One hit wonders- why?

Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2014
Was listening to a radio station who was playing one-hit wonders and I got to thinking why they exist.

Sure it could simply be timing, and the mood of the day.



But could it to do more with these musicians not being very talented to begin with? That they could only had maybe only one catch riff in them. Is it that the perennial hit maker has more talent or just a greater bag of tricks and hooks?
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 27
    groveratgroverat Posts: 10,872member
    Usually it has to do with them not being very talented or imaginative/creative. Other times the public just clicks with one song and ignores the rest. The first one to come to mind on that front is Harvey Danger and then my all-time favorite one-hit-wonder band; New Radicals.
  • Reply 2 of 27
    another thing about one hit wonder songs is they tend to be catchy, but in the long run annoying, especially if there is an annoying video to compliment it.

    i'm thinking of that proclaimers song a while back "(i would walk) 100 miles.
  • Reply 3 of 27
    trumptmantrumptman Posts: 16,464member
    While it can be a lack of talent it can also be a host of factors. The most common I can think of is very often the groups themselves are not very mainstream (ie pop, rock, etc.) and just happen to have a song that everyone likes so much that they ignore the fact that basically they are a narrow interest/fringe type band/performer.



    Some good examples of this are Fast Car by Tracy Chapman, a folk singer, and Don't Worry Be Happy by Bobby McFerren, who performs acapella.



    A second issue is money. It takes a lot of dough and promotion to inject something into our collective conscious. Some bands simply may not be willing to risk the proceeds finally earned from one song. (often it just catches them up on what they owe the record company)



    Nick
  • Reply 4 of 27
    buonrottobuonrotto Posts: 6,368member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by groverat

    ...and then my all-time favorite one-hit-wonder band; New Radicals.



    Aah, mine too!
  • Reply 5 of 27
    randycat99randycat99 Posts: 1,919member
    I always imagined it was some form of "lack of talent", and the one hit they did have was simply a page of song lyrics (written by somebody else) they managed to buy the rights to and yet somebody else laid down a catchy track for them to put it all together. ...or maybe they had the knack to come up with their own catchy arrangements, but w/o basic source material to work with, they just left to twiddle their fingers.
  • Reply 6 of 27
    burningwheelburningwheel Posts: 1,827member
    i guess i don't listen to radio much, i didn't know tracy chapmen was a one hit wonder. come to think of it i don't really listen to the radio
  • Reply 7 of 27
    Quote:

    Originally posted by groverat

    ... my all-time favorite one-hit-wonder band; New Radicals.



    I like two songs from them.
  • Reply 8 of 27
    shetlineshetline Posts: 4,695member
    Maybe some people just have one or two really good, creative ideas in them, and when they're gone, that's it. It must be tough when you soar to the top, have a lot of expectations placed on you, and then don't have anything left to deliver.
  • Reply 9 of 27
    groveratgroverat Posts: 10,872member
    Maybe You've Been Brainwashed, Too is jam-freakin'-packed with wonderful music!



    *drifts off into the bliss of oddball rock*
  • Reply 10 of 27
    rick1138rick1138 Posts: 938member
    A lot of one-hit wonders made a lot of great music, it just wasn't big commercially, consider the Grateful Dead for example.
  • Reply 11 of 27
    eugeneeugene Posts: 8,254member
    With all the recording artists out there, why is this phenomenon surprising? I mean just because there's diminished significance in being a two-hit, three-hit, or zero-hit wonder doesn't mean they don't exist...
  • Reply 12 of 27
    Quote:

    Originally posted by tonton

    Don't diss the Proclaimers, dude. Sunshine on Leith was a good record, but This is the Story is awesome, and fully acoustic. Not really a OHW. They were a zero hit wonder in the States. No one would claim that "I'm Gonna Be" (100 Miles) was a hit anywhere outside of TMBG dominated dorm rooms.



    Wait-- are you dissing TMBG? That was my post-college days, but they're still one of my all time favorites. Songs from their album "Flood" still randomly enter into my consciousness during the day.
  • Reply 13 of 27
    Quote:

    Originally posted by tonton

    Don't diss the Proclaimers, dude. Sunshine on Leith was a good record, but This is the Story is awesome, and fully acoustic. Not really a OHW. They were a zero hit wonder in the States. No one would claim that "I'm Gonna Be" (100 Miles) was a hit anywhere outside of TMBG dominated dorm rooms.



    i ran a record store dude, 100 miles was a hit, their one hit, (in the states) the cd was good the other one i heard by them was ok too. but the video was revolting as was the number of times i was forced to listen to that song.
  • Reply 14 of 27
    der kopfder kopf Posts: 2,275member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by superkarate monkeydeathcar

    i'm thinking of that proclaimers song a while back "(i would walk) 100 miles.



    I'd never call the proclaimers a one-hit wonder band. That song was never that much of a hit to begin with (at least not to my knowledge) and they made some nice (?) music beside that one song. I remember a song 'send back a letter from America' or something like that just as easy as the one you mention.



    Their being annoying is, of course, another issue entirely.
  • Reply 15 of 27
    Quote:

    Originally posted by der Kopf

    I'd never call the proclaimers a one-hit wonder band. That song was never that much of a hit to begin with (at least not to my knowledge) and they made some nice (?) music beside that one song. I remember a song 'send back a letter from America' or something like that just as easy as the one you mention.



    Their being annoying is, of course, another issue entirely.




    in america that was their one hit,

    listen, being a one hit wonder doesn't diminish your talents, many great artists technically are one hit wonders. warren zevon (werewolves of london) and randy newman (short people) leap to mind, both have had brilliant careers.

    being a one hit wonder doesn't necessarily denigrate your talent. radio is fickle, and it sucks but that's another story altogether.
  • Reply 16 of 27
    liquidrliquidr Posts: 884member
    One hit wonder. What legend of Rock n Roll, a guitar god among guitar gods has only ever had 1 top 40 hit? I'll give you a hint, he once was a member of 101st Airborne Divsion, and Clapton is quoted as describing this man as being the man who would put Clapton out of a job. You won't beleive it when I tell you.
  • Reply 17 of 27
    Quote:

    Originally posted by LiquidR

    One hit wonder. What legend of Rock n Roll, a guitar god among guitar gods has only ever had 1 top 40 hit? I'll give you a hint, he once was a member of 101st Airborne Divsion, and Clapton is quoted as describing this man as being the man who would put Clapton out of a job. You won't beleive it when I tell you.





    jimi had a hit? a real bona fide single hit? (in america?)
  • Reply 18 of 27
    aquafireaquafire Posts: 2,758member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by LiquidR

    One hit wonder. What legend of Rock n Roll, a guitar god among guitar gods has only ever had 1 top 40 hit? I'll give you a hint, he once was a member of 101st Airborne Divsion, and Clapton is quoted as describing this man as being the man who would put Clapton out of a job. You won't beleive it when I tell you.



    There is only ONE guitarist that fits that bill...& I "Know" It was Jimi Hendrix....



    We'll never see the likes of him again....



  • Reply 19 of 27
    liquidrliquidr Posts: 884member
    "All along the Watchtower"



    Amazing to think that such an influential musician should have only one hit. WTF
  • Reply 20 of 27
    aquafireaquafire Posts: 2,758member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by aquafire

    There is only ONE guitarist that fits that bill...& I know It was Jimi Hendrix...he was in the 101 in the early 1960's..if I my memory serves me correctly.



    We'll never see the likes of him again....







    Man if he was alive now....He'd play an "air-guitar " style that would set the sky alight....
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