A one-hit wonder is any entity that achieves mainstream popularity, often for only one piece of work, and becomes known among the general public solely for that momentary success. The term is most commonly used in regard to music performers with only one hit single that overshadows their other work. Some artists dubbed "one-hit wonders" in a particular country have had great success in other countries. Music artists with subsequent popular albums and hit listings are not properly considered a one-hit wonder, although artists with multiple hits have sometimes been erroneously labelled as "one-hit wonders" if one particular hit has become much more well-remembered years or decades later than their other hits. One-hit wonders usually see their popularity decreasing after their hit listing, and most often do not ever return to hit listings with other songs or albums.
In The Billboard Book of One-Hit Wonders, music journalist Wayne Jancik defines a one-hit wonder as "an act that has won a position on [the] national, pop, Top 40 record chart just once." [1] Billboard magazine defines a U.S. one-hit wonder as an "artist that cracks the top 40 on the Billboard Hot 100 and never makes it back to that position." [2]
This formal definition can include acts with greater success outside their lone pop hit and who are not typically considered one-hit wonders, [3] while at the same time excluding acts who have multiple hits which have been overshadowed by one signature song, [4] or those performers who never hit the top 40, but had exactly one song achieve mainstream popularity in some other fashion (that is, a "turntable hit" or a song that was ineligible for the top-40 charts). [5]
In 2006, the Australian series 20 to 1 aired the episode "20 to 1: One Hit Wonders", a list of songs that had been the only one by that artist to have success in Australia.
# | Title | Performer | Year |
---|---|---|---|
1 | "My Sharona" | The Knack | 1979 |
2 | "Born to Be Alive" | Patrick Hernandez | 1979 |
3 | "Video Killed the Radio Star" | The Buggles | 1979 |
4 | "Turning Japanese" | The Vapors | 1980 |
5 | "Funkytown" | Lipps Inc. | 1979 |
6 | "Come on Eileen" | Dexys Midnight Runners | 1982 |
7 | "Spirit in the Sky" | Norman Greenbaum | 1969 |
8 | " 99 Luftballons " | Nena | 1983 |
9 | "Don't Worry, Be Happy" | Bobby McFerrin | 1988 |
10 | "Pass the Dutchie" | Musical Youth | 1982 |
11 | "Rockin' Robin" | Bobby Day | 1958 |
12 | "Slice of Heaven" | Dave Dobbyn and Herbs | 1986 |
13 | "Counting the Beat" | The Swingers | 1981 |
14 | "Tubthumping" | Chumbawamba | 1997 |
15 | "I'll Be Gone" | Spectrum | 1971 |
16 | "Mickey" | Toni Basil | 1982 |
17 | "Achy Breaky Heart" | Billy Ray Cyrus | 1992 |
18 | "Venus" | Shocking Blue | 1969 |
19 | "Mambo No. 5 (A Little Bit of...)" | Lou Bega | 1999 |
20 | "Tainted Love" | Soft Cell | 1981 |
In September 2006, New Zealand's terrestrial music channel, C4, aired an episode dedicated to "One Hit Wonders" on the weekly theme-based chart show, UChoose40, where the chart was ranked entirely by viewer's votes from the website. [6] [7]
The top ten songs were ranked as follows:
# | Title | Performer | Year |
---|---|---|---|
1 | "Teenage Dirtbag" | Wheatus | 2000 |
2 | "How Bizarre" | OMC | 1996 |
3 | "Because I Got High" | Afroman | 2001 |
4 | "Ice Ice Baby" | Vanilla Ice | 1990 |
5 | "Eye of the Tiger" | Survivor | 1982 |
6 | "Tubthumping" | Chumbawamba | 1997 |
7 | "My Sharona" | The Knack | 1979 |
8 | "Video Killed the Radio Star" | The Buggles | 1979 |
9 | "Who Let the Dogs Out?" | Baha Men | 2000 |
10 | "I Touch Myself" | Divinyls | 1991 |
Note: not to be confused with the Guinness Book of British Hit Singles list from 1979 to 2001 which lists acts with their only Top 75 charting record being a number one hit. Several of these artists including The Proclaimers, Shakespears Sister, Haddaway, Kajagoogoo and Hanson have in fact had more than two Top Ten hits.
A UK poll of 2,000 music fans compiled by marketing research company OnePoll. [8]
Classic Pop magazine's list [9] only includes acts who made the UK's Top 40 (as compiled by Gallup) once only in their careers and does not include acts which feature members from other successful bands from the 1980s. The top ten is as follows:
In 2020, Absolute Radio 90s compiled a list of 'the 20 greatest one-hit wonders of the 1990s' as part of their 10th birthday celebrations; the list was as follows (listed in alphabetical order by artist): [10]
In addition to these one-hit wonders, the NME also recognised the following hits in their one-hit wonders feature from 2014: [11]
From the BBC in March 2017 (based on a combination of chart position and sales): [12]
From the BBC Radio 2 show One Hit Wonders with OJ Borg which started on 2 November 2020... [13] [14] (in alphabetical order):
The Official Charts Company's list [22] of the biggest one-hit wonder releases of the 2010s, is based on sales and streams. Like the Classic Pop list it uses the UK singles Top 40 chart as the cut-off point. The top ten is as follows:
"Come On Eileen" is a song by the English group Dexys Midnight Runners, released in the United Kingdom in June 1982 as a single from their second studio album Too-Rye-Ay. It reached number one in the United States and was their second number one hit in the UK, following 1980's "Geno". The song was produced by Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley and was initially claimed to be written by Kevin Rowland, Jim Paterson and Billy Adams, although Rowland later stated that the essence of the tune should be attributed to Kevin Archer.
"Without You" is a song written by Pete Ham and Tom Evans of British rock group Badfinger, and first released on their 1970 album No Dice. The power ballad has been recorded by over 180 artists, and versions released as singles by Harry Nilsson (1971) and Mariah Carey (1994) became international number one hits. The Nilsson version was included in 2021's Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. Paul McCartney once described it as "the killer song of all time".
"MMMBop" is a song written and performed by American pop rock band Hanson. It was released on April 15, 1997, as the lead single from their first full-length studio album, Middle of Nowhere (1997). The song was nominated for two Grammys at the 40th Annual Grammy Awards and is the band's most successful single to date. "MMMBop" was a major success worldwide, reaching number one in at least 12 countries, including Australia, Canada, Germany, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States.
"Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm" is a song by Canadian rock band Crash Test Dummies, and written by its singer Brad Roberts. It was released in October 1993 by Arista and BMG as the band's lead single from their second album, God Shuffled His Feet (1993). The song received positive critical reviews upon its release, though retrospective reviews have been more negative. The song reached number four on the US Billboard Hot 100 and topped the national charts of Australia, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Iceland, Lithuania, Norway, and Sweden. In the band's native Canada, it stalled at number 14 on the RPM 100 Hit Tracks chart. The accompanying music video was directed by Dale Heslip.
Phyllis Nelson was an American singer, most famous for her 1985 song "Move Closer", which topped the chart in the United Kingdom. Her son is the singer and record producer Marc Nelson, who was a member of Boyz II Men.
Anthony Burrows is an English pop singer and recording artist. As a prolific session musician, Burrows was involved in several transatlantic hit singles throughout the late 1960s and early 1970s, most of which were one-hit wonders, including "Love Grows " by Edison Lighthouse, "United We Stand" by Brotherhood of Man, "My Baby Loves Lovin'" by White Plains, "Gimme Dat Ding" by the Pipkins and "Beach Baby" by the First Class.
D Mob, also known as Dancin' Danny D or simply Danny D, is a British music producer and remixer. His most notable track was "C'mon and Get My Love" with Cathy Dennis on the vocals, which peaked at number 10 on the U.S. Hot 100 chart on March 17, 1990.
"Groove Is in the Heart" is a song by American dance band Deee-Lite, released in August 1990 by Elektra as their debut and lead single from their first album, World Clique (1990). Written and produced by the band, it was a hit in many countries, reaching number-one in Australia and on both the Canadian RPM and US Billboard dance charts. Today it is widely recognized as a classic of its genre. It was accompanied with a psychedelic 60s-themed music video.
"Tubthumping" is a song released by British rock band Chumbawamba from their eighth studio album Tubthumper from 1997. It is the band's most successful single, peaking at number two on the UK Singles Chart. It topped the charts in Australia, Canada, Ireland, Italy, New Zealand and reached number six on the US Billboard Hot 100. At the 1998 Brit Awards, "Tubthumping" was nominated for the Brit Award for Best British Single. It sold 880,000 copies in the UK.
"Lean on Me" is a song written and recorded by American singer-songwriter Bill Withers. It was released in April 1972 as the first single from his second album, Still Bill. It was a number one single on both the soul and Billboard Hot 100 charts, the latter chart for three weeks in July 1972. Billboard ranked it as the No. 7 song of 1972. It was ranked number 208 on Rolling Stone's list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" in 2010. Numerous other versions have been recorded, and it is one of only nine songs to have reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with versions recorded by two different artists. In 2007, the 1972 recording of the song by Bill Withers on Sussex Records was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
"Sex and Candy" is a song by American alternative rock group Marcy Playground, a single from their 1997 self-titled debut album. It is a post-grunge song with psychedelic elements. Lead singer John Wozniak was inspired to write the song after a woman told him that a room smelled like "sex and candy." The song's abstract lyrics refer to the disco era and include hippie lingo. In 1997, Wozniak said that "Sex and Candy" is an unorthodox love song; later, he said he does not know what the song means. It was released to radio on the week of September 15, 1997.
"Lovin' You" is a song recorded by American singer Minnie Riperton from her second studio album, Perfect Angel (1974). It was written by Riperton and her husband, Richard Rudolph, produced by Rudolph and Stevie Wonder, and released as the album's fourth single on January 18, 1975. The song peaked at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 on April 5, 1975. Additionally, it reached number two on the UK Singles chart, and number three on the Billboard R&B chart. In the US, it ranked number 13 on the Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 1975.
"Legend of a Cowgirl" is a song by American singer-songwriter and rapper Imani Coppola from her debut album, Chupacabra (1997). Upon its release, the song was successful, garnering favorable critical reception and peaking within the top 40 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and New Zealand. The song also entered singles charts in Australia, Belgium, Germany, and the Netherlands. The song remains Coppola's only solo top-40 hit in each of the countries, making her a one-hit-wonder.
"The Garden of Eden" is a song written and composed by Dennise Haas Norwood, and first recorded by Joe Valino, which reached Number 12 on the Billboard chart in October 1956. Valino recorded the song at his second session for Vik Records, a subsidiary of RCA. "I knew it would be a hit, even as I was recording it," he told Wayne Jancik in The Billboard Book of One-Hit Wonders.
Edward Christopher Sheeran is an English singer-songwriter. Born in Halifax, West Yorkshire, and raised in Framlingham, Suffolk, he began writing songs around the age of eleven. In early 2011, Sheeran independently released the extended play No. 5 Collaborations Project. He signed with Asylum Records the same year.
"Pilot of the Airwaves" is a song by English singer-songwriter Charlie Dore. It was released as a single in 1979 from her album Where to Now.
"The Ketchup Song (Aserejé)" is the debut single by Spanish pop group Las Ketchup, taken from their debut studio album Hijas del Tomate (2002). The song is about a young man who enters a nightclub while singing and dancing. In addition to the original Spanish version, the song exists in a form with Spanglish verses, although the nonsensical chorus is identical in both versions.
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