What's new
Fantasy Football - Footballguys Forums

Welcome to Our Forums. Once you've registered and logged in, you're primed to talk football, among other topics, with the sharpest and most experienced fantasy players on the internet.

My countdown list of one hit wonders- 1. Play That Funky Music (Wild Cherry) (1 Viewer)

7. ”I Melt With You”- Modern English (1982) 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=LuN6gs0AJls

IMO this is the quintessential song of the 1980s. It makes me think of all those John Hughes movies (even though it never appears in any of them) and of course Valley Girl as previously mentioned. Interesting that, as Anarchy99 noted in the other thread, it never achieved top 40 status. Like “Mexican Radio” it’s an MTV hit, except it’s far bigger than “Mexican Radio”. In fact I can’t think of another modern popular song that is so well known that failed to make the charts. Perhaps one of you can think of one. 
We made fun of it when it came out. We were no-nuthin ########s at the time - but....ah - still don't really like it much. Can't say why - s0 - I won't argue bout its inclusion.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
7. ”I Melt With You”- Modern English (1982) 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=LuN6gs0AJls

IMO this is the quintessential song of the 1980s. It makes me think of all those John Hughes movies (even though it never appears in any of them) and of course Valley Girl as previously mentioned. Interesting that, as Anarchy99 noted in the other thread, it never achieved top 40 status. Like “Mexican Radio” it’s an MTV hit, except it’s far bigger than “Mexican Radio”. In fact I can’t think of another modern popular song that is so well known that failed to make the charts. Perhaps one of you can think of one. 
Figured this was the Deborah Foreman reference.  They are great in concert, but this isn’t even on their best album.  I like Life in the Gladhouse much more on this album and Ricochet Days as an album overall.  

 
Last edited by a moderator:
7. ”I Melt With You”- Modern English (1982) 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=LuN6gs0AJls

IMO this is the quintessential song of the 1980s. It makes me think of all those John Hughes movies (even though it never appears in any of them) and of course Valley Girl as previously mentioned. Interesting that, as Anarchy99 noted in the other thread, it never achieved top 40 status. Like “Mexican Radio” it’s an MTV hit, except it’s far bigger than “Mexican Radio”. In fact I can’t think of another modern popular song that is so well known that failed to make the charts. Perhaps one of you can think of one. 
I was waiting for this great song.

Though I actually enjoy the entire album.

 
In fact I can’t think of another modern popular song that is so well known that failed to make the charts. Perhaps one of you can think of one. 
There are many -- Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven" is the poster child for this. It was never released as a single at all.

 
In fact I can’t think of another modern popular song that is so well known that failed to make the charts. Perhaps one of you can think of one. 
There are many -- Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven" is the poster child for this. It was never released as a single at all.
A few more big songs that either didn't chart at all on the U.S. Hot 100 or didn't make the U.S. Top 40:
 

Missed Hot 100:
"Crazy Train", Ozzy Osbourne (#106)
"What a Wonderful World", Louis Armstrong (#116)
"Blowin' in the Wind", Bob Dylan (n/a)
"Heroes", David Bowie (n/a)
"Comfortably Numb", Pink Floyd (n/a)
"Run Like Hell", Pink Floyd (n/a)
"Bad Reputation", Joan Jett
"Don't Go", Yaz (n/a)
"Blue Monday", New Order (n/a)
"Where's the Party?", Madonna (n/a)
"Into the Groove", Madonna (n/a)
"How Soon Is Now?", The Smiths (n/a)
"Back In Time", Huey Lewis and the News (n/a)
"Pink Cadillac", Bruce Springsteen (n/a)
"She Sells Sanctuary", The Cult (n/a)
"Never Say Goodbye", Bon Jovi (n/a)
"Orange Crush", R.E.M. (n/a)
"Higher Ground", Red Hot Chili Peppers (n/a)

Missed Top 40:
"Changes", David Bowie (#41)
"La Grange", ZZ Top (#41)
"Good Times Roll", The Cars (#41)
"Flirtin' With Disaster", Molly Hatchet (#42)
"Tom Sawyer", Rush (#44)
"Should I Stay or Should I Go?", The Clash (#45)
"Rebel Yell", Billy Idol (#46)
"What I Like About You", The Romantics (#46)
"Iron Man", Black Sabbath (#52)
"Rock Lobster", B-52s (#56)
"Sharp Dressed Man", ZZ Top (#56)
"Jam On It", Newcleus (#56)
"Hot for Teacher", Van Halen (#56)
"Surrender", Cheap Trick (#62)
"Purple Haze", Jimi Hendrix (#65)
"Rockit", Herbie Hancock (#71)
"Situation", Yaz (#72)
"Bizarre Love Triangle", New Order (didn't chart on original 1986 release, #98 upon 1995 re-release)

 
Last edited by a moderator:
I appreciate the purely metric driven approach that Anarchy99 is doing and I expect that we will see very interesting results.

i do have some issues with the metric, but I don’t think any other contemporaneous metric is available,

my issues are

 - hot 100 is imprecise is based somewhat heavily on radio play (moreso with the decline of the “single” in the AOR era)

- MTV and the MTV era drove a lot of songs that may not have fit very well into the pop or “classic rock” radio formats.  When music changed, classic rock stuck to their 70s style hard “kickass rock and roll” format.  I think this skews the results in many cases.

- the peak chart position metric captures an instantaneous velocity and doesn’t measure volume or staying power of a song.  A song that gets heavy airplay fir a week or two and then charts , and subsequently gets yanked, may have a peak that charts, but is not a hit

all of that said, the peak position metric is valuable and is probably the only easily objective attainable metric we use to fairly discern what was a “hit.”

in my head canon, thtat metric will only be a part of the picture, and some subjectivity and other metrics are needed to fill the gaps.

One metric I find useful is Spotify plays.  If one song purely dominates all other songs by an artist, in terms of plays, that tells me that the one song is the on pe th3 Band is remembered for.  The downside of this metric is that it is not contemporaneous, so the results may be skewed.

All of this to say that this can be an art as much of a science, but some  general rules of thumb for me

- a secondary top 10 song is an immediate disqualifier.  No imperfection in the peak position metric can hand wave offsuch  a high chart position...it mostly should also apply to top 15 and maybe 20, but...

- if the secondary song charted higher then the original candidate is not a one hit wonder, even if everybody forgot about that secondary song.

- if a secondary song compares well in Spotify plays, then that is a strong metric to disqualify....OHW should be at least 2 to1, but prefer closer to 5 to 1 dominance or more.  The higher ratio, the stronger the case.  Total plays vs year of release is another thing to consider, but I don’t have a quantification of that.

 
Up next: 5 songs into this list I picked a 90s tune about Elvis (“Black Velvet” by Alannah Myles). It’s pure serendipity that, with 5 songs left, I’m taking another 90s tune about Elvis. 

 
Up next: 5 songs into this list I picked a 90s tune about Elvis (“Black Velvet” by Alannah Myles). It’s pure serendipity that, with 5 songs left, I’m taking another 90s tune about Elvis. 
Is this the only song on your list by an artist who has been shot in the head and survived?

 
Last edited by a moderator:
6. “Hot Child In the City”- Nick Gilder (1978)

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=tsE7W4RRdNg

Runnin’ wild and lookin’ pretty

So good. Such a great rock and roll tune. And in 1978 too when disco dominated the charts. Love this every time I hear it. 
Alrighty, Timmy - you back on me good side. Great song! 

Plus, while it doesn't provoke a memory worth detailing, it does provoke a memory of another song - that provokes a memory worth detailing...got it? 

Good.

I'll stay mum, on the chance that song comes up - but since we all family here, I'll add it at the end, if it don't. 

Deal. ✌️

 
6. “Hot Child In the City”- Nick Gilder (1978)

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=tsE7W4RRdNg

Runnin’ wild and lookin’ pretty

So good. Such a great rock and roll tune. And in 1978 too when disco dominated the charts. Love this every time I hear it. 
music to put lipstick on your nipples in the mirror and feel silky nylon in your crevices to....

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Up next: 5 songs into this list I picked a 90s tune about Elvis (“Black Velvet” by Alannah Myles). It’s pure serendipity that, with 5 songs left, I’m taking another 90s tune about Elvis. 
This one sounds like it could be a walk...

 
Up next: 5 songs into this list I picked a 90s tune about Elvis (“Black Velvet” by Alannah Myles). It’s pure serendipity that, with 5 songs left, I’m taking another 90s tune about Elvis. 
TIL his follow-up single inexplicably didn't crack the Top 40 (it apparently peaked at #63). The local big-city rock station I listened to in the early '90s played it as least as much as this one, and for my money it's an equally good song. (OK, maybe not "equally". But it's good. In fact, the entire album is fantastic.)

 
Last edited by a moderator:
And I really should have found a space for “Punk Rock Girl” on this list. Love that song. Oh well. 
I just stumbled on Len - Steal My Sunshine; The New Radicals - Get What You Give; and Harvey Danger - Flagpole Sitta.  All of which would make my top 100 OHWs (assuming they don't have other hits I'm forgetting).  But guessing they are not in your top four at this point.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
TIL his follow-up single inexplicably didn't crack the Top 40 (it apparently peaked at #63). The local big-city rock station I listened to in the early '90s played it as least as much as this one, and for my money it's an equally good song. (OK, maybe not "equally". But it's good. In fact, the entire album is fantastic.)
Number 22 on the mainstream rock chart, 63 on the hit 100, but the Spotify score is 84M to 2M, so, despite some airplay on mainstream rock stations, that second song is not a hit IMHO. They threw it against the wall, but it didn’t stick....

 
Last edited by a moderator:
5. “Walking In Memphis”- Marc Cohn (1991) 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=PTVbf44HMkY

Tell me are you a Christian, child? I said, Ma’am I am tonight. 

I get those lyrics. Cohn describes himself as a gospel loving Jewish boy, and as one myself I know exactly what he means. This is a beautiful song, one of the best works of the 90s. It’s one of those songs that make you happy every time you hear it. If I were making up a list simply comprised of my favorite songs of all time, this would still be pretty high up there. 

 
Up next: although this singer had a hit in 1965 called “The In Crowd” which actually reached #13 on the Billboard chart, he is really only remembered today for a song he recorded 8 years later. 

 
Up next: although this singer had a hit in 1965 called “The In Crowd” which actually reached #13 on the Billboard chart, he is really only remembered today for a song he recorded 8 years later. 
Yeah, stretching this one but I guess the guitars are soothing you.

 
5. “Walking In Memphis”- Marc Cohn (1991) 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=PTVbf44HMkY

Tell me are you a Christian, child? I said, Ma’am I am tonight. 

I get those lyrics. Cohn describes himself as a gospel loving Jewish boy, and as one myself I know exactly what he means. This is a beautiful song, one of the best works of the 90s. It’s one of those songs that make you happy every time you hear it. If I were making up a list simply comprised of my favorite songs of all time, this would still be pretty high up there. 
yuck

 
5. “Walking In Memphis”- Marc Cohn (1991) 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=PTVbf44HMkY

Tell me are you a Christian, child? I said, Ma’am I am tonight. 

I get those lyrics. Cohn describes himself as a gospel loving Jewish boy, and as one myself I know exactly what he means. This is a beautiful song, one of the best works of the 90s. It’s one of those songs that make you happy every time you hear it. If I were making up a list simply comprised of my favorite songs of all time, this would still be pretty high up there. 
This song is an unsharpened pencil to the ear canal.

 
timschochet said:
7. ”I Melt With You”- Modern English (1982) 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=LuN6gs0AJls

IMO this is the quintessential song of the 1980s. It makes me think of all those John Hughes movies (even though it never appears in any of them) and of course Valley Girl as previously mentioned. Interesting that, as Anarchy99 noted in the other thread, it never achieved top 40 status. Like “Mexican Radio” it’s an MTV hit, except it’s far bigger than “Mexican Radio”. In fact I can’t think of another modern popular song that is so well known that failed to make the charts. Perhaps one of you can think of one. 
The ending scene in Valley Girl is some school dance with this song.  All those dancing were in my frat at LB St and the Alpha Phi's on an exchange. A lot of my good friends are in it.  I had to work that night.  :kicksrock:

 

Users who are viewing this thread

Top