# "One hit wonders" with pretty decent collections **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 7, 2008, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-hit-wonders-with-pretty-decent-collections/444316 "2008-04-07T15:32:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![freekalette](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/50afbb/32.png) [@freekalette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/freekalette)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2008, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-hit-wonders-with-pretty-decent-collections/444316/21 "2008-04-08T02:47:19Z")
The Knack really was a two-hit wonder (the ever-popular _My Sharona_ and the slightly less-well-known but equally great _Good Girls Don’t_) but both their albums have some great tunes. ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2008, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-hit-wonders-with-pretty-decent-collections/444316/22 "2008-04-08T03:01:40Z")
Not sure if they fit the category entirely, but Cowboy Mouth had one decent hit in the mid-late 90s called “Jenny Says”. A good song, but their catalog is stocked with good songs showing a really interesting mix of sounds. They’re an active touring act, so maybe the radio hit isn’t what they were going for. ---
**Author:** ![Rachael\_Rage](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/71c47a/32.png) [@Rachael\_Rage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachael_Rage)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2008, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-hit-wonders-with-pretty-decent-collections/444316/23 "2008-04-08T04:11:43Z")
[QUOTE=RTFirefly] To simplify: A “one hit wonder” is a recording artist or group that has only one hit, and that hit is the source of most of their fame. [/QUOTE] Thus, I would think **Hanson** would be a shoo-in, but they are nowhere to be found on the list. According to Wikipedia (not that this is a definitive source), they only had one top 10 hit in the U.S.: [QUOTE=Wikipedia] Singles[ul] [li]“MMMBop” (May 1997) #1 U.S., #1 UK, #1 Australia [3] #1 China, #1 Austria, #1 Sweden, #1 New Zealand, #2 Holland, #2 Norway, #4 France, #4 Finland[/li][li]“Where’s the Love” (September 1997) #2 Australia, #4 UK, #5 New Zealand, #8 Finland, #23 Sweden, #24 China, #31 Holland, #37 France, #40 Austria[/li][li] “I Will Come to You” (November 1997) #1 Sweden, #2 Finland, #3 New Zealand, #2 Australia, #4 Norway, #5 UK, #9 China, #9 U.S., #10 Austria, #10 France, #12 Holland[/li][li]“Weird” (March 1998) #4 Finland, #10 New Zealand, #12 Australia, #19 UK, #21 Sweden, #72 Holland, #80 France[/li][li]“Thinking of You” (July 1998) #6 Australia, #6 Finland, #23 UK, #27 New Zealand[/li][li]“If Only” (April 2000) #8 Finland, #9 Australia, #13 Sweden, #15 UK, #17 Norway, #27 New Zealand, #38 Holland, #47 China, #87 France[/li][li]“This Time Around” (July 2000) #20 U.S., #42 Australia[/li][li]“Save Me” (December 2000) #1 Brazil[/li][li]“Penny and Me” (January 2005) #10 UK, #2 UK Independent Chart, #15 UK Download Chart, #28 Ireland, #94 France #99 Germany[/li][li]“Lost Without Each Other” (April 2005) #39 UK[/li][li]“Great Divide” (November 2006, iTunes download only)[/li][li]“Go” (April 2007 - UK) #44 UK, #3 UK Independent Chart[/li][/ul] [/QUOTE] The 14 hours worth of Hanson I have in my iTunes library nearly doubles my Beatles collection and exceeds second-place Metallica by a third. My favorites are **Underneath Acoustic** and several songs off their newest album **The Walk** : _I Am_ and _Something Going Round_ have a lot of interesting stuff going on, and _Running Man_ is almost a perfect pop song (except for that friggin’ fade-out). Their cover of Radiohead’s \*Optimistic \*(off **Live and Electric** ) is killer, but was better live. A lot of people are dismissive of “That MMMBop band” without bothering to give them a listen. But I’m over it. They are a good, solid rock band with a lot of good, solid songs and a few truly brilliant moments per album. That’s good enough for me. ---
**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:** [April 8, 2008, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-hit-wonders-with-pretty-decent-collections/444316/24 "2008-04-08T04:49:39Z")
I was going to take the piss, **Rachael** , but I went to the Wikipedia page and then their official site. It’s funny to see them “all grown up” (I remember when they first came out, it was like the oldest was a teenager and the other two were preadolescents - made for those amusing shots of the gangly eldest one and the two kids). Good for them for keeping true to their music and being positive. It’s cool how they’re all the same height now, heh! And now, my usual rant on this topic: I’ve railed against the “one-hit wonder” label, perhaps because so many of my favorite bands (a-ha, Level 42, Midnight Oil) are considered such. It’s always in a US context - no attention is given to the major English-speaking markets in the world (UK, Canada, Australia/NZ, and Europe). It also places a band or artist in one particular moment, when typically artists grow and change with time. To me, a true one-hit wonder is a band/artist that jumped on a bandwagon fad or trend, pumped out one novelty-type track, and left the music business altogether. (Like the “Shaddap Ya Face” guy.) It’s kind of a pejorative label and I don’t like to see it applied to artists who still manage to make a living performing their music. ---
**Author:** ![Rachael\_Rage](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/71c47a/32.png) [@Rachael\_Rage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachael_Rage)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2008, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-hit-wonders-with-pretty-decent-collections/444316/25 "2008-04-08T05:05:15Z")
[QUOTE=Hippy Hollow] I was going to take the piss, **Rachael** , but I went to the Wikipedia page and then their official site. It’s funny to see them “all grown up” (I remember when they first came out, it was like the oldest was a teenager and the other two were preadolescents - made for those amusing shots of the gangly eldest one and the two kids). Good for them for keeping true to their music and being positive. It’s cool how they’re all the same height now, heh! [/QUOTE] Not to mention they are all married fathers now (Taylor has 3 kids…so far). [QUOTE=Hippy Hollow] To me, a true one-hit wonder is a band/artist that jumped on a bandwagon fad or trend, pumped out one novelty-type track, and left the music business altogether. (Like the “Shaddap Ya Face” guy.) It’s kind of a pejorative label and I don’t like to see it applied to artists who still manage to make a living performing their music. [/QUOTE] Hear, hear. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2008, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-hit-wonders-with-pretty-decent-collections/444316/26 "2008-04-08T06:25:40Z")
**Warren Zevon** ---
**Author:** ![neutron\_star](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/51bf81/32.png) [@neutron\_star](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neutron_star)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2008, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-hit-wonders-with-pretty-decent-collections/444316/27 "2008-04-08T14:19:54Z")
[QUOTE=Hockey Monkey] They are about to release a compilation album, _Dream Theater - Greatest Hit (…and 21 other pretty cool songs)_, on April 1. [/QUOTE] About to? I think you forgot to set your clock forward for Daylight Saving Week. 🙂 I’ll nominate the **Eels**. They hit #39 on the regular singles chart and #1 on the Modern Rock chart in the U.S. with “Novocaine for the Soul” in 1996. Since then, they’ve recorded five albums worth of great music featuring really fun, happy subjects, like suicide and cancer. ---
**Author:** ![Death\_of\_Rats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a6a055/32.png) [@Death\_of\_Rats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Death_of_Rats)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2008, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-hit-wonders-with-pretty-decent-collections/444316/28 "2008-04-08T14:34:33Z")
[QUOTE=Rachael Rage] Thus, I would think **Hanson** would be a shoo-in, but they are nowhere to be found on the list. According to Wikipedia (not that this is a definitive source), they only had one top 10 hit in the U.S.: The 14 hours worth of Hanson I have in my iTunes library nearly doubles my Beatles collection and exceeds second-place Metallica by a third. My favorites are **Underneath Acoustic** and several songs off their newest album **The Walk** : _I Am_ and _Something Going Round_ have a lot of interesting stuff going on, and _Running Man_ is almost a perfect pop song (except for that friggin’ fade-out). Their cover of Radiohead’s \*Optimistic \*(off **Live and Electric** ) is killer, but was better live. A lot of people are dismissive of “That MMMBop band” without bothering to give them a listen. But I’m over it. They are a good, solid rock band with a lot of good, solid songs and a few truly brilliant moments per album. That’s good enough for me. [/QUOTE] To answer your question, your own quote shows 2 top 10 hits in the U.S. “MMMBop” at #1 and “I will come to you” at #9. Also, the ‘one-hit wonder’ label general uses the standard of a song in the U.S. top 40 which also gives them “This time Around” at #20. So they are a 3-hit wonder. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Finagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@Finagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finagle)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2008, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-hit-wonders-with-pretty-decent-collections/444316/29 "2008-04-08T15:05:19Z")
Well, by the fairly loose definition of “One hit wonder” in this thread, you’d have to include Jimmy Buffet. He’s only had a couple of songs do well on the charts (Come Monday and Margaritaville come to mind), but he’s got a heck of a catalog. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2008, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-hit-wonders-with-pretty-decent-collections/444316/30 "2008-04-08T15:33:47Z")
[QUOTE=neutron star] I’ll nominate the **Eels**. They hit #39 on the regular singles chart and #1 on the Modern Rock chart in the U.S. with “Novocaine for the Soul” in 1996. Since then, they’ve recorded five albums worth of great music featuring really fun, happy subjects, like suicide and cancer. [/QUOTE] Maybe this thread should be amended to **US** “One Hit Wonders” because Eels have had a string of hits on this side of the pond, although no number 1 hits. ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2008, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-hit-wonders-with-pretty-decent-collections/444316/31 "2008-04-08T15:49:37Z")
[QUOTE=freekalette] The Knack really was a two-hit wonder (the ever-popular _My Sharona_ and the slightly less-well-known but equally great _Good Girls Don’t_) but both their albums have some great tunes. [/QUOTE] Scooped. Love me some Knack – their albums were filler-free in an age when four good songs could signify a “great album”. ---
**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:** [April 8, 2008, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-hit-wonders-with-pretty-decent-collections/444316/32 "2008-04-08T18:57:34Z")
The Bonzo Dog Band had one hit single, “I’m the The Urban Spaceman”. Timbuk 3 had one hit single, “I Gotta Wear Shades”. ---
**Author:** ![neutron\_star](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/51bf81/32.png) [@neutron\_star](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neutron_star)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2008, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-hit-wonders-with-pretty-decent-collections/444316/33 "2008-04-08T20:21:47Z")
[QUOTE=An Gadaí] Maybe this thread should be amended to **US** “One Hit Wonders” because Eels have had a string of hits on this side of the pond, although no number 1 hits. [/QUOTE] How come every single band I’ve ever liked in my life, no matter where they’re from, has done better in the U.K. than the U.S.? The British have good taste. ---
**Author:** ![Hockey\_Monkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a183cd/32.png) [@Hockey\_Monkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hockey_Monkey)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2008, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-hit-wonders-with-pretty-decent-collections/444316/34 "2008-04-08T20:42:43Z")
[QUOTE=neutron star] About to? I think you forgot to set your clock forward for Daylight Saving Week. 🙂 I’ll nominate the **Eels**. They hit #39 on the regular singles chart and #1 on the Modern Rock chart in the U.S. with “Novocaine for the Soul” in 1996. Since then, they’ve recorded five albums worth of great music featuring really fun, happy subjects, like suicide and cancer. [/QUOTE] Heh, I’m still operating in a May mindset. 😃_makes a note to go pick up the album now that it is out_ ---
**Author:** ![Only\_Mostly\_Dead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/f19dbf/32.png) [@Only\_Mostly\_Dead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Only_Mostly_Dead)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2008, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-hit-wonders-with-pretty-decent-collections/444316/35 "2008-04-08T21:03:17Z")
As I was reading the thread, Shawn Mullins came up on my iPod. And not “Lullaby.” I have two solid albums from him (Soul’s Core and Beneath the Velvet Sun). The former has hardly any missteps, and the latter is full of good tracks, too. I haven’t gotten any of his others yet, but a quick search tells me there are ten albums of original material (and two compilations). Only Soul’s Core charted. ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2008, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-hit-wonders-with-pretty-decent-collections/444316/36 "2008-04-08T21:05:25Z")
[QUOTE=Miller] **Marcy Playground** only ever had one hit, with “Sex and Candy,” but I’ve enjoyed all three of their albums quite a bit. [/QUOTE] I came in here just to say that. I play the album _Marcy Playground_ frequently. It really is a great album. But hardly anyone would know anything other than _Sex and Candy_ (which is a great song, too.) But my favorite tracks from the album are _Poppies_ and _Dog and his Master._ Also, _Ancient Walls of Flowers_ sounds like a Jack Johnson song, four years before Jack Johnson released his first album. ---
**Author:** ![malkavia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malkavia/32/5621_2.png) [@malkavia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/malkavia)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2008, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-hit-wonders-with-pretty-decent-collections/444316/37 "2008-04-08T21:22:46Z")
**Candlebox** ’s self-titled album was one of my favorite. I’ve heard 3 **Loreena McKennit** albums and didn’t realize she was considered a one-hit wonder. I bought the \*\*Nine Days \*\* cd for the Story of a Girl song, but ended up loving just about every other song even more. I agree on **Better Than Ezra** and highly recommend a song of theirs called “At the Stars” And last, but certainly not least, \*\*The Eels \*\* are an amazing band. Holy cow, I love The Eels. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2008, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-hit-wonders-with-pretty-decent-collections/444316/38 "2008-04-08T23:59:52Z")
[QUOTE=neutron star] How come every single band I’ve ever liked in my life, no matter where they’re from, has done better in the U.K. than the U.S.? The British have good taste. [/QUOTE] I don’t have the stats but I reckon they were or are bigger (per capita) in Ireland than in the UK or US. Alot of American “indie” gets popular here even when it isn’t so well known at home. ---
**Author:** ![Rachael\_Rage](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/71c47a/32.png) [@Rachael\_Rage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachael_Rage)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2008, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-hit-wonders-with-pretty-decent-collections/444316/39 "2008-04-09T02:44:15Z")
[QUOTE=Death of Rats] To answer your question, your own quote shows 2 top 10 hits in the U.S. “MMMBop” at #1 and “I will come to you” at #9. Also, the ‘one-hit wonder’ label general uses the standard of a song in the U.S. top 40 which also gives them “This time Around” at #20. So they are a 3-hit wonder. 🙂 [/QUOTE] Somehow… I missed that. :smack: 😛😃 Thanks **Rats**. But you gotta admit, most non-fans tend to think of them as “those kids what did that one song…” ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2008, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-hit-wonders-with-pretty-decent-collections/444316/40 "2008-04-09T04:47:00Z")
[QUOTE=malkavia] I bought the \*\*Nine Days \*\* cd for the Story of a Girl song, but ended up loving just about every other song even more. [/QUOTE] The Madding Crowd is really a perfect CD from top to bottom. Just great, great pop music. “Bitter” is one of my favorite songs ever. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-hit-wonders-with-pretty-decent-collections/444316.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-hit-wonders-with-pretty-decent-collections/444316.md?page=3)