Channel 4's 50 Greatest One Hit Wonders

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The actual Top 50 list doesn't seem to have been posted yet but this was actually one of the better C4 list shows. Not too sarky, not too many of the usual suspects, a high proportion of The Artists Themselves in attendance, and a few interesting insights. Did anyone else see it?

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Monday, 8 May 2006 08:16 (nineteen years ago)

Yeah!

(more to come)

― mark grout (mark grout), Monday, 8 May 2006 08:18 (nineteen years ago)

For once, my "I wonder if they will..." were mostly "Oh they have"

e.g. the blatant copying of the rap on "Rappers Delight"

and the "Oh that's the supposed rude bit on Louie Louie" for two.

― mark grout (mark grout), Monday, 8 May 2006 08:21 (nineteen years ago)

The "urrrgh, really crappy record" gurning by microcelebrities was at a minimum (but not non-existant)

Was "O Superman" in it?

― mark grout (mark grout), Monday, 8 May 2006 08:22 (nineteen years ago)

Oh but black marks all round for including loads of not one hit wonders. Buggles, Splodgenesabounds, Carl Douglas and so on.

Nena looks better now than she did then (and she wasn't too shabby then either)

― mark grout (mark grout), Monday, 8 May 2006 08:23 (nineteen years ago)

Sadly not ("O Superman" xpost).
Laurie Anderson and Pigbag were at the head of my YOU MISSED US OUT YOU FULES list.
Nice, however, to see both Flying Lizards and Lieutenant Pigeon getting some long-overdue televisual recognition.

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Monday, 8 May 2006 08:25 (nineteen years ago)

Yes. Best bit.

Man, Isaac Hayes needs to do a 20 minute version of "Mould old dough"

(I actually was thinking this last night, without the Isaac Hayes specific)

― mark grout (mark grout), Monday, 8 May 2006 08:26 (nineteen years ago)

(actually, neither Lizards nor Pigeon were strictly speaking one-hit wonders either; I think the general distinction was one major (i.e. top ten) hit and nil else similar, but where does that leave "1,2,3,4" which only got to #28? Or indeed the Timelords aka biggest-selling singles act of the early '90s under two other names?)

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Monday, 8 May 2006 08:28 (nineteen years ago)

Oh, and too right about Pigbag, as well as "O Superman" missing.

Notable absences: If Arthur Brown is so back on the road, they could have tracked him down for a quote. Maybe he said no.

xpost I guess if that's the one hit "name", then it counts and fair enough. They did mention Drummond going 'onto' the KLF but we know etc...

― mark grout (mark grout), Monday, 8 May 2006 08:30 (nineteen years ago)

where was MACARENA????

and tho the annoying talking heads were low in attendance (compared to others in the genre) there was one woman who needed to be taken out and humanely destroyed for the good of mankind. and the bloody narrator couldn't do much better than fuck right off.

― Britain's Obtusest Shepherd (Alan), Monday, 8 May 2006 08:30 (nineteen years ago)

Was the narrator Justin Lee Collins?

(all shout!)

Thanks to one of those 'embarrasing moments' rundowns on one of the sattelite stations, I now know who JLC reminds me of: You know when the hippies took over the David Frost show, you know the tw*t with the waterpistol that called the americal hippie bloke an unreasonable cunt?

Him.

― mark grout (mark grout), Monday, 8 May 2006 08:32 (nineteen years ago)

Nice, however, to see both Flying Lizards and Lieutenant Pigeon getting some long-overdue televisual recognition

You read my mind Marcello. I'm glad "Kung Fu Fighting" was top because I love that song. They could have probably had a Top 500 one hit wonders and it would still have been entertaining (off the top of my head: Chicory Tip, Hotlegs, Scatman and on and on)

― Vitbe... *pause*... Is Good Bread (Dada), Monday, 8 May 2006 08:40 (nineteen years ago)

You know when the hippies took over the David Frost show, you know the tw*t with the waterpistol that called the americal hippie bloke an unreasonable cunt?

Twat with water pistol = Felix Dennis

― Venga (Venga), Monday, 8 May 2006 08:42 (nineteen years ago)

(so did everyone also watch that 40 years of fuck thing on bbc3 then?)

these lists (if not the order) are usually pre-determined by channel 4. they probably put only 60 tracks on the "voting form". the one time i looked at a top 100 voting form there were only 105 things to vote on.

― Britain's Obtusest Shepherd (Alan), Monday, 8 May 2006 08:45 (nineteen years ago)

there was one woman who needed to be taken out and humanely destroyed for the good of mankind

Are you perchance referring to "music journalist" Nina Antonio?

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Monday, 8 May 2006 08:52 (nineteen years ago)

Or possibly the woman off E4?

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Monday, 8 May 2006 08:52 (nineteen years ago)

It must be that terrible blonde woman who was constantly on the verge of laughter - like EVERY SINGLE FUCKING SECOND OF HER EXISTENCE - but who has probably never experienced a moment of real joy in her life

― Vitbe... *pause*... Is Good Bread (Dada), Monday, 8 May 2006 08:55 (nineteen years ago)

THEY FORGOT "SCATMAN" BY SCATMAN JOHN!

And Macarena obviously. If "Mambo Number 5" is there, I can't see why these two superior songs shouldn't be.

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Monday, 8 May 2006 08:59 (nineteen years ago)

My bruv worked on the animation one of these and he says that not only was there only a limited amount to pick from but that they also moved stuff up and down the list based on how much footage they had and what interviews thay could get so there wasn't much point in the vote either.

― Raw Patrick (Raw Patrick), Monday, 8 May 2006 09:00 (nineteen years ago)

Gawdammit, I missed this! So, did my man Hank Mizzell make it?

― NickB (NickB), Monday, 8 May 2006 09:00 (nineteen years ago)

Nope. Or:

http://www.boysoloist.com/albumimages/1867_reid-mother-uk7in.jpg

― Vitbe... *pause*... Is Good Bread (Dada), Monday, 8 May 2006 09:04 (nineteen years ago)

Bobby Pickett was on it tho!

― Vitbe... *pause*... Is Good Bread (Dada), Monday, 8 May 2006 09:05 (nineteen years ago)

Opportunity Knocks seems to have been written out of history - no Lena Zavaroni, Millican and Nesbitt or Berni Flint either!

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Monday, 8 May 2006 09:08 (nineteen years ago)

I was, however, reassured to learn that I am as indifferent to Shampoo as I was a decade ago.

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Monday, 8 May 2006 09:10 (nineteen years ago)

it was the e4 lady.

― Britain's Obtusest Shepherd (Alan), Monday, 8 May 2006 09:19 (nineteen years ago)

Shampoo had three hits if I recall ...

Who knew that Myleene Hearsay was so up on stuff like this! She's pretty hot on "Sex and the city series three" as well...

― mark grout (mark grout), Monday, 8 May 2006 09:27 (nineteen years ago)

Yes indeed, who knew that Myleene Out Of Hearsay would be so up on stuff like this, just after watching the DVD which the C4 researchers specially compiled for her and everyone else they interviewed?

As Frank Sinatra once said of The Cannonball Run: "Shit, why doesn't anybody ask me to do this kind of stuff?"

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Monday, 8 May 2006 09:34 (nineteen years ago)

but nothing else:

In a 2005 celebrity special, former Popstars winner Myleene Klass may have set a record for the most asynchronous performance - scoring 17 points from 18 questions about Sex & The City series 3, but only answering one question right in the general knowledge round.

crosspost

― RJG (RJG), Monday, 8 May 2006 09:36 (nineteen years ago)

She was a classically trained pianist or something, I remember when HS broke up she was evreywhere saying she was going to concentrate on that kind of stuff? Not that i was paying attention to her or anything...

― Ned T.Rifle (nedtrifle), Monday, 8 May 2006 09:58 (nineteen years ago)

Nor was she paying attention to the kids standing outside the newsagent's in Bermondsey until they gave her a happy slapping.

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Monday, 8 May 2006 10:02 (nineteen years ago)

Anyway, back to topic...

hahah Sean Rowley's never heard the Bardot/Gainsbourg original of Je T'Aime lol!

Is Sean Rowley Amish, or something?

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Monday, 8 May 2006 10:03 (nineteen years ago)

That Shampoo record was terrible. And immediately made me think where was Fuzzbox?

It was great to see Jilted John on TOTP complete with Gordon.

No Plastic Bertrand!

― Ned T.Rifle (nedtrifle), Monday, 8 May 2006 10:05 (nineteen years ago)

Fuzzbox were three-hit wonders.

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Monday, 8 May 2006 10:06 (nineteen years ago)

Bet Lynch's Legs!

― mark grout (mark grout), Monday, 8 May 2006 10:11 (nineteen years ago)

Audrey Roberts! (Where Will You Be - top 20 in '68)

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Monday, 8 May 2006 10:13 (nineteen years ago)

But Fuzzbox did the BEST version of "Spirit In The Sky"!

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Monday, 8 May 2006 10:14 (nineteen years ago)

"Fuzzbox were three-hit wonders."

Or even more? Didn't they do Spirit in the Sky as well? The bloke from Dr and the Medics had the same make-up he wore in 1986...aarrghhh xpost!

― Ned T.Rifle (nedtrifle), Monday, 8 May 2006 10:20 (nineteen years ago)

No Funkytown!

― Ned T.Rifle (nedtrifle), Monday, 8 May 2006 10:23 (nineteen years ago)

Spirit In The Sky wasn't a single, but correction: they did have four hits - Love Is The Slug, International Rescue, Pink Sunshine and Self!

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Monday, 8 May 2006 10:25 (nineteen years ago)

"Your loss, my gain" the flop single that meant no release for the third album.

― mark grout (mark grout), Monday, 8 May 2006 10:26 (nineteen years ago)

'Rules & Regulations' will always be a number one in my heart.

― NickB (NickB), Monday, 8 May 2006 10:40 (nineteen years ago)

but it was number forty-one in the chart.

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Monday, 8 May 2006 11:06 (nineteen years ago)

Minnie Riperton seemed a very odd choice- even though she (may have?) only had one hit in the UK, wasn't she a highly respected soul singer throughout the 70s up until her death? It didn't seem to fit in with the "weird one-offs" ethos of the rest of the list to me.

― Neil Stewart (Neil Stewart), Monday, 8 May 2006 11:36 (nineteen years ago)

Strictly speaking, wouldn't Lou Reed, Joni Mitchell and Neil Young all qualified?

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Monday, 8 May 2006 11:51 (nineteen years ago)

grammar: "have all qualified?"

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Monday, 8 May 2006 11:52 (nineteen years ago)

Nena? Alphaville?

― Siegbran (eofor), Monday, 8 May 2006 11:56 (nineteen years ago)

The remix of "Satellite of Love" that went top 20 a few years back was actually credited to "Lou Reed" rather than whoever remixed it, so technically Louis has had two hits.

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Monday, 8 May 2006 12:01 (nineteen years ago)

F*** U Right Back – Frankee (2004)
HIGHEST CHART POSITION: 1

F.U.R.B. was in response to Eamon's girlfriend-dumping song 'F*** It (I Don't Want You Back)'. Frankee, we were led to believe, was Eamon's angry ex-lover and this was her reply. 'F.U.R.B. (F*** U Right Back)' used the same musical arrangement but different lyrics in order to put Frankee's side of the story forward. The song out-sold Eamon's original and shot to number one in the UK. Mystery still surrounds whether the pair actually knew each other or whether it was just a well-managed publicity stunt.

Is this tongue-in-cheek, or do they really think Frankee might've been Eamon's ex who just happened to get the chance to record a response to him? "F.U.R.B." is great anyway, I wish there was more answer records made to big hits.

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Monday, 8 May 2006 14:00 (nineteen years ago)

led zeppelin

― the Enrique who acts like some kind of good taste gestapo (Enrique), Monday, 8 May 2006 14:01 (nineteen years ago)

Coming soon, the 50 Greatest No-Hit Wonders: Velvet Underground, Janis Joplin, Frank Zappa, Jefferson Airplane, MC5, Stooges, Love, Kevin Ayers, Soft Machine, Tim Buckley, Jeff Buckley, Jackson Browne, Gang of Four...

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Monday, 8 May 2006 14:07 (nineteen years ago)

Well, if she was so pissed off with him in real life, she'd have written her own tune rather than have to give him all the publishing.

xpost, naturally.

― mark grout (mark grout), Monday, 8 May 2006 14:08 (nineteen years ago)

Mylene Klass: "Oh, yeah I remember when Kevin Ayers didn't get into the chart with "Stranger in blue suede shoes..."

― mark grout (mark grout), Monday, 8 May 2006 14:09 (nineteen years ago)

He nearly got in the chart with "Caribbean Moon," though.

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Monday, 8 May 2006 14:10 (nineteen years ago)

And where, oh where, was Brian Protheroe and his pale ale?

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Monday, 8 May 2006 14:11 (nineteen years ago)

22 Brian Protheroe Pinball Sep 1974

His next single was like that one but more upbeat. "Fly Now" I think... (but the punters like the dour stuff)

Wither Drupi?

― mark grout (mark grout), Monday, 8 May 2006 14:14 (nineteen years ago)

He probably has by now.

Blimey, "Vado Via," former Fab 208 Powerplay, not to mention Rita Pavone's English language cover version "I Could Only Remember His Name."

Rupie Edwards, however...

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Monday, 8 May 2006 14:23 (nineteen years ago)

And where oh where were OUR KID???????!!!!!?????

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Monday, 8 May 2006 14:24 (nineteen years ago)

I saw the sheet music for the Drupi song "She didn't remember my name"

Talk about two halves of a different story.

TS: Irie Feelings vs Lego Skanga.

xpost I refer you back to the OpKnocks rule as stated above.

― mark grout (mark grout), Monday, 8 May 2006 14:25 (nineteen years ago)

Our Kid were New Faces, though.

Sheer Elegance unfortunately had three proper hits, so they are discounted.

What about Paul Miles-Kingston Out Of Sarah Brightman And Paul Miles-Kingston?

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Monday, 8 May 2006 14:34 (nineteen years ago)

you two are just making it up now.

― the Enrique who acts like some kind of good taste gestapo (Enrique), Monday, 8 May 2006 14:35 (nineteen years ago)

And am I alone in remembering Brian and Michael's chart-dodging follow-up "Mam (When's Me Dad Coming Home?)"

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Monday, 8 May 2006 14:37 (nineteen years ago)

yup. I do remember they were called "Burke and Jerk" usually.

― mark grout (mark grout), Monday, 8 May 2006 14:43 (nineteen years ago)

Also some Eurovision blocking out - where was Vicky Leandros? Severine? Anne-Marie David? The gorgeous Mouth and MacNeal? The era-defining Teach-In? The aesthetic juggernaut that was Milk And Honey Featuring Gail Atari??

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Monday, 8 May 2006 14:44 (nineteen years ago)

The Goombay Dance band! They didn't even win Eurovision!

― mark grout (mark grout), Monday, 8 May 2006 14:46 (nineteen years ago)

And they ate fire!!!!

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Monday, 8 May 2006 14:47 (nineteen years ago)

What about stuff like Fred Wedlock or Fiddlers Dram or any of those novelty folk hits?

― NickB (NickB), Monday, 8 May 2006 14:48 (nineteen years ago)

The Streetband - or does "Toast" count as a de facto Paul Young record?

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Monday, 8 May 2006 14:50 (nineteen years ago)

Didn't Fiddlers Dram eventually become the Oyster Band?

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Monday, 8 May 2006 14:51 (nineteen years ago)

Yes indeed they did.

― NickB (NickB), Monday, 8 May 2006 14:52 (nineteen years ago)

xpost I remember he pretended he wasn't on the record, once.

― mark grout (mark grout), Monday, 8 May 2006 14:53 (nineteen years ago)

(Fiddlers Dram also contained a future Blue Aeroplane)

― NickB (NickB), Monday, 8 May 2006 14:54 (nineteen years ago)

Nearly home time, so one final offering for now:

Sweet People - And The Birds Were Singing

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Monday, 8 May 2006 14:59 (nineteen years ago)

no WHITE TOWN no credibility

― Britain's Obtusest Shepherd (Alan), Monday, 8 May 2006 15:06 (nineteen years ago)

now that would have made a nice story/insert on the prog. Whereas Sweet People "Well, we taped some birdsong, and umm..."

― mark grout (mark grout), Monday, 8 May 2006 15:10 (nineteen years ago)

list here http://www.1hw.org/c4list.shtml

― MitchellStirling (MitchellStirling), Monday, 8 May 2006 15:58 (nineteen years ago)

Centrefold – J Geils Band (1982) wasn't Freeze Frame a hit too? at least in america it was.

Don't Worry Be Happy – Bobby McFerrin (1988)
HIGHEST CHART POSITION: 2
but if everybody HATES that song, why is it on a greatest list?

My Favourite Waste of Time – Owen Paul (1986)
HIGHEST CHART POSITION: 3

Is this the Marshall Crenshaw song?

Shaddap Your Face – Joe Dolce (1981)
HIGHEST CHART POSITION: 1

After relocating to Australia from America, being dumped by his wife and finding himself penniless in a foreign country, Joe Dolce released 'Shaddap You Face', the tale of an Italian teenager who is constantly berated by his mother for his laziness. It became number one in 15 countries with over 35 foreign language cover versions being spawned.

Thanks a lot, Ch. 4. I'd have surely lived all my remaining days without ever thinking of that thing.

The Safety Dance – Men Without Hats (1983)
HIGHEST CHART POSITION: 6

if Pop Goes The World wasn't also a sort of hit, it should have been.

Who Let the Dogs out – Baha Men (2000)
HIGHEST CHART POSITION: 2

Seriously, is this even a song? all i hear of it is one line repeated over and over and over...

― Carlos Keith (Buck_Wilde), Tuesday, 9 May 2006 04:48 (nineteen years ago)

(last one) oh yeah, verses and everything. "Get back muffy, get back scruffy, something something something you mongrel"

Apparently, it really is a song about dogs.

― mark grout (mark grout), Tuesday, 9 May 2006 06:36 (nineteen years ago)

Apparently "Who Let The Dogs Out" was all Jonathan King's fault.

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Tuesday, 9 May 2006 07:54 (nineteen years ago)

No "Mississippi" by Pussycat!

― Dadaismus (Dada), Wednesday, 10 May 2006 09:47 (nineteen years ago)

Hawkwind!

(not strictly one-hit wonders but even so...)

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Wednesday, 10 May 2006 09:53 (nineteen years ago)

"if Pop Goes The World wasn't also a sort of hit, it should have been"

Well it went to #20 in the US, but I guess it's more convenient for them to forget about it.

― LeRooLeRoo (Seb), Wednesday, 10 May 2006 12:39 (nineteen years ago)

It wasn't a hit in Britain and THAT WAS WHAT THE PROGRAMME WAS ABOUT

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Wednesday, 10 May 2006 12:43 (nineteen years ago)

Was margaret trudeau mentioned in the Men w/o Hats segment? Her b/v are all over that (tuneless so they are)

― mark grout (mark grout), Wednesday, 10 May 2006 12:49 (nineteen years ago)

Actually they missed that out completely. All they did was interview the dwarf actor who appeared in the video.

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Wednesday, 10 May 2006 12:55 (nineteen years ago)

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