CANONICAL artists that were secretly one hit wonders

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Nick Drake

― adam. (nordicskilla), Friday, 22 October 2004 19:09 (twenty-one years ago)

imani coppola

― cinniblount (James Blount), Friday, 22 October 2004 19:11 (twenty-one years ago)

Martika

― adam. (nordicskilla), Friday, 22 October 2004 19:12 (twenty-one years ago)

Neil Young

― A Million Talking Hot Dogs (AaronHz), Friday, 22 October 2004 19:13 (twenty-one years ago)

Nirvana

― A Million Talking Hot Dogs (AaronHz), Friday, 22 October 2004 19:14 (twenty-one years ago)

Loudon Wainwright (well, it ain't that big of a secret)

― Doobie Keebler (Charles McCain), Friday, 22 October 2004 19:19 (twenty-one years ago)

STINKIN TO HIGHYIGH HEAVEN!!!

― A Million Talking Hot Dogs (AaronHz), Friday, 22 October 2004 19:20 (twenty-one years ago)

Lou Reed?

― A Million Talking Hot Dogs (AaronHz), Friday, 22 October 2004 19:21 (twenty-one years ago)

Good one!

― Doobie Keebler (Charles McCain), Friday, 22 October 2004 19:22 (twenty-one years ago)

Rolling Stones

― Sympatico (shmuel), Friday, 22 October 2004 19:23 (twenty-one years ago)

Warren Zevon

― A Million Talking Hot Dogs (AaronHz), Friday, 22 October 2004 19:25 (twenty-one years ago)

Huey "Piano" Smith

― Doobie Keebler (Charles McCain), Friday, 22 October 2004 19:27 (twenty-one years ago)

*literally* one-hit wonders, at least in the US:

xtc
the replacements
laura nyro
moby grape
the meat puppets

(and, speaking literally, lou reed qualifies but warren zevon doesn't)

― fact checking cuz (fcc), Friday, 22 October 2004 19:27 (twenty-one years ago)

Really? Most people still only know Werewolves of London. He had other hits?

― A Million Talking Hot Dogs (AaronHz), Friday, 22 October 2004 19:30 (twenty-one years ago)

"a certain girl," from the next album, was a minor pop hit.

― fact checking cuz (fcc), Friday, 22 October 2004 19:31 (twenty-one years ago)

Jeez, I don't even remember that, and I have it on a best of! I'll have to put it on and see if I recognize it...

― A Million Talking Hot Dogs (AaronHz), Friday, 22 October 2004 19:32 (twenty-one years ago)

Hendrix, right?

― Loose Translation: Sexy Dancer (sexyDancer), Friday, 22 October 2004 19:33 (twenty-one years ago)

Devo?

― Nag! Nag! Nag! (Nag! Nag! Nag!), Friday, 22 October 2004 19:34 (twenty-one years ago)

zevon's "a certain girl" is ok. it's a cover of an ernie k-doe R&B hit.

― fact checking cuz (fcc), Friday, 22 October 2004 19:35 (twenty-one years ago)

hendrix not even close. devo managed to chart three times.

― fact checking cuz (fcc), Friday, 22 October 2004 19:36 (twenty-one years ago)

Radiohead?

― kickitcricket (kickitcricket), Friday, 22 October 2004 19:36 (twenty-one years ago)

RE: A Certain Girl

Ah ok THAT one! "What's her name? I can't tell ya! Awwwwww"

Jeez he had way better tunes than the ones that hit, everyone on this thread does...

― A Million Talking Hot Dogs (AaronHz), Friday, 22 October 2004 19:36 (twenty-one years ago)

well, zevon's stuff was never exactly cut out for the pop singles market.

― fact checking cuz (fcc), Friday, 22 October 2004 19:39 (twenty-one years ago)

Can anyone think of a canonical one hit wonder whose hit could arguably be their best song?

to FCC: yeah my fave WZ is "Carmelita" and the chorus, uhhhhh....

― A Million Talking Hot Dogs (AaronHz), Friday, 22 October 2004 19:40 (twenty-one years ago)

OMG I just remembered my dad singing "A Certain Girl" ALL THE TIME when I was a kid!

― jaymc (jaymc), Friday, 22 October 2004 19:43 (twenty-one years ago)

Wait, I might like "Excitable Boy" better, and the lyrics to that one too, uhhhhhh....

― A Million Talking Hot Dogs (AaronHz), Friday, 22 October 2004 19:44 (twenty-one years ago)

Fuckin' Aaron beat me with Nirvana.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 22 October 2004 19:46 (twenty-one years ago)

dunno 'bout the UK, but Hendrix only had a top-20 US pop chart single with "All Along the Watchtower."

― Loose Translation: Sexy Dancer (sexyDancer), Friday, 22 October 2004 19:48 (twenty-one years ago)

zappa?

― mark s (mark s), Friday, 22 October 2004 19:50 (twenty-one years ago)

Well, there was "Dancin' Fool" prior to "Valley Girl".

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 22 October 2004 19:50 (twenty-one years ago)

I was gonna say Zappa and then remembered Dancin Fool.
x-post

Hehe, Alex we've been scarily simpatico the past few days. I might have to stop fucking with you altogether now...

― A Million Talking Hot Dogs (AaronHz), Friday, 22 October 2004 19:54 (twenty-one years ago)

I know. Scary.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 22 October 2004 19:54 (twenty-one years ago)

Most people only know "i wanna be sedated" & "blitzkreig bop" by the Ramones, & I doubt they ever charted a single in the States.

― Fritz Wollner (Fritz), Friday, 22 October 2004 19:55 (twenty-one years ago)

valley girl = moon unit! (i mean she's why it wz a hit)

― mark s (mark s), Friday, 22 October 2004 19:56 (twenty-one years ago)

so he counts (she wd too if i cd convince anyone she wz "canonical")

― moon unit s (mark s), Friday, 22 October 2004 19:57 (twenty-one years ago)

Did King Crimson have any hit singles? Cat Food?

― A Million Talking Hot Dogs (AaronHz), Friday, 22 October 2004 19:58 (twenty-one years ago)

jilted john!

― Fritz Wollner (Fritz), Friday, 22 October 2004 19:59 (twenty-one years ago)

ramones in the US:
sheena is a punk rocker: #81
rockaway beach: #66
do you wana dance? #86

hendrix in the US:
only one top 20, correct, but seven top 100's

― fact checking cuz (fcc), Friday, 22 October 2004 19:59 (twenty-one years ago)

i think of hit as being top 40 at least

― Fritz Wollner (Fritz), Friday, 22 October 2004 20:01 (twenty-one years ago)

Is there a website for all this shit? I guess Billboard would have it but doesn't that require a very expensive membership?

― A Million Talking Hot Dogs (AaronHz), Friday, 22 October 2004 20:01 (twenty-one years ago)

top 100 ain't a hit plz as if

― cinniblount (James Blount), Friday, 22 October 2004 20:01 (twenty-one years ago)

i have a billboard book but no light to read it by

― mark s (mark s), Friday, 22 October 2004 20:02 (twenty-one years ago)

Modest Mouse :)

― matt2 (matt2), Friday, 22 October 2004 20:02 (twenty-one years ago)

Did the Smiths chart in America? How Soon is Now, maybe?

― A Million Talking Hot Dogs (AaronHz), Friday, 22 October 2004 20:02 (twenty-one years ago)

doubt it

― Fritz Wollner (Fritz), Friday, 22 October 2004 20:03 (twenty-one years ago)

smiths? no.

― fact checking cuz (fcc), Friday, 22 October 2004 20:04 (twenty-one years ago)

Should we make a thread for canonical artists with no hits?

― A Million Talking Hot Dogs (AaronHz), Friday, 22 October 2004 20:05 (twenty-one years ago)

The brothers Ween, muthafucks

― darien, Friday, 22 October 2004 20:05 (twenty-one years ago)

Re: Radiohead: With all the different formatting of the charts, it's hard to tell if more recent acts have "hits". But I will tell you that "Knives Out" was a #1 smash in Canada.

allmusic has a charts section.

― Loose Translation: Sexy Dancer (sexyDancer), Friday, 22 October 2004 20:06 (twenty-one years ago)

(anyone know about Crimson?)

― A Million Talking Hot Dogs (AaronHz), Friday, 22 October 2004 20:07 (twenty-one years ago)

Skipping 14 messages at this point... Click here if you want to load them all.

(this is an interesting thread, nice one)

― Fritz Wollner (Fritz), Friday, 22 October 2004 20:18 (twenty-one years ago)

fritz: get yerself an outlaws album!

or not.

― fact checking cuz (fcc), Friday, 22 October 2004 20:18 (twenty-one years ago)

Didn't one of the John Hughes movies at least have HSIN playing in the background of a scene. Pretty in Pink?

― matt2 (matt2), Friday, 22 October 2004 20:18 (twenty-one years ago)

yes, ducky listens to ppplmgwiw when hes rocking back in forth on his matress feeling all teenagery bad cuz molly ringwald won't go out with him cuz he's the single most annoying boy on the planet.

― cinniblount (James Blount), Friday, 22 October 2004 20:19 (twenty-one years ago)

Pavement!

― Sam Hunt (robosam), Friday, 22 October 2004 20:20 (twenty-one years ago)

wow, just googled the outlaws ... never heard of them before. is that weird?

― Fritz Wollner (Fritz), Friday, 22 October 2004 20:21 (twenty-one years ago)

In FBDO, An instrumental cover version plays while FB and co visit the Art Institute.

― Loose Translation: Sexy Dancer (sexyDancer), Friday, 22 October 2004 20:21 (twenty-one years ago)

(molly and ducky x-post)
but she's the single most annoying girl! they were a perfect match!

― fact checking cuz (fcc), Friday, 22 October 2004 20:21 (twenty-one years ago)

CANONICAL artists that had NO hits. EVER.

― A Million Talking Hot Dogs (AaronHz), Friday, 22 October 2004 20:21 (twenty-one years ago)

Roxy Music? ("Love Is The Drug" = their only US chart hit. I think...)

Randy Newman
The Jam
Dr. John (these are all just guesses - I'm not positive)

Moby Grape had a hit?

Oh! I know: Boney M. "Ma Barker" their only USA Top 40 hit. Peaked around #39 in '77.

― Myonga Von Bontee (Myonga Von Bontee), Friday, 22 October 2004 20:23 (twenty-one years ago)

fritz: unless you harbor a secret love for second-tier southern-rock, i wouldn't worry too much about not knowing the outlaws. me, i was scarred by my brother's record collection, which also included some marshall tucker.

― fact checking cuz (fcc), Friday, 22 October 2004 20:26 (twenty-one years ago)

Randy Newman charted with "Short People" and not "I Love LA"? WTF? That shit was all over radio.

― Loose Translation: Sexy Dancer (sexyDancer), Friday, 22 October 2004 20:27 (twenty-one years ago)

roxy music: three top 100's, one top 40, so it depends how you count.
randy newman: three top 100's, one top 40.
dr. john: four top 100's, one top 40:
the jam: none and none.
moby grape: the great "omaha" clicked at #88.
boney m: "ma baker" barely made it, at #96. they had three others that topped it.

― fact checking cuz (fcc), Friday, 22 October 2004 20:30 (twenty-one years ago)

Hawkwind, by God

― darien, Friday, 22 October 2004 20:32 (twenty-one years ago)

what's their hit?

― Loose Translation: Sexy Dancer (sexyDancer), Friday, 22 October 2004 20:41 (twenty-one years ago)

:Silver Machine:

― darien, Friday, 22 October 2004 20:43 (twenty-one years ago)

The Pogues?
The Sex Pistols?
(UK I mean obv.)

― A Million Talking Hot Dogs (AaronHz), Friday, 22 October 2004 20:43 (twenty-one years ago)

Nick Drake had a hit?

― mottdeterre (mottdeterre), Friday, 22 October 2004 20:46 (twenty-one years ago)

megadeth!!!

(i tried to look them up as a dumb example of a band that had NO hits, but it turns out they actually had one! who knew?)

― fact checking cuz (fcc), Friday, 22 October 2004 20:47 (twenty-one years ago)

Fugazi had one top 20 single in Canada.

― Loose Translation: Sexy Dancer (sexyDancer), Friday, 22 October 2004 20:51 (twenty-one years ago)

Black Sabbath
Motorhead
Kevin Suanderson

― the music mole (colin s barrow), Friday, 22 October 2004 23:10 (twenty-one years ago)

He's suave, that Mr Suanderson.

― the music mole (colin s barrow), Friday, 22 October 2004 23:20 (twenty-one years ago)

In the US anyhow:

Thin Lizzy
Status Quo
Brownsville Station

Though I'm not too certain of the canonical endearment of the second two.

Oh, I have a pretty awful memory as well.

― jim wentworth (wench), Saturday, 23 October 2004 03:00 (twenty-one years ago)

In Britain at least, Curtis Mayfield. 'Move On Up' got to #12 in 1971, and that was it... unless we're counting his appearance on Bran Van 3000's 'Astounded', which was #40 in June 2001.

― William Bloody Swygart (mrswygart), Saturday, 23 October 2004 03:20 (twenty-one years ago)

And his only hit album over here was the soundtrack to Superfly, which reached #26 in March 1973.

Also:

Funkadelic (One Nation Under A Groove, #9, Dec. 1978)
The Saints (This Perfect Day, #34, July 1977)
My Bloody Valentine (To Here Knows When, #29, February 1991)

Nick Drake did have a hit, 'Magic', #32 earlier this year (also leading to his only top 40 album, the Made To Love Magic compilation thing). Pavement had not one, but TWO hits - Carrot Rope was #27 May 1999, Shady Lane was #40 May 1997. King Crimson had no hit singles in the UK, Hawkwind had two (Urban Guerrilla was #39).

― William Bloody Swygart (mrswygart), Saturday, 23 October 2004 03:42 (twenty-one years ago)

Crosby, Stills & Nash (Marrakesh Express, #17, August 1969 - though they did have several hit albums)
Joni Mitchell (Big Yellow Taxi, #11, June 1970, though again she had several hit albums)
Sugarcubes (Hit, #17, January 1992, with three top 40 albums)

― William Bloody Swygart (mrswygart), Saturday, 23 October 2004 03:52 (twenty-one years ago)

As a perfomer, Burt Bacharach only had one UK hit single, Trains And Boats And Planes (#4 August 1965).

― William Bloody Swygart (mrswygart), Saturday, 23 October 2004 03:57 (twenty-one years ago)

Sugarhill Gang (Rapper's Delight, #3, 1979)
Jurassic 5 (Concrete Schoolyard, #35, October 1998)
Kiri Te Kanawa (World In Union, #13, September 1991)
Eazy-E (Just Tah Let You Know, #30, January 1996, though NWA had two hit singles)
Roy Castle (is he canonical? Well, anyway - Little White Berry, #40, December 1960)
Grand Funk Railroad (Inside Looking Out, #40, February 1971)
Fairport Convention (Si Tu Dois Partir, #21, July 1969, with four top 40 albums)

If we're counting guest appearances, then John Martyn's included - Sister Bliss featuring John Martyn, 'Deliver Me', #31 March 2001. It also brings in Slick Rick - Montell Jordan ft. Slick Rick, 'I Like', #24 October 1996

― William Bloody Swygart (mrswygart), Saturday, 23 October 2004 04:20 (twenty-one years ago)

ok - jurassic 5 is NOT canonical, except in that they are canonically worthless.

― peter smith (plsmith), Saturday, 23 October 2004 04:24 (twenty-one years ago)

Perhaps it's just because I can't get to sleep at the moment, but 'canonically worhtless' seems like the best insult ever right now. "I am your father, and I say you shall not marry a man who is canonically worthless!" Or something.

Perhaps this is more suitable:

The Pharcyde (Runnin', #36, April 1996)

― William Bloody Swygart (mrswygart), Saturday, 23 October 2004 04:35 (twenty-one years ago)

Can (I Want More, #26, August 1976)

― William Bloody Swygart (mrswygart), Saturday, 23 October 2004 04:38 (twenty-one years ago)

those are both much better

― peter smith (plsmith), Saturday, 23 October 2004 05:06 (twenty-one years ago)

public enemy only had one top 40 single in the U.S. and it was, um, give it up...

― scott pl. (scott pl.), Saturday, 23 October 2004 05:16 (twenty-one years ago)

it's funny how often the actual hit in chart placement isn't the perceived hit years later '

(eg pe's "give it up" was their real hit while "fight the power"/"bring the noise"/etc. are what we think of as the hits, the saints' "this perfect day" vs. "stranded", the ramones' "rockaway beach" vs. "sedated")

b-side wins again

― Fritz Wollner (Fritz), Saturday, 23 October 2004 13:23 (twenty-one years ago)

The Flaming Lips, "She Don't Use Jelly"...massive US Top 40 hit and I hated the bloody song then and I still do now...

― Ian Moraine (Eastern Mantra), Saturday, 23 October 2004 13:25 (twenty-one years ago)

The Cramps ('Bikini Girls With Machine Guns', #35 February 1990)
Dolly Parton ('Jolene', #7 May 1976, 6 Top 40 Albums)

― William Bloody Swygart (mrswygart), Saturday, 23 October 2004 17:40 (twenty-one years ago)

alright cramps!

― Fritz Wollner (Fritz), Saturday, 23 October 2004 17:44 (twenty-one years ago)

but surely "9 to 5" charted for dolly

― Fritz Wollner (Fritz), Saturday, 23 October 2004 17:44 (twenty-one years ago)

Not over here it din't.

― William Bloody Swygart (mrswygart), Saturday, 23 October 2004 17:59 (twenty-one years ago)

However, her duet with Kenny Rogers on 'Islands In The Stream'... did. #7 in 1983. Bugger.

― William Bloody Swygart (mrswygart), Saturday, 23 October 2004 17:59 (twenty-one years ago)

am i right in thinking that Steely Dan only had one UK hit?

― razorboy, Saturday, 23 October 2004 18:11 (twenty-one years ago)

Nope - they had two - Do It Again (#39 August 1975) and Haitian Divorce (#17 July 1976).

― William Bloody Swygart (mrswygart), Saturday, 23 October 2004 18:26 (twenty-one years ago)

Joan Jett & The Blackhearts (I Love Rock & Roll, #4 April 1982)
Edith Piaf (Milord, #24 November 1960)
Julie Driscoll, Brian Auger & The Trinity (This Wheel's On Fire, #5 April 1968 - again, you could argue about their canonality but they had a song called 'Come Back To Croydon', which is good enough for me)

― William Bloody Swygart (mrswygart), Saturday, 23 October 2004 18:39 (twenty-one years ago)

gary numan (in the USA, anyway)
kraftwerk (if "autobahn" was their only US radio hit)

― Eisbär (llamasfur), Saturday, 23 October 2004 18:48 (twenty-one years ago)

"Autobahn" was their biggest, but "Trans-Europe Express" got into the mid-Sixties on the charts if I remember correctly.

― Ian Moraine (Eastern Mantra), Saturday, 23 October 2004 21:15 (twenty-one years ago)

Tindersticks (Bathtime, #38, June 1997)

― William Bloody Swygart (mrswygart), Saturday, 23 October 2004 21:26 (twenty-one years ago)

Half of the above list includes artists which aren't really 'canonical'....

― cdwill, Monday, 25 October 2004 03:03 (twenty-one years ago)

Do bands who have lots of album tracks played on classic rock stations count as one hit wonders?

― billstevejim, Monday, 25 October 2004 03:36 (twenty-one years ago)

four years pass...

boney m: "ma baker" barely made it, at #96. they had three others that topped it.

― fact checking cuz

Yeah, that was "Rivers of Babylon" I was thinking of. But I appreciate fact checking cuz's fact checking, cuz.

― I wish he hadn't adapted my critique of his "ilxor" moniker (Myonga Vön Bontee), Friday, 8 May 2009 01:52 (sixteen years ago)

eleven months pass...

Rickie Lee Jones (well, "Youngblod" also got to #40 on the Hot 100, but I don't think that counts.)

― xhuxk, Thursday, 29 April 2010 14:34 (fifteen years ago)

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