RIP Doug Fieger

This may be akin to spitting on someone's grave, but I can never imagine "My Sharona" without remembering Cheech Marin on stage in a pink tutu wailing, "m-m-m-my scrotum," in the first Cheech and Chong movie. I think Weird Al also did a sendup of it.

And, yes, the Knack were a one-hit wonder. All kidding aside, "My Sharona" wasn't a bad song, and if you're only going to have one memorable song to your credit, you could do a lot worse.

 

Weird Al Yankovic ripped it off for "My Bologna," his first parody record, and he's still going strong today. Weird to think he's the one to have had a lasting career out of that song.

 

The Knack also covered a song by another group of one-hit Wonders

 

If we're going strictly by chart performance, there's very few one-hit wonders because a big hit usually provides enough of a coattail to draw enough listeners to a followup.

Take Jesus Jones: I was going to make that point for Real Real Real, the followup to Right Here, Right Now. Except according to Wikipedia, so you know it's true: Real Real Real charted higher than Right Here, Right Now in England (19 vs. 31) and almost charted as high on the Hot 100 (4 vs. 2). But how many people remember Real Real Real? Or International Bright Young Thing, which made it to sixth in the Modern Rock chart? I'd have no problem calling Jesus Jones a one-hit wonder, even though I liked the other two songs of theirs more, because I know most people have no memory of them.

 

The ultimate one-hit wonders are those who went to No. 1 with their first and only chart hit. And, according to Billboard, there have been 12 such instances.

The first was "Little Star" by the Elegants in 1958, and the most recent was "Bad Day" by Daniel Powter in 2006.

Also on the list:

"Dominique" by The Singing Nun, 1963

"In the Year 2525" by Zager & Evans, 1969

"Pop Muzik" by M, 1979

"We Are the World" by USA For Africa, 1985

"Miami Vice Theme" by Jan Hammer, 1985

"Don't Worry, Be Happy" by Bobby McFerrin, 1988

"When I'm With You" by Sheriff, 1989

"How Do You Talk To An Angel" by The Heights, 1992

"Butterfly" by Crazy Town, 2001

"Slow Motion" by Soulja Slim, 2004

http://www.billboard.com/specials/hot100/charts/1hit-wonders.shtml

 

jeez, discover girls, wouldja.

 

they have cooties, you know

 

Sheriff is a bad example: It returned to the chart renamed as Alias in the early 1990s.

 

Good call regarding Jesus Jones. You could say the same for Vanilla Ice, who is best known/infamous for "Ice Ice Baby," but his follow up was a remake of "Play That Funky Music," and it went to No. 4.

Other times, you have an instance where an artist is remembered for a song that wasn't among their biggest hits. For instance, the Romantics had a huge, monster hit in 1983-84 with "Talking In Your Sleep," which peaked at No. 3. And yet you're more likely to hear them on the radio doing "What I Like About You," which had topped out at No. 49 three years earlier.

Unless you're listening to a "lost oldies" show, you will most likely NEVER hear the Michael Morales remake of "What I Like About You," which hit No. 28 in 1989. It was the bigger hit of the song, and from what I remember it sounded pretty similar, but it's the version by the Romantics that has survived, even though it didn't even make the Top 40.

 

Dools, have you met my fiancee, January?

<<<

 

I think, given the back story (band had been broken up for years before some station in Arizona gave "When I'm With You" some spins in late 88), they are a perfect example. Almost as good as The Heights, a made-for-TV band whose TV show was already cancelled when the epic cheese of "How Do You Talk To An Angel" somehow hit no. 1 in the year of grunge.

Speaking of cheese, loved Alias. Great soundtrack to the senior year of HS.

 

Not only did it go to No. 1 in the year of shit grunge, it ended the record-breaking run of "End of the Road" by Boyz II Men, which was dethroned after 13 weeks at the top. The standard had been 11 weeks, set by Elvis in 1956 with the two-sided hit "Don't Be Cruel"/"Hound Dog."

Unfortunately, The Heights couldn't hold off "I Will Always Love You" by Whitney Houston, which started a 14-week reign seven days later. Yuck.