# One-Hit Wonders that are actually anywhere near wonderful. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 17, 2010, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-hit-wonders-that-are-actually-anywhere-near-wonderful/547030 "2010-07-17T13:40:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Dickerman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8baadc/32.png) [@Dickerman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dickerman)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2010, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-hit-wonders-that-are-actually-anywhere-near-wonderful/547030/61 "2010-07-22T20:49:36Z")
“Radar Love” by Golden Earring. ---
**Author:** ![DChord568](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@DChord568](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DChord568)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2010, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-hit-wonders-that-are-actually-anywhere-near-wonderful/547030/62 "2010-07-22T20:52:33Z")
> [@cjepson](#): > > I’ve got the LP… pretty good, but for me, nothing else on it approaches “Go Back”. The band did put out one more LP, _Rotten to the Core_, which I don’t have. Meant to comment on this when it came up earlier. Crabby Appleton is the poster child for the “first album great, follow-up album terrible” syndrome. I like “Go Back” a lot, but most of the rest of Crabby Appleton’s debut album is melodic, harmony-based rock, including some lovely ballads. Most of it is great, and I like the album tracks just as much as the single, but in a different way. Never in the history of rock has an album been more aptly named than CA’s second one. It’s boring, boogie arena rock of the worst possible type. ---
**Author:** ![whitetho](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whitetho/32/1059_2.png) [@whitetho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whitetho)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2010, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-hit-wonders-that-are-actually-anywhere-near-wonderful/547030/63 "2010-07-22T21:18:59Z")
> [@Dickerman](#): > > “Radar Love” by Golden Earring. Radar Love reached #13 in the U.S., but they had an even bigger hit, #10, with Twilight Zone, which still gets extensive airplay. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2010, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-hit-wonders-that-are-actually-anywhere-near-wonderful/547030/64 "2010-07-22T21:39:41Z")
> [@whitetho](#): > > Radar Love reached #13 in the U.S., but they had an even bigger hit, #10, with Twilight Zone, which still gets extensive airplay. I thought Twilight Zone and Lunatic Fringe by Red Rider were the same song, lol. They both remind me of Fleetwood Mac. I see Red Rider never broke the top 40 in the US. [Red Rider - Lunatic Fringe](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xp9852hq0W0) ---
**Author:** ![Baal\_Houtham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baal_houtham/32/13604_2.png) [@Baal\_Houtham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baal_Houtham)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2010, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-hit-wonders-that-are-actually-anywhere-near-wonderful/547030/65 "2010-07-22T21:57:41Z")
> [@DChord568](#): > > Crabby Appleton is the poster child for the “first album great, follow-up album terrible” syndrome. > > I like “Go Back” a lot, but most of the rest of Crabby Appleton’s debut album is melodic, harmony-based rock, including some lovely ballads. Now that it’s mentioned I remember seeing reviews of “Rotten”. Never saw or bought it though. On the debut album “Try” seems like the logical follow-up to “Go Back”, and I like it about as well. I’ve no idea if it was released as a single. In the lovely ballad category, I’m hearing “Probably So” in my head now, and can recall “Catherine” with no trouble. CA was notable for having a Latin percussionist featured on several of the album tracks. You couldn’t have guessed that from only hearing “Go Back.” ---
**Author:** ![Grumman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/43a26b/32.png) [@Grumman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grumman)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2010, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-hit-wonders-that-are-actually-anywhere-near-wonderful/547030/66 "2010-07-22T22:05:37Z")
Thanks to _Saints Row 2_, I’ve become quite a fan of “Gangsta Bitch” by Apache. He only released one album, with only one hit, as I discovered when I looked on Wikipedia to see what else he’d done. ---
**Author:** ![Nzinga\_Seated](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b5ac83/32.png) [@Nzinga\_Seated](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nzinga_Seated)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2010, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-hit-wonders-that-are-actually-anywhere-near-wonderful/547030/67 "2010-07-22T22:23:47Z")
> [@MTCicero](#): > > Love the tune. Unfortunately, I don’t think Slick Rick qualifies at all as a one hit wonder, as he’s had [more](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HjNTu8jdukA) [than](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ea-ezolZq5k) [one](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=greKNLhdlNw). Yeah, that was a strange submission, because La Di Da Di was actually when he was with Doug E. Fresh and the Get Fresh Crew. After that, he released a very successful solo album with several hits. Now that I think of it, even Doug E. doesn’t qualify as a one hit wonder, because the flip side of La Di Da Di was another hit, The Show. ---
**Author:** ![pepperlandgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f17d59/32.png) [@pepperlandgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pepperlandgirl)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2010, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-hit-wonders-that-are-actually-anywhere-near-wonderful/547030/68 "2010-07-22T22:58:33Z")
For my money, The Verve’s **Bittersweet Symphony** easily wins this contest. It’s a great song lyrically and musically and it really captures the feel of the 90s. ---
**Author:** ![Rrose\_Selavy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bcef8e/32.png) [@Rrose\_Selavy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rrose_Selavy)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2010, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-hit-wonders-that-are-actually-anywhere-near-wonderful/547030/69 "2010-07-23T00:12:17Z")
> [@pepperlandgirl](#): > > For my money, The Verve’s **Bittersweet Symphony** easily wins this contest. It’s a great song lyrically and musically and it really captures the feel of the 90s. Pity the best part of it is not original. ---
**Author:** ![tnetennba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tnetennba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tnetennba)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2010, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-hit-wonders-that-are-actually-anywhere-near-wonderful/547030/70 "2010-07-23T00:34:14Z")
I assume you mean the catchy violin bit. What’s it from? ---
**Author:** ![tnetennba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tnetennba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tnetennba)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2010, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-hit-wonders-that-are-actually-anywhere-near-wonderful/547030/71 "2010-07-23T00:37:51Z")
Never mind, looked it up. Sounds like they got screwed. ---
**Author:** ![Rrose\_Selavy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bcef8e/32.png) [@Rrose\_Selavy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rrose_Selavy)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2010, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-hit-wonders-that-are-actually-anywhere-near-wonderful/547030/72 "2010-07-23T00:45:25Z")
> [@cricetus](#): > > I assume you mean the catchy violin bit. What’s it from? > **[Bitter Sweet Symphony](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bitter_Sweet_Symphony#Song_credits)** > > "Bitter Sweet Symphony" is a song by the English rock band the Verve, released on 16 June 1997 by Hut Recordings and Virgin Records as the lead single from their third album, Urban Hymns. It was produced by Youth at Olympic Studios, London. > The Verve developed "Bitter Sweet Symphony" from a sample from a 1965 version of the Rolling Stones song "The Last Time" by the Andrew Oldham Orchestra, adding vocals, strings, guitar and percussion. After a lawsuit by the Rolling Stones' former manager, Al... ---
**Author:** ![jackelope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a6a055/32.png) [@jackelope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackelope)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2010, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-hit-wonders-that-are-actually-anywhere-near-wonderful/547030/73 "2010-07-23T01:02:34Z")
I consider [Walking on Sunshine](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eONhto0x_nI) to be just about a perfect pop song. Apparently Katrina and the Waves had a comeback had in the late 90s though, so maybe it doesn’t count. ---
**Author:** ![Rrose\_Selavy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bcef8e/32.png) [@Rrose\_Selavy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rrose_Selavy)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2010, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-hit-wonders-that-are-actually-anywhere-near-wonderful/547030/74 "2010-07-23T18:41:01Z")
It was all going so smooth and romantic .Then Larry had to mention cancer… [Floaters - Float on](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvAmTkJmT5c) ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2010, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-hit-wonders-that-are-actually-anywhere-near-wonderful/547030/75 "2010-07-23T20:09:26Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > …How about Wet Willie, Keep on Smiling? Wet Willie also had a 1978 hit in “Street Corner Serenade,” so I’m not sure they qualify as a OHW. Another vote for Chumbawamba’s “Tubthumping,” though. Love that song. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-hit-wonders-that-are-actually-anywhere-near-wonderful/547030.md?page=3)