My Top 10 One Hit Wonders
Last Thursday was National One Hit Wonder Day so in honor of that incredibly awesome holiday here are my 10 greatest One Hit Wonders of all time. In order for a song to be considered a one hit wonder it must be the only song by that particular artist that ever entered the Billboard Hot 100. For example, Lou Bega's classic "Mambo No. 5" was actually followed up by "Tricky" which was nowhere near as popular but entered the charts nonetheless. I am also only considering the US Billboard Chart. From 10-1 here they are:
10) Ini Kamoze - Here Comes the Hotstepper
Jamaican reggae singer Ini Kamoze hit the top of the charts in 1994 with his catchy and danceable "Here Comes the Hotstepper." The Na na na na na na's are an ode to the Wilson Pickett hit "Land of 1,000 Dances" and can also be heard on the soundtrack to the classic 90's cartoon Fern Gully (Nineties kids remember this one?).
The chorus will find its way into your head and never leave. Enjoy bringing this one back to your next summer beach party. This song is also one of only 2 "True" One Hit Wonders on this list. This means that the song went to #1 on the Billboard chart and then the band/artist was never heard from again.
9) OMC - How Bizarre
OMC, aka Otara Millionaires Club, had a massive feel-good summer hit in 1995 with "How Bizarre." The song features irresistible mariachi trumpets, sultry accordion, and jangly acoustic guitar. Over top of this are spoken male vocals and then the catchy female-led chorus of "Every time I look around..." The New Zealand trio could never match the success of "How Bizarre" and faded back into obscurity within a few years of this hit.
8) Digable Planets - Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat)
In 1992 Digable Planets stormed the charts with their jazzy hip-hop tune "Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat)." The song won the award for best rap performance by a duo or group at the 39th Grammy Awards. This track is the definition of cool and slick with the simple bass beat and horn spurts during the chorus. The song was used in a memorable druggy scene in this year's HBO Miniseries Show Me A Hero.
7) Dexy's Midnight Runners - Come On Eileen
The only other "True" One Hit Wonder on my list, "Come On Eileen" was a worldwide smash in 1982, topping the charts in at least 9 different countries. This is one of the all time feel-good songs and it actually somewhat inspired the famous sports chant "Come On England." From the opening Celtic fiddle solo to the use of accordion and horns this song is an excellent example of a modern take on classic folk music. The unabashedly English accent of lead singer Kevin Rowland is so charming that you'll feel like you've landed among the quaint hills of Buckinghamshire. My personal favourite use of this song in pop culture comes from the underrated film The Perks of Being a Wallflower. When Emma Watson exclaims "finally good, real music" right before dancing the night away you'll fall in love with this song, and her, all over again.
6) Eddy Grant - Electric Avenue
In 1983 Guyanese British musician Eddy Grant had a massive transatlantic hit with the infectious "Electric Avenue." From the keyboard blips and bleeps to the simple singing/chanting this song has the recipe for the perfect blend of reggae and pop. Always friendly with Mary Jane, this song was used brilliantly during the opening scene of Seth Rogen and James Franco's stoner classic Pineapple Express (I laugh so hard every time when Rogen pulls up next to the latino dudes rocking out in their car to the same song!). I also completely agree with the description to this video:
It's somewhat ironic that the majority of the rest of Grant's catalog featured very politically charged songs, especially with regards to South Africa and Apartheid. Although he never found the same success on the charts he became a cult protest figure and went on to produce albums by the likes of Mick Jagger, Sting, and Elvis Costello.
5) Men Without Hats - Safety Dance
6) Eddy Grant - Electric Avenue
In 1983 Guyanese British musician Eddy Grant had a massive transatlantic hit with the infectious "Electric Avenue." From the keyboard blips and bleeps to the simple singing/chanting this song has the recipe for the perfect blend of reggae and pop. Always friendly with Mary Jane, this song was used brilliantly during the opening scene of Seth Rogen and James Franco's stoner classic Pineapple Express (I laugh so hard every time when Rogen pulls up next to the latino dudes rocking out in their car to the same song!). I also completely agree with the description to this video:
It's somewhat ironic that the majority of the rest of Grant's catalog featured very politically charged songs, especially with regards to South Africa and Apartheid. Although he never found the same success on the charts he became a cult protest figure and went on to produce albums by the likes of Mick Jagger, Sting, and Elvis Costello.
5) Men Without Hats - Safety Dance
This song by Canadian new wave group Men Without Hats holds a special place in my heart. It is a personal favourite of one of my best friends and his goofy singing and dancing to it made it an anthem of sorts on our trip to Europe five years ago. Maybe he was inspired by the zany video in which lead singer Ivan Doroschuk frolics around a medieval town with a little person dressed as a jester. An absolute classic! The incredibly eighties synth-heavy (there seems to be a synth theme occurring here...) backbeat is punctuated by the spoken-sung vocals (another running theme...) and catchy chorus of "we can dance." Yet another song that'll find its way into your head and never leave.
4) Spacehog - In The Meantime
English rock band Spacehog rose up the charts in 1996 with their hit single "In The Meantime." Now there was a lot of crappy alternative rock floating around in the nineties but these guys stood out for lead singer Royston Langdon's unique voice and phrasing style. I just love the way he sings the beginning of the chorus "we love the all the all of you..." and then the guitar comes in to perfectly complement it. Also the opening guitar, keyboard, and synth parts that build up to the "Oohhoohohhwaaoohhh's" are so awesomely nineties. Fun fact: Langdon was at one point married to and has a child with Liv Tyler. The more you know.
3) The Chambers Brothers - Time Has Come Today
"Time Has Come Today" by The Chambers Brothers is the only song in my top 10 not from the 1980's or 1990's. In 1968 the band found the perfect combination of a new type of music which mixed American gospel and blues with psychedelic rock. The echoing vocal effects, cowbells used to imitate clock ticking, and hard hitting style of drumming were revolutionary for the times garnering the band newfound attention and it has since become a landmark song of the psychedelic era. I first heard this song on the soundtrack to my all time favourite movie, Remember the Titans, as it scored a violent protest scene. It is a great song to sing (make that yell) along to and is a classic for air drumming.
2) Indio - Hard Sun
For this one I am cheating a little bit as this song never actually charted in the USA (it reached the top 10 in Canada). But it is one of my all time favourite songs and I could not leave it off the list. Canadian singer-songwriter Gordon Peterson released "Hard Sun" and the album Big Harvest in 1989. The song features jangling acoustic guitar, beautiful violin, and a complex percussion pattern that is accentuated by thunderous bangs. For some strange reason (likely that it was not "in touch" with the music of the time) this album had abysmal sales figures and Peterson was dropped from his label. This was his last major recording and he remains a reclusive figure to this day. In 2009 Eddie Vedder (lead singer of Pearl Jam) covered this song for the Into The Wild soundtrack. This is likely the version of this song that you will know. It is an excellent rendition but I still prefer the original. Also the movie is one of my favourites and the rest of the soundtrack, all by Vedder, is incredible.
1) New Radicals - You Get What You Give
The greatest One Hit Wonder of all time is "You Get What You Give" by New Radicals. This song features passionate singing, a killer guitar riff, and chug-along piano backbeat. Released in 1998, it was an international hit that topped the charts in Canada and New Zealand and reached the top 5 in the UK. But for some reason it only made the top 40 in the band's native USA. "Band" doesn't quite properly describe New Radicals as frontman Gregg Alexander wrote and produced all of their songs and was the sole constant member. He is a brilliant lyricist who has been praised by the likes of The Edge and Ice-T. But it was the lyrics that close out the song which garnered the most media attention. He begins the final verse by pointing out important political issues such as health insurance and big banks but then ends it with some petty celebrity dissing. He claims to have done this as a test to see what the mainstream media would pay attention to, guessing that it would be the latter portion of the verse. Gregg was correct as articles about the name-dropping began to appear in the press and the political issues were ignored. Typical.
After the success of my Top 5 Songs of the Summer list I've decided that I quite enjoy making countdowns and more of the same is coming soon. Stay tuned for my top 5 obscure soul/funk/disco classics.
4) Spacehog - In The Meantime
English rock band Spacehog rose up the charts in 1996 with their hit single "In The Meantime." Now there was a lot of crappy alternative rock floating around in the nineties but these guys stood out for lead singer Royston Langdon's unique voice and phrasing style. I just love the way he sings the beginning of the chorus "we love the all the all of you..." and then the guitar comes in to perfectly complement it. Also the opening guitar, keyboard, and synth parts that build up to the "Oohhoohohhwaaoohhh's" are so awesomely nineties. Fun fact: Langdon was at one point married to and has a child with Liv Tyler. The more you know.
3) The Chambers Brothers - Time Has Come Today
"Time Has Come Today" by The Chambers Brothers is the only song in my top 10 not from the 1980's or 1990's. In 1968 the band found the perfect combination of a new type of music which mixed American gospel and blues with psychedelic rock. The echoing vocal effects, cowbells used to imitate clock ticking, and hard hitting style of drumming were revolutionary for the times garnering the band newfound attention and it has since become a landmark song of the psychedelic era. I first heard this song on the soundtrack to my all time favourite movie, Remember the Titans, as it scored a violent protest scene. It is a great song to sing (make that yell) along to and is a classic for air drumming.
2) Indio - Hard Sun
For this one I am cheating a little bit as this song never actually charted in the USA (it reached the top 10 in Canada). But it is one of my all time favourite songs and I could not leave it off the list. Canadian singer-songwriter Gordon Peterson released "Hard Sun" and the album Big Harvest in 1989. The song features jangling acoustic guitar, beautiful violin, and a complex percussion pattern that is accentuated by thunderous bangs. For some strange reason (likely that it was not "in touch" with the music of the time) this album had abysmal sales figures and Peterson was dropped from his label. This was his last major recording and he remains a reclusive figure to this day. In 2009 Eddie Vedder (lead singer of Pearl Jam) covered this song for the Into The Wild soundtrack. This is likely the version of this song that you will know. It is an excellent rendition but I still prefer the original. Also the movie is one of my favourites and the rest of the soundtrack, all by Vedder, is incredible.
1) New Radicals - You Get What You Give
The greatest One Hit Wonder of all time is "You Get What You Give" by New Radicals. This song features passionate singing, a killer guitar riff, and chug-along piano backbeat. Released in 1998, it was an international hit that topped the charts in Canada and New Zealand and reached the top 5 in the UK. But for some reason it only made the top 40 in the band's native USA. "Band" doesn't quite properly describe New Radicals as frontman Gregg Alexander wrote and produced all of their songs and was the sole constant member. He is a brilliant lyricist who has been praised by the likes of The Edge and Ice-T. But it was the lyrics that close out the song which garnered the most media attention. He begins the final verse by pointing out important political issues such as health insurance and big banks but then ends it with some petty celebrity dissing. He claims to have done this as a test to see what the mainstream media would pay attention to, guessing that it would be the latter portion of the verse. Gregg was correct as articles about the name-dropping began to appear in the press and the political issues were ignored. Typical.
After the success of my Top 5 Songs of the Summer list I've decided that I quite enjoy making countdowns and more of the same is coming soon. Stay tuned for my top 5 obscure soul/funk/disco classics.
No comments:
Post a Comment