# 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:** 4
**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, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-musical-genres-are-mainly-known-by-only-one-song/962248/61 "2022-04-04T21:39:30Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > For me, something like “Only Shallow” sums up shoegaze: Exactly the song I would have posted to exemplify 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, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-musical-genres-are-mainly-known-by-only-one-song/962248/62 "2022-04-04T21:43:51Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > If that’s shoegaze, I really misunderstood what it was. I can, however, very much hear Smashing Pumpkins (specifically, Today) in that song. Yep, when the guitars come crashing into “Today,” there’s definitely shoegaze influence in that. You can hear it all over Siamese Dream. It’s not straight-up shoegaze, but that guitar-pedals influence of the genre and thickness of sound can be heard throughout. I guess “some of their more expansive works” is limiting it a bit. I think you can hear it most there, but some of their “poppier” songs also wear the influence. ---
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2022, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-musical-genres-are-mainly-known-by-only-one-song/962248/63 "2022-04-04T21:52:44Z")
> [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](#): > > Those are the same song. My bad, I thought that was Jamaica Farewell, in which case what about Jamaica Farewell? ---
**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, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-musical-genres-are-mainly-known-by-only-one-song/962248/64 "2022-04-04T22:01:47Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > My (incorrect) understanding of shoe gaze is that it was the 90’s version of ‘stoner’ music. Nah, the 90s version of stoner music would be, well, stoner rock, something like this: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/R-MSfd2S7lo/maxresdefault.jpg "KYUSS - Green Machine (HD)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-MSfd2S7lo) or this: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/dscfeQOMuGw/maxresdefault.jpg "Monster Magnet - Space Lord") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dscfeQOMuGw) Which begs the question: what is the one stoner rock track everybody knows? Must be some Queens Of The Stone Age song. What was their biggest hit? ---
**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, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-musical-genres-are-mainly-known-by-only-one-song/962248/65 "2022-04-04T22:06:21Z")
> [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > Which begs the question: what is the one stoner rock track everybody knows? Must be some Queens Of The Stone Age song. What was their biggest hit? I’d guess "No One Knows. "But I think of “Go With the Flow” when I think of QOTSA “stoner rock.” Was that on one of the Rock Band or Guitar Hero games? ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2022, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-musical-genres-are-mainly-known-by-only-one-song/962248/66 "2022-04-04T22:29:16Z")
> [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > 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. I bet a significant number of people in the US know Trio’s “Da Da Da” thanks to its use in a Volkswagen commercial. And I remember being aware of Falco’s “Rock Me Amadeus” and “Der Komissar” (though the English version by After The Fire was probably better known here). ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2022, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-musical-genres-are-mainly-known-by-only-one-song/962248/67 "2022-04-04T22:31:44Z")
Bossa Nova: [The Girl From Ipanema](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5QfXjsoNe4) ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2022, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-musical-genres-are-mainly-known-by-only-one-song/962248/68 "2022-04-04T22:37:09Z")
Good one. Although “Soul Bossa Nova” is pretty well known for its use in Austin Powers. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2022, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-musical-genres-are-mainly-known-by-only-one-song/962248/69 "2022-04-04T22:37:41Z")
Or anything by UB40, all of whose American hits that I know of are remakes. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2022, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-musical-genres-are-mainly-known-by-only-one-song/962248/70 "2022-04-04T22:40:00Z")
Check this out! It’s a professor and composer of sacred and classical music who does evaluations of metal and progressive music. (Warning: He does take a rip off a bong, so be aware if this offends or triggers anyone.) [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/OfC6-rlEO0Q/hqdefault.jpg "Classical Composer Reacts to Hocus Pocus (Focus) | The Daily Doug (Episode 253)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OfC6-rlEO0Q) ---
**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, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-musical-genres-are-mainly-known-by-only-one-song/962248/71 "2022-04-04T22:44:29Z")
> [@Skywatcher](#): > > What the vast majority know of new age music, I’m guessing: That’s a good question, as it depends on how you define New Age. Does Vangelis’s “Chariot’s of Fire” count? Enya’s “Orinoco Flow”? Enigma’s work? It’s … fuzzy. There seems to be disagreement as to whether “Tubular Bells” is considered New Age, but, honestly, that’s the first /earliest popular song I thought of for the genre, so I’m with you there. ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2022, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-musical-genres-are-mainly-known-by-only-one-song/962248/72 "2022-04-04T22:45:01Z")
> [@HeyHomie](#): > > Bossa Nova: [The Girl From Ipanema](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5QfXjsoNe4) > [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > Good one. Although “Soul Bossa Nova” is pretty well known for its use in Austin Powers. For me it was “[Blame it on the Bosso Nova](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5QPMctdFD4M)” from the “blacks without soul” sketch in _Amazon Women on the Moon._ ---
**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, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-musical-genres-are-mainly-known-by-only-one-song/962248/73 "2022-04-04T22:46:39Z")
While there were a number of popular songs on the radio for a while, I think a lot of people would struggle to come up with anything other than The Impression That I Get for ska. ---
**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, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-musical-genres-are-mainly-known-by-only-one-song/962248/74 "2022-04-04T22:47:17Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > I bet a significant number of people in the US know Trio’s “Da Da Da” thanks to its use in a Volkswagen commercial. > > And I remember being aware of Falco’s “Rock Me Amadeus” and “Der Komissar” (though the English version by After The Fire was probably better known here). Yeah, I somehow forget that Falco had hits in the US, and he surely belonged to the NDW, though being Austrian and having his greatest hit with “Rock Me Amadeus” in 1985, when the NDW had already collapsed. As for Trio, fun fact: Klaus Voormann, bass player, graphics designer and one of the strongest contenders for being the fifth Beatle, was Trio’s producer. It was a deliberate creative decision to produce music as minimalist as it turned out to be. I really think they didn’t expect the massive success they had. > **[Klaus Voormann](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Klaus_Voormann)** > > Klaus Otto Wilhelm Voormann (born 29 April 1938) is a German artist, musician, and record producer. > Voormann was the bassist for Manfred Mann from 1966 to 1969, and performed as a session musician on a host of recordings, including "You're So Vain" by Carly Simon, Lou Reed's Transformer album, and on many recordings of the former members of the Beatles. As a producer, Voormann worked with the band Trio on their worldwide hit "Da Da Da". > Voormann's association with the Beatles dates back to t... ---
**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, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-musical-genres-are-mainly-known-by-only-one-song/962248/75 "2022-04-04T22:48:29Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > While there were a number of popular songs on the radio for a while, I think a lot of people would struggle to come up with anything other than The Impression That I Get for ska. Sadly, there’s Ob-La-Di-Ob-La-Da. ---
**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, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-musical-genres-are-mainly-known-by-only-one-song/962248/76 "2022-04-04T22:57:48Z")
How about Horace Silver’s “Song For My Father”? Just heard it this past weekend. Probably not the purest example, though. ---
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2022, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-musical-genres-are-mainly-known-by-only-one-song/962248/77 "2022-04-04T23:01:45Z")
Surely the Verve Bittersweet Symphony is the best known example of Shoegaze? [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/1lyu1KKwC74/maxresdefault.jpg "The Verve - Bitter Sweet Symphony") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lyu1KKwC74) I mean Floating in Space by Spirtualized is the _best_ example, but it would be pushing it to describe it as well known. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/uWOdSeDzyy4/hqdefault.jpg "Spiritualized - Come Together (Official Music Video)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWOdSeDzyy4) I guess the true definition of Showgaze is your video has a long haired stoner walking towards the camera 🙂 ---
**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, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-musical-genres-are-mainly-known-by-only-one-song/962248/78 "2022-04-04T23:05:43Z")
> [@griffin1977](#): > > Surely the Verve Bittersweet Symphony is the best known example of Shoegaze? No. Not even close. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2022, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-musical-genres-are-mainly-known-by-only-one-song/962248/79 "2022-04-04T23:06:37Z")
If you’re not from DC, or even if you are, and you’ve ever heard go-go music, it was almost certainly E.U.'s “Da Butt.” [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/FShE0VifCYs/hqdefault.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEmCOADEOgC8quKqQMa8AEB-AH-BIAC4AOKAgwIABABGHIgXChGMA8=&rs=AOn4CLAAHtXv4ClN1ic6GaKoMV20AqbOig "E.U. (Experience Unlimited) - Da Butt (Video)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FShE0VifCYs) ---
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2022, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-musical-genres-are-mainly-known-by-only-one-song/962248/80 "2022-04-04T23:08:39Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > No. Not even close. So what would be? Given I agree with the posters above that its extremely a stretch to describe either the Pixies or Smashing Pumpkins as Shoegaze. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-musical-genres-are-mainly-known-by-only-one-song/962248.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-musical-genres-are-mainly-known-by-only-one-song/962248.md?page=5)