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

timschochet said:
No clues about #1 at this time. 
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I've got in narrowed down to four.

  1.  90s - might be the greatest American song ever
  2. 70's - belongs in the Smithsonian (the guy from Philly)
  3. Country music in the house (decade would be a dead giveaway)
  4. 70's - massive sideburns.

 
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timschochet said:
30. “Disco Inferno”- The Trammps (1976) 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=A_sY2rjxq6M

You can’t watch this video and not love these guys- except, who is the goofy looking white dude on keyboards? How did he get in there anyhow? 

This song didn’t do well on the charts initially, and the group was going nowhere. Then it was included as part of the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack, and the rest as they say, was history. Now it’s a staple of the era. Because it’s awesome. 
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They had three Top 40 pop hits and all three (including this one) are still played on era-specific web and satellite radio stations ("Hold Back The Night" & "That's Where The Happy People Go" are the other two). If you were alive in the late '70s and even just drove by a radio playing a black or dance music station, chances are you'd hear the Trammps. In two years, they had seven top ten hits on the US dance charts.

Anyway, not arguing their inclusion here - just saying they weren't a flash in the pan like Barry McGuire or some others on this list.

The song itself is, IMO, a masterpiece pastiche of several strains of music. The bass and horns are pure '60s soul set to a streamlined '70s beat. The strings are straight out of a John Williams score, if Mr Williams were snorting coke. There's a lead rock-guitar workout on the extended version. And the lead vocal........Jimmy Ellis is singing like he's in church. He's an anachronism (he's basically Wilson Pickett, Jr) and unlike any other contemporary singer, but is as good as anyone who ever stepped up to a mike.

I love this record. To me, it'll never sound dated.

I saw them in '77 at the old Cap Centre near DC. They were on the undercard of a KC & The Sunshine Band concert. The Jimmy Castor Bunch was there, too. And some weird-assed opening band named something like the Electric Disco Robot Band, with several dudes wrapped in what looked like aluminum foil and wearing big Elton John glasses. Castor was REALLY good, though he didn't quite fit with the sound of the others. The Trammps were even better. KC sucked.

 
timschochet said:
31. “I Can See Clearly Now”- Johnny Nash (1971) 

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

I can’t seem to confirm it anywhere but I suspect this is the first time reggae (even this very pop form of it) hit the American charts. 

Anyhow this is one of those early 70s feel good songs in the mode of “Here Comes the Sun”. Lyrics and melody are rather timeless: gonna be a bright, bright, bright sunshiny day! Lots of people love the Jimmy Cliff cover. 
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Harry Belafonte--Banana Boat Song

 
29. “I Touch Myself” - The Divinyls (1990)

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=wv-34w8kGPM

An infamous song, but I actually always loved it for its pop hooks and tongue in cheek lyrics. I figure some of you hate it which is OK. 

Apparently this band is a OHW here only; they had a bigger impact in Australia, so I may have to sample some more of their stuff. Sadly the lead singer died at a young age. 

 
timschochet said:
29. “I Touch Myself” - The Divinyls (1990)

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=wv-34w8kGPM

An infamous song, but I actually always loved it for its pop hooks and tongue in cheek lyrics. I figure some of you hate it which is OK. 

Apparently this band is a OHW here only; they had a bigger impact in Australia, so I may have to sample some more of their stuff. Sadly the lead singer died at a young age. 
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They also had a brief hit (I'm not castigating) -- or at least significant play -- with a cover of the Syndicate of Sounds's "Hey Little Girl." 

The Divinyls changed the sex in the song, if you're wondering. It was "Hey Little Boy" when they did it.  

I liked The Divinyls and never knew their lead singer died young. I always wondered what happened to them. They had kind of a very cool vibe to them.  

 
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timschochet said:
29. “I Touch Myself” - The Divinyls (1990)

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=wv-34w8kGPM

An infamous song, but I actually always loved it for its pop hooks and tongue in cheek lyrics. I figure some of you hate it which is OK. 

Apparently this band is a OHW here only; they had a bigger impact in Australia, so I may have to sample some more of their stuff. Sadly the lead singer died at a young age. 
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A perfect addition to Tim's Makeout Tracks. 

 
Rove! said:
This clue is pretty subject IMHO....literally dozens of songs come cascading like raindrops into my head...
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That’s a good point. More clues: 

New York City band. Michael McKean of Spinal Tap and Better Call Saul was once briefly a member. 

 
Up next: This legendary soul artist, who died in 2014, was quite famous and well respected; so much so that in recent years he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Yet, he is really only remembered for one song. 

 
timschochet said:
28. “Walk Away Renee”- The Left Banke (1966)

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=SqAh1dQu_pg

Yes I know they had another hit with “Pretty Ballerina”; nobody but deep fans and trivia experts remember it. 

Gorgeous music and lyrics- I especially love “now as the rain beats down upon my weary eyes”. 
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I'm OK with this as a OHW. The Left Banke had a great amount of material, but this is their one really well known song.

I would rank "Renee" as among the best songs on the countdown on their own merit - right up there with "Under The Milky Way" and another one still to come.

 
27. “When a Man Loves a Woman” Percy Sledge (1966) 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=jHS8LAqHyHs

What can you say about these vocals? They’re nearly as good as popular music gets. Particularly on the bridge- takes a lot of lung power to sing that. He’s got it. 

In the early 90s this song was covered, rather horribly, by a popular singer at the time whose name I refuse to mention because it would only desecrate the memory of the great Percy Sledge. 

 
Up next: 2nd 90s tune in the top 30. If you hated Concrete Blonde, you’re really going to hate this band from San Francisco, whose hit song has already been mentioned a few times in this thread. 

 
timschochet said:
27. “When a Man Loves a Woman” Percy Sledge (1966) 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=jHS8LAqHyHs

What can you say about these vocals? They’re nearly as good as popular music gets. Particularly on the bridge- takes a lot of lung power to sing that. He’s got it. 

In the early 90s this song was covered, rather horribly, by a popular singer at the time whose name I refuse to mention because it would only desecrate the memory of the great Percy Sledge. 
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I gotta tell you, Tim, I'm enjoying the hell out of this thread....  a real trip down memory lane with lots of these tunes.  

 
timschochet said:
Up next: 2nd 90s tune in the top 30. If you hated Concrete Blonde, you’re really going to hate this band from San Francisco, whose hit song has already been mentioned a few times in this thread. 
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:hey:

What’s going on now?

 
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timschochet said:
28. “Walk Away Renee”- The Left Banke (1966)

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=SqAh1dQu_pg

Yes I know they had another hit with “Pretty Ballerina”; nobody but deep fans and trivia experts remember it. 

Gorgeous music and lyrics- I especially love “now as the rain beats down upon my weary eyes”. 
Click to expand...
Steven Tyler played with the Left Banke for a brief period before he formed Aerosmith. He said they were a bunch of lazy stoners who were happy to rest on their laurels.

Anyway, "Walk Away Renee" is a great song. I like the unreleased version by Herman's Hermits.

 
SoBeDad said:
Thought it was Me and Mrs. Jones. There's gonna be a lot of deserving songs which won't make the list. But if a disco song that sold 11 million physical copies doesn't make the list ...
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You know, I respect the hell out of Billy Paul, but I never liked Me and Mrs Jones. So it doesn’t make the list, deserving as it might be. 

As for the disco song- “Disco Inferno” was the last true disco song on this list. However there are a couple of songs that border on disco, so...

 
timschochet said:
identikit said:
? and the Mysterians
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And that won’t make the list either. It’s got an argument for most famous OHW of all time but...I don’t like it. 
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OFFICIAL PROTEST!!!!1111

Might be my #1.  I don't understand the song, don't know what's going on in it, and it kind of freaks me out and makes me queasy.  I love it.

 
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26. “What’s Up?”- 4 Non Blondes 1992

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=6NXnxTNIWkc

I love this song and I’m not ashamed to admit it. I love the melody, I love the anthemic chorus, I love when she sings about revolution, I love the whole damn thing. So there, no apologies. I know that some of you gag on this and Joey. Oh well. Personally I can’t get enough. 

 
Up next: several people attempted to score a hit with this song, including the Kingston Trio, David Crosby, We Five, and Jefferson Airplane, before this unknown band from Greenwich Village turned it into arguably the greatest hippie anthem of all time. 

 
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