Top 40 One Hit Wonders

Bringing down the horse wallflowers

No.Song BandAlbumYear
1One HeadlightThe WallflowersBringing Down the Horse1996
2Bittersweet SymphonyThe VerveUrban Hymns1997
3The WayFastballAll The Pain Money Can Buy1998
4Bound for the FloorLocal HAs Good As Dead1996
5Your WomanWhite TownWomen In Technology1997
6In The MeantimeSpacehogResident Alien1995
7Flagpole SittaHarvey DangerWhere Have All The Merrymakers Gone?1998
8Song 2BlurBlur1997
9Counting Blue CarsDishwallaPet Your Friends1995
10Mmm Mmm Mmm MmmCrash Test DummiesGod Shuffled his Feet1993
11LowCrackerKerosene Hat1993
12Baker StreetGerry RaffertyCity to City1978
13TRUESpandau BalletTRUE1983
14Possum Kingdom
ToadiesRubberneck1994
15Sex and CandyMarcy PlaygroundMarcy Playground1997
16You Spin Me Right Round Dead or AliveYouthquake1985
17Always Something There to Remind Me (Cover)Naked EyesBurning Bridges1983
18The FreshmanVerve PipeVillains1996
19Nothing Compares 2 U (Cover)Sinead O'ConnorI Don't Want What I Haven't Got1990
20Tainted Love (Cover)Soft CellNon-Stop Erotic Cabaret1981
21Save TonightEagle Eye CherryDesireless1996
22MouthMerril BainbridgeThe Garden1996
23Dizz Knee LandDadaPuzzle1992
24Closing TimeSemisonicFeeling Strangely Fine1998
25The PromiseWhen in RomeWhen in Rome1988
26Why I'm Here OleanderFebruary Son1999
27Are you Jimmy Ray?Jimmy RayJimmy Ray1998
28Runaway TrainSoul AsylumGrave Dancer's Union1992
29I Melt With YouModern EnglishAfter The Snow1982
30Back For GoodTake ThatNobody Else1995
31PepperButthole SurfersElectriclarryland1996
32Got You The FlysHoliday Man1998
33Standing Outside a Broken Phone BoothPrimitive Radio GodsRocket1996
34What Is Love?HaddawayHaddaway1993
35TornNatalie ImbrugliaLeft Of The Middle1998
36Better Off AloneAlice DeejayWho Needs Guitars Anyway?2000
37Feed The TreeBellyStar1993
38Never Say NeverRomeo VoidWarm, In Your Coat1984
399PMATBMovin' Melodies1999
40Don't You Forget about MeSimple MindsSoundtrack: Breakfast Club1985
New List: 09/16/07
Note: One Hit Wonders are based on U.S. charts

Comments 

 
0 #1 TheMurf 2010-07-21 16:20
Gerry Rafferty shouldn't be on this list with 5 top 30 hits on Billboard from 1978 to 1979 nevermind his work with Stealers Wheel.
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+1 #2 pat 2010-08-21 15:37
are you lot taking the piss or what !!!!!!!!!!!!!! how can BLUR be up there. One hit wonders my arse
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0 #3 musiclistsareus 2010-09-12 03:10
Fastball had 4 songs hit the top 40.
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0 #4 musiclistsareus 2010-09-12 03:16
Blur had 5 songs hit the top 40.

How about Come On Eileen by Dexy's Midnight Runners, or Dancing in the Moonlight by King Harvest?
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0 #5 musiclistsareus 2010-09-12 03:19
I almost forgot--one of the all-time great one-hit-wonders; Something In The Air by Thunderclap Newman--check it out.
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+1 #6 RE: Top 40 One Hit Wonders — Nick 2011-07-14 15:57
the verve shouldn't be on this list....the entire urban hymns album is great
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+1 #7 RE: Top 40 One Hit Wonders — The Rock Czar 2011-07-14 21:44
I agree that Urban Hymns is an awesome album. However, it didn't do any damage on the US charts. Crazy Americans...

TRC
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+1 #8 RE: Top 40 One Hit Wonders — My name is not earl 2011-07-21 14:38
Quoting pat:
are you lot taking the piss or what !!!!!!!!!!!!!! how can BLUR be up there. One hit wonders my arse



And The Verve too???????
Drugs Don´t work, Lucky man, Velvet Morning, History!!!!
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-1 #9 RE: Top 40 One Hit Wonders — The Rock Czar 2011-07-22 16:26
Quoting My name is not earl:
Quoting pat:
are you lot taking the piss or what !!!!!!!!!!!!!! how can BLUR be up there. One hit wonders my arse



And The Verve too???????
Drugs Don´t work, Lucky man, Velvet Morning, History!!!!


Chill out crazy Brits. I totally agree with you that the Verve and Blur rock. However, they did absolutely nothing here in the States.

TRC
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0 #10 Top One Hit Wonders of 2000's — BigBob 2011-10-22 08:50
It seems like everything on your list was no later than the 90's There were some good one hit wonders in the last decade.These were my choices for a Top 10 of the 2000's
10)"Where'd You Go" Fort Minor
9)"I Try" Macy Gray
8)"You're Beautiful" James Blunt
7)"Girl Next Door" Saving Jane
6)"Scars" Papa Roach
5)"Hemorrhage (In My Hands)" Fuel
4)"Heaven" Los Lonely Boys
3)"Crazy" Gnarls Barkley
2)"Potential Breakup Song" Aly and AJ
1)"Youth of the Nation" P.O.D. (Payable On Death)
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0 #11 RE: Top 40 One Hit Wonders — The Rock Czar 2011-10-23 22:37
Holy crap. Not only do most of these songs totally suck, but quite a few are not at all one hit wonders. Although I do appreciate the explanation of what P.O.D. stands for. I had been dying to know...

TRC
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0 #12 Regarding response — BigBob 2011-10-26 07:00
I guess this just goes to show just how subjective musical tastes can be. There are songs on your list that I think just royally suck. Like Crash Test Dummies, Marcy Playground, and Naked Eyes for example. On the other hand there are some masterpieces on this list as well. Bittersweet Symphony, TRUE, The Freshmen, Tainted Love, and What Is Love are all masterpieces.
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0 #13 For the Record — BigBob 2011-10-26 07:19
I double checked every one I picked. None of them had more than one single in the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100, although some of them had singles that just missed. Aly and AJ, Fuel, P.O.D., and Papa Roach all fit that category.
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0 #14 RE: Top 40 One Hit Wonders — The Rock Czar 2011-11-01 22:26
It's just not very practical to use the strict Billboard Top 40 interpretation for One Hit Wonder lists. Last Resort was bigger than Scars in reality, Shimmer was as big as Hemorrhage. etc.

TRC
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+1 #15 RE: Top 40 One Hit Wonders — 20-hit wonder? 2011-11-11 18:47
Blur??!! Blur? One-hit wonder?

Shame on you, Yanks! Song 2's one of their worst songs anyway. In the UK, Blur had 5 no. 1 albums, 2 no. 1 singles (neither of them Song 2...) and 11 top 10 singles. How dare one call them a "one-hit wonder".

But yes, obviously: "Note: One Hit Wonders are based on U.S. charts". Pathetic. The Billboard people should be hanged.

And The Verve? Seriously?

But how I wish Take That actually were a one-hit wonder. The world'd be such a better place without them. Still I wouldn't change them for Bieber or the Jonas Brothers... Take That may be shit but they're our shit!
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0 #16 RE: Top 40 One Hit Wonders — The Rock Czar 2011-11-14 22:55
Don't kill the messenger. I may be American but I will definitely admit we have some of the worst musical taste in the world.

TRC
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0 #17 RE: Top 40 One Hit Wonders — revo 2011-11-25 19:06
I appreciate the effort of these lists, but there are some errors here.

The Wallflowers had three other US Top 10 hits besides One Headlight, most notably 6th Avenue Heartache. Dead or Alive had another hit with "Brand New Lover" (#15 in the US in '87). Naked Eyes hit with "Promises, Promises" (#11 in US in '83) as a follow-up to "Always Something There to remind Me." Soul Asylum had "Frustrated Incorporated" in '95. And Simple Minds had another top 5 song with "Alive and Kicking."
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0 #18 RE: Top 40 One Hit Wonders — The Rock Czar 2011-11-26 21:23
Revo,

I appreciate the feedback. Looks like you have the traditional definition of One Hit Wonders in mind. I've branched out with this list and taken a more 'pop culture' approach. If more than about 80% of people don't remember any other songs by these bands they're a One Hit Wonder in my eyes.

TRC
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0 #19 RE: Top 40 One Hit Wonders — 13 2011-12-08 03:10
crazy americans... focused only on that fucking billboard... of course it doesn't mean anything that e.g blur and verve have been very succesful in britain... pathetic!
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0 #20 RE: Top 40 One Hit Wonders — The Rock Czar 2011-12-19 00:31
You're totally right, 13! Don't kill the messenger.

TRC
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