# What musical genres are mainly known by only one song? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [April 4, 2022, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-musical-genres-are-mainly-known-by-only-one-song/962248 "2022-04-04T17:02:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2022, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-musical-genres-are-mainly-known-by-only-one-song/962248/41 "2022-04-04T20:56:18Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > Yeah, I’d say ‘Wonderwall’ or ‘Champaign Supernova’ by Oasis is the one “britpop” song people know. I’d say Blur’s “Song 2” is likely just as well known even if people don’t know the title. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2022, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-musical-genres-are-mainly-known-by-only-one-song/962248/42 "2022-04-04T20:57:20Z")
> [@Lancia](#): > > with the height of grunge 2 decades plus in the rearview mirror, I’m not old, you’re old! ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2022, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-musical-genres-are-mainly-known-by-only-one-song/962248/43 "2022-04-04T20:57:49Z")
> [@griffin1977](#): > > > [@zimaane](#): > > > > “Banana Boat” by Harry Belafonte. > > Except for Day-o. Those are the same song. ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2022, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-musical-genres-are-mainly-known-by-only-one-song/962248/44 "2022-04-04T20:58:33Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > > [@griffin1977](#): > > > > (and that is by far the most well known Judas Priest song). > > You’ve got another thing coming! I think Livin’ After Midnight might be just as well know, I definitely know Livin’ After Midnight better than Breakin’ the Law. Was there a tax on the letter G back then? ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2022, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-musical-genres-are-mainly-known-by-only-one-song/962248/45 "2022-04-04T20:58:46Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > I’d say “Teardrop” from the House theme, but I’m not sure that counts. We were more familiar with Portoisehead’s work at the time. I don’t think I heard “Angel” when it came out. I also don’t think I’ve ever heard Angel and also think that Teardrop is by far the best-known song of the genre. In fact, the only other song that is inarguably of the genre and that I have also heard in the wild in fairly-widespread pop culture is 6 Underground by the Sneaker Pimps, but I haven’t seen that referred to in awhile. There are some other songs I heard on the radio that were trip hop but I don’t quite remember, and a lot of songs on Emiliana Torrini’s _Love in the time of Science_ are trip hop but I only heard a song on an cable music channel once before buying the album so I’m not sure of the deepness of its penetration, and you could make the argument that if the hit “Your Woman” by White Town had to have a genre, it might be trip hop, but you could also argue that they simply share areal features from being dance-inspired mid-90s English alternative-friendly music. ---
**Author:** ![Jas09](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d07c76/32.png) [@Jas09](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jas09)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2022, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-musical-genres-are-mainly-known-by-only-one-song/962248/46 "2022-04-04T21:02:08Z")
I would nominate The Entertainer as pretty much the quintessential (and typically only known) ragtime song. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2022, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-musical-genres-are-mainly-known-by-only-one-song/962248/47 "2022-04-04T21:04:38Z")
^^ That’s a good one! ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2022, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-musical-genres-are-mainly-known-by-only-one-song/962248/48 "2022-04-04T21:06:59Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > I would imagine a great many people are aware there is a genre of music called reggae but could only individually recognize “Get Up, Stand Up” by Bob Marley and the Wailers. I think, even if they don’t know they know it, most people also know Three Little Birds (even if they think it’s called Don’t Worry About A Thing). In fact, I’m not sure it’s possible to live in a college dorm for more than a week without hearing it. ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2022, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-musical-genres-are-mainly-known-by-only-one-song/962248/49 "2022-04-04T21:08:02Z")
> [@Jas09](#): > > I would nominate The Entertainer as pretty much the quintessential (and typically only known) ragtime song. Also, the frog singing “Hello My Baby!”. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2022, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-musical-genres-are-mainly-known-by-only-one-song/962248/50 "2022-04-04T21:09:00Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > that is inarguably of the genre and that I have also heard in the wild in fairly-widespread pop culture is 6 Underground by the Sneaker Pimps, but I haven’t seen that referred to in awhile. Oh, yes, that’s a good one. Weird, as I know nothing else by them, but now a bunch of songs by both Massive Attack and Sneaker Pimps. What about shoegaze? That might be a genre that is widely known in indie rock circles, and has been influential, but I’m having a hard time thinking of a song that would be recognizable by the average listener. Dream pop would fall into the same category. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2022, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-musical-genres-are-mainly-known-by-only-one-song/962248/51 "2022-04-04T21:09:37Z")
Maple Leaf Rag. It has to be almost as well known as “The Entertainer”. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2022, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-musical-genres-are-mainly-known-by-only-one-song/962248/52 "2022-04-04T21:09:50Z")
I know that the OP excluded foreign language songs, but wasn’t Nena’s “99 Red Balloons” more popular in the English version? Because it surely is the only Neue Deutsche Welle (New German Wave) song most people in the US know. > **[Neue Deutsche Welle](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neue_Deutsche_Welle)** > > Pages for logged out editors learn more > > Neue Deutsche Welle (NDW, pronounced \[ˈnɔʏə ˈdɔʏtʃə ˈvɛlə\], "New German Wave") is a genre of West German rock music originally derived from post-punk and new wave music with electronic influences. The term was first coined by Dutch radio DJ Frits Spits on the popular nationwide radio station Hilversum 3, which was very popular among German listeners. Soon after that, the term was used in a record-shop advertisement by Burkhardt Seiler in an August... ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2022, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-musical-genres-are-mainly-known-by-only-one-song/962248/53 "2022-04-04T21:12:54Z")
> [@Treppenwitz](#): > > Does the expression Northern Soul mean anything at all in the US? Not to me, at least; I’m not sure that I’ve ever heard the term before. I certainly recognize some of the songs and artists mentioned in the article (at least the US-based ones), but over here, they would have been much more likely to be classified with other terms, like “R&B,” “Motown sound,” etc. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2022, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-musical-genres-are-mainly-known-by-only-one-song/962248/54 "2022-04-04T21:17:29Z")
Yeah, “northern soul” I only know from British reference points. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2022, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-musical-genres-are-mainly-known-by-only-one-song/962248/55 "2022-04-04T21:18:11Z")
I suspect most people’s knowledge of **nerdcore** starts and ends with Weird Al’s “White and Nerdy.” (And maybe “It’s All About the Pentiums.”) ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2022, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-musical-genres-are-mainly-known-by-only-one-song/962248/56 "2022-04-04T21:21:19Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Oh, yes, that’s a good one. Weird, as I know nothing else by them You might know Spin Spin Sugar. > [@pulykamell](#): > > What about shoegaze? That might be a genre that is widely known in indie rock circles, and has been influential, but I’m having a hard time thinking of a song that would be recognizable by the average listener. Maybe Where Is My Mind? The only reason I even know of that song is because I mentioned to a friend that I’ve never heard a Pixies song and she told me that I have since it’s the outro to Fight Club (one of my favorite movies). ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2022, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-musical-genres-are-mainly-known-by-only-one-song/962248/57 "2022-04-04T21:22:46Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > I also don’t think I’ve ever heard Angel and also think that Teardrop is by far the best-known song of the genre. In fact, the only other song that is inarguably of the genre and that I have also heard in the wild in fairly-widespread pop culture is 6 Underground by the Sneaker Pimps, but I haven’t seen that referred to in awhile. I’d say that’s fair. Angel I’ve heard on the soundtrack for a lot of movies and shows (as evident by the[“In Popular Culture”](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angel_(Massive_Attack_song)) section of this wiki page) [Interestingly, Teardrop appears to have been covered more.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teardrop_(song)) ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2022, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-musical-genres-are-mainly-known-by-only-one-song/962248/58 "2022-04-04T21:25:37Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > Maybe Where Is My Mind? The only reason I even know of that song is because I mentioned to a friend that I’ve never heard a Pixies song and she told me that I have since it’s the outro to Fight Club (one of my favorite movies). I would never connect the Pixies with shoegaze. Maybe only because they’re not British, but also because their music (and their fans) just really doesn’t match the genre. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2022, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-musical-genres-are-mainly-known-by-only-one-song/962248/59 "2022-04-04T21:27:28Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > You might know Spin Spin Sugar. Ah, yeah, I do vaguely remember that one. > [@Joey\_P](#): > > Maybe Where Is My Mind? The only reason I even know of that song is because I mentioned to a friend that I’ve never heard a Pixies song and she told me that I have since it’s the outro to Fight Club (one of my favorite movies). That’s definitely not shoegaze. Shoegaze has very layered guitars, thick walls of sound, lots of effects, ethereal, not so much minimalistic like the Pixies. My Bloody Valentine, Slowdive, Ride, (ETA: Oh, how could I forget Lush) those sorts of bands. Smashing Pumpkins incorporate some shoegaze sound in some of their more expansive works. For me, something like “Only Shallow” sums up shoegaze: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/FyYMzEplnfU/maxresdefault.jpg "My Bloody Valentine - Only Shallow (Official Music Video)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyYMzEplnfU) ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2022, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-musical-genres-are-mainly-known-by-only-one-song/962248/60 "2022-04-04T21:34:40Z")
If that’s shoegaze, I really misunderstood what it was. I can, however, very much hear Smashing Pumpkins (specifically, Today) in that song. My (incorrect) understanding of shoe gaze is that it was the 90’s version of ‘stoner’ music. So, something more along the lines of Sneaker Pimps. In any case, it’s not a genre I really ever gave a lot of thought to. I’m sure I’m familiar with some of the music, but I’d never even heard the term until just a few years ago. ETA, and at some point my brain attached Where Is My Mind to that term. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-musical-genres-are-mainly-known-by-only-one-song/962248.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-musical-genres-are-mainly-known-by-only-one-song/962248.md?page=4)