[QUOTE=astorian]
That’s his signature song, but his biggest hit on the singles chart, by far, was “Daddy, Don’t You Walk So Fast.”
[/QUOTE]
True, but that hit didn’t come along until he had already built an empire on “Danke Shoen.”
[QUOTE=VCO3]
Disagree; the Femmes followed that album with the amazing 180 of Hallowed Ground, which arguably invented a subgenre of music. They continued to make several great records - “American Music,” one of their most beloved songs, came out in '90 or so!
[/QUOTE]
Definitely agree. My own appreciation was a bit delayed, though. I loved their debut (and still think it’s one of the greatest albums of the '80s) but I was bitterly disappointed by their follow-up, which I bought the day of its release. It took me a few years and a bit more maturity before I was able to appreciate Hallowed Ground as a great album in its own right.
[QUOTE=Alessan]
Chris Isaak is a very talented singer-songwriter with a more than respectable catalog of songs. Believe me, I know - my wife has all nine of his studio albums, including his Chistmas album, which is actually pretty good.
The man’s a hard-working performer who had the good fortune - or misfortune - to see one of his songs break out as a monster hit. If that hadn’t happened, he’d have been that really good singer only the music snobs have heard of. Is that better than being a one-hit wonder?
[/QUOTE]
Yep. I think he’s played here at the Fallsview Casino at least 3 times and each time his shows have sold out and garnered great reviews. I’ve sworn that I’m going to get tickets the next time he comes through town.
[QUOTE=Krokodil]
Carl Perkins, “Blue Suede Shoes.” The rest are all pikers.
[/QUOTE]
Oh uh huh, Honey don’t.
Also, to defend Chris Isaak (who I am a huge fan of), he had a second sizeable hit back in 1999 with the rockabilly-infused “Baby Did a Bad Bad Thing,” which was featured prominently in the horrible film Eyes Wide Shut (but also had a video in regular rotation and a good bit of radio airplay). Plus he’s done lots of touring, recording, acting, and had the awesome Chris Isaak Show, which I wish was available on DVD.
[QUOTE=Annie-Xmas]
Jimmy Buffet and “Margaritaville”
Don McLean had “Starry Starry Night”
[/QUOTE]
Jimmy Buffett has had many, many great songs, even if they were not all top 40 hits. And the name of that Don MacLean song is Vincent.
[QUOTE=cochrane]
Surely you’re whooshing us?
[/QUOTE]
Well, the humour is so lifeless it’s more like flopping, really.
Britney Spears.
She has reworked, or rather her producers have reworked, that same stupid hit song of hers way WAY past its 15 minutes of fame…
Two pages and no mention of Billy Ray Cyrus and Acky Breaky Heart?
“Heaven” by Los Lonely Boys is on the radio right now, and I’m guessing they’ll get another decade out of that song, at least.
[QUOTE=Frostillicus]
Jimmy Buffett has had many, many great songs, even if they were not all top 40 hits. And the name of that Don MacLean song is Vincent.
[/QUOTE]
The question was not about one hit wonders or many, many great songs that didn’t make the top 40. Buffet has a whole career based on Margaritaville, and I think even the most die hard Parrothead has to admit it.
[QUOTE=Trunk]
Directly answering “biggest career out of one song” (and not just “biggest one hit wonder”), would have to be Buffet (as a previous poster said).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margar...e#Merchandising
It’s got a chain of restaurants, margarita mix, tequila, food brand. His company is Margaritaville Holdings LLC
Sure, he had a couple other hits, but “Margaritaville” is an industry.
[/quote]
Sorry about the song title mishap.
ETA: A little Googling reveals that Maragritaville was co-witten with Alan Jackson, who mentioned it in one of his own songs: It’s 5:00 Somewhere.
I can’t believe no one has mentioned Tommy Tu-Tone yet. That’s the first artist I thought of when I clicked the thread. 864-5789
Tommy Tutone had a huge career? Did he ever do anything else? Is he still touring on the one song? I would have thought he was more of a flash in the pan (no disrespect to the actual Flash And The Pan, who were really a flash in the pan).
[QUOTE=Annie-Xmas]
ETA: A little Googling reveals that Maragritaville was co-witten with Alan Jackson, who mentioned it in one of his own songs: It’s 5:00 Somewhere.
[/QUOTE]
I don’t think that’s right. Jackson would’ve been 19 the year Margaritaville came out (1977).
[QUOTE=Happy Lendervedder]
I don’t think that’s right. Jackson would’ve been 19 the year Margaritaville came out (1977).
[/QUOTE]
’
My Bad. He & Buffet did a duet of the song.
My vote is the Danke Schoen dude…Wayne Newton. I still don’t believe a man is singing that, nor do I want to know what kind of deal he had to make with the devil for his voice to never, ever change.
I guess I should pull out my soapbox and defend Jimmy Buffett. While I understand what people say about Margaritaville, it does seem to have a life of its own. Ok. Point taken. Yes, Jimmy can live his entire life eating coconuts and drinking margaritas because of it.
But as far as I’m concerned, he has many, many, much better songs. Little Miss Magic, Island are two.
I worked in an island style restaurant and I swear, every 3rd person came in and asked us to play Margaritaville. We hid the CD.
[QUOTE=Hockey Monkey]
I can’t believe no one has mentioned Tommy Tu-Tone yet. That’s the first artist I thought of when I clicked the thread. 864-5789
[/QUOTE]
One of the biggest one hit wonders, where everyone knows the phone number and you typed it wrong?!?!? :rolleyes:
867-5309/Jenny
Well, Bobby “Boris” Pickett was able to cash in every Halloween since the early '60’s.
Monster Mash.
[QUOTE=Suburban Plankton]
I came into this thread specifically to mention Chubby Checker. He recorded at leat 5 versions of the song (including a country version), plus the classics Let’s Twist Again and Slow Twistin’.
[/QUOTE]
Fortunately, he wasn’t **all ** about that. Chubby’s 1971 album New Revelation (also entitled *Chequered * in the UK) is one of the more amazing–and unexpected–forays into fuzzed-out psychedelia. Heavy acid-laced guitars, raw vocals, reverb–the songs “Stoned in the Bathroom” and “Goodbye Victoria” alone are worth the price of admission! Not a hint of twist to be found on the entire record. It has yet to be reissued, but hopefully soon that will be remedied. Apparently Chubby himself doesn’t like to talk about this record anymore, which is a shame, because it’s by far the best thing he ever did, and totally unique…
What about “Baby got Back” by Sir Mix a Lot?
[QUOTE=RealityChuck]
Rupert Holmes has written several successful Broadway musicals and wrote one successful TV series, Remember WENN. He’s written novels, too. Escape is a sidelight of his career, not a centerpiece.
[/QUOTE]
Saying Escape was the defiining work of Holmes career would be like saying One Night in Bangkok was Murray Head’s “moment in the spotlight”. He just happened to be the guy in the original production of the musical Chess and that was one of the songs he sang in the show. Quite nifty that it got radio play, but he was solidly entrenched in the theatre and that was just a flukey little tangent to a weighty career in a different branch of the arts.