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My countdown list of one hit wonders- 1. Play That Funky Music (Wild Cherry) (2 Viewers)

timschochet said:
35. “One Toke Over the Line” Brewer and Shipley (1970) 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=MNKL9onYB_8

This song started off as a joke they wrote one night while on tour, and it became their biggest (and only) hit. Spiro Agnew chose to publicly attack the song in Trumpian fashion, which only served to heighten its popularity. The song actually appeared on the Lawrence Welk show, performed abysmally by a couple of his regulars; Welk introduced it as a “modern spiritual number.”  
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The bubble machine was awesome schtick.

 
timschochet said:
35. “One Toke Over the Line” Brewer and Shipley (1970) 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=MNKL9onYB_8

This song started off as a joke they wrote one night while on tour, and it became their biggest (and only) hit. Spiro Agnew chose to publicly attack the song in Trumpian fashion, which only served to heighten its popularity. The song actually appeared on the Lawrence Welk show, performed abysmally by a couple of his regulars; Welk introduced it as a “modern spiritual number.”  
Click to expand...
Deserves to be on the list if only for that guy’s macrame tanktop vest.

 
timschochet said:
35. “One Toke Over the Line” Brewer and Shipley (1970) 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=MNKL9onYB_8

This song started off as a joke they wrote one night while on tour, and it became their biggest (and only) hit. Spiro Agnew chose to publicly attack the song in Trumpian fashion, which only served to heighten its popularity. The song actually appeared on the Lawrence Welk show, performed abysmally by a couple of his regulars; Welk introduced it as a “modern spiritual number.”  
Click to expand...
Must be seen to be believed:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JkCaAnIcDWw

 
timschochet said:
36. “Something in the Air”- Thunderclap Newman (1969) 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=RTZoJ01FpD8

A late 60s rock classic. As noted, the bass is awesome, as are the acoustic guitars. 

This is one of about 4 late 60s protest anthem type songs that are all ranked pretty high on this list- not because of their subject matter, but because they’re all great songs. 
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This song also was covered by Fish, the original lead singer of Marillion* shortly after he left the band and went solo.

(*Speaking of bands considered to be a "one-hit wonder" because they had just one song in the mid-'80s that charted in the U.S., but they have recorded 18 studio albums and still are very popular in Europe and South America. They will be in Montreal next month. I don't expect to see the song on Tim's list, however. :kicksrock:  )

 
34. “But It’s Alright”- JJ Jackson (1966) 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=cBW9Gt2ha44

Another soul classic from the 60s. Nipsey’s reference, which I didn’t get at first, was to Huey Lewis and the News, who had a minor hit covering this song. 

JJ Jackson was a big man. Sounds a little bit like Levi Stubbs of the Four Tops. He sings the hell out of this. 

 
Up next: one of my favorite songs of all time is “P.F. Sloan” by Jimmy Webb. That song wasn’t a hit and wouldn’t be eligible for this draft even if it was, but it’s about another songwriter who scored a number of hits in the 60s and 70s, one of them a #1. That song is next. 

 
timschochet said:
Up next: one of my favorite songs of all time is “P.F. Sloan” by Jimmy Webb. That song wasn’t a hit and wouldn’t be eligible for this draft even if it was, but it’s about another songwriter who scored a number of hits in the 60s and 70s, one of them a #1. That song is next. 
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I know it, but I won’t give away the secret

 
33. “Eve of Destruction”- Barry Maguire (1965) 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=qfZVu0alU0I

Barry Maguire must have been somewhat chagrined in early 1965. Among his contemporaries in Greenwich Village he had been thought to be the really talented one, who would have the most commercial success. But his work with Gene Clark in the New Christy Minstrels and his solo career had only gotten him modest recognition and no financial rewards; meanwhile Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, Gene Clark and Roger McGuinn were all suddenly wealthy men selling out arenas. In desperation Maguire turned to his old buddy PF Sloan and said “write me a protest song!” 

Sloan basically listened to Dylan and cribbed every cliche he could find and threw it all into one imitative mess of a song. And ironically it became a no#1 hit (ironic because Dylan himself never achieved this feat.) Maguire wasn’t able to repeat the success himself and soon became a Christian music performer, while Sloan went on to rip other people off (for example “Secret Agent Man” which sounds a lot like Henry Mancini.) 

Despite the heavily derivative nature of this work it’s still a classic 60s tune, and it’s position on this list is IMO well deserved. 

 
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timschochet said:
34. “But It’s Alright”- JJ Jackson (1966) 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=cBW9Gt2ha44

Another soul classic from the 60s. Nipsey’s reference, which I didn’t get at first, was to Huey Lewis and the News, who had a minor hit covering this song. 

JJ Jackson was a big man. Sounds a little bit like Levi Stubbs of the Four Tops. He sings the hell out of this. 
Click to expand...
This is such a great song with a great riff. I always thought it would have been a good vehicle for The Blues Brothers, but alas they never performed it.

 
timschochet said:
33. “Eve of Destruction”- Barry Maguire (1965) 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=qfZVu0alU0I

Barry Maguire must have been somewhat chagrined in early 1965. Among his contemporaries in Greenwich Village he had been thought to be the really talented one, who would have the most commercial success. But his work with Gene Clark in the New Christy Minstrels and his solo career had only gotten him modest recognition and no financial rewards; meanwhile Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, Gene Clark and Roger McGuinn were all suddenly wealthy men selling out arenas. In desperation Maguire turned to his old buddy PF Sloan and said “write me a protest song!” 

Sloan basically listened to Dylan and cribbed every cliche he could find and threw it all into one imitative mess of a song. And ironically it became a no#1 hit (ironic because Dylan himself never achieved this feat.) Maguire wasn’t able to repeat the success himself and soon became a Christian music performer, while Sloan went on to rip other people off (for example “Secret Agent Man” which sounds a lot like Henry Mancini.) 

Despite the heavily derivative nature of this work it’s still a classic 60s tune, and it’s position on this list is IMO well deserved. 
Click to expand...
Love this song.  So upbeat.

 
timschochet said:
33. “Eve of Destruction”- Barry Maguire (1965) 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=qfZVu0alU0I

Barry Maguire must have been somewhat chagrined in early 1965. Among his contemporaries in Greenwich Village he had been thought to be the really talented one, who would have the most commercial success. But his work with Gene Clark in the New Christy Minstrels and his solo career had only gotten him modest recognition and no financial rewards; meanwhile Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, Gene Clark and Roger McGuinn were all suddenly wealthy men selling out arenas. In desperation Maguire turned to his old buddy PF Sloan and said “write me a protest song!” 

Sloan basically listened to Dylan and cribbed every cliche he could find and threw it all into one imitative mess of a song. And ironically it became a no#1 hit (ironic because Dylan himself never achieved this feat.) Maguire wasn’t able to repeat the success himself and soon became a Christian music performer, while Sloan went on to rip other people off (for example “Secret Agent Man” which sounds a lot like Henry Mancini.) 

Despite the heavily derivative nature of this work it’s still a classic 60s tune, and it’s position on this list is IMO well deserved. 
Click to expand...
Jan and Dean covered the song in 1966 -- using the exact same backing track from McGuire's version:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfT60UXFwmo

McGuire redid the song in 2012 with updated lyrics:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BaO0yU5fJF0

 
Tom Skerritt said:
Guess we were wrong. 
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Johnny Rivers had an even bigger hit than Secret Agent Man...

Edit: he actually had two songs that charted higher...Poor Side of Town (the one I was thinking of) at #1 and Memphis at #2...SAM was a number 3, as well as Baby I need Your Lovin’

and Eve of Destruction is a somewhat known song, although I only seldomly hear it on radio/satellite...

 
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Rove! said:
Johnny Rivers had an even bigger hit than Secret Agent Man...

Edit: he actually had two songs that charted higher...Poor Side of Town (the one I was thinking of) at #1 and Memphis at #2...SAM was a number 3, as well as Baby I need Your Lovin’
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Rivers was actually pretty huge for a few years.

 
32. “Joey”- Concrete Blonde (1990) 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=OdpTcvSn8HQ

I’ve always loved this song, but it came to have special meaning for me after I got involved in AA through my wife, started going to Continuing Care (Al-anon) once a week and meeting people and hearing their stories. This song probably captures the agony of being a codependent better than anything I’ve heard or read on the subject. It’s seriously brilliant. 

In addition, it’s got a terrific pop hook, and this woman can really sing too. 

 
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It's your list and all and it's been a fun thread but I can't believe the last 4 songs made the top 100 much less the top 40. I don't think I've ever heard Joey before. How can Cars be in the 90's but these latest songs are where they are? Honestly thinking about logging an official protest.

 
timschochet said:
32. “Joey”- Concrete Blonde (1990) 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=OdpTcvSn8HQ

I’ve always loved this song, but it came to have special meaning for me after I got involved in AA through my wife, started going to Continuing Care (Al-anon) once a week and meeting people and hearing their stories. This song probably captures the agony of being a codependent better than anything I’ve heard or read on the subject. It’s seriously brilliant. 

In addition, it’s got a terrific pop hook, and this woman can really sing too. 
Click to expand...
Your personal experience with Joey aside (and I'm not discounting it in terms of your appreciation of the tune),  I like God Is A Bullet a lot more than Joey.

 
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