# Bands that maybe SHOULD have been one-hit wonders **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 8, 2018, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-maybe-should-have-been-one-hit-wonders/819302 "2018-08-08T21:22:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2018, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-maybe-should-have-been-one-hit-wonders/819302/1 "2018-08-08T21:22:25Z")
In 1994, Collective Soul went to #1 with their debut single _[Shine.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_m0bI82Rz_k)_ While some derided it as “Bubblegum Grunge,” I quite liked it. It was different, catchy, and had a sense of fun that is rare in the genre. They had a few more chart-toppers after _Shine_, including _[December](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utYjsmDzMi0)_ and _[The World I Know.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7TLTjqUyog)_ While not terrible songs, these always struck me as comparatively uninteresting and derivative. This is solely my opinion, of course, and I don’t begrudge them their success. But If I had never heard anything else from Collective Soul after their first hit, I’d be perfectly fine with that. Are there any bands or artists you feel this way about? ---
**Author:** ![Hi\_Neighbor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hi_neighbor/32/494_2.png) [@Hi\_Neighbor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hi_Neighbor)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2018, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-maybe-should-have-been-one-hit-wonders/819302/2 "2018-08-08T21:49:43Z")
In 1997, Third Eye Blind burst on the scene with their #1 hit **Semi-Charmed Life**. Still a hugely popular song to this day. They sort of came back to the limelight with \*\*Jumper \*\*in 1998. But really, after that none of their songs ever did it for me. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2018, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-maybe-should-have-been-one-hit-wonders/819302/3 "2018-08-08T22:46:26Z")
Barry Manilow. Most of his stuff is unlistenable dreck, but I do like “Copacabana” for its nuttiness. ---
**Author:** ![Dale\_Sams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/779978/32.png) [@Dale\_Sams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_Sams)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2018, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-maybe-should-have-been-one-hit-wonders/819302/4 "2018-08-08T22:47:57Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > Barry Manilow. Most of his stuff is unlistenable dreck, but I do like “Copacabana” for its nuttiness. I like “Ready to take a Chance Again” I think for its association with Foul Play. ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2018, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-maybe-should-have-been-one-hit-wonders/819302/5 "2018-08-09T02:58:47Z")
If “Any Way You Want It” had been Journey’s only hit, I could’ve lived with that. (Despite that being maybe my 73rd favourite song from '79.) ---
**Author:** ![mcgato](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac8455/32.png) [@mcgato](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mcgato)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2018, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-maybe-should-have-been-one-hit-wonders/819302/6 "2018-08-09T12:23:18Z")
I will nominate [Alanis Morissette](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alanis_Morissette_discography). “You Oughta Know” is great, with vitriol I hadn’t heard before. Everything else is either mediocre or stupid (“Ironic”). ---
**Author:** ![ZonexandScout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zonexandscout/32/544_2.png) [@ZonexandScout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZonexandScout)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2018, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-maybe-should-have-been-one-hit-wonders/819302/7 "2018-08-09T14:57:24Z")
America (the band, not the country). I think that “Sister Golden Hair” is sort of fun, in a pleasant pop way. It was on their fifth album, I believe, but it’s the only song of theirs that isn’t downright painful for me to listen to. ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2018, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-maybe-should-have-been-one-hit-wonders/819302/8 "2018-08-09T20:57:16Z")
After A-Ha hit it big on their debut album with _Take On Me_ they went on to make a total of 10 studio albums. I guess they had a top 5 hit in the UK back in 2009 but nothing I ever heard. ---
**Author:** ![LLCoolL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/llcooll/32/3596_2.png) [@LLCoolL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LLCoolL)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2018, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-maybe-should-have-been-one-hit-wonders/819302/9 "2018-08-12T20:31:11Z")
Bryan Adams: “Run to You” was an early chart single in the U.S. (if not his first). That’s Adams’ only radio hit I like. His later soundtrack work was particularly abysmal: “( Everything I Do) I Do it for You”, “All for Love” with Rod Stewart and Sting, and “Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman” all went to Number 1 in the USA. Ugh!! Celine Dion: “That’s the Way It Is” is her only radio single which doesn’t have me changing the station within nanoseconds. It’s actually uptempo, and with the emoting kept to a minimum. Whitney Houston: I respect her voice, but “How Will I Know” is the only song of hers I genuinely enjoy. Backstreet Boys: the lyrics for “I Want it That Way” make zero sense. But damn if it isn’t a catchy tune. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2018, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-maybe-should-have-been-one-hit-wonders/819302/10 "2018-08-12T20:59:17Z")
> [@LLCoolL](#): > > Bryan Adams: “Run to You” was an early chart single in the U.S. (if not his first). That’s Adams’ only radio hit I like. His later soundtrack work was particularly abysmal: “( Everything I Do) I Do it for You”, “All for Love” with Rod Stewart and Sting, and “Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman” all went to Number 1 in the USA. Ugh!! > > Celine Dion: “That’s the Way It Is” is her only radio single which doesn’t have me changing the station within nanoseconds. It’s actually uptempo, and with the emoting kept to a minimum. > > Whitney Houston: I respect her voice, but “How Will I Know” is the only song of hers I genuinely enjoy. > > Backstreet Boys: the lyrics for “I Want it That Way” make zero sense. But damn if it isn’t a catchy tune. Disagree. Bryan Adams kicked butt and took names with Summer of 69. ---
**Author:** ![LLCoolL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/llcooll/32/3596_2.png) [@LLCoolL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LLCoolL)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2018, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-maybe-should-have-been-one-hit-wonders/819302/11 "2018-08-12T23:15:46Z")
> [@dalej42](#): > > Disagree. Bryan Adams kicked butt and took names with Summer of 69. Adams was born on Sept 5, 1959. Here’s a snippet of lyrics from the song in question: “Me and some guys from school Had a band and we tried real hard Jimmy quit, Jody got married I should’ve known we’d never get far” So this happened when he was 9 years old? Hmm… 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![E-DUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/e-dub/32/403_2.png) [@E-DUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-DUB)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2018, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-maybe-should-have-been-one-hit-wonders/819302/12 "2018-08-13T00:55:21Z")
On the subject of Barry Manilow, I kind of liked “Could it be magic”. That was it. ---
**Author:** ![Pork\_Rind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pork_rind/32/111_2.png) [@Pork\_Rind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pork_Rind)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2018, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-maybe-should-have-been-one-hit-wonders/819302/13 "2018-08-13T01:24:29Z")
> [@LLCoolL](#): > > Adams was born on Sept 5, 1959. Here’s a snippet of lyrics from the song in question: > > “Me and some guys from school > Had a band and we tried real hard > Jimmy quit, Jody got married > I should’ve known we’d never get far” > > So this happened when he was 9 years old? Hmm… 🙂 Per [Bryan himself](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/bryan-adams-hit-was-about-sex-not-1969/), the 69 in the song did not refer to the year. ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2018, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-maybe-should-have-been-one-hit-wonders/819302/14 "2018-08-13T01:56:35Z")
The Red Hot Chili Peppers. If California had never existed they’d have exactly three songs, and if Anthony and Hillel hadn’t dabbled in heroin they’d still be a cornball white rap-funk cover band. The total lack of imagination in their lyrical subject matter is completely off-putting. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2018, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-maybe-should-have-been-one-hit-wonders/819302/15 "2018-08-13T02:44:14Z")
> [@Pork\_Rind](#): > > Per [Bryan himself](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/bryan-adams-hit-was-about-sex-not-1969/), the 69 in the song did not refer to the year. He wasn’t the only writer on the song (Jim Vallance co-wrote the song and would have been the right age for the 1969 lyric. There’s a current thread in CS that mentions all this, but I’m having trouble remembering which one it is). Personally, I sure as shit hope it’s not a stupid pun for the sex act because, well, that would just be really stupid. I mean, it really ruins the song for me thinking its just some adolescent double entendre. Oh, wait, [here’s the thread I was thinking of](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=609530). See starting at post #41. (Although I guess there’s only a total of three posts on it.) ---
**Author:** ![LLCoolL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/llcooll/32/3596_2.png) [@LLCoolL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LLCoolL)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2018, 8:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-maybe-should-have-been-one-hit-wonders/819302/16 "2018-08-13T08:36:12Z")
> [@Pork\_Rind](#): > > Per [Bryan himself](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/bryan-adams-hit-was-about-sex-not-1969/), the 69 in the song did not refer to the year. Thanks for bringing this to my attention. But it doesn’t improve the song. I stand by my prior assertion that Bryan Adams stinks, except for “Run to You”. ---
**Author:** ![LLCoolL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/llcooll/32/3596_2.png) [@LLCoolL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LLCoolL)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2018, 8:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-maybe-should-have-been-one-hit-wonders/819302/17 "2018-08-13T08:38:19Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > …Personally, I sure as shit hope it’s not a stupid pun for the sex act because, well, that would just be really stupid. I mean, it really ruins the song for me thinking its just some adolescent double entendre… Ha-ha! So in your view, it actually makes the song worse! ---
**Author:** ![Santelia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Santelia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Santelia)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2018, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-maybe-should-have-been-one-hit-wonders/819302/18 "2018-08-18T20:56:07Z")
Coldplay. I liked “Yellow”. Since then, not so much. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2018, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-maybe-should-have-been-one-hit-wonders/819302/19 "2018-08-19T02:50:09Z")
> [@LLCoolL](#): > > Ha-ha! So in your view, it actually makes the song worse! Yes. I think it’s a damned solid, maybe even great, song, but the assertion it’s about the sex act ruins it. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2018, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-maybe-should-have-been-one-hit-wonders/819302/20 "2018-08-19T12:14:55Z")
> [@Hi\_Neighbor](#): > > In 1997, Third Eye Blind burst on the scene with their #1 hit **Semi-Charmed Life**. Still a hugely popular song to this day. They sort of came back to the limelight with \*\*Jumper \*\*in 1998. But really, after that none of their songs ever did it for me. They were off the same album, along with “How’s It Going To Be” but that pretty much exhausted their talent. > [@Guest-starring\_Id](#): > > If “Any Way You Want It” had been Journey’s only hit, I could’ve lived with that. > (Despite that being maybe my 73rd favourite song from '79.) Sounds about right to me. But to be fair, this is really me saying, “I don’t really like Journey all that much.” > [@mcgato](#): > > I will nominate [Alanis Morissette](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alanis_Morissette_discography). “You Oughta Know” is great, with vitriol I hadn’t heard before. Everything else is either mediocre or stupid (“Ironic”). Totally agree. > [@ZonexandScout](#): > > America (the band, not the country). I think that “Sister Golden Hair” is sort of fun, in a pleasant pop way. It was on their fifth album, I believe, but it’s the only song of theirs that isn’t downright painful for me to listen to. Gotta disagree here. “Ventura Highway,” “Horse With No Name,” “Tin Man,” “Don’t Cross the River,” “Sandman,” hell, even “Muskrat Love,” are all good songs. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-maybe-should-have-been-one-hit-wonders/819302.md?page=2)