# 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:** 10\ **Page:** 12
**Author:** ![Blindmellowjelly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blindmellowjelly/32/13920_2.png) [@Blindmellowjelly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blindmellowjelly)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2023, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-one-hit-wonders-generally-know-theyre-one-hit-wonders/983655/221 "2023-05-18T03:43:18Z")
Pocketfull of Rainbows. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/Y4V5etbOmpU/maxresdefault.jpg "Pocket Full of Rainbows") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4V5etbOmpU) ---
**Author:** ![Blindmellowjelly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blindmellowjelly/32/13920_2.png) [@Blindmellowjelly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blindmellowjelly)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2023, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-one-hit-wonders-generally-know-theyre-one-hit-wonders/983655/222 "2023-05-18T04:15:06Z")
That’s my favorite “War” tune. From the yaer of my birth. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/4-Xs7NK-7B8/maxresdefault.jpg "Eric Burdon & War - Spill The Wine (1970)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-Xs7NK-7B8) ---
**Author:** ![Blindmellowjelly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blindmellowjelly/32/13920_2.png) [@Blindmellowjelly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blindmellowjelly)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2023, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-one-hit-wonders-generally-know-theyre-one-hit-wonders/983655/223 "2023-05-18T04:20:13Z")
“Liebfraumilch”. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2023, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-one-hit-wonders-generally-know-theyre-one-hit-wonders/983655/224 "2023-05-18T15:55:40Z")
> [@dorvann](#): > > The mention of Slade and Quiet Riot makes me wonder when a band like Quiet Riot covers another artist’s song like they did with “Cum on Feel the Noiz” who gets the royalties when the Quiet Riot version is replayed? My understanding is that the songwriter gets a royalty every time the song is played on the radio. The performer, surprisingly, does not. (The songwriter also gets a fixed fee from the performer when the song is recorded.) Performers get their money from record sales (or CD’s or cassettes). They get a percentage of the sale price. This simple formula (assuming I have it right) leaves a lot of areas uncovered. What happens when a song is played in a movie, for example? Does it matter whether the movie is being shown in a theater or sold on a DVD? Does a songwriter get paid when a performer sings their song at a concert? Who gets paid when a song is played on a streaming service? ---
**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 18, 2023, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-one-hit-wonders-generally-know-theyre-one-hit-wonders/983655/225 "2023-05-18T16:04:51Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > In the case of “Cum On Feel the Noize,” it was written by two members of Slade (Noddy Holder and Jim Lea); depending on who actually currently owns the rights to the song itself, either the two of them would get a residual for its play (by any artist), or the rights holder would. Not that Noddy and Jim need it; they usually get a gazillion every year from their Chrismas hit (Merry Xmas Everybody) because it is constantly played in December. Dave Hill and Don Powell don’t get quite as much, and were still touring until recently. ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2023, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-one-hit-wonders-generally-know-theyre-one-hit-wonders/983655/226 "2023-05-18T16:16:30Z")
I believe the performers get paid when their recording is used in a movie, commercial, video game etc. Which I assume is why sometimes you will hear a different recording other than the well-known one. At least with older TV shows , the rights for the original broadcast and syndication and streaming are all separate - this is why certain TV shows were not syndicated and aren’t streamed , while other shows have different theme songs on streaming services. In fact , I think the theme song for “Parenthood” was different on different services - one service ( Hulu, I think ) had “Forever Young” , the one used when it was first broadcast while other services used a completely different song. ---
**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 18, 2023, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-one-hit-wonders-generally-know-theyre-one-hit-wonders/983655/227 "2023-05-18T22:00:44Z")
That’s why Beatles songs are so seldom used in other media. The reputed fee for their use is astronomical. Other groups are merely expensive. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2023, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-one-hit-wonders-generally-know-theyre-one-hit-wonders/983655/228 "2023-05-19T02:15:38Z")
It’s life changing for a song writer/performer when there song is used in a popular movie or tv show. ---
**Author:** ![FeRDNYC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ferdnyc/32/14000_2.png) [@FeRDNYC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FeRDNYC)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2023, 8:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-one-hit-wonders-generally-know-theyre-one-hit-wonders/983655/229 "2023-05-19T08:36:51Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > > [@SwissMan](#): > > > > This is known as the Reverse McLean Stevenson. > > Another good example is Vanna White. See Also: Kenan Thompson, who has been camped out at SNL for… 20(!) years, now — longer than any other performer by well over 100 episodes / ~5 years. He just showed up one day in 2003 and never left, basically. Which… you know, good for him. He seems to be perfectly happy with that job as his stable long-term career, and clearly has no plans to leave until they either fire him or cancel the show. (Or he retires, I suppose.) ---
**Author:** ![Hippy\_Hollow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hippy_hollow/32/4841_2.png) [@Hippy\_Hollow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hippy_Hollow)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2023, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-one-hit-wonders-generally-know-theyre-one-hit-wonders/983655/230 "2023-06-08T15:13:40Z")
Reminds me of The Clash’s music being used to sell jeans… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-one-hit-wonders-generally-know-theyre-one-hit-wonders/983655.md?page=11)