# Do one hit wonders generally know they're one hit wonders? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [May 6, 2023, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-one-hit-wonders-generally-know-theyre-one-hit-wonders/983655 "2023-05-06T04:09:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 10
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2023, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-one-hit-wonders-generally-know-theyre-one-hit-wonders/983655/181 "2023-05-14T18:23:37Z")
> [@Pork\_Rind](#): > > AMA I don’t know what you mean by AMA. The member who died in 2022 is Mike Rabon. I presume you mean that he was the one who posted as aha. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2023, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-one-hit-wonders-generally-know-theyre-one-hit-wonders/983655/182 "2023-05-14T18:47:05Z")
I’m betting “AMA” is “Ask Me Anything” which was a style of Q&A thread that used to happen more often than it does now. ---
**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:** [May 14, 2023, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-one-hit-wonders-generally-know-theyre-one-hit-wonders/983655/183 "2023-05-14T19:23:02Z")
Correct. I’m mobile right now, or I’d post the link. He had a lot of really interesting stories, being at the front row for a lot of the strangeness that was is pop and rock scene of the 60s. He was present for the infamous Led Zeppelin mud shark incident! ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2023, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-one-hit-wonders-generally-know-theyre-one-hit-wonders/983655/184 "2023-05-15T03:36:39Z")
> [@eburacum45](#): > > Never heard of Quiet Riot, but in the UK the writers (Slade) were massive. They had 6 number ones, including a Christmas song which must still pay their bills. Slade had a song that was played on MTV back in the day, “Run Runaway.” I don’t remember how successful it was, but it’s one of those songs I’d hear, vaguely remember, and have no idea who sang it. If it weren’t for Youtube, I don’t know if I ever would have found out who sang it. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2023, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-one-hit-wonders-generally-know-theyre-one-hit-wonders/983655/185 "2023-05-15T04:05:17Z")
> [@Odesio](#): > > Slade had a song that was played on MTV back in the day, “Run Runaway.” It reached #20 in the U.S., and was their biggest hit here; their only other top-40 U.S. song was “My Oh My.” Most music fans in the U.S. would probably consider Slade to be one-hit wonders, making them another example along the lines of a-ha or Golden Earring: hugely successful in their home countries, and elsewhere in Europe, but only one or two breakthrough songs here. Quiet Riot’s covers of “Cum On Feel the Noize” and “Mamma Weer All Crazee Now” did far better in the U.S. than the Slade originals did – Slade’s recordings of those songs reached #98 and #76, respectively. ---
**Author:** ![mordecaiB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mordecaib/32/7725_2.png) [@mordecaiB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mordecaiB)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2023, 6:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-one-hit-wonders-generally-know-theyre-one-hit-wonders/983655/186 "2023-05-15T06:59:44Z")
> [@Odesio](#): > > I’m hard pressed to think how anyone who was into metal at all in the 80s would have missed “Bang Your Head,” especially since it had mainstream success making it to #1 on the Billboard charts here in the US. The number one album status seems more likely to be because of _Cum On Feel The Noise_, which peaked at #5 rather than _Metal Health_, which peaked at #37. Or I could be getting senile. 🙂 Here’s the AMA thread. IIRC, he was Mike Rabon, but don’t take any bets on it. > [@Ask the aging rock star](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-aging-rock-star/23239): > > Ok, we ( The Five Americans) weren’t the Rolling Stones or Beatles but we did have 5 chart records from 1965 to 1968… One record Western Union ,released in April 67, went to number three in billboard and sold a million plus copies. We toured with groups like The Rascals, Strawberry Alarm Clock, Paul Revere and The Raiders, Beach Boys and Buffalo Springfield. We appeared on Dick Clark’s Bandstand twice, on Clark’s location show “Where the Action is” four times and the Steve Allen Show. We also di… ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2023, 9:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-one-hit-wonders-generally-know-theyre-one-hit-wonders/983655/187 "2023-05-15T09:30:46Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > Frank Zappa. He released 62 albums during his lifetime, and released dozens of singles, but only had one top-40 song: “Valley Girl.” I recall an interview with him where he said that, although he liked the song, the “Top 40” success of Valley Girl actually annoyed him. ---
**Author:** ![eburacum45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eburacum45/32/8690_2.png) [@eburacum45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eburacum45)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2023, 10:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-one-hit-wonders-generally-know-theyre-one-hit-wonders/983655/188 "2023-05-15T10:13:25Z")
> [@Odesio](#): > > Slade had a song that was played on MTV back in the day, “Run Runaway.” I don’t remember how successful it was, but it’s one of those songs I’d hear, vaguely remember, and have no idea who sang it. If it weren’t for Youtube, I don’t know if I ever would have found out who sang it. In the UK Slade are regarded as National Treasures, like Judi Dench and Barbara Windsor. They regret not breaking big in America, but it hasn’t impacted their fame back home. Most of this fame is attributable to Noddy Holder, who is a much-larger-than-life character, and an easy target for impressionists. ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2023, 11:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-one-hit-wonders-generally-know-theyre-one-hit-wonders/983655/189 "2023-05-15T11:10:29Z")
Weird Al definitely does not qualify. From Wikipedia: With “[Word Crimes](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Word_Crimes)” from _Mandatory Fun_ debuting at No. 39 on the [Billboard Hot 100](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billboard_Hot_100) in 2014, Yankovic became the third musical artist after Michael Jackson and Madonna to have a song in the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100 over each decade since the 1980s, his other Top 40 songs being “Eat It”, “Smells Like Nirvana”, and “White & Nerdy”.[[152]] (["Weird Al" Yankovic - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%22Weird_Al%22_Yankovic#cite_note-bb2-152)) Brian ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2023, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-one-hit-wonders-generally-know-theyre-one-hit-wonders/983655/190 "2023-05-15T13:49:57Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > I recall an interview with him where he said that, although he liked the song, the “Top 40” success of Valley Girl actually annoyed him. Jani Lane of Warrant regretted that “Cherry Pie” became the song the band is most remembered for. It wasn’t even their biggest hit, “Heaven” reached #2 on the charts in 1989 and “Cherry Pie” peaked at #10 in 1990. It’s not fair to remember Warant as a one hit wonder, but I think a lot of people who aren’t into hair metal are going to remember “Cherry Pie.” I expect a lot of artists have mixed feelings about their one hit. That hit might provide the artist with a pretty nice standard of living, but they might not have particularly cared for it to begin or might grow to resent it. Radiohead doesn’t particularly care for “Creep” which was their biggest hit in the U.S. ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2023, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-one-hit-wonders-generally-know-theyre-one-hit-wonders/983655/191 "2023-05-15T13:51:20Z")
> [@eburacum45](#): > > In the UK Slade are regarded as National Treasures, like Judi Dench and Barbara Windsor. They regret not breaking big in America, but it hasn’t impacted their fame back home. Most of this fame is attributable to Noddy Holder, who is a much-larger-than-life character, and an easy target for impressionists. I thought Noddy was Dr. Who dressed like that in the “Run Runaway” video. We Americans are somewhat myopic when it comes to entertainment often forgetting that just because someone isn’t big here doesn’t mean they’re not huge elsewhere. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2023, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-one-hit-wonders-generally-know-theyre-one-hit-wonders/983655/192 "2023-05-15T13:59:43Z")
> [@N9IWP](#): > > Weird Al definitely does not qualify. I think the problem is more that the term “one-hit wonder” is useless. Yes, he had songs in that music chart repeatedly over decades. No, none of them were really in the top. He’s an artist who consistently appeals to the same sort of people without ever quite appealing to the majority of people. ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2023, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-one-hit-wonders-generally-know-theyre-one-hit-wonders/983655/193 "2023-05-15T16:15:37Z")
Another example of someone who literally fits the definition of OHW, but no one would seriously call that: Willie Nelson (“On the Road Again”). I have a friend-of-a-friend-of-a-friend connection to someone who used to be in the prototypical OHW group: Dexy’s Midnight Runners. If I ever run into him I’ll ask his opinion on the OP. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2023, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-one-hit-wonders-generally-know-theyre-one-hit-wonders/983655/194 "2023-05-15T16:21:10Z")
> [@jsc1953](#): > > Another example of someone who literally fits the definition of OHW, but no one would seriously call that: Willie Nelson (“On the Road Again”). “Always On My Mind”. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2023, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-one-hit-wonders-generally-know-theyre-one-hit-wonders/983655/195 "2023-05-15T16:30:53Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > “Always On My Mind”. Indeed. Nelson had four songs, as a solo artist, that made the mainstream top 40: “Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain,” “On the Road Again,” “Always On My Mind,” and “Let It Be Me,” plus two top 40 songs from collaborations: “Good Hearted Woman” and “To All the Girls I’ve Loved Before” (and, also, “Mammas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys,” which went to #42). ---
**Author:** ![eburacum45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eburacum45/32/8690_2.png) [@eburacum45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eburacum45)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2023, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-one-hit-wonders-generally-know-theyre-one-hit-wonders/983655/196 "2023-05-15T17:27:18Z")
> [@jsc1953](#): > > I have a friend-of-a-friend-of-a-friend connection to someone who used to be in the prototypical OHW group: Dexy’s Midnight Runners. If I ever run into him I’ll ask his opinion on the OP. Once again, the Dexys had several hits in the UK, including Geno and Jackie Wilson Said (a Van Morrison cover). Here they are performing Jackie Wilson Said, with a big picture of darts player Jockey Wilson in the background. [![](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/static/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2012/3/27/1332871526089/Dexys-Midnight-Runners-008.jpg?width=620&quality=45&dpr=2&s=none) ](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/static/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2012/3/27/1332871526089/Dexys-Midnight-Runners-008.jpg?width=620&quality=45&dpr=2&s=none) ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2023, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-one-hit-wonders-generally-know-theyre-one-hit-wonders/983655/197 "2023-05-15T17:33:17Z")
Holder wore a denim jacket and pants. Jim Lea, the bassist, wore the Who-ish top hat and long coat. “Run Runaway” is one of the great rock songs. The drumming and guitar stand with the best of any decade, and stood out in the synth world of the 80s. The video could have been shot upside down and backwards and MTV would still have put it in heavy rotation. The song naturally went to #1 on the Album Rock Tracks list. Singles? What are singles? ---
**Author:** ![sciurophobic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cab0a1/32.png) [@sciurophobic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sciurophobic)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2023, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-one-hit-wonders-generally-know-theyre-one-hit-wonders/983655/198 "2023-05-15T18:45:44Z")
They make me think of Status Quo, who are also huge in the UK, but have only one Top 40 hit in the U.S. (“Pictures of Matchstick Men”) ---
**Author:** ![eburacum45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eburacum45/32/8690_2.png) [@eburacum45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eburacum45)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2023, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-one-hit-wonders-generally-know-theyre-one-hit-wonders/983655/199 "2023-05-15T18:53:59Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > Jim Lea, the bassist, wore the Who-ish top hat and long coat. Looks more like Dave Hill, to me. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2023, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-one-hit-wonders-generally-know-theyre-one-hit-wonders/983655/200 "2023-05-15T21:47:20Z")
On second look, you’re right. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-one-hit-wonders-generally-know-theyre-one-hit-wonders/983655.md?page=9) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-one-hit-wonders-generally-know-theyre-one-hit-wonders/983655.md?page=11)