# Bands with the most material, known only for one song **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 28, 2017, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-with-the-most-material-known-only-for-one-song/792324 "2017-07-28T14:27:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 10
**Author:** ![The\_wind\_of\_my\_soul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecc23a/32.png) [@The\_wind\_of\_my\_soul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_wind_of_my_soul)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2017, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-with-the-most-material-known-only-for-one-song/792324/181 "2017-08-01T14:08:46Z")
My favorite band, Hanson, has put out eight studio albums and are currently on a 25th anniversary tour. And they are only known for “Mmmbop.” ---
**Author:** ![Orwell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/dfb087/32.png) [@Orwell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orwell)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2017, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-with-the-most-material-known-only-for-one-song/792324/182 "2017-08-01T15:20:20Z")
> [@Tread](#): > > I would think Freewill would beat out Trees Or Closer to the Heart, Limelight or Spirit of Radio. I’ve never, ever thought of Rush as being known for one song. Of course, I’m a fan of their work. I didn’t read through the entire thread, but the artist that came to mind for me is Los Lobos. I’ve been a Los Lobos fan for decades, have owned most of their albums, and think they are terrific musicians with a great body of work. I actually saw them in concert this year. But most people seem to know them only for La Bamba, which isn’t even their original song. While I like their version of La Bamba just fine, it is well down on my list of favorite songs. How Will The Wolf Survive, on the other hand, is one of my favorite songs by any artist. ---
**Author:** ![GargoyleWB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gargoylewb/32/199_2.png) [@GargoyleWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GargoyleWB)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2017, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-with-the-most-material-known-only-for-one-song/792324/183 "2017-08-01T15:55:12Z")
Not a thread-winner but worth mentioning, **Gary Numan** has over 20 albums but no one outside of direct fans know anything except _Cars_. **Frank Zappa** has over 60 albums, I pretty much only know him for the ‘yellow snow’ song and I don’t recall ever hearing him on radio lists. ---
**Author:** ![x-ray\_vision](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/x-ray_vision/32/351_2.png) [@x-ray\_vision](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/x-ray_vision)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2017, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-with-the-most-material-known-only-for-one-song/792324/184 "2017-08-01T16:04:10Z")
> [@GargoyleWB](#): > > Not a thread-winner but worth mentioning, **Gary Numan** has over 20 albums but no one outside of direct fans know anything except _Cars_. > **Frank Zappa** has over 60 albums, I pretty much only know him for the ‘yellow snow’ song and I don’t recall ever hearing him on radio lists. Do you know about CTRL-F? 😃 It helps me in threads like these to see if something I’m thinking of posting has been mentioned. Both artists have been listed. Regarding Zappa, he’s been mentioned, but for “Valley Girl.” ---
**Author:** ![TCMF-2L](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tcmf-2l/32/16553_2.png) [@TCMF-2L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TCMF-2L)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2017, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-with-the-most-material-known-only-for-one-song/792324/185 "2017-08-01T16:14:10Z")
> [@drad\_dog](#): > > It must’ve been something in Mojo mag that I misread. Maybe it had to do with a certain year. But there’s Elton and Cliff, so… Mojo certainly like Weller and call him important and influential and so on. In 2015 (for example) they described him as “one of Britain’s greatest living songwriters” so there is all sorts of honorific titles they may have used. TCMF-2L ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2017, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-with-the-most-material-known-only-for-one-song/792324/186 "2017-08-01T17:41:25Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > Dunno if this has gotten discussed along the way, but are we talking about “bands that, due to the passage of time and absurdly winnowed-down “classic rock” playlists, are only known _anymore_ for one song” or “bands that, _even during their heyday_, were known to most people for just one song” ? > > Because there’s a big difference between bands that were big in the 1960s through 1980s that were well known for multiple songs at the time (Traffic, Chicago, Jethro Tull, Yes, Rush), but only get airplay for a song or two anymore, and bands that even at their peak were only widely known for that one song (Golden Earring, Blues Traveler). > > Of course the bands in the first category are likely to have produced a great deal of music; you’d expect that. But it’s quite a surprise to find out that Golden Earring has put out 26 albums. I bet if you were dutch it wouldn’t be such a surprise though. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2017, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-with-the-most-material-known-only-for-one-song/792324/187 "2017-08-01T18:16:51Z")
I’m open to correction, but I\* think\* these two groups were one-hit-wonders in the US, but released numerous albums that were well-known in Europe/Australia: Shocking Blue (Netherlands) \> “Venus” Easybeats (Australia) \> “Friday On My Mind” ---
**Author:** ![Sterling\_Archer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Sterling\_Archer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sterling_Archer)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2017, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-with-the-most-material-known-only-for-one-song/792324/188 "2017-08-01T18:38:55Z")
Ricky Martin apparently has a bunch of albums. All I know is Livin la Vida Loca. ---
**Author:** ![Temper70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e19b73/32.png) [@Temper70](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Temper70)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2017, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-with-the-most-material-known-only-for-one-song/792324/189 "2017-08-01T21:46:20Z")
Did I miss any mention of **DEVO**? Although I’m a huge fan and listen to their entire collection, I’d find it hard to believe most people would know anything other than their hit song “ **Whip It** ”. . . they released 9 studio albums. . . . . . ---
**Author:** ![GargoyleWB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gargoylewb/32/199_2.png) [@GargoyleWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GargoyleWB)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2017, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-with-the-most-material-known-only-for-one-song/792324/190 "2017-08-01T21:54:37Z")
> [@x-ray\_vision](#): > > Do you know about CTRL-F? 😃 It helps me in threads like these to see if something I’m thinking of posting has been mentioned. Both artists have been listed… My thoughts are original and mine alone! You can’t take that away from me, my mind belongs to me, free will, overcome! _throws water cooler through window and runs off across the fields_ ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2017, 11:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-with-the-most-material-known-only-for-one-song/792324/191 "2017-08-02T11:15:24Z")
Some Americans are aware of several **Jam** songs, mainly the ones that were featured in early MTV videos (“A Town Called Malice” and “The Bitterest Pill”). But it’s true that very few Americans know about Weller’s solo career. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2017, 11:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-with-the-most-material-known-only-for-one-song/792324/192 "2017-08-02T11:18:12Z")
> [@TreacherousCretin](#): > > Easybeats (Australia) \> “Friday On My Mind” Known to some in the US only as a trivia question – the improbable AC/DC connection, so reminiscent of the early Spinal Tap incarnation “The Lovely Lads.” 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Sparky812](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Sparky812](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sparky812)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2017, 11:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-with-the-most-material-known-only-for-one-song/792324/193 "2017-08-02T11:19:19Z")
> [@GargoyleWB](#): > > Not a thread-winner but worth mentioning, **Gary Numan** has over 20 albums but no one outside of direct fans know anything except _Cars_. > **Frank Zappa** has over 60 albums, I pretty much only know him for the ‘yellow snow’ song and I don’t recall ever hearing him on radio lists. I disagree, Gary Numan has to be a front runner for thread winner. The problem with Frank Zappa is… the large majority of people don’t know _anything_ by him. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2017, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-with-the-most-material-known-only-for-one-song/792324/194 "2017-08-02T14:08:14Z")
How about Tom Cochrane and Red Rider? They released a solid half dozen albums with some success (Lunatic Fringe) but barely cracked into the public consciousness outside of Canada. He’s only really known for his solo hit “Life is a Highway” which was released in 1991. ---
**Author:** ![x-ray\_vision](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/x-ray_vision/32/351_2.png) [@x-ray\_vision](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/x-ray_vision)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2017, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-with-the-most-material-known-only-for-one-song/792324/195 "2017-08-02T14:19:13Z")
^ When I started reading your post, I thought your pick was going to be “Lunatic Fringe.” MTV would play the video over and over when I was a teenager. I forgot who even performed “Life is a Highway.” ---
**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 2, 2017, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-with-the-most-material-known-only-for-one-song/792324/196 "2017-08-02T14:22:25Z")
> [@Sterling\_Archer](#): > > Ricky Martin apparently has a bunch of albums. All I know is Livin la Vida Loca. I also remember the song “She Bangs,” although I don’t know how many do. Apparently, he had an even bigger hit (vs “She Bangs,” at least on the general US chart) in “She’s All I Ever Had,” but, listening to it, it doesn’t sound the least bit familiar to me. ---
**Author:** ![Dead\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9fc29f/32.png) [@Dead\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dead_Cat)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2017, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-with-the-most-material-known-only-for-one-song/792324/197 "2017-08-02T17:05:06Z")
Admittedly I’m a Brit with very little music knowledge, but the only _Chicago_ song I know is “Hard to Say I’m Sorry”. Not the most prolific, but in terms of apparent discrepancy between one hit and overall success, from a UK point of view The Eagles are only really known here for “Hotel California”. ---
**Author:** ![divemaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/divemaster/32/78_2.png) [@divemaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/divemaster)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2017, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-with-the-most-material-known-only-for-one-song/792324/198 "2017-08-02T18:28:01Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#): > > I could probably name 100 Yes songs, but many people only know _Roundabout._ > [@Wilson](#): > > I’d argue _Owner of a Lonely Heart_ is just as well known. Ha. This is what came to mind when I saw the thread. I’ve always wondered how \*\*Yes \*\*could be in the Rock HOF with only 3 songs. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2017, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-with-the-most-material-known-only-for-one-song/792324/199 "2017-08-02T20:47:31Z")
> [@divemaster](#): > > Ha. This is what came to mind when I saw the thread. I’ve always wondered how \*\*Yes \*\*could be in the Rock HOF with only 3 songs. 🙂 By being in the minority of 70s acts who actually deserve it? Funny there’s actually only three songs on Close to the Edge. They could have gone in just for that LP. ---
**Author:** ![glowacks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/glowacks/32/5548_2.png) [@glowacks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glowacks)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2017, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-with-the-most-material-known-only-for-one-song/792324/200 "2017-08-02T23:03:33Z")
> [@divemaster](#): > > Ha. This is what came to mind when I saw the thread. I’ve always wondered how \*\*Yes \*\*could be in the Rock HOF with only 3 songs. 🙂 Yes has put out the equivalent of 21 studio albums now (includes 1 double-album and 2 albums that were each only half new studio tracks). They have had 11 singles chart in the full US charts. On the US rock charts that apparently started in the 80s, they had multiple #1s. and many more Top 10s, including some I’ve never heard of. (Obviously since I wrote this post I’m a fairly decent fan of theirs) As mentioned above, “Wonderous Stories” was their biggest hit in their native England, their only top 10. “Owner” only hit 28, but was #1 in the US (and their only US top 10). Roundabout hit #13 in the US. > **[Yes discography](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yes_discography)** > > This is a discography of the English progressive rock band Yes. Over the course of their career they have released 23 studio albums, 18 live albums, 15 compilation albums, 44 singles, and 23 videos. > > Members of Yes have collaborated in a number of other albums and singles. The list includes releases with at least three (current or former) Yes members, and excludes releases by the Yes offshoots Yes Featuring Jon Anderson, Trevor Rabin, Rick Wakeman and Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-with-the-most-material-known-only-for-one-song/792324.md?page=9) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-with-the-most-material-known-only-for-one-song/792324.md?page=11)