Are They A One-Hit Wonder?

sadchild said:
OHW in the US, not the UK, yes in Canada (only one charting song, peaked a #2), not in Ireland, yes in Sweden (one #1 hit, no other charting singles), not in Belgium, yes in New Zealand...
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They did even have a second Hot 100 hit in the USA. Not top 40.
 
That's the tricky part.

1. Some define a (technical, not subjective) hit as strictly 'a top 40', and leave no wiggle room.

By those people's definition:

HITS
Alice Cooper "Clones, We're All"
Boy George "Live My Life"
Change "A Lover's Holiday"
John Hunter "Tragedy"
Kool & The Gang "Jones Vs Jones"
Real Life "Catch Me I'm Falling"
Spider "New Romance"

NOT HITS
Beatles "From Me To You"
Bob Seger "Rock And Roll Never Forgets"
Cars "Good Times Roll"
Cranberries "Dreams"
Elton John "Tiny Dancer"
Huey Lewis & The News "Workin' For A Livin'"
Nine Inch Nails "Closer"
Psychedelic Furs "Pretty In Pink"
Rolling Stones "You Can't Always Get What You Want"
ZZ Top "La Grange"

2. Some people make a little wiggle room by calling a song that peaks between #41-#100 a "minor hit".

3. But then there are people who feel this way

> That wouldn't be a "chart purist"; that would be an "idiot".
> I'm basically in agreement with you. I would add that most non-pop artists WANT to be a one-hit or zero-hit wonder. They take pride in not being all over the Hot 100. But they are still technically a one-hit or zero-hit act in the mainstream/outside of their genre.

This thread takes the strict (very limited) definition of 'hit', and asks if both hits are still subjectively considered hits today.
 
And here I thought I had found a quick and easy way to determine a OHW ... the wiki discography page. It's as convoluted as the OHW definition.
 
Chilliwack
#22 "My Girl (Gone Gone Gone)"
#33 "I Believe"
#41 "Whatcha Gonna Do (When I'm Gone)"

I'd never heard of these guys until the VJ 40, and still have never heard their music outside of that show. In my little world, a zero hit wonder, but I suspect others feel differently?
 
sadchild said:
Chilliwack
#22 "My Girl (Gone Gone Gone)"
#33 "I Believe"
#41 "Whatcha Gonna Do (When I'm Gone)"

I'd never heard of these guys until the VJ 40, and still have never heard their music outside of that show. In my little world, a zero hit wonder, but I suspect others feel differently?
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Multi-Multi-Multi hits in Canada. Going to see them with Streetheart in concert in May. My Chilliwack top 7:

7. Whatcha Gonna Do ***
6. Communication Breakdown ***
5. Crazy Talk ***
4. Lonesome Mary ***
3. My Girl (Gone, Gone, Gone) ****
2. Fly At Night *****
1. Arms of Mary *****

More hits up here but these are the ones I like.
 
I know IRBS would have some C-Wack info.
It's a band I vaguely remember from the late 80's early 90's (ish), but never remember their stuff.
 
Maybe it was mid to late 80's that I remember them from. (I did a lot to hurt my memory back in the day. It's catching up to me.)
It's a memorable band name. Even if it's nonsensical.
 
The name is not "nonsensical." The website of the city of Chilliwack explains its origin: "The City derives its name from the Halq’eméylem word 'Ts’elxwéyeqw”'which elder Albert Louie, of Yakweakwioose, talked about it meaning ‘as going as far as you can go upriver’ in reference to travelling by canoe up the Chilliwack River sloughs leading to Soowahlie."

Yeah, that certainly clears it up.

History of Chilliwack - City of Chilliwack

The Township of Chilliwhack was incorporated in 1873, the third oldest municipality in British Columbia.
www.chilliwack.com
 
That band always reminds me of

chillytitle.png
 
Radiohead
#34 "Creep"
#37 "Nude"
#65 "Fake Plastic Trees" [Airplay]
#69 "Karma Police" [Airplay]
#78 "High And Dry"

We all know they're alt radio superstars with 14 top 40s on the Modern Rock chart, but only two made it into the top 40 on the Hot 100. Does the average kid/20-something know their music beyond "Creep"? Frankly, I'm shocked "Fake Plastic Trees", "High And Dry", "Paranoid Android" and "Karma Police" aren't top 40s or at least close (despite the fact I don't even like those last two).
 
sadchild said:
Radiohead
#34 "Creep"
#37 "Nude"
#65 "Fake Plastic Trees" [Airplay]
#69 "Karma Police" [Airplay]
#78 "High And Dry"

We all know they're alt radio superstars with 14 top 40s on the Modern Rock chart, but only two made it into the top 40 on the Hot 100. Does the average kid/20-something know their music beyond "Creep"? Frankly, I'm shocked "Fake Plastic Trees", "High And Dry", "Paranoid Android" and "Karma Police" aren't top 40s or at least close (despite the fact I don't even like those last two).
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The 2 I hear the most is "Creep" and "Fake Plastic Trees". They are a Grateful Dead or Rush type of OHW if they are one.
 
sadchild said:
Radiohead
#34 "Creep"
#37 "Nude"
#65 "Fake Plastic Trees" [Airplay]
#69 "Karma Police" [Airplay]
#78 "High And Dry"

We all know they're alt radio superstars with 14 top 40s on the Modern Rock chart, but only two made it into the top 40 on the Hot 100. Does the average kid/20-something know their music beyond "Creep"? Frankly, I'm shocked "Fake Plastic Trees", "High And Dry", "Paranoid Android" and "Karma Police" aren't top 40s or at least close (despite the fact I don't even like those last two).
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All the songs you mentioned are played in regular rotation on both the Alt rock and adult contemporary stations. And there's about a half-dozen songs from In Rainbows you can add. House of Cards, Nude, Reckoner, Jigsaw Falling into Pieces, etc. So really, I couldn't care less what top 40 plays.
 
"I Might Be Wrong" was getting a ton of airplay on Alt radio around these parts when the album came out. Thought for sure that would have registered on the charts somewhere. Heard 'Creep' a tone of times, can't say I've ever heard 'Nude', but the others are in my library so they get a ton of play.
 
They are definitely in the top 10 of "artists with only two top 40s on the Hot 100 who are/were massively successful with several known songs", right alongside Nirvana, 10,000 Maniacs, Barenaked Ladies, Suzanne Vega, Clash and Tracy Chapman.
 
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