Once in a lifetime, same as it ever was
Since the beginning of the rock music era, the dream of many artists was to have one big hit single.
Some artists, of course, had far greater ambitions — dozens of hit singles, several million-selling albums — superstars like The Beatles, Billy Joel, U2, Madonna, Elton John, Prince, The Rolling Stones, Queen, Diana Ross.
Other musicians didn’t seem to care about hit singles at all, instead setting their sights on big-selling LPs: Jimi Hendrix, The Allman Brothers, Jethro Tull, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Frank Zappa.
The groups who had just one big moment of fame have been derisively labeled “One-Hit Wonders.” That is, they had one hugely successful song, but then seemed to disappear 
entirely from the public consciousness.
About half of these artists earned their dubious distinction for good reason: They really didn’t have much talent in the first place. They simply lucked out — once — with the right combination of ingredients, a kind of perfect storm: An irresistibly catchy melody, a simple lyric, a memorable voice, an infectious hook, a distinctive studio production sound, a persuasive marketing push, an eager public and great timing all come together, and the result is a national (or worldwide) Top Five hit song. Perhaps the songwriter and producer brought most of the talent to the party, and the artist didn’t really offer much. Therefore, like catching lightning in a bottle, they found this feat nearly impossible to duplicate, and the band whose name appeared on the hit was never heard from again. Here are a few: Carl Douglas, Blues Magoos, Paper Lace, Zager and Evans, Terry Jacks, Strawberry Alarm Clock, Starland Vocal Band.
On the other hand, there are many “one-hit wonders” who deserved a much better fate. They wrote/recorded many great songs and albums, but for reasons unclear, they 
never achieved further success on the charts. (Poor management/promotion, radio station indifference, record company blackballing, etc.). A few examples of this sad phenomenon are: Karla Bonoff, Argent, Sanford and Townsend, Rickie Lee Jones, Golden Earring, Steve Forbert, Free.
You can find many reference books that explore this subject in great detail, including the one I own, The Billboard Book of One-Hit Wonders, first published in 1990 and covering the period from 1955 to 1984. Other books limit their coverage to the Sixties, or Seventies, or more recent decades.
Below are 15 “one-hit wonders” that I’m singling out because I really liked them at the time of release, and I still enjoy hearing them today. They’re catchy without being annoying, and they hint at the possibility that the artists may have done more good stuff worth exploring.
The Spotify list at the end includes all these songs, and I encourage you to search deeper and listen to other songs by some of these artists. I’ll bet you’ll be pleasantly surprised.
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“Fire,” Crazy World of Arthur Brown, 1968
Brown emerged from the British town of Leeds, and he pursued theatrical skills in London and Paris. By 1968, he had formed The Crazy World of Arthur Brown, known for a prototype “shock rock” which influenced Alice Cooper, Kiss and other heavy metal bands of the ’70s. His one moment in the sun was the organ-dominated “Fire,” which opened with him screaming, “I am the god of hellfire,” and later in the song, “You’re gonna burn, burn, burn, burn, burn…” It reached #1 in the UK and #2 in the US. Brown was frontman for Kingdom Come, another British group, and also released a few solo LPs, but he never again made the charts in the US.
“Black is Black,” Los Bravos, 1966
The first Spanish group to make the Top Ten in the US, Los Bravos was based in Madrid. They sought to make their mark in the European market making English-based pop music. Their lead singer, the German-born Mike Kogel, had a vocal style that sounded a lot like Gene Pitney’s, so when their single “Black is Black” started getting radio play in the States, many US listeners thought it must be a new Pitney song. That may have contributed to the success of the track, which reached #4 in the US in mid-1966 (and #2 in England). Their follow-up, “I Don’t Care,” peaked at #16 in England but failed to make any impression in the US, nor did any of their subsequent releases.
“All Right Now,” Free, 1970
One of the most notable thing about this accomplished blues rock band from England is that, upon their 1968 debut, all four members were under 18 years old. By the time of their third LP, “Fire and Water,” they had the #2 album in the UK, and charted six Top Ten albums there during their reign. That album reached #17 in the States, helped along by their 1970 monster hit single, “All Right Now,” which peaked at #4, Free’s only appearance on the US Top 40. (“The Stealer,” the follow-up single from their next LP, stalled at #49.) Following the band’s breakup in 1973, singer Paul Rodgers and drummer Simon Kirke joined forces with guitarist Mick Ralphs from Mott the Hoople and Boz Burrell from King Crimson to form Bad Company, which far surpassed Free in sales and chart success throughout the ’70s and into the ’80s.
“Magic,” Pilot, 1974
This hit single, which reached #5 in the US in 1975, was a bit too cutesy for my taste, but I was impressed with their pedigree. Singer David Paton, keyboardist Billy Lyall and guitarist Ian Bairnson, all from Scotland, combined forces with EMI producer Alan Parsons on Magic’s debut. Although they never charted again in the US, their follow-up, “January,” went to #1 in the UK. Paton and Bairnson went on to become regular contributors to the repertoire of The Alan Parsons Project, and participated on four US hit singles with that group in the 1980s — “Eye in the Sky” (#3), Games People Play” (#16 ), “Time” (#15 ) and “Don’t Answer Me” (#15 ).
“99 Luftballons,” Nena, 1984
Gabriele Kerner, a German-born singer/songwriter/actress, took the stage name Nena, which also served as her band’s name, and their debut single, “99 Luftballons,” topped the charts in West Germany and throughout Europe in 1983. They made the decision to record a second version, “99 Red Balloons,” with English lyrics (although not a direct translation of the original German) and watched it reach #1 across the British Isles and Canada. Curiously, it was the German version that climbed to #2 in the US in 1984. Radio personality Casey Kasem merged parts of each version to play on his syndicated program. First with her band and then on her own, Nena went to chart 10 Top Five albums in Germany and Austria, but she never showed up again on US charts.
“Ooh Child,” The Five Stairsteps, 1970
Five siblings who comprised the Burke family made up the lineup of The Five Stairsteps, a Chicago-based soul vocal group developed with the help of R&B legend Curtis Mayfield. The group enjoyed many Top 20 hits on the R&B charts between 1966 and 1980, but only one song made the Mainstream Top 40 — “O-o-h Child,’ which reached #8 in the summer of 1970 and ranked #402 on Rolling Stone‘s “500 Greatest Songs of All Time.” Keni Burke eventually signed with George Harrison’s Dark Horses label as a solo artist and went on to become an in-demand bass player for dozens of artists throughout the 1980s.
“Hocus Pocus,” Focus, 1973
This Dutch band of progressive rock instrumentalists emerged in 1969 and had a solid run of success in 1971-1975 with albums in The Netherlands, England and, to a lesser extent, the US. They are still an active band today playing small European venues, although with numerous personnel changes. In 1971, their second LP, “Moving Waves” (also known as “Focus II”), included their best-known track, “Hocus Pocus,” which featured Deep Purple-ish fast guitar riffs and some startling yodeling instead of vocals. At 6:42, it was too long to gain much traction as a single, but in the spring of 1973, Focus’s label truncated the track to a more radio-friendly 3:18, and became the group’s only hit in the US at #9.
“Little Girl,” Syndicate of Sound, 1966
This garage-rock band out of San Jose won a “battle of the bands” contest in the Bay Area in 1965, and the prize was the chance to record a single. Unfortunately, “Prepare for Love” could muster only local airplay, but they were given a second chance, and band members Don Baskin and John Sharkey came up with “Little Girl,” which caught the ear of execs at Bell Records, who gave them a national distribution deal, and the song went to #8 in early 1966. They won a spot on a tour with Paul Revere & The Raiders and The Young Rascals, but the Bell deal never amounted to anything else, and the Syndicate of Sound faded away.
“867-5309/Jenny,” Tommy Tutone, 1982
Guitarist/singer Tommy Heath and guitarist/keyboardist Jim Keller founded Tommy and the Tu-Tones in California in 1978, and by 1981, they shortened their name to Tommy Tutone and recorded “867-5309/Jenny,” a contagious song brought to them by songwriter Alex Call. Peaking at #4 in early 1982, it became probably the most successful song in pop history to feature a phone number, but Tommy Tutone went in absentia from then on. While the phone number has been eliminated in many parts of the country, it’s still a working number in a few places, and rock fans still delight in calling it now and then to ask for Jenny.
“I Fooled Around and Fell in Love,” Elvin Bishop, 1976
Bishop was an integral member of the legendary Paul Butterfield Blues Band out of Chicago from 1964-1968. He then began a solo career while also appearing and recording with other illustrious blues groups like The Allman Brothers, The Grateful Dead, John Lee Hooker, Bo Diddley and B.B. King. His solo albums never sold well but he had a decent following throughout the ’70s. In 1976, he struck gold his one and only time with “Fooled Around and Fell in Love,” a #3 hit that appeared on his 1975 LP “Struttin’ My Stuff.” The single featured vocals by Mickey Thomas, who would become frontman for Jefferson Starship three years later.
“Ride Captain Ride,” Blues Image, 1970
The Blues Image was a Tampa-based band formed in 1966 who moved on to Miami and then eventually Los Angeles, hoping for success. They were signed there by Atco Records, and released two albums, “Blues Image” and “Open” in 1969 and 1970. From that second LP came “Ride Captain Ride,” a commercially appealing tune that rose all the way to #4 on US charts, but that was the extent of it as the band soon went their separate ways. Several members went on to join other groups like Three Dog Night and Iron Butterfly, and the most notable alumnus of Blues Image was percussionist Joe Lala, who performed with Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Joe Walsh and Manassas, and appeared on Andy Gibbs’ #1 single “Shadow Dancing.”
“One Toke Over the Line,” Brewer & Shipley, 1971
Among the many acoustic duo singer-songwriters in the early ’70s was this twosome from Missouri, who were known for tight harmonies and intricate acoustic guitar work, much like Seals and Crofts. Mike Brewer and Tom Shipley achieved only modest success on the charts, except for the infamous “One Toke Over the Line,” the country-ish #10 song from 1971 with the obvious marijuana references. Incredibly, a squeaky-clean duo called Dick and Dale performed the song on the ultra-straight “Lawrence Welk Show” that year, where it was described as a “modern spiritual”! It’s there on YouTube if you want a good belly laugh.
“Hold Your Head Up,” Argent, 1972
Keyboardist Rod Argent was a pivotal member of The Zombies, a British band that had three big hits (“Tell Her No,” “She’s Not There” and “Time of the Season”) in the ’60s, as well as the critically praised LP “Odessey and Oracle.” He then went on to form Argent, which lasted for about four years, and enjoyed big success with their only hit, “Hold Your Head Up,” which reached #5 in the US in the summer of ’72. The song still gets plenty of airplay today, and was covered by several bands in the late ’70s, including the Marc Tanner Band, Jellyfish and Mother Love Bone. Argent’s bassist and drummer eventually became members of The Kinks in the 1980s.
“What I Am,” Edie Brickell & New Bohemians, 1989
The “New Bo’s,” as they were affectionately called, made quite a wave in the Dallas clubs in the mid-’80s, especially after Edie Brickell joined as their lead singer. Their first official LP, “Shooting Rubberbands at the Stars,” was widely praised, reaching #4 on the US album charts. The debut single from that LP, “What I Am,” was a #7 hit in early 1989. But the band broke up the following year, and Brickell married the great Paul Simon in 1991. Simon helped gather multiple veteran session musicians for Brickell’s excellent solo LPs, 1994’s “Picture Perfect Morning” and 2003’s “Volcano,” but both albums failed to generate airplay. I encourage you to check them out!
“Pictures of Matchstick Men,” Status Quo, 1968
There have been a number of bands over the years who were huge in England but were virtually unknown in the States. Perhaps the most remarkable example of this is Status Quo, who debuted in both countries in early 1968 with the psychedelic rock hit, “Pictures of Matchstick Men,” which peaked at #12 in the US and #2 in England. That was the end of their chart success in the States, but Status Quo went on to set records that still stand today. Once they switched from psychedelia to a boogie band, they have charted more than 20 Top Ten LPs in England and Europe, including four #1s between 1972 and 2016, and they have more than 60 singles, with 40 of them reaching the Top 20. In the US, 99% of music listeners have likely never heard of them…
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Honorable mention:
“(We Ain’t Got) Nothin’ Yet,” The Blues Magoos, 1967; “Cool Jerk,” The Capitols, 1966; “Get It On,” Chase, 1971; “Evil Woman,” Crow, 1970; “Come On Eileen,” Dexys Midnight Runners, 1984; “Friday On My Mind,” Easybeats, 1967; “Rock On,” David Essex, 1974; “Precious and Few,” Climax, 1972; “Keep Your Hands to Yourself,” Georgia Satellites, 1986; “Dancing in the Moonlight,” King Harvest, 1973; “Into the Night,” Benny Mardones, 1980; “More Today Than Yesterday,” Spiral Starecase, 1969; “Thunder and Lightning,” Chi Coltrane, 1972; “Romeo’s Tune,” Steve Forbert, 1980.
Comprised of four Canadians and one Yank, The Band helped bring the counterculture back from psychedelia to more simple, homespun music with a prototype “Americana” style. Never a chart success, The Band still came up with iconic material, particularly “The Weight,” since covered by more than 50 other major artists. Everyone loves to sing along on the chorus, “Take a load off, Fanny, take a load for free…”
John Denver wrote this ode to love and recorded it on one of his early albums, and Travers, branching out on her own after the breakup of Peter, Paul and Mary, did a marvelous cover on her 1971 debut. I sang and played it to my fiancée at our wedding rehearsal dinner, so it’s clearly a special song in my family: “You see, I’d like to share my life with you and show you things I’ve seen, places where I’m going to, places where I’ve been…”
Canada’s musical icon got his start in the early ’60s, and saw cover versions of his songs become hits in the US. He finally broke through here himself with “If You Could Read My Mind” in 1970. He went on to enjoy multiple hits throughout the ’70s, and is still performing today despite health issues that sidelined him for a while. I always love to go back to “Beautiful,” a gorgeous track from his 1972 LP, “Don Quixote.”
Greek-British hybrid Steven Georgiou began his recording career slowly in 1967, then exploded in the US and UK with the back-to-back “Tea for the Tillerman” and “Teaser and the Firecat” albums in 1970 and 1971. More great albums followed, then Cat’s conversion to Yusef and a lengthy commitment to the Muslim faith before returning to pop music in 2010. From Cat’s “Tillerman” LP is the wonderful singalong track “Longer Boats.”
As it turned out, I lost interest in America and their songs, but the debut LP is incredible, and I listened to it incessantly. I think “A Horse With No Name” is boring and overrrated and has rather ridiculous lyrics, but there’s a hypnotic track on the album called “Sandman” that became a sort of signature song for the “Hackett and Beard” duo I played in during my high school years. It’s always fun to play in group settings.
Simon’s first foray into a solo career was met with some skepticism, seeing as how his final work with Art Garfunkel had been one of the biggest successes of 1970. But the new songs were well received, from “Mother and Child Reunion” to “Me and Julio Down By the Schoolyard.” For me, the sleeper track “Duncan” has always been one of my go-to songs. Great story-song about a guy leaving home and searching for love and a new life.
John Sebastian wrote all the classic hit tunes for his East Coast band The Lovin’ Spoonful, which dominated the airwaves in the 1965-1967-period. Everyone knows “Do You Believe in Magic,” “Daydream” and “Summer in the City,” but not everyone is as familiar with the minor hit single “Younger Girl,” a wonderfully dreamy song that always gets an “awww” reaction whenever I play it.
The poet laureate of the Laurel Canyon scene (other than Joni Mitchell, of course) was Browne, who wrote some astonishingly candid tunes that made us all examine our own paths and dreams a bit more deeply. From “Rock Me on the Water” to “These Days” and “The Pretender,” Browne wrote some of the best introspective pieces of the ’70s, and most near and dear to me has always been “Fountain of Sorrow,” from his iconic 1974 “Late For the Sky” LP.
Brother James became such a star that his talented younger brother couldn’t possibly match up. Consequently, his delightful albums therefore slipped under the radar of most fans of the singer-songwriter genre, which was a shame. He has continued to perform at small clubs and venues, mostly in the East and Midwest. From Livingston’s debut LP is this effervescent track that’s bound to bring a smile to your face.
Morrison, a titan of songwriting since his late ’60s debut, has released three “Best of Van” collections over the years, and it has never ceased to amaze me that he has neglected to ever include this lovely tune on any of those collections. From his 1971 album of the same name, “Tupelo Honey” — melody, lyrics, arrangement, all of it — are simply sublime, and I always get a warm response when I include it in my set.
Like so many singer-songwriters, Fogelberg arrived slowly, offering gorgeous, introspective songs on his 1972 debut “Home Free,” which stiffed on the charts. Then he recruited Joe Walsh as producer and guitarist, with guest appearances by Graham Nash, Don Henley and others to produce the 1974 gem “Souvenirs,” featuring his first hit single “Part of the Plan.” Also on that LP was the stunning closer, “There’s a Place in the World For a Gambler,” which is so much fun to play on guitar.
Tull was a progressive rock giant, known for aggressive flute-driven anthems like “Aqualung,” “Minstrel in the Gallery,” “Thick as a Brick” and “Locomotive Breath.” Still, singer-songwriter Ian Anderson loved to sprinkle every album with a few delightful acoustic numbers to keep everyone guessing. On the “Aqualung” LP, “Wondering Aloud” was always the one that grabbed me.
I learned virtually the entire Simon & Garfunkel catalog, and sang their stuff with my guitar compatriot Ben Beard in my formative years. Beyond the obvious hits (“The Boxer,” “Mrs. Robinson,” “Homeward Bound”), there were so many other hidden treasures. From the duo’s third LP, 1966’s “Parsley, Sage Rosemary & Thyme,” I’m very partial to “Cloudy,” a special favorite of my dear departed friend Chris Moore, who loved to harmonize on it with me.
Lennon was a rocker from the very beginning, and although his Beatles songs were mostly inspired by Elvis and Chuck Berry rock ‘n roll knockoffs, he was plenty capable of more introspective acoustic numbers like “Norwegian Wood,” “In My Life,” “Julia,” and “Across the Universe.” Upon the band’s breakup, Lennon chose to release a debut solo LP full of raw, emotional tracks that many found tough to absorb, but I was entranced by the haunting “Working Class Hero.”
Elton and lyricist Bernie Taupin wrote and released many songs on various labels when they first started out, and fans were therefore astonished to find not one, not two, not three, but four albums of Elton John songs available in the spring of 1971, one of which was an obscure soundtrack LP from a slight but charming French film called “Friends.” The title track has always been a huge favorite of mine.
Because so many songs in The Beatles’ catalog were acoustically based — “And I Love Her,” “Yesterday,” “You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away,” “Norwegian Wood,” “I’ve Just Seen a Face,” “Julia,” “I Will,” “Here Comes the Sun” — I learned many of them on guitar. One of the best of the bunch is “Blackbird,” the McCartney-penned gem from “The White Album” that has been covered by dozens of great artists through the years (Crosby, Stills and Nash, Sarah MacLachlan).
Mason was one two great songwriters that comprised the British folk/rock/jazz band Traffic, but after two albums (1967-68), he felt pushed aside by Steve Winwood and chose to head out on his own. His 1970 debut, “Alone Together,” is full of great songs and performances, but I found his 1973 LP, “It’s Like You Never Left,” just as enjoyable. Mason wrote and recorded “Every Woman” in a brief 1:50 arrangement, then re-recorded it in 1974 with pedal steel and other instruments in a superior recording.
Young’s songs are simply structured and are ideal for new, aspiring guitarists to master — “After the Gold Rush,” “Helpless,” “Cowgirl in the Sand, “Heart of Gold,” “Old Man” — and I could’ve included any of a dozen songs from Young’s catalog here that I enjoy playing, but this spare, haunting track from 1972’s “Harvest” is still among his best. It’s brief, but harrowing, an ode to his friend Danny Whitten, who died of a heroin overdose in 1971.
Sebastian’s 1970 solo debut is, in my opinion, one of the most sadly neglected albums of its time. After all his delightful work leading the Lovin’ Spoonful, and his widely admired appearance at Woodstock the year before, his subsequent solo LP curiously never got the attention it deserved. One of the prettiest tracks was the gentle folk ballad, “She’s a Lady,” which I take so much pleasure in playing.
Because his vocal range and mine are so similar, I can comfortably play almost anything in James’s catalog, from “Country Road” and “You’ve Got a Friend” to “Carolina on My Mind” and “Lighthouse.” One of the prettiest songs he ever wrote is the lover’s lullaby “You Can Close Your Eyes” from the wonderful “Mud Slide Slim” LP in 1971. I’m so thrilled that he still usually plays it in concert all these years later.
