If you’re thinking of Love the One You’re With, the most well-known version was by Stephen Stills of Buffalo Springfield and Crosby, Stills & Nash fame.
Yeah, that must be it. Two decades of brain cell loss …
Both of Elastica’s American releases are really good albums. I like Elastica more, but both are good. Republica’s CD is awesome too.
I’m adding two more here: Fleming & John, best known for their song “Ugly Girl”, but the album it appears on (The Way We Are) is beginning to end fantastic. Lyrically very inventive and musically brilliant.
And the tragically underappreciated Aimee Mann. How a woman can write such powerful music and still be best known for “Voices Carry” from her group Til Tuesday 20 years after the fact is truly a mystery. I own all of her solo albums, from Whatever through Lost in Space, and they are all absolutely wonderful. She’s my favorite artist, and it’s hard to single out the best, but my most-liked album from her is I’m With Stupid, followed by Lost in Space and Bachelor No. 2. Even if you don’t like her music, her lyrics are worth a read.
Yep. I found that album in the bins about ten years ago. It’s actually pretty good.
Another one I thought of: Modern English. They had a number of decent songs apart from “I Melt With You”.
And AwSnappity, I guess we’re going to have to agree to disagree, although I do understand what you’re saying.
You need to pick up a few McCarthy CDs and test your mettle!
I think Talk Talk’s hit singles act to hide their best work, namely their last two albums “Spirit Of Eden” and “Laughing Stock.”
Everybody knows the song “Oh Yeah”. Or they know it better as “The Ferris Bueller Song” from the 80’s.
It was done by the Swiss duo Yello.
They started back in 79’ and are still making albums. Their stuff is still cutting edge experimental electronica. Excellent demo cd’s for audiophiles.
Had one hit in the early nineties with “DizzKneeLand”, but have been putting out criminally under-appreciated music ever since. As a bonus, they are one of the tightest live bands I’ve ever seen.
Agreed. Or disagreed? Whatever. I understand your point too.
I just thought of two more:
The Nails of “88 Lines About 44 Women” fame, and the German band Trio who struck it rich twice with that annoying “Da Da Da” song. Most of the rest of that album however, was chock full of pretty cool annoying german minimalist punk rock.
I definitely do not think of Blur as a one-hit wonder in the US. They also had the single “There’s No Other Way” which peaked higher (at number 5) than Song #2 on the Billboard Modern Rock Charts (which peaked at 6). “Girls and Boys” got as high as number 4, but also made the Billboard Hot 100 AND the Top 40 Mainstream, which neither “Song #2” nor “There’s No Other Way” did. “Song #2” did make Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Tracks at #25, though.
I don’t think there’s any good argument in calling Blur a one-hit wonder, especially with two Top Ten Modern Rock songs, and two songs hitting the mainstream charts.
Wasn’t it Blur that did the “all-time greatest video EVER” with the little milk carton that treks off to find his home? Awsome song. Great video.
“Fire Water Burn (The Roof is On Fire)” was a pretty big hit.
Ah, yes. The “Coffee and TV” video. Totally spaced on that one. More evidence against Blur=one hit wonder.
I could name you off every video they ever made, and I’m sure you’d recognise a good bunch of them. They are a fantastic band with great, entertaining videos (except Popscene, I hate the video for Popscene, it gives me a headache!)- I should know - I own them all. But does it make them “hits”?
I know I retracted them earlier, and even apologised, but since it wasn’t acknowledged, I decided to do some research.
This was from VH-1.
On the Billboard site, for the year 1999, their album “13” is not even in the Top 50. I search and search for the chart position for **Coffee + TV ** (US only, as I specified earlier).
I know that the video for **Coffee + TV ** was nominated as a breakthrough video for an MTV award in 1999, but what about the song?
Someone please point me in the right direction, I’ve been a Blur fan for 14 years, and I keep my eyes and ears open for them at all times. What did I miss? What constitutes a hit here in the US? How high on the charts does it have to be to be a hit? Cites for US chart positions of said singles? (I searched high and low for them tonight, just out of curiousity - lots of UK chart cites, or maybe I’m not Googling with a full deck… 
)
I’m not trying to be contrary. I even apologised earlier and was going to let it drop, but the issue is being pushed. So please inform the ignorant, here If something makes it into the top 100, is it actually considered a hit? If so, I do apologise, and firmly retract Blur. They’re my boys and I love them, and I wish them every success. My old mailing-list buddies used to whine and moan about how little recognition Blur was getting here in the US, even two years ago they still moaned on… so I just assumed… gimme some cold, hard factoids, Dopers! 
Allmusic.com is where I’m getting all my info.
Blur’s highest charting album in the US was their self-titled release. It got up to 61 on the Billboard Top 200. 13 only made it to 80.
Here’s the album breakdown:
Here’s the singles breakdown
To me, when I think of one-hit wonder, I think of bands like Dexy’s Midnight Runners with “Come on Eileen” (though in the UK more than just that charted. Actually, they’re a band that perfectly fits the OP. Lot of good albums, but are utterly and completely unknown in the US except for a single song.)
Blur has had enough success in the US to not deserve the title of one-hit wonders. I mean, I don’t exactly consider them obscure or anything. In my opinion, Song #2 and Boys & Girls qualify as minor hits. Not exactly mainstream chart-toppers, but if you’re using “Song #2” as your basis for calling Blur a one-hit wonder, then by that criteria I really think you have to include “Girls & Boys” as well, thereby negating Blur’s one-hit wonder status by definition.
Hear, hear! I think Odyssey and Oracle should be ranked up there with Pet Sounds and Sergeant Pepper. What a great band. But, once again, I wouldn’t call them a one-hit wonder, either. The song “She’s Not There” actually charted higher than “Time of the Season” and “Tell Her No” was a major hit (Top 10), as well.
Although any opportunity to spread the Zombies love should be taken.
Oh, and to finally get to the OP, I would say the following bands have a strong body of work and are undeservedly known for only a singly tune:
Dexy’s Midnight Runners (“Come on, Eileen”)
Mott the Hoople (“All the Young Dudes”)
Gary Numan (“Cars”)
Prefab Sprout (“The King of Rock and Roll”—the song with the “Hot Dog, Jumping Frog, Albuquerque” line in it. This may just be a UK one-hit wonder.)
The Left Banke almost qualify with their hit “Walk Away Renee,” but “Pretty Ballerina” also had chart success. Enough so that I heard it at Walgreen’s the other day. Along with The Zombies, they’re also an oft-neglected band from the 60s.
Okay, that’s fair enough for me 
You are right, I was using Song 2 as a yardstick, and it would only be fair to include Girls & Boys and possibly even Coffee + TV. I know they all got somewhat popular, but only in certain circles: ie: Girls & Boys was a a big club hit (mind you, I’m not saying exclusively clubs, but that’s where I heard it the most, especially the PSB remix), Song 2 might have just seemed more in-your-face because it was used by beer/sports commercials, movies, etc.
Though personally, I think they should be a little more recognised for their work, anyway grumble grumble 
Firmly retracted. Carry on
i think you could call de la soul a one hit wonder. their second single “me myself and i” is the song people think of when they hear de la soul. that, and dayglo yellow, bad haircuts, and daisies. but de la has an amazing catalog of music.
“ring ring ring (hey hey hey)” was also a nominal hit, and so was “saturdays”. well, maybe not so much a one hit wonder. but i think most people identify de la soul with that first video. oh, and some people confuse them for PM dawn, which is just WRONG.
Oh, you poor, deluded children. Distracted by your Blur you’ve missed the greatest band that is a one-hit wonder anyone will ever see.
I give you two words, honey-child:
‘Cowboy Mouth’
The had a sort of hit in the mid/late 90s with ‘Jenny Says’ off their first major label release ‘Are You With Me’. Attempts to follow it up never quite made it. But the albums before and after are thunderous rock and roll music with some blues and country influence.
Never made it during the alt-rock years because they were pretty much a straight ahead rock and roll band (and an older one at that) they are…
THE GREATEST LIVE BAND THERE WILL EVER BE
I have seen, literally, over 1000 bands perform live. Cowboy is clearly the best. The enthusiasm, the charisma, the raw sex appeal of the music is something no one else has ever done.
Cake magazine once wrote “On a bad night they’ll tear the roof off the house…on a good night they’ll save your soul.”
You come out of Cowboy Mouth shows knowing that you’re better than when you went in because of the music you just experienced. It gives you strength to take on the day.