Are They A One-Hit Wonder?

"Johnny Hates Jazz proving not to be a one-hit wonder" - Alan Hunter on this week's VJ Top 40 Countdown

But are they subjectively?

Johnny Hates Jazz
#2 "Shattered Dreams"
#31 "I Don't Want To Be Your Hero"

I say YES. Subjectively, they are a one-hit wonder, only remembered for "Shattered Dreams".
 
sadchild said:
"Johnny Hates Jazz proving not to be a one-hit wonder" - Alan Hunter on this week's VJ Top 40 Countdown

But are they subjectively?

Johnny Hates Jazz
#2 "Shattered Dreams"
#31 "I Don't Want To Be Your Hero"

I say YES. Subjectively, they are a one-hit wonder, only remembered for "Shattered Dreams".
Click to expand...
Quick show of hands. Who here has "I Don't Want to Be Your Hero" on any of your devices or playlists? Anyone? Bueller?
 
I struggled to remember that song while I was listening to it. I'm really surprised it broke 40 let alone 100.
 
sadchild said:
"Johnny Hates Jazz proving not to be a one-hit wonder" - Alan Hunter on this week's VJ Top 40 Countdown

But are they subjectively?

Johnny Hates Jazz
#2 "Shattered Dreams"
#31 "I Don't Want To Be Your Hero"

I say YES. Subjectively, they are a one-hit wonder, only remembered for "Shattered Dreams".
Click to expand...
Even then I didn't think that song was all that good.
 
Down By The Old Mill Stream was written by singer/composer/vaudeville performer William "Tell" Taylor and has been recorded by more than 60 artists including Bing Crosby, Kenny Baker, Riley Puckett, Mitch Miller, the Chipmunks, the Crew-Cuts, the Mills Brothers and John Denver & The Muppets. The Brunswick Quartette, led by Arthur Clough, was the first group to record the song, on June 15, 1911. It went to number one in November. Canadian-born ballad singer Harry MacDonough also had a number-one hit with the song, in January 1912. MacDonough had 124 top-ten hits (including duets) and 15 number ones between 1899 and 1918. The Brunswick Quartette, a true one-hit wonder, never charted another song.


 
Two questions....

First, there was a music chart back in 1911 in the US? Wow

Second, which artist had two top 40 hits but is probably remembered as a one-hit wonder? And what was their second top 40? (That's what the thread's about)
 
Talking Machine World was published from 1905 to 1928 and included a monthly list of the best-selling 78-RPM recordings. Leslie Lowe's Directory Of Popular Music, 1900-1965, was released in 1975 by Peterson Publishing Company and includes lists of each month's top-selling singles. Another valuable source is Julius Matfield's Variety Music Cavalcade, 1620-1969, a chronology of vocal and instrumental music popular in the United States, published in 1971. Yes, it really goes back to 1620 – and the music of Martin Peerson, Aurelio Bonelli, Carlo Milanuzzi and Agostino Agazzari.
 
Mister sadchild apparently disapproves of me mentioning artists who had only one chart hit even though such artists are true one-hit wonders. Well, since he started this thread, I suppose I'm obligated to follow his stipulation – and you all know I'm not the stipulation follower I used to be. Mister sadchild defines a one-hit wonder as someone who "had two top 40 hits but is probably remembered as a one-hit wonder." I question how anyone with two hits can be considered a one-hit wonder. If an artist had two hits, he is not a one-hit wonder just because his second hit has been largely forgotten. Anyway, I have an example: The Irish Rovers had a #7 hit in May 1968 with Shel Silverstein's The Unicorn. Wasn't That A Party, their only other top-40 hit, stalled at #37 in May 1981. It also reached #45 on the country chart, which is pretty good, considering it is not a country song. But, hey, it mentions whiskey and six-packs!


 
sadchild said:
Here's a fun little exercise (since it came up in another thread)

The artists below are "technically" not one-hit wonders. But "subjectively", are they? Weigh in below.
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Err... I never defined a one-hit wonder as having two top 40s.

If you look at the first post in this thread, it was started to talk about artists with (exactly) two top 40s being called one-hit wonders in the media. It got me thinking that some artists with two hits who are being called a one-hit wonder opens up the idea of "feeling like" they're a one-hit wonder (despite not being one). It's a discussion about 'does this not-a-one-hit-wonder' seem like they are today?

Example

www.rollingstone.com

Poll: Top 10 One-Hit Wonders

They just had one hit, but they made it count
www.rollingstone.com www.rollingstone.com

#6 is The Knack. They had THREE top 40s. Why is Rolling Stone calling them a one-hit wonder?

#1 is a-ha, who is mentioned in the first post of this thread.

Also:

IdRatherBeSkiing said:
A lot of what was mentioned above is commonly played on one hit wonder shows or channels. My local FM does one Wednesday a month which they call One Hit Wonder Wednesday and they play from the above list:

a-ha - #1 & #20
EMF - #1 & #10
Falco - #1 & #18
Great White - #1 & #30
Jesus Jones - #2 & #4
Michael Sembello - #1 & #34
Rockwell - #2 & #35
Snow - #1 & #19
Tommy Tutone - #4 & #38
Click to expand...

The idea of this thread was never intended to be just a list of one-hit wonders. But we can start one, because I'd be interested in that too!
 
Re I'dRatherBeSkiing's list: My opinion only:
a-ha - #1 & #20 NO ("Sun Never Shines on TV")
EMF - #1 & #10 YES? (I'm trying to remember "Lies" but failing)
Falco - #1 & #18 NO ("Vienna Calling")
Great White - #1 & #30 YES
Jesus Jones - #2 & #4 LOL
Michael Sembello - #1 & #34 YES
Rockwell - #2 & #35 YES
Snow - #1 & #19 YES ("Girl I've Been Hurt is rather forgettable)
Tommy Tutone - #4 & #38 YES
 
jbnv said:
Re I'dRatherBeSkiing's list: My opinion only:
a-ha - #1 & #20 NO ("Sun Never Shines on TV")
EMF - #1 & #10 YES? (I'm trying to remember "Lies" but failing)
Falco - #1 & #18 NO ("Vienna Calling")
Great White - #1 & #30 YES
Jesus Jones - #2 & #4 LOL
Michael Sembello - #1 & #34 YES
Rockwell - #2 & #35 YES
Snow - #1 & #19 YES ("Girl I've Been Hurt is rather forgettable)
Tommy Tutone - #4 & #38 YES
Click to expand...
It is actually @sadchild's list. I just pruned it down to what songs are played on the One Hit Wonder Wednesday on my local FM station. Some of the songs sadchild listed are definitely not one hit wonders here either. To name 2: Alannah Myles has more hits played up her (she is Canadian). And both of the Men Without Hats are still played frequently.
 
@jbnv Here's the complete original list

a-ha - #1 & #20
Alannah Myles - #1 & #36
Berlin - #1 & #23
Chris deBurgh - #3 & #34
EMF - #1 & #10
Falco - #1 & #18
Gerardo - #7 & #16
Great White - #5 & #30
Jesus Jones - #2 & #4
Marky Mark & The Funky Bunch - #1 & #10
Men Without Hats - #3 & #20
Michael Sembello - #1 & #34
Rockwell - #2 & #35
Snow - #1 & #19
Tommy Tutone - #4 & #38
Vanilla Ice - #1 & #4
Young MC - #7 & #33

These have been added since:

Dead Or Alive - #11 & #15
Eddie Grant - #2 & #26
Eddie Murphy - #2 & #27
Escape Club - #1 & #8
Johnny Hates Jazz - #2 & #31
Owl City - #1 & #8
 
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