# "Two-hit wonders" **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 2, 2006, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-hit-wonders/375030 "2006-10-02T20:56:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2006, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-hit-wonders/375030/41 "2006-10-03T19:05:40Z")
[QUOTE=AHunter3] And for my own nomination… can anyone, off the top of their head, name a single song that The Association did aside from “Cherish” and “Windy”? [/QUOTE] “Requiem” ---
**Author:** ![Wee\_Bairn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/90db22/32.png) [@Wee\_Bairn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wee_Bairn)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2006, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-hit-wonders/375030/42 "2006-10-03T19:21:57Z")
Music- Vanity Fare “Hitchin’ a Ride” and “Early in the Morning” Left Banke “Walk Away Renee” and “Pretty Ballerina” Naked Eyes “Always Something There…” and “Promises Promises” Maxine Nigtingale “Lead Me On” and “Right Back Where we Started From” Silver Convention “Fly Robin Fly” and “Get Up and Boogie” A Taste of Honey “Sukiyaki” and “Boogie Oogie Oogie” Ian Matthews “Woodstock” (with Matthews Southern Comfoft) and “Shake It” Champaign “Try Again” and “How 'Bout Us” Foundations “Build Me Up Buttercup” and “Baby Now That I’ve Found You” and one that annoys me is when the have “Ice Ice Baby” on all the one hit wonder shows. Granted, his career as a whole was forgettable, but his version of “Play That Funky Music” peaked at \*\*#4 \*\* on the pop charts. How can you call a guy a one hit wonder when he had another top 5 hit? One hit wonders by definition aren’t “we only remember one song of yours” they are “you only had one hit”- there are dozens of artists who had many hits, but one is more memorable. ---
**Author:** ![Lisa-go-Blind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Lisa-go-Blind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lisa-go-Blind)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2006, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-hit-wonders/375030/43 "2006-10-03T19:24:37Z")
[QUOTE=AHunter3] And for my own nomination… can anyone, off the top of their head, name a single song that The Association did aside from “Cherish” and “Windy”? [/QUOTE] “Never My Love” ---
**Author:** ![MentalGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/439d5e/32.png) [@MentalGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MentalGuy)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2006, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-hit-wonders/375030/44 "2006-10-03T19:28:34Z")
[QUOTE=AHunter3] And for my own nomination… can anyone, off the top of their head, name a single song that The Association did aside from “Cherish” and “Windy”? [/QUOTE] Along Comes Mary ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2006, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-hit-wonders/375030/45 "2006-10-03T19:50:36Z")
[QUOTE=Annie-Xmas] Stallone was in “Lords of Flatbush” and some soft core porn flick. [/QUOTE] And cult film _Death Race 2000_, as Big Joe Viterbo. ---
**Author:** ![ouryL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ouryl/32/6067_2.png) [@ouryL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ouryL)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2006, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-hit-wonders/375030/46 "2006-10-03T19:57:23Z")
Association: Everything That Touches You Procol Harem: A Salty Dog Left Banke: Bryant Hotel ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2006, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-hit-wonders/375030/47 "2006-10-03T19:59:59Z")
[QUOTE=Wee Bairn] Silver Convention “Fly Robin Fly” and “Get Up and Boogie” [/QUOTE] Not sure here, but I have a feeling that like some disco groups (and bubblegum bands), the Silver Convention was a studio band, put together by a producer, and using whatever musicians and vocalists happened to be handy for each recording. If that is the case and the band had shifting personnel, should we include it? 'Course, if we can, then I’ll offer another studio band, the Archies, who did “Sugar, Sugar” and “Bang Shang-a-Lang.” ---
**Author:** ![ddgryphon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8c91f0/32.png) [@ddgryphon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ddgryphon)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2006, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-hit-wonders/375030/48 "2006-10-03T20:45:41Z")
Can we agree what we’re talking about when we say “Two-hit” wonders? Is it just Two memorable moments/roles/songs? Two-hit movies? As an example: I think Stallone is pretty much a Two-hit wonder with Rocky Balboa/John Rambo being the two roles for which he will be remembered. That he was in Judge Dredd or Lords of the Flatbush or any other movie that made more than three dollars would be considered irrelevant, because those aren’t the roles he’ll be remembered for. Harrison Ford: is probably a three or four hit wonder Han Solo/Indiana Jones/Jack Ryan/(Maybe) Dr. Richard Kimbell. That he was in Working Girl, Sabrina, American Grafitti, or even Witness is pretty irrelevant, because those are the “also-ran roles” not the signature roles. Are we talking signature roles or hit movies? My interpretation of the original post is “Signature Roles” not “Hit Movies” Songs are an easy category, I don’t think there’s any confusion about that since they are ranked by top 5 or 10 (not 40), but we should determine a cut-off point for them. Just looking for some clarity rather than people saying Andrew Dice Clay: Ford Fairlane and he did some porn, oh, he was in “Casual Sex” with Lea Thompson and Victoria Jackson too. (Well, I’m sorry, he’s a one hit wonder with “Ford Fairlane” being his signature role–unless you want to count his ADC personna). ---
**Author:** ![Mrs.Cake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/2acd7d/32.png) [@Mrs.Cake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mrs.Cake)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2006, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-hit-wonders/375030/49 "2006-10-03T21:52:00Z")
How about Pierce Brosnan - James Bond and Remington Steele Ironically, I’ve loved him in pretty much everything else he’s ever done, but really disliked him in those two roles. Go figure. ---
**Author:** ![Caridwen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c89c15/32.png) [@Caridwen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caridwen)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2006, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-hit-wonders/375030/50 "2006-10-03T21:53:35Z")
[QUOTE=Spoons] Not sure here, but I have a feeling that like some disco groups (and bubblegum bands), the Silver Convention was a studio band, put together by a producer, and using whatever musicians and vocalists happened to be handy for each recording. If that is the case and the band had shifting personnel, should we include it? 'Course, if we can, then I’ll offer another studio band, the Archies, who did “Sugar, Sugar” and “Bang Shang-a-Lang.” [/QUOTE] There were quite a few like that. I’m thinking of the band Lime- “Do You Want to Love Tonight” and “Angel Eyes” I think they had different people that actually toured. ---
**Author:** ![Mrs.Cake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/2acd7d/32.png) [@Mrs.Cake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mrs.Cake)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2006, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-hit-wonders/375030/51 "2006-10-03T21:54:20Z")
Whoops - hit reply too soon. I was going to add in the same vein, Roger Moore for James Bond and Simon Templar ---
**Author:** ![Wee\_Bairn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/90db22/32.png) [@Wee\_Bairn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wee_Bairn)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2006, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-hit-wonders/375030/52 "2006-10-03T22:04:32Z")
**Spoons** , I agree it’s doubtful that the same studio musicians played on both hits attributed to Silver Convention, and possible that the three girls who fronted the “band” didn’t contribute anything- not that either hit had any real vocals- more like a repeat of the song title. Both could techincally be classified as instrumentals I think. But alas, if were are going by the name on the label of the 45, they count 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Wee\_Bairn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/90db22/32.png) [@Wee\_Bairn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wee_Bairn)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2006, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-hit-wonders/375030/53 "2006-10-03T22:15:27Z")
There are a lot of 60’s/70’s studio bands who didn’t exist, but the label formed a band with musicians who didn’t appear on the record and toured after their song became big (Steam, The Cuff Links, plus all of the Tony Burrows “groups”- White Plains, Edison Lighthouse, etc.), I don’t think any got a second hit, though. ---
**Author:** ![ouryL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ouryl/32/6067_2.png) [@ouryL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ouryL)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2006, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-hit-wonders/375030/54 "2006-10-03T23:37:26Z")
[QUOTE=Spoons] Not sure here, but I have a feeling that like some disco groups (and bubblegum bands), the Silver Convention was a studio band, put together by a producer, and using whatever musicians and vocalists happened to be handy for each recording. If that is the case and the band had shifting personnel, should we include it? 'Course, if we can, then I’ll offer another studio band, the Archies, who did “Sugar, Sugar” and “Bang Shang-a-Lang.” [/QUOTE] Archies: Jingle Jangle ---
**Author:** ![Eutychus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Eutychus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eutychus)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2006, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-hit-wonders/375030/55 "2006-10-03T23:38:45Z")
Peter Scolari is really only remembered from Bosum Buddies and Newhart. ---
**Author:** ![Eutychus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Eutychus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eutychus)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2006, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-hit-wonders/375030/56 "2006-10-03T23:45:03Z")
And since a commercial for Bonanza was just on, I can’t recall any roles overshadowing Lorne Greene except for Pa Cartwright and the captain in the original Battlestar Gallactica. Nor Michael Landon except for Little Joe and the father in Little House on the Prarie. ---
**Author:** ![Wee\_Bairn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/90db22/32.png) [@Wee\_Bairn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wee_Bairn)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2006, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-hit-wonders/375030/57 "2006-10-03T23:51:05Z")
Peak positions on Billboard pop chart- if anyone interested: Archies- Sugar Sugar #1 Jingle Jangle #10 Bang-shang-a-lang #22 Association- Along Comes Mary #7 Cherish #1 Windy #1 Never My Love #2 Everything That Touches You #10 Procol Harum- A Whiter Shade of Pale #5 Homburg #34 Conquistador #16 (doesn’t have an “L” indicating the live version, which I assumed it was? A Salty Dog- did not chart Left Banke- Walk Away Renee #5 Pretty Ballerina #15 Desiree’ #98 Bryant Hotel- did not chart ---
**Author:** ![MaxTheVool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MaxTheVool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaxTheVool)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2006, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-hit-wonders/375030/58 "2006-10-04T01:37:17Z")
[QUOTE=ddgryphon] Are we talking signature roles or hit movies? My interpretation of the original post is “Signature Roles” not “Hit Movies” Songs are an easy category, I don’t think there’s any confusion about that since they are ranked by top 5 or 10 (not 40), but we should determine a cut-off point for them. [/QUOTE] To me, it’s a question of dropoff after the first two items. Harrison Ford was good in the Jack Ryan movies and in The Fugitive, but those roles are just orders of magnitude less prominent, less loved, and less iconically associated with him than Han Solo and Indiana Jones. Same thing goes for Julie Andrews. That’s what I’m getting at, at least wrt to actors. It would be QUITE hard to find an actor who had two enormous hits and absolutely nothing else period, if only because actors who make a huge hit generally then get cast in other movies, even if they all suck. (I guess you could also have a variant of this question addressing specific groups… among youngish nerds, Ian McKellan is Magneto and Gandalf and… ummm…) ---
**Author:** ![williamweigand](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b3f665/32.png) [@williamweigand](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/williamweigand)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2006, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-hit-wonders/375030/59 "2006-10-04T12:44:32Z")
[QUOTE=Eutychus] And since a commercial for Bonanza was just on, I can’t recall any roles overshadowing Lorne Greene except for Pa Cartwright and the captain in the original Battlestar Gallactica. Nor Michael Landon except for Little Joe and the father in Little House on the Prarie. [/QUOTE] What about the angel in “Highway to Heaven”? ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2006, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-hit-wonders/375030/60 "2006-10-04T15:31:05Z")
[QUOTE=AHunter3] And for my own nomination… can anyone, off the top of their head, name a single song that The Association did aside from “Cherish” and “Windy”? [/QUOTE] Well, right off the top of my head: “Never, My Love” and “Goodbye, Columbus”. Oh, and there was a little ditty (not one of my favorites) called “Along Comes Mary”. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-hit-wonders/375030.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-hit-wonders/375030.md?page=4)