What are your favorite one-hit wonders? (gathering nominations for a possible poll)

Cafe Society
21

Since I have two more:

Spirit – I Got a Line on You.
Buffalo Springfield – For What It’s Worth

Spirit’s song was an college radio hit, but did reach #25 on the charts.

Buffalo Springfield released other singles, but the best they got on the charts was #44.

22

So Alive – Love and Rockets
Unbelievable – EMF

23

(Eumir) Deodato - Also Sprach Zarathustra (2001) 45 version; album version

24

I’m going to second “This Beat Goes On/Switching to Glide” by the Kings.

“Driver’s Seat” by Sniff 'n The Tears
“Der Kommissar” but After The Fire
“Black Betty” by Ram Jam
“What Do All The People Know?” by the Monroes

25

Fountains of Wanye - Stacy’s Mom
Starland Vocal Band - Afternoon Delight

Another in the “One Hit In the US” category:

Madness - Our House
And I’ll second:

Men Without Hats - Safety Dance
Dexy’s Midnight Runners - Come on Eileen

26

“Girl of My Dreams”, Bram Tchaikovsky

“Children of the Sun”, Billy Thorpe (the original, not the remix)

“Crash”, the Primitives (again, the original)

I’m sure I can think of some others that haven’t already been mentioned.

27

Posters should give a URL for each song.

Several lists have been done.

I like Four Jacks and a Jill:
Master Jack


[They were a South African group but this was their only hit in the U.S.]

28

Take on me - A-ha
Torn - Natalie Imbruglia
I just died in your arms tonight - cutting crew
Save tonight - eagle eye cherry
I’m not sure if those are one hit wonders or not.

29

Seconding:

Focus - Hocus Pocus
Fountains of Wayne - Stacy’s Mom

Adding:

Disclosure - Latch
Tasmin Archer - Sleeping Satellite
The Beta Band - Dry the Rain

(Those are UK artists, but the one-hit-wonderness (and even which one (if any) is the one hit) is US-centric.)

30

As always, these “one hit wonder” surveys need to specify “in the US”. Blur were huge.

31

I’ll second Tommy Tutone, Men Without Hats, and Natalie Imbruglia, and add Chumbawumba, “Tubthumping” and The Knack, “My Sharona.”

32

Some of these groups may have had more than one hit in some markets, but are best known in the Anglosphere for one single:

The Open Mind - Magic Potion
Harvey Danger - Flagpole Sitta
Focus - Hocus Pocus
Procul Harum - A Whiter Shade of Pale
O-Zone - Dragostea Din Tei

33

Jeremy Renner does a really nice version over the end credits of the recent movie Tag.

34

Yep. And Song 2 wasn’t even their highest-charting single in the US.

35

Has it been seconded? If not, I’ll second Hurricane Smith, also The Raspberries ‘go all the way’ and “Driver’s Seat” Sniff n the Tears

If it’s a one-hit wonder, then I nominate Redbone “Come and Get your love”
Weather girls “It’s raining men”

36

The Pipkins “Gimme Dat Ding”

37

Not even their first or second highest-charting single! (Song #2 didn’t even crack the top 100, and even just considering the alternative charts, it was only the third-best. “Girls & Boys” and “There’s No Other Way” outperformed it chart-wise. I know their stuff reasonably well, and in today’s playlists I’m by far most likely to hear Song #2, then maybe “Girls & Boys,” and I can’t remember the last time I heard “There’s No Other Way” on the radio.)

38

I choked on my lunch on that one - I’d been wincing at the mention of artists like Dexy’s and Gary Numan - both highly successful - but BLUR! To a Brit, that’s like saying The Who were a one hit wonder.

39

Dexy’s had only one hit in the US. We had a mention of the **Grateful Dead **and while technically correct, it was very odd as the group was hugely successful for 30+ years. Also I had assumed Truckin’ was a hit at some point but it only reached #64 on the charts.

40

Seconding T’Pau’s Heart and Soul, and Starland Vocal Band’s Afternoon Delight.
Then I’m gonna post my five and if they don’t make the cut, that’s cool:
She Blinded Me With Science, Thomas Dolby
Running Up That Hill, Kate Bush (only hit in the US)
One Tin Soldier, Coven
One Night in Bangkok, Murray Head
What’s Up, 4 Non Blondes