“Todd in the Shadows” has a Youtube “One Hit Wonder” series, although his definition is acts generally known (in the US) for only one song, which allows inclusion for groups like Men Without Hats, which had two U.S. Billboard Top 20 Hits (“Safety Dance” and “Pop Goes the World”), as well acts with zero top 40 hits (including Modern English, “I Melt With You”) and Butthole Surfers (“Pepper”)).
In general, according to his reviews, in most cases the acts clearly hoped for more hits. The exceptions that I remember are the Butthole Surfers and Gregg Alexander, lead singer of The New Radicals.
The latest video covers the career of Tony Burrows, who had no personal hits, but was the lead singer for five one hit wonder groups: Edison Lighthouse, Brotherhood of Man, White Plains, The Pipkins, and The First Class.
Interestingly, that article spends a great deal of time discussing Carly Rae Jepsen, who I mentioned above as drawing a large audience even a decade after her hit.
Or, as another example for the second type: Frank Zappa. He released 62 albums during his lifetime, and released dozens of singles, but only had one top-40 song: “Valley Girl.”
I was surprised to find out, many years later, that the Katrina guitarist that wrote that song was none other than Kimberly Rew of The Soft Boys. Not a band (or individual in the case of Robyn Hitchcock) that one identifies with light-hearted, optimistic pop.
As others have pointed out, she had a few other songs hit the Top 40. “Lay Down” features the Edwin Hawkins Singers, who really made the song great. That song was about her thoughts on Woodstock, at which she appeared.
Melanie was actually taken somewhat seriously as a singer/songwriter before “Brand New Key” ruined her career. It was a novelty song she recorded as a throwaway album track, which the record company released as a single against her wishes.
She was never in the league of a Joni Mitchell or Carly Simon, but she was a lot better than that one song, which everyone heard so much they hated it, and by extension, her.
Maybe my favorite one-hit wonder is Steve Forbert. His song was Romeo’s Tune . He’s still touring. I saw him in concert. It was free concert at a park in Nashville. It had a lot of artists that I haven’t heard before. The headliners were Steve Forbert and Leigh Nash from Sixpence None the Richer (basically a one-hit wonder). Steve Forbert was nominated for a Grammy in 2004 in the Best Traditional Folk category.
He has enough material for a concert. The finale was Romeo’s Tune.
I did watch it. He was talking about how they came up with the song. But it’s nonsense to consider War one-hit wonder or that Low Rider was their first hit (they had three gold singles at that point).
“I never believed it would still be Playing, today.” To paraphrase, none of us thought any of our music would, it was too different, Now, I just call it unique.
That’s interesting. War had four singles that charted as well or better than Low Rider, including “The Cisco Kid,” which hit #2. Low Rider only made it to #7. The only song I recognize of theirs outside “Low Rider” is “Why Can’t We Be Friends,” which made it to #6. I grew up in the 80s, though. But, yeah, there’s no way they can be considered a OHW with a resume like that.
Personally, I use the definition of a one hit wonder being an artist who makes the top 40 once and never again. It’s not a statement of talent or success, the Grateful Dead were a very successful bad, but since they only had one top 40 hit they’re a one hit wonder.
Just chimed in to wonder why people are calling the Knack a one hit wonder when two of the songs on Get the Knack were clearly hits when they came out in 79. Sure, My Sharona has legs and is still making good money for them, but 17 year old me remembers Good Girls Don’t and the significant amount of airplay it had. They are a two hit wonder people!