A Hit (Sometimes), With A Lot Less Wonder

So as a fan of music, I find myself listening to a lot of one-hit wonders. What exactly constitutes as a one-hit wonder is murky, but for the most part I just go with artists who people associate with one song even though those artists might've technically had other hits.

One-hitters are pretty cool in my opinion. They occupy an interesting place in the music world where they often represent the musical trends that happened to be popular at the time they got big, allowing them a sliver of a chance to see success that they would've never achieved otherwise and never will again.

But at the same time I find that sometimes one-hit wonders have songs I like MORE than the actual song they're known for. Not always, sometimes the one-hit is usually the best the artist's discography has to offer ("Take On Me" is indeed A-Ha's best song), but it does happen. Today I thought I'd talk about a few of them.

The Cardigans

The Cardigans get top billing today because they're a Swedish band just like The Hives. The Cardigans are best known for "Lovefool". They're very cynical and not at all what "Lovefool" would have you believe they're actually like, but that's where the fun of exploring the rest of their discography comes into play.

I like their song "My Favourite Game" there the most out of all of their work though.
Technically this might constitute as a hit considering how well it did internationally but then again the sands of time has pretty much buried this, so I think it counts. Also it's a good song. I like it. It was even featured on an episode of Sabrina the Teenage Witch (the Melissa Joan Hart sitcom).

James Blunt

James Blunt is best known for the song "You're Beautiful", which was pretty big in 2005. Also, 2005 was a whopping 14 years ago. That song even got a Weird Al Yankovic parody that Atlantic Records put the kaibosh on, leading to Weird Al typing "YOU SUCK!" on the Atlantic Records Wikipedia page in the "White and Nerdy" music video.

My favorite Blunt song is "Wisemen", the opening notes and the overall mood of the song is what really drew me in when I first heard it as a kid. Originally I thought this was a reference to the biblical Magi, but a look at what James himself has said about the song suggests that this is more about getting with a girl that even "wisemen" are interested in, and them ending up with nothing because they never did anything. Or something, I dunno. I never really cared much for the lyrics.

Cyndi Lauper

Yes, yes, Cyndi Lauper isn't a one-hitter. But here in 2019 she appears to be known for "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" and not much else. So screw your cherished(?) 80's memories, she's been relegated to one-hitter status now. Note, if this can happen to Cyndi Lauper, I guarantee that this can/will happen to other acts, especially older ones. Like how "Urgent" is now the only notable song Foreigner ever made, or how "Born To Be Wild" is now the only notable song Steppenwolf ever made.

Of course that doesn't mean her discography has nothing going for it. It's full of gems that have unfortunately been forgotten as the 80's get farther and farther away. I've always liked "She Bop" there a lot more than anything else she ever made. As the name implies, she does indeed bop. This sounds fucking fantastic.

Toni Basil

Some of you probably only know Mrs. Basil as the woman who made a song called "Mickey" out of a cheerleader chant. Well she's also had a long and fruitful career in pretty much all aspects of the entertainment industry as a dancer and various other things.

Songs-wise she only dabbled a bit then went on to other endeavours but I do really like her song "Over My Head". It's screams early 80's, as does the video that accompanied it.

The Click Five

A band I've actually talked about before! The Click Five are known for their song "Just The Girl", a pop punk song that was incredibly sugary. At the time I treated them as a guilty pleasure (still do actually) and here in 2019 I consider them the poor man's All American Rejects.

Still, my favorite Click Five song is "Pop Princess". This is even more sugary and even more of a bubble gum pop punk song (if you can believe it). And yet the way they just belt out the chorus gets me every damn time. "Headlight Disco" is also a nice track too if nothing else than for its bassline that this band absolutely did not deserve.

MC Hammer

The funny thing about MC Hammer is that everyone only knows about "U Can't Touch This" even though it's not even his most successful song ever. That distinction goes to "Pray", which has been wiped from everyone's memory because the Prince sample has kept it from reaching most platforms.

And that happens to be my pick.

Powerman 5000

Whether or not PM5K is a one-hitter depends on if their song "When Worlds Collide" was a hit to begin with, but I like them a lot so on this list they go.

I love WWC but "Pop Goes The Supernova" is the one I like the most. It's not quite as memorable (as in, you can't really sing along to it like you can with WWC), but in turn I consider it a bit more raw/natural. I dunno, it made more sense in my head.

Papa Roach

Some might disagree with whether or not Papa Roach is a one-hitter, but as far as I can tell their song "Last Resort" is the only one that's survived beyond the 2000's, and that's entirely because people love making memes out of the opening line. But you know what? When else am I ever going to talk about Papa Roach on here? Leggo.

"Getting Away With Murder" here is a song I enjoy a lot more since it sounds a lot more like Three Days Grace, one of my favorite bands as a teen.

Chamillionaire

Chamillionaire brought the world the song "Ridin' Dirty", which in turn inspired the song "White and Nerdy" by Weird Al. Chamillionaire is now a Silicon Valley millionaire after making shrewd investments with various tech startups.

I do like his song "Won't Let You Down" more on his second album Ultimate Victory. Part of it is because the dude's the master at delivering catchy hooks. Lots of rappers before and after him have sung their hooks (in an effort to save on labor fees I imagine), but they all suck at singing. Chamillionaire's hooks are usually bonafide earworms because the dude can harmonise. My favorite Chamillionaire hook of all time is on Bun B's track "Underground Thang". Now that's a real banger.

The Buggles

The Buggles are known for their hit "Video Killed The Radio Star", a staple when you think about new wave music in the 80's. Over time I've come to really be numb to that song. I think the time Will.I.Am sampled it badly ruined it for me forever. Though the time Tim McGraw sampled it was a lot better.

Personally I've always been more partial to their song "Elstree". The hook is a lot more catchier and appealing to me on this one than radio star. It also feels a lot more personal, even though technically both are about the passage of time and the pain that the changes that come with that passage can inflict on people.

Fun.

Finishing off here will be Fun.. An act technically known for having two hits, but history will find a way to erase the one that doesn't go "tonieieieieieieght, we are young, so let's set the world on fire".

So of course that song is my pick for my favorite Fun. song. Lots of melodrama surrounding a 20-something's first-quarter life crisis. But very entertaining to listen to. "Some Nights" is good.

And those were some other songs by one-hitters*, that I enjoy.

As always thanks for stopping by and take care :).