September 25th is National One-Hit Wonder Day


There is no hard and fast rule about what a one-hit wonder is but I say a one-hit wonder is a musical artist who is successful (Top 40) with one hit song, but without a comparable subsequent hit. Here are a few that I remember that are worth listening to, either because they kick butt or they are a hell of a novelty song. There are quite a few other one-hit wonders but my musical tastes are somewhat restricted and I can’t just like a song because it’s a one-hit wonder. (Examples: Macarena by the Bayside Boys is a one-hit wonder, but NO!!! Electric Avenue by Eddie Grant is a one-hit wonder also … for a reason … NO!!!) These are one-hit wonders that appeal to me for one particular reason or another. Some of them are just awesome songs, some of them have a particular reminiscence to someone or something and some are just funny. And I’m sorry but most recent groups with one hit wonders don’t make my list because … well, these groups today suck as does their music. Another reason I seldom add anything to my list is that today, there are very, very few successful groups which means they almost all have one-hit wonders. And that’s because most of these groups today are fad groups. The groups back in the day were actually groups who made music that mattered and they were around for a while.


So this is NOT a comprehensive list of most songs that qualify as one-hit wonders, but a list of one-hit wonders that I find entertaining enough to be on MY list.
The last three are not true one-hit wonders but they were real close and they are listed for their appeal to me. 
I hope you enjoy some of these.
These are listed in no particular order.

• 

Haddaway – "What Is Love"

• Bobby McFerrin – "Don't Worry, Be Happy"

• Edie Brickell & New Bohemians – "What I Am"

• Naked Eyes - “Always Something There To Remind Me”

• Tommy Tutone – "867-5309/Jenny"

• Randy Newman - “Short People”

• Dean Friedman – "Ariel"
• 
Sammy Johns - “Chevy Van”

• Alan O'Day - “Undercover Angel”

• Walter Murphy And The Big Apple Band - “A Fifth Of Beethoven”

• Starland Vocal Band – "Afternoon Delight"

• Terry Jacks - “Seasons In The Sun”

• Paper Lace - “The Night Chicago Died”

• Brownsville Station - “Smokin’ In The Boys Room”

• King Harvest – "Dancing in the Moonlight"

• Looking Glass – "Brandy (You're a Fine Girl)"

• Mungo Jerry – "In the Summertime"

• Archies - “Sugar, Sugar”

• Iron Butterfly – ”In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida” - In The Garden Of Eden

• The Youngbloods - “Get Together”

• The Monotones - “Who Wrote The Book Of Love”
• 
Bobby "Boris" Pickett and the Crypt-Kickers - "Monster Mash"

• Blue Swede - “Hooked on a Feeling"

• Pilot - “Magic”

• Elvin Bishop - “Fooled Around And Fell In Love”

• Stealers Wheel - “Stuck In The Middle With You”

• The Royal Teens - “Short Shorts”
• Thin Lizzy - “The Boys Are Back in Town"
• 
Hot Chocolate - “You Sexy Thing”

• Baha Men – "Who Let the Dogs Out?"

• The Wallflowers - “One Headlight”

• Lou Bega - “Mambo #5”

• Wild Cherry - “Play That Funky Music”
• 
Nick Guilder - “Hot Child In The City”

• Meredith Brooks - “Bitch”

• 
Brownsville Station - “Smokin’ In The Boys Room”
• Steam - “Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye”

• Modern English - “I Melt With You”

• Tal Bachman - “She's So High”

• The La’s - “There She Goes”

• OMC – "How Bizarre"
’
• Til Tuesday - (Hush Hush) “Voices Carry”

• Crash Test Dummies - “Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm”
•  
  
• 

The Main Ingredient - “Everybody Plays The Fool”

• Turtles - “Happy Together”

• Philip Bailey - Earth, Wind, And Fire And Phil Collins - Genesis – "Easy Lover" - Not a true one-hit wonder because both of the artists had other hits but the only one they had together.