What's new
Fantasy Football - Footballguys Forums

This is a sample guest message. Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

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

Mr. Irrelevant said:
The Bee Gees were to Billboard what Barry Bonds was to MLB. Set a bunch of records that will never be broken; kept it in the popular zeitgeist; in retrospect hugely embarrassing.
Click to expand...
Why embarrassing? Barry Bonds cheated. What did The Bee Gees do except make professional excellent hit songs? 

 
timschochet said:
I can’t think of anyone Jim Steinman wrote for that didn’t have at least 2 or more hits. 
Click to expand...
Gotta check, and I’m probably wrong but: himself? The only song I know that’s credited to Steinman as the artist AND was a hit single was “Rock & Roll Dreams Come Through”.

Now ... off to confirm.

EDIT: Yep — this is Steinman’s lone Top 40 single as an artist.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Doug B said:
Gotta check, and I’m probably wrong but: himself? The only song I know that’s credited to Steinman as the artist AND was a hit single was “Rock & Roll Dreams Come Through”.

Now ... off to confirm.
Click to expand...
I’m not even aware of this song. I didn’t know he was a performer. 

 
timschochet said:
49. “Emotion” Samantha Sang (1977) 

“Emotion” fits right in, its a quintessential Bee Gees disco era song, though sung by somebody else with the Gibbs backing her. 
Click to expand...
Not just backing Sang, but taking the song over, really. Barry knocks it way out of the park on the choruses — he outsings Sang pretty handily in this track.

 
Mr. Irrelevant said:
The Bee Gees were to Billboard what Barry Bonds was to MLB. Set a bunch of records that will never be broken; kept it in the popular zeitgeist; in retrospect hugely embarrassing.
Click to expand...
A better comparison for the BeeGees would be Julian Edelman. Persistence leads to greatness. Not getting your embarrassment reference.

 
timschochet said:
I’m not even aware of this song. I didn’t know he was a performer. 
Click to expand...
Here’s a write-up on “Rock & Roll Dreams Come Through”. It was written for Meat Loaf, ML came down with vocal health issues, Steinman recorded an album of his songs under his own name as the artist. Steinman sang on most of the tracks, but brought on Rory Dodd to sing a few - including “Rock & Roll Dreams Come Through”.

Rory Dodd would later go on to memorably back up Bonnie Tyler on another Steinman song, “Total Eclipse of the Heart.” Yep ... Dodd is the “turn around, bright eyes” guy. 

 
timschochet said:
49. “Emotion” Samantha Sang (1977) 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=zPwpVJ-eIgg

Maurice Gibbs, talking about the years 1977-1978 once said, “we weren’t on the charts; we were the charts.” This was certainly true of his brother Barry; no artist, not even the Beatles, has ever been this dominant: 4 #1 hits for The Bee Gees, along with 3 more Bee Gees songs in the top ten, 3 #1 hits for youngest brother Andy Gibb, a #1 hit for Yvonne Elliman, and a #3 hit for fellow Australian Samantha Sang. All written by Barry Gibb. All within a single year. Never done before, and will never be repeated either. 

“Emotion” fits right in, its a quintessential Bee Gees disco era song, though sung by somebody else with the Gibbs backing her. It’s exquisite pop writing and professional orchestration, and the harmonies are terrific. Gibb offered Sang more songs but she turned him down; she wanted to be thought of as her own performer and not part of the “Bee Gees” collective. But without Barry at the helm, she quickly faded into obscurity. 
Click to expand...
Hope to hear another related tune in this thread.  14 year-old me hated this song, but of recent times it feeds me.  Good stuff

You still need help rounding out your top 50.

 
Mister CIA said:
A better comparison for the BeeGees would be Julian Edelman. Persistence leads to greatness. Not getting your embarrassment reference.
Click to expand...
They hacked the system. If in saying that I’m implying that disco is objectively bad, that’s a hill I’m willing to die on.  :shrug:  

 
Mrs. Rannous said:
I like them fine, but one of those instruments has a burr on it that makes that song difficult for me to listen to.
Click to expand...
Ah, that's too bad. I really shouldn't have made a like/dislike sound so objective, anyway. I should have just highly recommended it without a good/bad judgment on it.  

 
jon_mx said:
Oddly, Icons like Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin can technically be considered one-hit wonders.
Click to expand...
True, if you're technically going by number of US top 40 Billboard hits.

By that measure, FFA's favorite/least favorite band Rush is also a one-hit wonder, with only "New World Man" reaching the US top 40.

ETA: And we already discussed the Grateful Dead, with only one US top 40 hit ("Touch Of Grey").

 
Last edited by a moderator:
48. “Mexican Radio”- Wall of Voodoo (1983) 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=eyCEexG9xjw

As I mentioned, this was an MTV hit rather than a Billboard hit. But MTV was so popular back then that this song has become fairly iconic. 

Wall of Voodoo was a pretty short-lived band based in Los Angeles, though it’s lead singer, Stan Ridgeway, continued to put out idiosyncratic material for years after; I went and saw him at a local venue once. Also, the lead guitarist of this band was the subject matter of a song that that will come up later on this list. 

 
timschochet said:
48. “Mexican Radio”- Wall of Voodoo (1983) 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=eyCEexG9xjw

As I mentioned, this was an MTV hit rather than a Billboard hit. But MTV was so popular back then that this song has become fairly iconic. 

Wall of Voodoo was a pretty short-lived band based in Los Angeles, though it’s lead singer, Stan Ridgeway, continued to put out idiosyncratic material for years after; I went and saw him at a local venue once. Also, the lead guitarist of this band was the subject matter of a song that that will come up later on this list. 
Click to expand...
Good call here. That video will always be associated with this image.

I like Ridgway's later collaboration with Stewart Copeland "Don't Box Me In" from the Rumble Fish soundtrack.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Up next: earlier in this thread it was suggested to me that I might select “No Myth” by Michael Penn. I strongly considered it, because I really like that song. But in the end, despite making Billboard’s top 20 at one point, I felt it was a little too obscure, not well remembered enough. 

But the next song up was written by Michael Penn’s wife. 

 
timschochet said:
48. “Mexican Radio”- Wall of Voodoo (1983) 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=eyCEexG9xjw

As I mentioned, this was an MTV hit rather than a Billboard hit. But MTV was so popular back then that this song has become fairly iconic. 

Wall of Voodoo was a pretty short-lived band based in Los Angeles, though it’s lead singer, Stan Ridgeway, continued to put out idiosyncratic material for years after; I went and saw him at a local venue once. Also, the lead guitarist of this band was the subject matter of a song that that will come up later on this list. 
Click to expand...
If this is what I’m thinking it is, she should have named it Marc rather than its current title and used throughout the song.  Not a fan of this band fwiw.  Always thought they were goth posers.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
timschochet said:
Up next: earlier in this thread it was suggested to me that I might select “No Myth” by Michael Penn. I strongly considered it, because I really like that song. But in the end, despite making Billboard’s top 20 at one point, I felt it was a little too obscure, not well remembered enough. 

But the next song up was written by Michael Penn’s wife. 
Click to expand...
Is Paul Simon’s wife’s song on deck too?

ETA: Your hints are getting way easier.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Osaurus said:
Is Paul Simon’s wife’s song on deck too?

So you’ve got her as part of a band and solo as a OHW?  Interesting list.
Click to expand...
1. No. I considered it though. Didn’t make the cut. 

2. No, only as part of a band. Her solo stuff (which I am a huge fan of) is not really applicable to this list. 

 
timschochet said:
1. No. I considered it though. Didn’t make the cut. 

2. No, only as part of a band. Her solo stuff (which I am a huge fan of) is not really applicable to this list. 
Click to expand...
I edited.  Realized it wasn’t on your list.  She’s awesome btw and her band while not overly popular, created a bunch of awesome music.  Love her solo stuff too.  

 
timschochet said:
55. “Sugar Sugar” -The Archies (1969) 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=h9nE2spOw_o

I really need to show my daughters, both of whom are huge Riverdale fans, this video. 

Talk about quintessential: this is probably the quintessential “bubblegum pop” song of all time. The story Don Kirshner used to tell about how he offered it to the Monkees and then it was refused is apparently not true, but it IS true that Kirshner got a bunch of session musicians to play it. The song is written by the great Jeff Barry of Phil Spector fame. 
Click to expand...
Th Archies had a few other hits, Jingle Jangle being the biggest one but I agree that almost no one remembers anything else they did.   Don Kirshner created the Archies after he lost out on a power struggle with the Monkees.  Kirschner wanted a band of session musicians behind an animated cartoon to ensure the actors in the show wouldn't pull the same stunt as the MOnkess.  It worked for a little while...

 
timschochet said:
Up next: earlier in this thread it was suggested to me that I might select “No Myth” by Michael Penn. I strongly considered it, because I really like that song. But in the end, despite making Billboard’s top 20 at one point, I felt it was a little too obscure, not well remembered enough. 

But the next song up was written by Michael Penn’s wife. 
Click to expand...
And not to mention, that song sucks.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
timschochet said:
48. “Mexican Radio”- Wall of Voodoo (1983) 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=eyCEexG9xjw

As I mentioned, this was an MTV hit rather than a Billboard hit. But MTV was so popular back then that this song has become fairly iconic. 

Wall of Voodoo was a pretty short-lived band based in Los Angeles, though it’s lead singer, Stan Ridgeway, continued to put out idiosyncratic material for years after; I went and saw him at a local venue once. Also, the lead guitarist of this band was the subject matter of a song that that will come up later on this list. 
Click to expand...
Never heard it (and that's not a bad thing) 

 
47. “Voices Carry”- Til Tuesday (1985) 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=uejh-bHa4To

Always loved Aimee Mann. As I wrote, she would not be eligible for this list as a solo artist. But her old band only had this one hit so it’s worthy. And this remains a powerful song, obviously still relevant today. I was surprised, reading the Wiki article, to learn that it was originally meant to be sung to a woman. 

 
Mr. Irrelevant said:
The Bee Gees were to Billboard what Barry Bonds was to MLB. Set a bunch of records that will never be broken; kept it in the popular zeitgeist; in retrospect hugely embarrassing.
Click to expand...
History is proving those who found the Bee Gees embarrassing at the time wrong. They were brilliant.

And Aimee Mann doesn't belong in a one-hit wonder discussion but considering this is Til Tuesday...eh, I guess it gets in on a technicality.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
timschochet said:
Up next: earlier in this thread it was suggested to me that I might select “No Myth” by Michael Penn. I strongly considered it, because I really like that song. But in the end, despite making Billboard’s top 20 at one point, I felt it was a little too obscure, not well remembered enough. 

But the next song up was written by Michael Penn’s wife. 
Click to expand...
"No Myth" is a great song. And if you listen to enough era-specific stations on SiriusXM, you'll hear it often enough that it's by no means obscure.

And for some reason I had it in my head that your second sentence was referring to this one-hit wonder. But then I remembered ... that's actually Richard Marx's wife. True!

 
timschochet said:
47. “Voices Carry”- Til Tuesday (1985) 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=uejh-bHa4To

Always loved Aimee Mann. As I wrote, she would not be eligible for this list as a solo artist. But her old band only had this one hit so it’s worthy. And this remains a powerful song, obviously still relevant today. I was surprised, reading the Wiki article, to learn that it was originally meant to be sung to a woman. 
Click to expand...
Given Aimee Mann's target audience and fans, I am thoroughly unsurprised. 

eta* I read the claim and it sounds like a few were made. It could be like Carly Simon's You're So Vain in that we'll never know.  

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Apple Jack said:
Pretty sure most Americans over the age of 35 will remember No Myth.
Click to expand...
I think, technically speaking, only about 10% of them will remember "No Myth". But it'll click for about half of the rest if you refer to "that 'Romeo in Black Jeans' song".

 
Mr. Irrelevant said:
"No Myth" is a great song. And if you listen to enough era-specific stations on SiriusXM, you'll hear it often enough that it's by no means obscure.

And for some reason I had it in my head that your second sentence was referring to this one-hit wonder. But then I remembered ... that's actually Richard Marx's wife. True!
Click to expand...
I hate that song with a passion. With an OBSESSION! Not making my list in a billion years. 

 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Tau837
Middle Aged Dummies Music Countdowns
Replies
15
Views
989
Dr. Octopus
Dr. Octopus
Gawain
To you music drafters...top songs of early 60s
Replies
21
Views
580
kupcho1
kupcho1
Dr. Octopus
Consensus Top 350 Albums of All-Time: 1. The Dark Side of the Moon – Pink Floyd
161 162 163
Replies
8K
Views
503K
Mrs. Rannous
Mrs. Rannous

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 1 (members: 0, guests: 1)
Back
Top