - Robert Plant
In my mind a one hit wonder is a band that may have charted other songs, but down the road are only remembered for one song that maybe broke into the top ten or even hit number one. For example, Gerry & The Pacemakers were a big part of the British invasion and charted numerous songs, but if you mention them to me the first and only one that pops into my mind is Ferry Cross The Mersey, great tune BTW. There's really no guidelines to this, make it what you will. Start diggin' there's plenty more out there.
Think Green,
J Dawg
Big Log - Robert Plant
This song is a case in point as Lighten Up Baby got just as much airplay at least here in the states as Big Log.
Think Green,
J Dawg
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