Mandy certainly did not chart in Holland the first time around, when it made #1 in the USA. Did they re-release it after copacabana? I don’t recollect that.
Permission to immigrate humbly requested. I don’t care what kind of music you’ve got instead. I don’t even care if Barry had two hits instead of just one. Here’s what matters: I want my children to grow up in a country where Barry Manilow is not an ever-present shadow on the soul of the populace.
And Superdude and Munch, I became a teenager in 1986 and I remember all the songs pldennison cited, even though I rarely listened to the radio or watched MTV. (Of course, this may be attributable to my older sister’s music obsession. But still.)
Just to stay on topic, here’s some one-hit wonders that I recall, although I’m willing to be corrected.
“Love Plus One” by Haircut 100
“I Want Candy” by Bow Wow Wow
“Whisper to a Scream” by Icicle Works
“Boyz in the Hood” by Dynamite Hack (?) - but only if we’re allowed to submit much more recent ones; how much time do they get to prove they aren’t?
This is harder than I thought it would be - I can think of plenty of bands who only really had one song but never charted even with that.
I believe that would be Anton Karras, the only zither player to have a #1 hit…or even a Top 100 appearance as far as I know
Len - “Steal My Sunshine”
Even though it was only 2 years ago when it was released, but based on their other music, I’d say this is the only thing they’ll ever chart. My best friend is still trying to give away the CD, but no takers.
Others:
Rockwell - Somebody’s Watching Me (Just thinking about that video still creeps me out)
Giuffria - Call to the Heart
Hold Your Head Up - Argent
I know the OP wants “bands that sang 'em,” but there were a few instrumentals:
Wipe Out, by the Surfaris
Popcorn, by Hot Butter. Yes, they tried again with “Percolator,” but their novelty was long gone by then.
Also Sprach Zarathustra (2001), by Deodato
Feels So Good, by Chuck Mangione. He may have been on other charts before or since. But in the summer of 1978, you heard him on every Top-40 AM station.
I have nothing to add. I just wanted to note that this would make an excellent .sig.
If you take a strictly literal interpretation of one-hit wonder, Jimi Hendrix qualifies. “Purple Haze” was his only single to make the US Top 40. Then again, with a strict interpretation, The Ramones are a no-hit wonder, which is just a travesty.
The Romantics were a 2-hit wonder. “Talking in Your Sleep” was huge in the summer of 1983. One of the first videos to provoke outcry and handwringing about how sexist MTV was. (This was back in the days when MTV actually showed videos.)
Come on, it was just a room full of models in skimpy lingerie pretending to be sleeping while standing up. What’s wrong with that?
Fun fact. Wipe Out was the B-side of the “real” single “Surfer Joe”, which only reached #62. “Wipe Out” hit #2.
Let’s see… who can I remember…
King Missile “Detachable Penis” was more of a novelty hit, and I doubt it charted.
Oooh oooh!! Men Without Hats - “Safety Dance”!! Can’t believe I’m first with this one.
Escape Club - “Wild Wild West”.
Men Without Hats also had “Pop Goes the World,” which was popular but not quite as big as Safety Dance.
Did Tracey Ullman ever have a hit besides “They Don’t Know About Us (They’ve Never Heard of Love)”?
Not sure, but I think as far as U.S. charts, “Heart and Soul” was T’Pau’s only hit. I hated that song when it came out and love it now, it still gets played all the time on the 80’s station here.
Mindbender - Stillwater
D’oh, I’d forgotten that one!
Did Haysi Fantayzee have any other hits besides “Shiny Shiny”?
Does “Send Me an Angel” by ** Real Life** count? The song was a hit twice, once in 1983, and a remix was an even bigger hit chartwise in 1989. So does that make them a one-hit or a two-hit wonder?
Oh, does “Da Da Da” by Trio count? I think they’ve had some other hits in Germany, but this does appear to be the American One-Hit Wonders Thread, so I’m not going to worry about trying to find out. (Also, I don’t know if the song was a hit the first time it came out. If it was, they’re another Real Life-type One-Hit-Times-Two Wonder.)
I don’t know if this has been mentioned, but seeing deepbluesea’s name reminded me of Breakfast at Tiffany’s by Deep Blue Something.
“Take My Breath Away” by Berlin. Awesome tune.
“Voices Carry” by til tuesday
Two from the “Rod Stewart in Drag” hit list:
“Bette Davis Eyes” / Kim Carnes
“Total Eclipse of the Heart” / Bonnie Tyler
And “Gloria” by a woman who’s name I can’t remember and it’s too generic for google.
That would be Laura Branigan. And I remember her videos for ‘Self-Control’ and ‘Spanish Eddie’ as well. But that’s just me and my memory for 80s music videos.
Here’s a few more
Barry McGuire - Eve Of Destruction
The Archies - Sugar Sugar
Norman Greenbaum - Spirit In The Sky
Hamilton, Joe Frank and Reynolds - Don’t Pull Your Love
Strawberry Alarm Clock - Incense And Peppermints
The Trashmen - Surfin’ Bird
Jonathan Edwards - Sunshine Go Away Today
Ides Of March - Vehicle
Scott McKenzie - San Francisco(Be Sure To Wear Some Flowers In Your Hair)
? And The Mysterians - 96 Tears
Joe South - Games People Play
I could go on for a while.
Nope. Had two other hits: A cover of The Miracles’ “More Love,” and a duet with kenny Rogers, “Don’t Fall In Love With A Dreamer.”
Already coverered. Had Top 10 hits before and after “Eclipse.”
{QUOTE}And “Gloria” by a woman who’s name I can’t remember and it’s too generic for google.
[/QUOTE]
Laura Branigan. Had 3 other Top 10 hits in “Solitaire,” “How Am I Supposed To Live Without You” and “Self Control.” Also had at least 3 other Top 40 hits.
“No More Words” was at least a Top 30 hit, and may have charted even higher.
Not that this thread is terribly meaningful in the scheme of things, but can we for the purposes of discussion agree on a definition of “hit” that’s useful. I don’t think anyone with 3 or 4 Top 10 hits can reasonably be called a “one-hit wonder,” even if someone only remembers one of the songs.
“End of the Line” - The Travelling Wilburys
Those guys really had potential.