I concur, so also The Dead don’t qualify.
I didn’t know that.
It looks like another song went to #34 — I’d still call them a one-hit wonder, myself.
The following tunes have been seconded and are in the poll (no need to nominate/second):
After the Fire – Der Kommissar
A-ha – Take On Me
Arlo Guthrie – City of New Orleans
Blind Melon – No Rain
Dexy’s Midnight Runners – Come On Eileen
Focus – Hocus Pocus
Fountains of Wayne – Stacy’s Mom
Gary Numan – Cars
Georgia Satellites – Keep Your Hands To Yourself
Harvey Danger – Flagpole Sitta
Hurricane Smith – Oh, Babe What Would You Say
Iron Butterfly – In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida
Looking Glass – Brandy
Men Without Hats – Safety Dance
Mungo Jerry – In the Summertime
Natalie Imbruglia – Torn
Norman Greenbaum – Spirit in the Sky
Ram Jam – Black Betty
Sniff ‘n the Tears – Driver’s Seat
Starland Vocal Band – Afternoon Delight
Swingin’ Madalions – Double Shot (of My Baby’s Love)
The Buggles – Video Killed the Radio Star
The Easybeats – Friday On My Mind
The Kings – The Beat Goes On/Switching To Glide
The Kingsmen – Louie, Louie
The Raspberries – Go All the Way
Tommy Tutone – 867-5309/Jenny
T’Pau – Heart and Soul
mmm
The following Dopers still have nominations or seconds to give (for various reasons) if desired:
5 time champ – may submit 1 more
Aceplace57 – 4 more
Ahunter3 – 4
Ambivalid – 4
Annie-Xmas – 4
Blondebear – 3
BobLibDem – 4
Cell Guy – 4
Chefguy – 3
Clawdio – 3
Enlightening Meditation – 3
EscAlaMike – 4
Hook – 4
Jerseymule – 1
JKellyMap – 1
Just Asking Questions – 1
Lancia – 1
Marvin the Martian – 3
Nearwildheaven – 2
PastTense – 4
Projammer – 3
Psychonaut – 2
Sefton – 3
Suburban Plankton – 1
Wesley Clark – 1
What Exit? – 4
Xizor – 1
The Kingsmen are not a one hit wonder.
If you have noms to give, and you’re stuck, here are a few suggestions:
Ace – How Long
Billy Paul – Me and Mrs. Jones
Bobby McFerrin – Don’t Worry, Be Happy
Bow Wow Wow – I Want Candy
Brewer & Shipley – One Toke Over the Line
Bruce Channel – Hey! Baby
Devo – Whip It
Eddy Grant – Electric Avenue
Edison Lighthouse – Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes)
Five Stairsteps – O-o-h Child
Free – All Right Now
Gnarls Barkley – Crazy
Human Beinz – Nobody But Me
Kajagoogoo – Too Shy
King Harvest – Dancing in the Moonlight
Lipps Inc. – Funkytown
M – Pop Muzik
Midnight Oil – Beds Are Burning
Sir Mix-A-Lot – Baby Got Back
Spiral Staircase – More Today Than Yesterday
Steam – Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye
Sugarhill Gang – Rapper’s Delight
The Ataris – The Boys of Summer
The Breeders – Cannonball
The Capitols – Cool Jerk
The Contours – Do You Love Me
The Foundations - Build Me Up Buttercup
The Knickerbockers – Lies
The Proclaimers – I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)
The Standells – Dirty Water
The Vapors – Turning Japanese
Thunderclap Newman – Something in the Air
Wild Cherry – Play That Funky Music
“Pepino the Italian Mouse” charted at #5 in 1962 for Lou Monte. Probably drove my parents crazy playing that, and the flip side “What did Washington say when he crossed the Delaware?” on my little mono record player.
Let me take your suggestion for Midnight Oil Beds are Burnin’. Didn’t necessarily think Midnight Oil was a OHW.
My seconds
Looking Glass - Brandy
Tommy Tuton 867-5309/Jenny
Starland Vocal Band - Afternoon Delight
Wild Cherry – Play That Funky Music
That’s 5 total including my nominated Drift Away
Eddy Grant had another hit with the theme song from “Romancing The Stone.”
Ace’s lead singer, Paul Carrack, later had multiple hits as the singer for Mike + The Mechanics.
I love all three.
Putting Zevon in there because Werewolves is the only one that charted well, is like putting the Grateful Dead in there because their only big hit was Touch of Grey. Both are kind of missing the point for those artists. Like dinging Kate Bush for only charting well with, “Running Up That Hill.”
I haven’t read through the rest of the thread, but why was Nena’s, “99 Luftballons” excluded? Did we get Taco, “Puttin on the Ritz,” yet? As for “Der Kommissar,” if we give the credit to After the Fire’s cover, then I guess we can also call Falco a one hit wonder for “Rock me Amadeus.”
Some bands that have been mentioned already: Soft Cell had a few hits besides Tainted Love. “Memorabilia” was much bigger in nightclubs than on the charts, and “Sex Dwarf,” was a funny song that should have been a bigger dance hit than I guess it was.
Midnight Oil had “Blue Sky Mine” that charted really high in the US too. 47 on the Billboard Hot 100, but 1 in the Modern Rock chart, so sez the wiki: Blue Sky Mine - Wikipedia
(Why yes, I was in middle school/high school in the 80s; why do you ask?)
Do we count The Tubes as a 1-hit wonder for “She’s a Beauty.”?
Others: Thomas Dolby had a modest hit with “Airhead,” off of “Aliens ate My Buick.” The album is great if you are a fan of his, and it really shows the influence that playing with George Clinton had on him.
Devo’s cover of “I Can’t Get No (Satisfaction)” charted higher in the UK than did Whip It. Per this site: DEVO | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company It’s definitely a cover they made their own.
Gnarls Barkley had two singles off of The Odd Couple that made top 100 for various Billboard charts in the US: “Run (I’m a Natural Disaster)” and “Going On.”
I don’t see Aqua’s “Barbie Girl” in the list. About as hard to avoid when it came out as Murray Head with “One Night In Bangkok.” Though I guess Head’s work with Jesus Christ Superstar makes it not a one-hit wonder.
Not sure I understood this;* Friday On My Mind* was Top 20 in the U.S.
Noms:
Pipeline by the Chantays (my favorite surf tune).
And, yeah Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye by Steam
A couple of mentions:
Sweet City Woman by the Stampeders (they had a #40 follow-up, and hits in Canada).
How Do You Do? by Mouth and McNeal (they had some EuroHits).
Sukiyaki (Ue o Muite Arukō), by Kyu Sakamoto has to be one of the biggest single hits. It sold 13 million copies and hit #1 on the Billboard chart, #1 on the Japanese charts, #18 on the R&B chart, #1 in Canada, Australia and Norway, #2 in Germany, and #1 on the US Contemporary chart.
I knew Carrack was in another band in between, and that band was Squeeze.
Explain this.
:smack: You are correct.
“Money” / “Bent Scepter” (Wand 150) 1964 (#16)
The Jolly Green Giant" / “Long Green” (Wand 172) 1964 (#4)
*The Kingsmen’s 1964 follow up to “Louie Louie” was a party version of “Money (That’s What I Want)” which hit the Billboard Hot 100 at No. 16 and on Cashbox at No. 17. Then came “Little Latin Lupe Lu” peaking on Billboard at No. 46 and Cashbox at No. 49. After that it was “Death of An Angel” No. 33 on Cashbox and No. 42 on Billboard.
1965 saw the Kingsmen return to the Top 10 nationally with “The Jolly Green Giant” reaching No. 4 on Billboard and No. 8 on Cashbox. The follow-up song was “The Climb” No. 45 on Cashbox and No. 65 on Billboard. “Annie Fanny” was released next reaching No. 43 on Cashbox & No. 47 on Billboard. Next came “(You Got) The Gamma Goochee” No. 98 on Cashbox & No. 122 on Billboard. The group also appeared in the beach party movie How To Stuff A Wild Bikini singing “Give Her Lovin’”. Their recording of the title song was also on the soundtrack album.
In 1966 the Kingsmen continued to hit the charts, with “Killer Joe” reaching No. 77 on Billboard & No. 81 on Cashbox. In 1967 they made the chart for the last time with “Bo Diddley Bach” reaching No. 128 on Billboard.*
Yeah, it looks like “Beds are Burning” was the only one to hit the Hot 100, but I remember Forgotten Years, Blue Sky Mine, Truganini, and King of the Mountain getting play on the alternative stations here (WXRT and Q101) back in the day. Looks like all of those hit top 5 on the Alternative Charts. I’m actually a bit surprised neither “Blue Sky Mine” nor “Truganini” made the Hot 100, as I’ve heard them loads (and I don’t own a single Midnight Oil album. I did see them live in Tasmania, though, back in the summer of '93.)
So if “Louie Louie” is withdrawn, I’ll replace that vote with one for Midnight Oil and Beds are Burning.
Ignorance fought! Well done!