So many from the 80’s - I loved Der Kommissar by After The Fire, and The Politics of Dancing by Reflexx.
“The Rain” - Oran “Juice” Jones
The Night Chicago Died by Paper Lace. Yes, I know they also charted with Billy Don’t Be A Hero in the UK, so technically not a one hit wonder there. But Bo Donaldson and the Heywoods charted with “Billy” in the US and prevented Paper Lace from charting with it here. And that was the Heywoods’ only hit song.
I’ve heard the lead singer on both of these is the same guy. Don’t have time to wiki it up, though.
A quick one of my own: “Thunder and Lightning” by Chi Coltrane.
“Untouched” by the Veronicas (not counting other hits in Australia and New Zealand)
They are also notable for having sung “This Love,” written by Kesha before she became famous in her own right.
In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida by a country mile.
Jeez, am I the only one who heard their follow-up, “Canned Ham?” If it played in the podunk town I lived in at the time, it must have been national.
I’ll cast my vote for “Hot Smoke and Sassafras,” by Bubble Puppy. Great guitar solo midway through.
Popcorn by Hot Butter.
Music Box Dancer by Frank Mills
Disco Duck by Rick Dees and his cast of idiots.
Dominique by Soeur Sourire
Funny, I never realized that that song even charted, but I see it made it to #14. I don’t remember ever once hearing it on the radio back in the day (I was just starting to really tune in to Top 40 around then), or ever since on “oldies” or “classic rock” stations. And it’s such an excellent song!
Funny. I heard “Hot Smoke and Sassafras” on satellite radio just the other day. First time I’d heard it in decades! It was played in heavy rotation on Atlanta’s “underground” radio station my senior year in high school, along with “I Got a Line on You” by Spirit, and “Sabre Dance” by Love Sculpture. For some reason, I always group those three songs together in my memory, probably because I heard them played in a row one day back in 1969!
You’re probably coming from an American perspective, but I may as well say that they actually represented the UK in the Eurovision Song Contest with “Love Shine a Light” in 1997. It won.
“Love is all Around”? Seriously? Number 7 in the US in 1968 and Wet Wet Wet’s cover was everywhere in 1994 due to the involvement with “Four Weddings and a Funeral”. “With a Girl Like You” hit number 29 is 1966.
Just nit-picking here, but didn’t Wilbert Harrison get on the charts again with “Let’s Work Together”? Got to see him doing that live, playing guitar, bass drum & hi-hat. ‘Mon, c’mon, les woik t’getha’ - cool dude.
Nena. Known in the US only for 99 Luftballons, she’s been putting out albums regularly for nearly 30 years now. She has some truly magnificent stuff in her catalog.
For me, it’s a tossup between Safety Dance and* Come On Eileen*, much to the chagrin of both wife and son…
Yes. Because if you had a quirky video, the song itself didn’t have to be that great, but you could get on MTV, and MTV dictated radio airplay in the 80’s.
Radio programmers were on autopilot all through the 80’s.
Are you a fan of thePachelbel Rant? (I’m hoping that’s the right link. We can’t connect to Youtube at work.)
Let’s try **Monster Mash **by Bobby “Boris” Pickett.
And The Purple People Eater by Sheb Wooley, even though his song, **That’s My Pa ** was #1 on the Country & Western charts for one week.
Unfortunately, Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka Dot Bikini does not count because Brian Hyland hit #3 twice, with Sealed with a Kiss and with Gypsy Woman.
Stealers Wheel - Stuck in the middle
Ozark mountain daredevils - Jackie Blue, can’t recall anything else by them.
Ram Jam - Black betty, based on a very old negro song, again, can’t think of anything else by them
Midnight Oil - Beds are burning, don’t remember anything else by them
