# Relatively Obscure Bands With One or Two Instantly Recognizable Hits
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/relatively-obscure-bands-with-one-or-two-instantly-recognizable-hits/472021
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [November 10, 2008, 11:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/relatively-obscure-bands-with-one-or-two-instantly-recognizable-hits/472021 "2008-11-10T11:10:44Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 4
### Author:  [@CircleofWillis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CircleofWillis)
#### Post date: [November 12, 2008, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/relatively-obscure-bands-with-one-or-two-instantly-recognizable-hits/472021/61 "2008-11-12T16:03:23Z")
> [@Leaffan](#):
>
> The Romantics: That’s What I Like About You.
And… [Talking in Your Sleep](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SkIyrX_qpuY) (G-d I heart that Rickenbacker in the video)
Is it me or does the lead singer have a lisp?
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### Author:  [@Don\_Draper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_Draper)
#### Post date: [November 12, 2008, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/relatively-obscure-bands-with-one-or-two-instantly-recognizable-hits/472021/62 "2008-11-12T18:42:40Z")
Did anyone mention “One Toke Over the Line” by Brewer & Shipley yet?
And how about Loggins & Messina? They apparently were quite popular in the early 70s, but the only song I can think of that they did was “Angry Eyes.”
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### Author:  [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)
#### Post date: [November 12, 2008, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/relatively-obscure-bands-with-one-or-two-instantly-recognizable-hits/472021/63 "2008-11-12T18:46:42Z")
> [@Shecky](#):
>
> Live - Despite having a lot of great songs, people only know them for “Lightning Crashes”
For me personally (although right for most of the world), this is wrong on so many levels:
– I knew them before “Lightning Crashes”.
– “Lightning Crashes” is not their standout song that I think of when I think of their omnipresence (probably White: Discussion or Selling the Drama.)
– They only had one great song: Rattlesnake.
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### Author:  [@nikonikosuru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nikonikosuru)
#### Post date: [November 12, 2008, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/relatively-obscure-bands-with-one-or-two-instantly-recognizable-hits/472021/64 "2008-11-12T18:47:33Z")
> [@Jragon](#):
>
> Good ones.
>
> I thought of another. Who hear has heard Harvey Danger? That’s what I thought. Who here recognizes [Flagpole Sitta](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xzxDRA93Nk). Thought so.
I love that band, I have 2 of their cds! The music and lyrics are unlike any other band I’ve heard.
As for my own contribution, I’ll toss in **Alien Ant Farm**. They’re the ones that did the “Michael Jackson remake” of [Smooth Criminal](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XDeFYDk8atg). They were really popular for that song for a long time, especially on MTV and wrestling shows, but pretty much dropped off the radar after that.
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### Author:  [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Le_Ministre_de_l_au-dela)
#### Post date: [November 13, 2008, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/relatively-obscure-bands-with-one-or-two-instantly-recognizable-hits/472021/65 "2008-11-13T01:11:36Z")
> [@The New and Improved Superman](#):
>
> Did anyone mention “One Toke Over the Line” by Brewer & Shipley yet?
>
> And how about Loggins & Messina? They apparently were quite popular in the early 70s, but the only song I can think of that they did was “Angry Eyes.”
What about ‘Summer Breeze’? Suddenly, I feel like I’m in grade 8 again…
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### Author:  [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)
#### Post date: [November 13, 2008, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/relatively-obscure-bands-with-one-or-two-instantly-recognizable-hits/472021/66 "2008-11-13T01:40:27Z")
> [@The\_Second\_Stone](#):
>
> -
>
> Good Girls Don’t (But I Do)\* was a lot better than _My Sharona_. So those are the two the OP called for.
> My entry will be Procol Harum _A Whiter Shade of Pale_, followed by _A Salty Dog_
The Knack:
> [@](#):
>
> She’s your adolescent dream
> School boy stuff
> A sticky sweet romance
> And she makes you want to scream
> Wishing you could get inside her pants
Oohh ya. I was in high school at the time…
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### Author:  [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)
#### Post date: [November 13, 2008, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/relatively-obscure-bands-with-one-or-two-instantly-recognizable-hits/472021/67 "2008-11-13T02:10:11Z")
How about “[For What It’s Worth](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJV44YV69z0)”? I don’t know how popular Buffalo Springfield was in their day, but I don’t think I know any other songs by them. I don’t think the title “For What It’s Worth” is a familiar one, but it’s a very recognizable song. “Stop children what’s that sound, everybody look what’s goin’ down…”
“[Spirit in the Sky](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ET8zhjeYMs)” is another familiar '60s tune, but Norman Greenbaum is hardly a household name. I think there’s some kind of law that every movie with a hippie scene has to use at least one and maybe both of these two songs.
> [@Jragon](#):
>
> Eiffel 65 - Blue… just, Blue.
I was recently looking at the Wikipedia pages for “[year] in music”, and generally feeling depressed at the horrible songs that were “biggest hits” during the 1990s (a decade I remembered as having lots of GOOD music). But I didn’t feel depressed at seeing “Blue” on the list, because I had zero memory of it. I was in college then and maybe I was too busy studying or something, but neither the song title nor the band name rung any bells. I looked at the Wiki entry for the song and still nothing. I found the song on YouTube and didn’t really recognize it, but I vaguely remembered that there had been some song about a little blue man who lived in a little blue house and had a little blue car. I’m not sure I ever even heard the actual song before, I think I may have just heard someone talk about it.
I mentioned this to a coworker my age and she didn’t remember it either. On the other hand, when I asked another friend about it she immediately said “Oh, ‘Blue’! Ha, when I was in college I used to start singing that to annoy people and make it get stuck in their heads! I can’t believe you don’t remember it. They used to play that song all the time!” I asked her if she’d recognize the name of the band that did “Blue”, and she said “Yeah, if someone said ‘Eiffel 65’ I’d go 'That’s the band that did ‘Blue’!”
So based on this teensy sample, I’d say that “Blue” is either an instantly recognizable hit or a totally forgotten one. 🙂
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### Author:  [@Frostillicus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frostillicus)
#### Post date: [November 13, 2008, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/relatively-obscure-bands-with-one-or-two-instantly-recognizable-hits/472021/68 "2008-11-13T03:28:13Z")
> [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](#):
>
> What about ‘Summer Breeze’? Suddenly, I feel like I’m in grade 8 again…
That is Seals and Crofts. (God, I am old.)
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### Author:  [@phil417](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phil417)
#### Post date: [November 13, 2008, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/relatively-obscure-bands-with-one-or-two-instantly-recognizable-hits/472021/69 "2008-11-13T04:56:26Z")
From the 1960’s: Question Mark & the Mysterians. “96 Tears”.
Phil
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### Author:  [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)
#### Post date: [November 13, 2008, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/relatively-obscure-bands-with-one-or-two-instantly-recognizable-hits/472021/70 "2008-11-13T05:48:47Z")
Blue Swede’s version of “Hooked on a Feeling” – this was the “ooga chaka” version.
It was actually originally done by BJ Thomas–yes, the same guy who did such gentle songs as “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on my Head” and “Rock 'n Roll Lullaby,” but while he himself recorded a very nice version of “Hooked,” only Blue Swede’s version seems to be remembered today.
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### Author:  [@Rico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rico)
#### Post date: [November 13, 2008, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/relatively-obscure-bands-with-one-or-two-instantly-recognizable-hits/472021/71 "2008-11-13T06:18:56Z")
My favorite.
[Dean Friedman](http://www.deanfriedman.com)’s _Ariel_.
And Loggins and Messina were hardly a one-or-two-hit wonder. “Your Mama Don’t Dance,” “House at Pooh Corner,” “Angry Eyes”, “My Music”, “Watching The River Run”, and “Danny’s Song” were all big hits for them
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### Author:  [@cornflakes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cornflakes)
#### Post date: [November 13, 2008, 6:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/relatively-obscure-bands-with-one-or-two-instantly-recognizable-hits/472021/72 "2008-11-13T06:33:57Z")
Rickie Lee Jones–she writes great songs and does incredible orchestration. I’ve never seen, but friends say that she puts on great shows. About a decade ago she reinvented her musical style just to get away from the “Rickie Lee Jones” sound… and to date, her only big hit was “Chuck E’s in Love.”
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### Author:  [@Sleel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sleel)
#### Post date: [November 14, 2008, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/relatively-obscure-bands-with-one-or-two-instantly-recognizable-hits/472021/73 "2008-11-14T06:50:55Z")
[Spin Doctors](http://www.spindoctors.com/) known for [Jimmy Olsen’s Blues](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YVPhkz6UOCs), [Little Miss Can’t Be Wrong](http://jp.youtube.com/watch?v=qyjRyUW6XKc), and [Two Princes](http://jp.youtube.com/watch?v=6p3mFM1Vyb0) from Pocket Full of Kryptonite. Haven’t heard anything from them since then, though apparently they’ve put out about three more albums in the meantime.
Delirium is probably best known for [Karma](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karma_(Delerium_album)), featuring a song done with Sarah McLachlan, which was used in the film Brokedown Palace. They’ve done a ton of other stuff, but that one brought them mainstream attention. The version most people have heard is a [club remix](http://jp.youtube.com/watch?v=kEvE_04x-xI). While none of those are bad [the original](http://jp.youtube.com/watch?v=hrU6jhO-ACM&feature=related) is, as mentioned at Wikipedia, slower, darker, and the one I prefer.
Escape Club had two songs that are probably instantly recognizable: [Wild Wild West](http://jp.youtube.com/watch?v=23nqInkEDTc) (I actually remember hearing this in an episode of Moonlighting back when Bruce Willis was still pretending he had hair :eek:) and [I’ll Be There](http://jp.youtube.com/watch?v=V9mEYZxkDsM), which ended up having personal significance to me because my mom died around the same time that song was popular.
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### Author:  [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)
#### Post date: [November 14, 2008, 7:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/relatively-obscure-bands-with-one-or-two-instantly-recognizable-hits/472021/74 "2008-11-14T07:41:46Z")
History of Rock 'n Roll Part 2 by Gary Glitter, played at probably every sporting event in the US, but I doubt if very many people in the US know who the hell did that song (or what song it is).
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### Author:  [@Jragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jragon)
#### Post date: [November 14, 2008, 8:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/relatively-obscure-bands-with-one-or-two-instantly-recognizable-hits/472021/75 "2008-11-14T08:00:24Z")
> [@Tuckerfan](#):
>
> History of Rock 'n Roll Part 2 by Gary Glitter, played at probably every sporting event in the US, but I doubt if very many people in the US know who the hell did that song (or what song it is).
Wow, I knew how to PLAY that song on Trombone and Flute (along with three quarters of my marching band) and didn’t know what it was called. \>.\<
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### Author:  [@twit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twit)
#### Post date: [November 14, 2008, 11:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/relatively-obscure-bands-with-one-or-two-instantly-recognizable-hits/472021/76 "2008-11-14T11:37:55Z")
> [@Bearflag70](#):
>
> I was going to mention this. Great song … oddly singable to _Beautiful Day_ by U2.
There actually is a mashup of both songs floating around on the net. I have it and it’s pretty good!
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### Author:  [@Sleel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sleel)
#### Post date: [November 14, 2008, 11:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/relatively-obscure-bands-with-one-or-two-instantly-recognizable-hits/472021/77 "2008-11-14T11:41:49Z")
Remembered another couple from the 90s: [Nelson](http://youtube.com/watch?v=PHaI4uZ4oeg) and [Extreme](http://jp.youtube.com/watch?v=kt7L4X4li_k). Play either of those songs at a party and people will say, “Hey, I remember that!” even if they didn’t like glam rock. Most people wouldn’t remember who the bands were though.
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### Author:  [@greatshakes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/greatshakes)
#### Post date: [November 15, 2008, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/relatively-obscure-bands-with-one-or-two-instantly-recognizable-hits/472021/78 "2008-11-15T05:52:30Z")
Mountain-“Mississippi Queen.”
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### Author:  [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)
#### Post date: [November 15, 2008, 11:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/relatively-obscure-bands-with-one-or-two-instantly-recognizable-hits/472021/79 "2008-11-15T11:25:33Z")
_Counting The Beat_ by The Swingers- better known to most people in Australia as “The K-Mart Song”.
Icehouse are best known here for _Great Southern Land_ and _Electric Blue_, but I can accept they’re unknowns anywhere else.
Also, Men Without Hats and _The Safety Dance_ deserves and Honourable Mention, IMHO. Can anyone outside Canada name anything else they did… Anyone? No? Dust? Anyone? No? Dust? Anyone? 😃
Personally, I attribute a lot of the situation in the OP (where no-one knows the band or the name of the song, but knows the song itself) due to Radio Stations not back announcing…
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### Author:  [@Aji\_de\_Gallina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aji_de_Gallina)
#### Post date: [November 15, 2008, 11:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/relatively-obscure-bands-with-one-or-two-instantly-recognizable-hits/472021/80 "2008-11-15T11:46:13Z")
Do the question "Who sings “Abracadabra”? no one remember Steve Miller’s band, and even if by chance they do they can’t name another song.
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