LAND OF THE ONE-HIT WONDERS: 70'S EDITION

I loved platform shoes.

Although I was a tall, skinny kid and really didn't need the extra height but I still wanted to wear them. Platform shoes also remind me of my childhood in the 1970's which was the time I was slowly evolving in to a person with my own views and opinions. Music played an important part during this time as well as I happily listened to AM radio. What was wonderful then was that I could listen to one station and be exposed to all genres of music that were popular at the time. Sadly, radio now lacks variety and has become much more narrow and segregated.

So, here is a collection of just a few of my favorite songs from artists who managed to have only one song hit the top-forty on the U.S.Billboard Hot 100 chart. I can listen to any of these songs and they still take me back to specific times in my life although some of these tunes I had no idea what they really meant or were actually about:

"Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes)" - Edison Lighthouse (1970)

"Smiling Faces Sometimes" - The Undisputed Truth (1971)

"Precious & Few" -  Climax (1972)

 "Dancing In The Moonlight" - King Harvest (1973)

"The Night The Lights Went Out In Georgia" - Vicki Lawrence (1973)

"Walk On The Wild Side" - Lou Reed (1973)

"Pillow Talk" - Sylvia (1973)

"Misdemeanor" - Foster Sylvers (1973)

"Kung-Fu Fighting" - Carl Douglas (1974)

"Lovin' You" - Minnie Riperton (1975)

"How Long" - Ace (1975)

"Fooled Around & Fell In Love" - Elvin Bishop (1976)

"Welcome Back" - John Sebastian (1976)

"Afternoon Delight" - Starland Vocal Band (1976)

"You Can't Turn Me Off (Not In The Middle Of Turning Me On)" - High Inergy (1977)

"Because The Night" - Patti Smith Group (1978)

"Hot Child In The City" - Nick Gilder (1978)

"New York Groove" - Ace Frehley (1979)

"Pop Muzik" - M (1979)

Here is a music video for Samantha Sang's only hit, "Emotion" that was written and produced by the Bee Gees in 1978. It's very dated and although she is trying her very best to be seductive but unfortunately it's just coming across as a little creepy:



Before she landed this hit record in 1976, Andrea True was a porn star (?)and in the music video for "More, More, More", Ms True's efforts at being sexy feels simulated, very much like she did in her previous line of work:
 

LAND OF THE ONE-HIT WONDERS: 80'S EDITION

I graduated from high school in 1981, so the music of the 1980's (despite how corny it sounds) was truly the soundtrack of my formative years. When I hear these songs, they take me back to a specific moment in my life and although I didn't realize it at the time but it was a simpler time with few cares in the world beyond deciding what I was going to wear when I would go out dancing.

So, once again, here are some my favorite songs from the artists who managed to have only one hit chart on the U.S top-forty charts:

"Cars" - Gary Numan (1980)

"Whip It" - Devo (1980)

"Double Dutch Bus" - Frankie Smith (1981)

"Tainted Love"  - Soft Cell (1982)

"Someday Someway" - Marshall Crenshaw (1982)

"Love Plus One" - Haircut 100 (1982)

"Pass The Dutchie" - Musical Youth (1983)

"Too Shy" - Kajagoogoo (1983)

"In A Big Country" - Big Country (1983)

"They Don't Know" - Tracey Ullman (1984)

"Relax" - Frankie Goes To Hollywood (1985)

"Perfect Way" - Scritti Politti (1985)

"Tarzan Boy" - Baltimora (1986)

"Casanova" - Levert (1987)

"Beds Are Burning" - Midnight Oil (1988)

"What I Am" - Edie Brickell & The New Bohemians (1989)

You've enjoyed the sounds of the '80's, now let have a few visuals:

LAND OF THE ONE HIT WONDERS: 90'S EDITION

What ever happened to Right Said Fred?

I began wondering that after hearing their1992 hit song, "I'm Too Sexy" on my ipod today, then I realized that the reason I don't know what happened to them is that they only had one hit song.

It was probably pretty clear that this band was not going to have a long shelf life but there were others that looked very promising but, surprisingly, vanished as quickly as they appeared.

This post is dedicated to a few of those wonderful artists who blessed the world during the 1990's with only one great, memorable song. that began and ended their careers:

"Don't Wanna Fall In Love (Album Version)" - Jane Child  (1990)

"Wicked Game" - Chris Isaak  (1991)

"I Touch Myself: - Divinyls  (1992)

"What's Up?" - 4 Non-Blondes  (1992)

"Finally" - CeCe Peniston  (1992)

"Baby Got Back" - Sir Mix A Lot  (1992)

"I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" - The Proclaimers  (1992)

"Tell Me" - Groove Theory  (1995)

"I Know" - Dionne Farris (1995)

"One Of Us" - Joan Osborne  (1996)

"Sex And Candy" - Marcy Playground  (1998)

"Still Not A Playa" - Big Punisher  (1998)

"Chante's Got A Man" - Chante Moore  (1999)

And to come full circle, here is Right Said Fred, doing everything but being sexy for the video of their song: