Some songs hit big and take over radio stations, before they disappear along with the artist who sang them—that’s exactly what a one-hit wonder is. These songs were everywhere for a while and then nothing else from the artist ever made it back into the charts, for one reason or another. Here are ten one-hit wonders from artists that disappeared as quickly as they came. How many of these do you actually remember?
Featured Image Credit: VitalikRadko/Depositphotos.com.
“Somebody That I Used to Know” by Gotye (2011)
The song “Somebody That I Used to Know” hit No. 1 and stayed there for eight weeks. Gotye, whose real name is Wouter De Backer, recorded it in his home studio and brought in Kimbra to sing the duet part, with the song later selling over 10 million copies in the U.S. alone and winning multiple awards. But while it blew up worldwide, Gotye never released another charting single in the U.S. and chose to go back to working on his own music & art projects away from the spotlight.
“Take On Me” by a-ha (1985)
This song went to No. 1 in the U.S. and became known for its music video, which used a hand-drawn animation technique called rotoscoping—it was quite advanced at the time. Many people also remember the high notes in the chorus. The band originally came from Norway and they had success in Europe, but never charted again in the U.S. after this song, even though they continued releasing music & touring overseas. This remained their only U.S. hit, for better or worse.
“Bitter Sweet Symphony” by The Verve (1997)
The Verve reached No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 with “Bitter Sweet Symphony” and the track used a string sample from an orchestral version of a Rolling Stones song, later causing a copyright issue that kept them from earning royalties for years. However, the band didn’t release another single that made the U.S. charts, although they had quite a following in the UK. The song has been used in multiple movies & commercials but that was the only time they appeared on the American charts.
“Play That Funky Music” by Wild Cherry (1976)
Ohio rock band Wild Cherry’s song “Play That Funky Music” hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was a hit in both pop & R&B markets, with the song becoming their first big single. It sold over 2.5 million copies and after this, they released more music, but none of it made it back onto the charts. The band broke up in the early ’80s and frontman Rob Parissi began focusing on producing music instead of singing it.
“No Rain” by Blind Melon (1993)
“No Rain” peaked at No. 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 and received heavy rotation on MTV, mostly because of the “bee girl” video—not bad for a band’s second single. Their other songs didn’t chart in the U.S and sadly, Shannon Hoon, the lead singer, passed away from an overdose in 1995. The band broke up shortly after, although they released more music later with a different vocalist. “No Rain” remains their only big U.S. hit.
“I Touch Myself” by Divinyls (1991)
Anyone who grew up in the ‘90s probably remembers the song “I Touch Myself”, which climbed to No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was part of Divinyls’s, an Australian duo, fourth studio album. Chrissy Amphlett sang lead vocals and the song got a lot of attention for its rather…direct lyrics, although the band’s popularity was short-lived. None of their other singles reached the charts, yet they continued touring & releasing albums in Australia.
“Tubthumping” by Chumbawamba (1997)
Chumbawamba was a British group with roots in punk and activism and they had been around for years before their 1997 song, “Tubthumping,” became a hit—it reached No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100. They released more albums after this song’s success, but none of them gained the same kind of popularity in the American market, leading to the band officially breaking up in 2012. Even so, the song is still quite remembered today.
“Rico Suave” by Gerardo (1991)
“Rico Suave” was a bilingual track that reached No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 and it was sung by Gerardo Mejía, who was born in Ecuador & raised in California. He leaned into the image of a Latin lover for the song and video, with the song later catching on in pop culture. Although Gerardo released other singles afterward, none of them made it onto the charts—Gerardo later switched careers and became a Christian youth pastor. He also worked as a record label executive, helping to sign other Latin music artists.
“Torn” by Natalie Imbruglia (1998)
Erik Mclean
Even though Natalie Imbruglia’s cover of “Torn” didn’t chart higher than No. 42 on the Billboard Hot 100, it became one of the most played songs on U.S. radio that year. It wasn’t eligible to chart higher because it wasn’t released as a physical single at the time. Outside of America, many people know the Australian pop star for originally appearing on the soap opera Neighbours before moving into music.
“Mambo No. 5” by Lou Bega (1999)
“Mambo No. 5” made it to No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100, with Lou Bega adding new lyrics to an instrumental mambo track originally recorded by Pérez Prado in the 1940s. The updated version was played everywhere and still gets heard a lot at parties. Lou Bega tried releasing other singles, including “Tricky, Tricky,” but none of them charted in the U.S., so he continued touring in Europe. American audiences never picked up on any of his follow-up songs.
Disclaimer: This list is solely the author’s opinion based on research and publicly available information.
Like our content? Be sure to follow us on MSN.
Read More:
