What were some authentic one hit wonders?

quarterflash ‘harden my heart’

New Radicals -You Get What You Give and Haddaway – What Is Love

* looks downward *

Not so sure if this would qualify, but Jet’s Are You Gonna Be My Girl? and Caesars’ Jerk It Out are 2 that come to mind.

Songs that were in iPod commercials may be a place to look…

Rick Astley – Never Gonna Give You Up

Sugar Hill Gang- Rapper’s Delight
Nena- 99 Luftballons aka 99 Red Balloons

Ooh, I Will Survive – Gloria Gaynor.

Spirit in the Sky – Norman Greenbaum.

He earned enough from that song to buy his own dairy farm.

Tainted Love by Soft Cell.
Sweet Dreams by the Eurythmics.
Cars by Gary Numan.
Making Plans for Nigel by XTC.
yes, I’m an 80s nerd.
Oh, and Dust in the Wind by Kansas.
And Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm by the Crash Test Dummies.
And Possum Kingdom by the Toadies.
And Pepper by the Butthole Surfers.
so maybe I’m a 90s nerd, too.

@jeffgoldblumsprivatefacilities- I love Haddaway What is love. It’s in my iPod mix to get me in the groove

Bee Bumble and the Stingers, The Bumblebee Rock

Bobby “Boris” Picket, The Monster Mash

Ice Ice Baby
lol

Okay, one more.
Breakfast at Tiffany’s – Deep Blue Something

I suppose Pavement could be considered a one hit wonder to some, but I’m a big Pavement fan so I wouldn’t necessarily consider them one…

There was also:
Ah ha – Take On Me
Dexy’s Midnight Runners – Come on Eileen
and (sorry) Billy Ray Cyrus – Achy Breaky Heart

“In the Year 2525” by Zager and Evans

“Red Rubber Ball” by The Cyrkle (written by Paul Simon)

“Band of Gold” by Freda Payne

“Turning Japanese” by The Vapors

“Mickey” by Toni Basil

“Come On Eileen” Dexy’s Midnight Runners

“Mr Big Stuff” Jean Knight

I Melt with You – Modern English
I Touch Myself – The Divinyls

I LOVE those songs. And I do not like many songs.

I don’t recall the singer so I think this song is a one hit wonder…the song Black Velvet

@jeffgoldblumsprivatefacilities . . . we’ve already done two out of three of those.

Possibly….Bonnie Tyler’s “Total Eclipse of the Heart”

(Love that song.)

@Blondesjon Hmm? I didn’t see anybody post them before me.

Whip It by the band wearing flower pots. I liked Tainted Love.

@faye DEVO!

Fun question, by the way.

@dverhey Yes, thanks.

The Safety Dance by Men without Hats
Tubthumping by Chambawumba

alanis morrisette – you outta know

@jeffgoldblumsprivatefacilities . . . my bad. i meant we already played those before the mrs. suggested the question.

@jeffgoldblumsprivatefacilities

psst

Mungo Jerry, In the Summertime

Baha Men – Who Let the dogs out?!?

@Blondesjon Oh, I see. Billy Ray was one of the ones you played wasn’t it? Don’t lie now.

@Grisaille Yeah, I ran across that while searching for the link. Odd, but I smiled.

MC Hammer – U Can’t Touch This

I’m sure by “odd,” you mean best thing ever.

@Grisaille “Oh watch out for them, they’re gonna beat you up with that pipe wrench.” Ha!

“How Bizarre” OMC

Eiffel 65 I’m blue

The one I love to rock on Halloween: (I always feel like) ”Somebody’s Watching Me” by Rockwell

Frankie Smith: ”Double Dutch Bus”

Tom Tom Club: ”Genius of Love”

Musical Youth: ”Pass the Dutchie”

Herbie Hancock: “Rockit”

Nicki French- Total Eclipse Of The Heart
Lou Bega-Mambo No. 5 
Eiffel 65 Blue (Da Ba Dee)

That’s all I got…

I can’t wait to see the other responses

iTunes here I come :)

Ini Kamoze – Here Comes The Hotstepper

On my block scarface

UPDATE: We are currently listening to Haddaway and simultaneously hating and loving you folks. Happy New Year.

“Something in the air” by Thunderclap Newman

And of course, Right Said Fred – I’m Too Sexy

True story

I’ll just leave this here.

Lee Michaels Do You Know What I Mean

There’s a video of Captain Pickard singing I’m Too Sexy.

we can’t stop now. we got the music in us.

can’t forget we only get what we give.

Macarena

The Singing Nuns Dominique

@tinyfaery Good one! Brings to mind Who Let The Dogs Out

Michael Penn No Myth (I really like that song).

Rico Suave beeetchez.

I’ve listened to Haddaway about 6 times just now, all because of this Q.

Brandy The Looking Glass (I just heard it this week and knew every word!)
All I Need Jack Wagner
Don’t Give Up on Us Baby David Soul
Eye of the Tiger Survivor
One Tin Soldier Coven
Hitchin a Ride Vanity Fair
Skyrockets in Flight The Starland Vocal Band
Signs Five Man Electrical Band & Tesla
867–5309 Tommy TuTone

@tinyfaery Michale Penn’s album March is one of my very favorite albums, the whole thing is fabulous.

Bobby Dell and the Drells The Tighten Up

Gaaah, One Tin Soldier plays every 5 minutes on some Canadian radio stations.

This is fun. :D

Eddie Murphy Party All The Time

@jonsblond How did his singing career not take off after that? ~

Ballin Jack, Found a Child

She is like the wind.

@jeffgoldblumsprivatefacilities Watch Charlie Murphy’s True Hollywood Stories. I’m sure you’ll find your answer somewhere in there.

I’ve just closed my eyes again,
Climbed aboard the Dreamweaver train . . .

I love that song!

@Chikipi: Alanah Myles: “Black Velvet”

Kadjagoogoo: “Too Shy”
Mr. Mister: “Broken Wings”
Falco: “Rock Me Amadeus”
M/A/R/R/S: “Pump up the Volume”
Rob Base & DJ EZ Rock: “It Takes Two”
Young MC: “Bust A Move”
Tone Loc: “Wild Thing”
House of Pain: “Jump Around”
Sir Mix-a-Lot: “Baby Got Back”

Martika Toy Soldiers.

People who are listing songs that merely overshadowed other songs that are easily regarded as hits are bothering me. Just because time forgot the others does not mean they didn’t have a string of highly successful singles or albums.

i really tried not to do that

Edison Lighthouse: Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes)

The Penguins: Earth Angel

Blues Image: Ride Captain Ride

R. Dean Taylor: Indiana Wants Me

The Five Stairsteps: O-o-h Child

The Hollywood Argyles: Alley-Oop

Blue Swede: Hooked on a Feeling

Barry Mann: Who Put the Bomp (In the Bomp, Bomp, Bomp)

Iron Butterfly: In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida

Billy Bland: Let the Little Girl Dance

Brewer & Shipley: One Toke Over the Line

Jaggerz: The Rapper

Mountain: Mississippi Queen

The Tee Set: Ma Belle Amie

You can tell when I was in my hey day, can’t you?

Didn’t the Hollywood Argyles also have Big Boy Pete?

I never heard it if they did. The Olympics recorded Big Boy Pete though, along with Shimy Like Kate, and Dance By The Light Of The Moon.

@Darwin those are all my growing up songs.

@faye – They were the songs of my teens.

@sndfreQ- Thanks :)

Clowns to the left of me,
Jokers the the right;
Here I am
Stuck in the middle with you

Little Star by The Elegants: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QySQ3UQnK3c

1969’s Sugar Sugar by The Archies, which I am convinced single handedly led to the demise of AM radio.

@aprilsimnel : that’s “Steeler’s Wheel”, btw—fronted by Gerry Rafferty, who came back with some more hits a few years later. Sadly.

@Espiritus_Corvus : Have you forgotten the 1910 Fruitgum Company? :)

Milli Vanilli
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milli_Vanilli

Milli Vanilli had four US Top 40 hits: Girl, You Know It’s True, Baby, Don’t Forget My Number, Girl, I’m Gonna Miss You and Blame It on the Rain

Average White Band was a 2 hit wonder with “Pick up the Pieces,” and “Cut the Cake!”

Lol. I always thought those were the same song :)

The Zombies—Time of the Season.

The Zombies had a million hits. Were you even born?

@pdworkin, I don’t remember being born. I screwed up because I am ill informed, forgetful and lazy. Thanks for the correction.

It was a pleasure.

Move Your Feet by Junior Senior

Better Off Alone – by Alice Deejay

Another Perfect Day by American Hi-Fi

My Boy Lollipop – Little Millie Small