The 7 Greatest One-Hit Wonders of All Time

Back before anyone could publish music on iTunes, there used to be this little thing called the radio. Mostly the radio played artists you’d heard of, but every so often, they’d fall in love with an artist who seemed to come out of nowhere. And who then returned to nowhere when their fifteen minutes were up.

Today, we collect the 7 greatest of these one-hit wonders for you to discover all over again.

1. The Proclaimers – 500 Miles

It’s not just Benny and Joon that made this song great. Well, okay, fine, that may have had something to do with it. Hey, who doesn’t enjoy watching a young Johnny Depp use an iron to cook grilled cheese sandwiches to this song?

2. Nena – 99 Luftballoons

We debated whether to include the German version here or the English one. Since both versions became popular, does that mean she’s technically a two-hit wonder? You decide.

3. Carl Douglas – Kung Fu Fighting

One-hit wonders are all about infectious hooks, and they’re often gimmicky or downright strange. Like this 1974 hit about martial arts, which was originally recorded in about ten minutes. Go figure.

4. The Buggles – Video Killed the Radio Star

Photo courtesy of Jacob Whittaker on Flickr

Sure, everybody knows the video for this song—it was the first music video ever to air on MTV—but the track itself was popular too, eventually topping sixteen international music charts.  Definitely a one-hit wonder that spoke to its time.

5. Soft Cell – Tainted Love

Did you know this version was a cover? Yep, ‘Tainted Love’ was originally recorded in 1964 by Gloria Jones. Go listen to her version—it’s very different than the ‘Tainted Love’ you grew up with.

6. Right Said Fred – I’m Too Sexy

Remember what we said about one-hit wonders being weird sometimes? Yeah. Enough said. Though, it’s worth pointing out that what many people forget today is that this song was intended to be a satire of the fashion industry.

7. Rick Astley – Never Gonna Give You Up

Photo courtesy of Faesissa on DeviantArt

Yeah, yeah, we know that Rick Astley technically had a bunch of other hits that charted in several countries. But, come on: everybody today remembers him for this song, don’t they? Thanks, rickrollers!

It’s kind of sad that some of these bands never had another hit, right? Maybe they just need to learn how to publish music on iTunes! Quick, go let them know how easy it is with SongCast!