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June 26, 2023 9:43 am  #1


60 Of The Most Bizarre One Hit Wonders Of The 1960s and 1970s

This is old ground but I have to say my favorite of the ones listed has to be The Buoys and "Timothy." It's probably the only time a big hit had cannibalism as its main subject. And to top it all off, it's a bouncy and upbeat tune, written by Rupert Holmes, later of "The Pina Colada Song" fame. 

(This is one of those tunes that was banned from many radio stations once people realized what it was really about. And that's when the record company's PR claimed "Timothy" was actually a mule and the workers in that collapsed mine ate him to keep themselves alive until they could be rescued. But no one bought that excuse.) 

60 Of The Most Bizarre One Hit Wonders Of The 1960s and 1970s

 

June 26, 2023 5:03 pm  #2


Re: 60 Of The Most Bizarre One Hit Wonders Of The 1960s and 1970s

Interesting but I have always gone with Billboard's stance,  if you hit the Top 40 once you qualify but a few of these artists are anything but  one hit wonders, discounting the fact they had other big hits in their homelands. Just looking at US,  Archies had another Top 10 with Jingle Jangle,  The Knack had a # 11 with Good Girl's Don't, even  ? and Mysterians just missed the Top 20 with  I Need Somebody,  St Barry Sadler did reach the Top 30 again.  Just because some people only remember the biggest hits they had doesn't make them one hit wonders. 

 

June 26, 2023 5:51 pm  #3


Re: 60 Of The Most Bizarre One Hit Wonders Of The 1960s and 1970s

I completely agree, Scotty. In addition, songs that make the Billboard top 40 but don't peak that high there will often have been much bigger hits in individual US markets (let alone in other countries for artists that had more success elsewhere). I've seen this issue so much over the years that any time I see an article that's supposed to be about one-hit wonders, the first thing I start looking for is to see if multiple-hit wonders have been included -- and it usually doesn't take me long to find some. 

 

June 26, 2023 11:58 pm  #4


Re: 60 Of The Most Bizarre One Hit Wonders Of The 1960s and 1970s

If there is one artist  I would be loathe to label a one hit wonder ( and this creates  all hell let loose when this subject comes up  )  it is Jimi Hendrix.    Technically he is , and he is listed in One Hit Wonders Billboard book but it takes a brave man to mention him.    The leading example of a artist who had heaps of hits outside US and sometimes sanity has to prevail.   An example is when I was taken to task on a NZ board when labelling Zager And Evans one hit wonders as they had another big hit in NZ with Mr Turnkey. Come on,,, there has to be some international base line,  as someone could bring up some artist that had another hit in Turkey, so generally Billboard rules.   When Casey Kasem did his one hit wonders special way , way back Zager and Evans were # 1 as they only hit Top 100 once.  I wonder now if they have been overtaken by Los Del Rios and the Macarena. 

 

June 27, 2023 12:05 am  #5


Re: 60 Of The Most Bizarre One Hit Wonders Of The 1960s and 1970s

Just to add  as to the craziness of guy who had me on about Zager And Evans. If he applied the same local stance and this is astounding,,,,, The Archies would be one hit wonders  and NOT for Sugar Sugar. In this country Sugar Sugar never made the Top 40, but Jingle Jangle went Top 10 ! Go figure....

Last edited by Scotty (June 27, 2023 12:07 am)

 

June 27, 2023 5:27 am  #6


Re: 60 Of The Most Bizarre One Hit Wonders Of The 1960s and 1970s

Scotty, what you just said about The Archies is ironic considering something else I had thought about mentioning last night: if they had never recorded "Sugar Sugar", many people would consider them to be one-hit wonders because of "Jingle Jangle". Same thing could be done with other artists who are labelled one-hit wonders despite having at least one other significant hit, and this is another way of showing why they shouldn't be classified that way. 

 

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