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One-hit wonder

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File:Tony Basil - Mickey picture cover.jpg
UK 45 rpm single for "Mickey" (1982) by one-hit wonder Toni Basil
File:Wholetthedogsout.jpg
CD single of the Baha Men's "Who Let the Dogs Out?"

In the music industry, a one-hit wonder is an artist generally known for only one hit single.

Characteristics

The hits of many one-hit wonders are novelty songs that are, to an extent, deliberately short-lived, recorded for humor or to cash in on a fad. Examples include Rick Dees’s "Disco Duck," related to the disco craze of the 1970s; C.W. McCall's "Convoy," related to the CB radio craze of the 1970s; and Buckner & Garcia’s "Pac Man Fever," related to the 1980s-era arcade game Pac Man. Some artists - Shannon Hoon of Blind Melon, for example, and Minnie Riperton - had their careers cut short by their untimely death, while others, such as New Radicals and The La's, broke up immediately after their one-hit's chart success. More commonly, however, one-hit wonders are serious-minded musicians who struggled to continue their success after their popularity waned.

Because one-hit wonders are popular for only a brief time, their hits often have nostalgic value and are featured on era-centric compilations and soundtracks to period films. One-hit wonders are normal in any era of pop music, but are most common during reigns of entire genres that do not last for more than a few years, such as disco, new wave and grunge.

Though the term is sometimes used in a derogatory manner, some fans often have a great passion for these songs and the artists that created them. Some one-hit wonder artists have embraced this following openly, while others distance themselves from their hit in an attempt to craft successful songs with different sounds, or embark on new careers as songwriters (such as Linda Perry of 4 Non Blondes and Gregg Alexander of New Radicals), or recording industry executives (such as Gerardo).

Questions of definition

Most American music industry insiders consider a song in the top forty positions of the Billboard Hot 100 to be a hit. Thus, any performer who recorded only one song that reached the Top 40 is, technically, a one-hit wonder. However, the term is more generally applied to musicians best known for only one song, meaning that some artists who fit the above criteria are not considered one-hit wonders, while others who do not are considered such.

Wayne Jancik's book The Billboard Book of One-Hit Wonders (Billboard Books, 1998) defines a one-hit wonder rather conservatively, as "an act that has won a position on Billboard's national, pop, Top 40 just once." He therefore includes such performers as Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix solely on the basis of their Top 40 performance. In his definition of an "act", Jancik distinguishes between a solo performer and any group he or she may have performed in; thus Roger Daltrey is distinguished from The Who. He restricts his reporting time to the period from the start of the "rock-and-roll era" (defined by the author as 1 January 1955) to 31 December 1992. The latter date was picked to allow a five-year "lag time" before publication for a listed one-hit wonder to produce a second hit; this unfortunately does not allow for a longer hiatus between hits for a particular performer. For example, Lenny Kravitz is listed for "It Ain't Over 'Til It's Over" (No. 2, August 1991);[1] the book therefore misses subsequent hits, such as "Fly Away", which reached #12 on the Billboard chart in 1999.

In the United Kingdom, the term one-hit wonder is used to describe a singer or band who had only one hit reach the Top 75 on the UK Singles Chart. The term was first used by the "Guinness Book of Hit Singles" from the 1970s, and originally referred strictly to those artists whose first chart action was: "a number one hit, and then nothing else, ever."

Here are some other criteria that also affect a performer’s status as a one-hit wonder:

  • Jimi Hendrix, Frank Zappa, Lou Reed, Radiohead, Phish, Janis Joplin, The Grateful Dead, Iggy Pop, Faith No More, Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Church, Yes, and System of a Down each had only one Billboard Top 40 hit but are rarely, if ever, considered one-hit wonders. These performers are known for other successes, like album or concert ticket sales, critical acclaim, strong fan followings, or influence on other musicians. Jancik, however, includes many of these artists, as they fall within his strict definition as a single act with a single top-40 placement.
  • Some artists, including Livin' Joy, never had a top-40 pop hit, but did have a song that received considerable airplay, even long after its day of release.
  • Many popular British artists like Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Robbie Williams, BBMak, All Saints, Billie Piper, Busted and Take That are considered one-hit wonders in the US, although the listed artists were very popular in Britain.
  • Prominent members of popular groups who have only one solo hit typically are not seen as one-hit wonders. Steely Dan's Donald Fagen, The Lovin' Spoonful's John Sebastian, The Beach Boys' Brian Wilson, and Michael Nesmith of The Monkees each achieved chart success only once as solo artists but are all well-known for their contributions to music through their respective bands.
  • Conversely, groups led by popular solo artists are usually not called one-hit wonders. Derek & the Dominos' sole hit "Layla" is associated with group leader Eric Clapton, who had considerable success before and after the Dominos.
  • Performers who have consistent success in one part of the world but who are known for only one song outside that region are usually considered one-hit wonders in the latter. Austria's Falco, Germany’s Nena and Canada's Tom Cochrane were successful in their homelands, but are considered one-hit wonders in the US and UK.
    • A small number of artists have the distinction of being regarded as one-hit wonders in both the US and UK, but with different songs. American husband and wife duo Art and Dotty Todd scored a hit in the UK with "Broken Wings" in 1953, but did not make it to the top forty in their homeland until "Chanson D'Amour (Song Of Love)" in 1958. Rock band Semisonic scored a US hit with "Closing Time" in 1998, but are better known in the UK for "Secret Smile", from their album Feeling Strangely Fine.
  • Performers who are successful in specific genres, but produce only one crossover hit, are generally considered one-hit wonders by the public at large, but not by fans of their respective genres. Celtic music singer Loreena McKennitt, Christian rock group Jars of Clay and country music singer Billy Ray Cyrus are all popular within their respective genres, but known to the greater public for a single song each.
  • Performers who had more than one Top 40 hit are sometimes considered one-hit wonders, if one song greatly overshadows the rest of their repertoire. a-ha’s "Take on Me" made the top 10 of VH1's 100 Greatest One-hit Wonders, even though the group had two Billboard Top 20 singles: "Take on Me" and "The Sun Always Shines on TV". However, "Take On Me" is much more remembered today, at least in the US (note that "The Sun Always Shines on TV" was a #1 hit in the UK: higher than "Take on Me"). Similarly, Great White is sometimes called a one-hit wonder for "Once Bitten Twice Shy", but "The Angel Song" was also a Top 40 hit. Strawberry Alarm Clock's #1 "Incense and Peppermints" so overshadowed their #23 "Tomorrow" that they are often considered a one-hit wonder.
  • Some artists, such as The Fugees, had a number of hits chart quite high on Billboard's charts. Yet only one of their songs is remembered after the days of their popularity.
  • Performers like Golden Earring, The Foundations, The Left Banke, Maxine Nightingale, Donna Fargo, A Taste of Honey, Johnny Logan, Pilot and Ugly Kid Joe, who produced two major hits before fading into obscurity, are sometimes called "two-hit wonders," but this term is not as common.
  • Deutsche Grammophon and Vox Records have both released albums of classical one-hit wonders. The de-facto criteria common to the albums is composers who have a single work that has become popular outside classical circles as several of the composers on both albums are known for multiple works inside classical circles. The works on these album (or fragments and variations) are frequently heard in movies, television shows and commercials.

Other uses

The term "one-hit wonder" is occasionally used to refer to an artist, other than a musical performer, who is best known for a single work. Examples in literature include Harper Lee's only novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, which sold 30 million copies; and author Joseph Heller, who wrote several novels, but is still best known for Catch-22. The term is also applied to in the film industry: one such case lies in the career of actress Natasha Henstridge, who has yet to match the success of the 1995 film, Species. Classical composers such as Johann Pachelbel, despite being very popular in his time, known today almost solely for Pachelbel's Canon, are also sometimes described thus. [1]

In the sports world, there are several athletes known for one event in their careers. Examples include Bill Mazeroski, who is the only player in MLB history to end a seventh game of the World Series with a walk off home run; Paul Henderson, who scored the deciding goal in the 1972 Summit Series that is widely considered the most famous goal in hockey history[citation needed]; and Jimmy Glass, an English football goalkeeper, who is remembered for scoring a goal in the last seconds of the final day of 1998-99 English Third Division.

In drug culture, the term 'one-hit wonder' is often applied to strains of potent marijuana that produce effects after taking only one "hit" (a drag, or single breath of smoke).

Lists of greatest one-hit wonders

VH1's list of "100 greatest one-hit wonders"

In 2002, the American cable network VH1 aired a countdown of the VH1's 100 Greatest One-hit Wonders. It listed musicians with only one American hit - regardless of international success, which has been substantial and long-lived for bands like a-ha and Nena (see below). It also omitted acts such as Jimi Hendrix and Grateful Dead who, while technically charting with only one single, became too well-known for their entire bodies of work to merit inclusion on the list. The top ten consisted of:

  1. Los Del Rio - "Macarena" (1996)
  2. Soft Cell - "Tainted Love" (1982)
  3. Dexys Midnight Runners - "Come On Eileen" (1982)
  4. Right Said Fred - "I'm Too Sexy" (1991)
  5. Toni Basil - "Mickey" (1982)
  6. Baha Men - "Who Let the Dogs Out?" (2000)
  7. Vanilla Ice - "Ice Ice Baby" (1990)
  8. a-ha - "Take On Me" (1985)
  9. Gerardo - "Rico Suave" (1991)
  10. Nena - "99 Luftballons" (1984)


Channel 4's "50 Greatest One Hit Wonders"

A 2006 television poll, conducted by Channel 4 in the UK, asked viewers to select their favourite one hit wonder from a shortlist of 60 [2]. Respondents could also vote by e-mail to select a song that was not on the original list, if they so wished. The top 50 were:

  1. Kung Fu Fighting - Carl Douglas
  2. 99 Red Balloons - Nena
  3. Because I Got High - Afroman
  4. Sugar, Sugar - The Archies
  5. Can You Dig It? - The Mock Turtles
  6. Always Look on the Bright Side of Life – Monty Python
  7. Spirit in the Sky – Doctor and the Medics (also Norman Greenbaum)
  8. Who Let the Dogs Out – Baha Men
  9. The Safety Dance – Men Without Hats
  10. Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps Please – Splodgenessabounds
  11. Groove is in the Heart – Deee-Lite
  12. Trouble - Shampoo
  13. It's Raining Men – The Weather Girls
  14. All By Myself – Eric Carmen
  15. Jilted John – Jilted John
  16. I’ll Be There For You – The Rembrandts
  17. Doctorin’ the Tardis – The Timelords
  18. Rock Me Amadeus – Falco
  19. Flat Beat – Mr. Oizo
  20. Video Killed the Radio Star – Buggles
  21. Je t'aime... moi non plus – Jane Birkin & Serge Gainsbourg
  22. Mambo No. 5 (A Little Bit Of…) – Lou Bega
  23. Turning Japanese – The Vapors
  24. Mickey – Toni Basil
  25. Mouldy Old Dough - Lieutenant Pigeon
  26. Pump Up The Volume – M/A/R/R/S
  27. Milkshake - Kelis
  28. Axel F – Harold Faltermeyer
  29. F**K It (I Don’t Want You Back) - Eamon
  30. I’m the Urban Spaceman – The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band
  31. Spaceman – Babylon Zoo
  32. My Sharona – The Knack
  33. Shaddap You Face – Joe Dolce Music Theatre
  34. Everybody’s Free (To Wear Sunscreen) – Baz Luhrmann
  35. Matchstalk Men and Matchstalk Cats and Dogs (Lowry’s Song) – Brian & Michael
  36. MacArthur Park – Richard Harris
  37. Monster Mash – Bobby ‘Boris’ Pickett & The Crypt-Kickers
  38. Rapper’s Delight – Sugarhill Gang
  39. Fire – Crazy World of Arthur Brown
  40. The One and Only – Chesney Hawkes
  41. Louie, Louie – The Kingsmen
  42. Since Yesterday – Strawberry Switchblade
  43. My Boy Lollipop – Millie Small
  44. Money – Flying Lizards
  45. Stutter Rap (No Sleep ‘til Bedtime) Morris Minor and the Majors
  46. Just Say No – Grange Hill Cast
  47. Woo Hoo – The 5,6,7,8’s
  48. Japanese Boy - Aneka
  49. Save Your Love – Renee and Renato
  50. Brimful of Asha - Cornershop

Depending on one's definition of "one hit wonder" (Channel 4 did not lay down any particular criteria), as many as half of the top ten acts (Carl Douglas, Afroman, Doctor and the Medics, Baha Men and Splodgenessabounds) ought not to have been present on the list at all: all had lesser hits within the Top 40 after their above successes, in Afroman and Baha Men's cases, even entering the top 20 for a second time. The Monty Python comedy troupe is generally known for film and TV, and several of their comedy songs are well-known in the UK, but this in fact was their only entry into the UK Top 40.

"20 to 1: One Hit Wonders"

In 2005, the Australian series 20 to 1 aired their 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. Number one was The Knack's "My Sharona".[citation needed]

C4's UChoose40: One Hit Wonders

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. There were some surprising candidates who made it to the chart, such as former boy-band Hanson, who were clearly not one-hit wonders, even in NZ. Moreover, Meredith Brooks's hit single "Bitch" was mentioned on the candidates list but failed to make the Top 40.

The top ten ranking are as follows:

  1. "The Final Countdown" - Europe (1986)
  2. "Teenage Dirtbag" - Wheatus (2000)
  3. "How Bizarre" - OMC (1996)
  4. "Because I Got High" - Afroman (2001)
  5. "Ice Ice Baby" - Vanilla Ice (1990)
  6. "Eye of the Tiger" - Survivor (1982)
  7. "Tubthumping" - Chumbawamba (1997)
  8. "My Sharona" - The Knack (1979)
  9. "Video Killed the Radio Star" - Buggles (1979)
  10. "Who Let The Dogs Out?" - Baha Men (2000)

Deutsche Grammophon and Vox classical one-hit wonders

Deutsche Grammophon and Vox Records have both released albums of classical one-hit wonders. Many of the works on the CDs are from composers who have two or more works that are popular in classical music circles but have a single work that has become popular outside these circles. The works will be familiar to most people because they have been used in commercials or in movies and television shows. The two CDs differ but the works common to both are:

  1. Johann Pachelbel - Canon in D[2]
  2. Samuel Barber - Adagio for Strings
  3. Tomaso Albinoni - Adagio in G minor
  4. Jean-Joseph Mouret - Rondeau (Masterpiece Theatre theme)
  5. Luigi Boccherini - minuet from String Quintet in E
  6. Jeremiah Clarke - "Trumpet Voluntary"
  7. Jules Massenet - Meditation for his opera "Thais"
  8. Pietro Mascagni - "Cavalleria rusticana"
  9. Léo Delibes - "The Flower Duet"
  10. Mikhail Ippolitov-Ivanov - "Caucasian Sketches"
  11. Amilcare Ponchielli - "Dance of the Hours" from the opera "La Gioconda" ("Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh")
  12. Charles-Marie Widor - Toccata from Symphony for Organ No. 5
  13. Aram Khachaturian - "Sabre Dance" from the ballet "Gayane"


See also

Notes

  1. ^ Jancik 1998, p487
  2. ^ http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/27/arts/television/27heff.html?ex=1314331200&en=b993c2e50a7b705d&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss

References

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