One Hit Wonders - Defined and Ranked

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by QuikSand

Eileen was #1 in the USA for one week, apparently. Why is it a shoo-in for top ten, then?

I think I'm kinda in this camp. I lived right through the heart of this song's era and in no way consider it to have been on the same plane as at least a couple dozen of the ones listed so far.

All #1s are not created equal, so to speak.

[thesloppy]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

All #1s are not created equal, so to speak.

I think this is true but couldn't it also apply to the competition....fer example 'Come on Eileen' "prevented Michael Jackson from having back to back number 1 hits. “Billy Jean” was number one for 7 weeks prior to Dexy hitting the top spot. Immediately after Come on Eileen’s 1 week at top, “Beat It” became the number 1 song for 3 weeks" while Tubthumping was competing with Will Smith's 'Men In Black'

Who's accounting for strength of schedule?

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by thesloppy

I think this is true but couldn't it also apply to the competition....fer example 'Come on Eileen' "prevented Michael Jackson from having back to back number 1 hits. “Billy Jean” was number one for 7 weeks prior to Dexy hitting the top spot. Immediately after Come on Eileen’s 1 week at top, “Beat It” became the number 1 song for 3 weeks" while Tubthumping was competing with Will Smith's 'Men In Black'

Who's accounting for strength of schedule?

I think it more goes back to the subjectivity of perception. And I'm pretty comfortable with my perception of this being no more than a 2nd tier (at most) "hit" considering that neither the album nor the single even managed Gold certification in the U.S. How many of the other contenders in the top tier fared so poorly at the cash register.

Plus, I'm less inclined to take some things for granted when it comes to charts than other people might be. I know - very first hand - how much dealmaking/ politicking goes on for that sort of thing.

[thesloppy]

Yea, similarly I was 12 at the time when that record came out, and I can argue that I definitely remember it being hot shit at the time, but that's about the extent of my argument.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by thesloppy

Yea, similarly I was 12 at the time when that record came out, and I can argue that I definitely remember it being hot shit at the time, but that's about the extent of my argument.

I looked at the same year (1983) year end chart, there are some interesting comparisons to be made I think.

Dexy's finished #13 for the year.

Arguably 2-hit (3?) wonder Irene Cara was #3 with "Flashdance"
Michael Sembello "Maniac" was #9
Eddie Rabbit/Crystal Gayle duet "You & I" was #12
Sergio Mendes "Never Gonna Let You Go" was #16

I think that's about the right tier for Dexy & Eileen. I'd rate it being smaller than Maniac in terms of "hit" (never mind OHW) , much more on par with the #12/#16 than the #3/#9.

[thesloppy]

Come on Eileen also fell in those seminal MTV years where someone of the era could argue that video airplay might've either made them bigger than their chart presence, or served to obscure their poor chart performance, depending on your perspective.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by thesloppy

Come on Eileen also fell in those seminal MTV years where someone of the era could argue that video airplay might've either made them bigger than their chart presence, or served to obscure their poor chart performance, depending on your perspective.

Though with those same-year comps I mentioned, the MTV play wasn't completely disparate.

To the broader point you raise though, I had a great reminder of the influence of MTV just a couple weeks ago. Until some random FB poster mentioned them, I hadn't thought about Jon Butcher Axis in decades. In revisiting the catalog from his/the band's run I was shocked to realize how many songs I had immediate complete recall for (something like 6 or 7 tracks) DESPITE there being only two that got any radio airplay and despite me owning only one album of the 3-4 involved. But then I also realized that I remembered the videos for most of the songs and that MTV lightbulb went on.

[thesloppy]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

Though with those same-year comps I mentioned, the MTV play wasn't completely disparate.

To the broader point you raise though, I had a great reminder of the influence of MTV just a couple weeks ago. Until some random FB poster mentioned them, I hadn't thought about Jon Butcher Axis in decades. In revisiting the catalog from his/the band's run I was shocked to realize how many songs I had immediate complete recall for (something like 6 or 7 tracks) DESPITE there being only two that got any radio airplay and despite me owning only one album of the 3-4 involved. But then I also realized that I remembered the videos for most of the songs and that MTV lightbulb went on.

Just using the previous examples you brought up, I can certainly remember Flashdance and Maniac being huge songs....and their videos probably got a lot of play too....but they weren't remarkable in any way (all I remember is movie footage) whereas everything about the Dexy's Midnight Runner video was kind of remarkable to a 12-year-old (Who are these freaks in the overalls? What's with that name? Why are they singing like that? Can I see that girl's sideboob? etc.), for better or worse.

[Edward64]

Great song.

Originally Posted by Breeze

3. Chumbawamba - Tubthumping (1998)

Not so great.

2. Dexys Midnight Runners – Come On Eileen (1983)

[Vince, Pt. II]

Originally Posted by Edward64

Great song. [Tubthumping]


Not so great. [Come On Eileen]

I am of the completely opposite opinion here with regard to the relative quality of these two songs.

[Ryche]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

I looked at the same year (1983) year end chart, there are some interesting comparisons to be made I think.

Dexy's finished #13 for the year.

Arguably 2-hit (3?) wonder Irene Cara was #3 with "Flashdance"
Michael Sembello "Maniac" was #9
Eddie Rabbit/Crystal Gayle duet "You & I" was #12
Sergio Mendes "Never Gonna Let You Go" was #16

I think that's about the right tier for Dexy & Eileen. I'd rate it being smaller than Maniac in terms of "hit" (never mind OHW) , much more on par with the #12/#16 than the #3/#9.

I can't say I've heard those other songs in the last 20 years. Eileen still gets a ton of play in numerous settings

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Ryche

I can't say I've heard those other songs in the last 20 years. Eileen still gets a ton of play in numerous settings

I'd say that's a sign you need to be in different settings

And I've heard - in some context - 3 of the 4 (not sure if I've heard Mendes as much as, say, Benny Mardones even)

[Breeze]

1. a-ha – Take On Me (1985)

Total Points – 67
Charts – 6
Top 40 – 1
Top 20 – 1
Top 10 – 4
Total Ranking – 1, 5, 6, 8, 20, 27

The number 1 song in the countdown ultimately dominated the scoring, as this song was the second of two songs to be ranked in all 6 charts, and it was also the last of the 6 songs to receive a number 1 ranking. Moreover, the total score of 67 is only slightly higher than #2 “Eileen’s” second worst score of 62, and it is more than 1/3rd lower than “Eileen’s” total of 205. This Oslo band formed in 1982 and the received their biggest success from their first album, Hunting High and Low. The album reached #1 in their native Norway, #2 in the UK in 1985, and it sold well enough the following year to chart on the end of year list for 1986 as well. In the US the album managed to get to #15. Originally, this song was a self-composed synth-pop song, but for the first album it was reworked by Alan Tarney, who interestingly has experience working with some familiar names from this list, including: Bow Wow Wow, and the Dream Academy. Tarney decided to take the synth-pop sound, add some acoustic guitars, a keyboard, and real drums to create this smash hit. In the UK it took 2 versions of the song and 3 releases before it finally gained the traction it needed to reach #2. In the US, the song made it all the way to #1, thanks in no small part to the MTV video. The video was directed by Steve Barron, who also did Michael Jackson’s Billie Jean, and Dire Straits' “Money for Nothing”. It was considered extremely innovative winning 6 awards and was nominated for 2 more at the ’86 MTV Video Awards. The band also received a Grammy nomination for best new artist. Overall, the song finished 1985 as the 10th best selling single, and it’s gone on to sell over 7 million copies worldwide, making it one of the best-selling singles of all time. Unfortunately, the band wasn’t able to generate any other chart success except the follow up “The Sun Always Shines on TV” a few month later. In fact, the band sang the theme song from the Bond movie “The Living Daylights”, and while that single reached #5 in the UK, it didn’t chart here at all.

[Warhammer]

Since I remember “The Sun Always Shines on TV” and “The Living Daylights” I never considered them a OHW...

[QuikSand]

I'm pretty sure I own a CD copy of the a-ha album Scoundrel Days, and definitely recall "The Sun Always Shines on TV" as some degree of a single. Alas, I don't hate them making the list, but in my mind that detracts from this song as the pinnacle of the form.

Even if "Take on Me" is by the numbers a bigger song than "Come on Eileen," I'd still vote for the latter for the (at least in America) utter lack of any second appearance whatsoever from DMR. Hell, they're even the Simpsons punchline, that counts for something, right?



Fun ride, Breeze, thanks for all the heavy lifting! Really enjoyed this thread.

[Warhammer]

Originally Posted by QuikSand

I'm pretty sure I own a CD copy of the a-ha album Scoundrel Days, and definitely recall "The Sun Always Shines on TV" as some degree of a single. Alas, I don't hate them making the list, but in my mind that detracts from this song as the pinnacle of the form.

Even if "Take on Me" is by the numbers a bigger song than "Come on Eileen," I'd still vote for the latter for the (at least in America) utter lack of any second appearance whatsoever from DMR. Hell, they're even the Simpsons punchline, that counts for something, right?



Fun ride, Breeze, thanks for all the heavy lifting! Really enjoyed this thread.

Agreed, I did not post a ton in this thread, but I looked forward to the updates everyday. Thanks Breeze!

[Bobble]

Originally Posted by cuervo72

I very much dislike both #3 and #2.

The songs or the fact that they ended up so high on the list?

[Butter]

Adding thanks for helping me kill some time and reminisce in here. Was fun.

[cuervo72]

Originally Posted by Bobble

The songs or the fact that they ended up so high on the list?

The songs.

[Edward64]

Originally Posted by QuikSand

Fun ride, Breeze, thanks for all the heavy lifting! Really enjoyed this thread.

Yes, thank you.

BTW - what's the next countdown that you're planning?

[Breeze]

Glad you guys enjoyed it...I had fun putting it together.

I took some time over the weekend to play around with the scoring. I tried a few different ideas, and even played around with algorithms to weight the results to reward high rankings and to penalize multiple missed charts. However, the best adjustment I found was to limit the required number of charts for the overall score. Like playing 7 card stud, where only 5 of the cards count and 2 are ignored...I reranked the songs with only 5 of the lists counting, allowing 1 dropped score, but with only 12 songs total getting ranked in 5 or more charts, this had very little impact, as I expected. Then I reranked with 4 charts, dropping 2. This significantly changed some of the rankings. Then I repeated it for 3 list, which is arguably too lenient but it made for an interesting final ranking. And in case you are wondering, I left the 12 point penalty in place if a song failed to make enough lists.

I'm not going to list all 274 songs, as most don't change at all because they weren't ranked in enough of the seed lists to change their overall position, but I will share some of what I found:

[Breeze]

Ranking with 4 of 6

1	a-ha*– Take On Me (1984)
2	Dexys Midnight Runners*– Come On Eileen (1982)
3	Soft Cell*– Tainted Love (1981)
4	Nena*– 99 Luftballons (1984)
5	Los del Rio - Macarena (1993)
6	Chumbawamba - Tubthumping (1997)
7	The Proclaimers - I'm Gonna Be (1988)
8	Modern English*– I Melt with You (1982)
9	Divynls - I touch myself (1990)
10	Terry Jacks*– Seasons in the Sun (1974)
11	Wild Cherry*– Play That Funky Music (1976)
12	Right Said Fred*– I'm Too Sexy (1992)
13	Sir Mix-A-Lot*– Baby Got Back (1992)
14	The Vapors*– Turning Japanese (1980)
15	M*– Pop Muzik (1979)
16	Norman Greenbaum*– Spirit in the Sky (1970)
17	Big Country*– In a Big Country (1983)
18	Haddaway – What Is Love (1993)
19	Nick Gilder - Hot Child in the City (1978)
20	Bobby McFerrin*– Don't Worry, Be Happy (1988)
21	The Contours*– Do You Love Me (1962)
22	Van McCoy & The Soul City Symphony - The Hustle (1975)
23	Frankie Goes to Hollywood*– Relax (1983)
24	? and the Mysterians*– 96 Tears (1966)
25	Sinead O'Connor*– Nothing Compares 2 U (1990)
26	Toni Basil*– Mickey (1982)
27	Debby Boone*– You Light Up My Life (1977)
28	Gary Numan*– Cars (1980)
29	The Cardigans*– Lovefool (1997)
30	Devo*– Whip It (1980)
31	Thomas Dolby*– She Blinded Me with Science (1982)
32	New Radicals*– You Get What You Give (1999)
33	Deee-Lite*– Groove Is in the Heart (1991)
34	Cheryl Lynn*– Got to Be Real (1978)
35	Kajagoogoo*– Too Shy (1983)
36	Sugarhill Gang*– Rapper's Delight (1979)
37	Blind Melon*– No Rain (1993)
38	Meredith Brooks - Bitch (1997)
39	Vicki Sue Robinson - Turn the Beat Around (1976)
40	Dionne Farris*– I Know (1995)
41	4 Non Blondes*– What's Up? (1993)
42	Falco - Rock Me Amadeus (1985)
43	Jeannie C Riley - Harper Valley PTA (1968)
44	Natalie Imbruglia*– Torn (1997)
45	Edie Brickell & New Bohemians*– What I Am (1988)
46	Twisted Sister*– We're Not Gonna Take It (1984)
47	Bruce Channel*– Hey! Baby (1961)
48	Lipps Inc.*– Funkytown (1980)
49	Taco*– Puttin' On the Ritz (1983)
50	Carl Douglas*– Kung Fu Fighting (1974)
51	Biz Markie*– Just a Friend (1989)
52	Minnie Riperton - Lovin You (1975)
53	Semisonic*– Closing Time (1998)
54	Deep Blue Something - Breakfast at Tiffany's (1994)
55	Timbuk 3*– The Future's So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades (1986)
56	Young MC - Bust a Move (1989)
57	Starland Vocal Band*– Afternoon Delight (1976)
58	The Exciters*– Tell Him (1962)
59	Tag Team*– Whoomp! (There It Is) (1993)
60	The Weather Girls*– It's Raining Men (1983)
61	Baha Men*– Who Let the Dogs Out? (2000)
62	Steam*– Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye (1969)
63	Everything but the Girl*– Missing (1996)
64	Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock*– It Takes Two (1988)
65	Gary Glitter - Rock and Roll (1972)
66	When in Rome*– The Promise (1987)
67	Chris Norman & Suzi Quatro - Stumblin' In (1978)
68	Buster Poindexter - Hot Hot Hot (1987)
69	Marcie Blane - Bobby's Girl (1962)
70	Bow Wow Wow*– I Want Candy (1982)
71	Marcy Playground*– Sex and Candy (1998)
72	King Harvest*– Dancing in the Moonlight (1972)
73	Edwyn Collins - A Girl Like You (1994)
74	The Heights - How Do You Talk to an Angel (1992)
75	Lou Bega*– Mambo No. 5 (1999)

[Breeze]

Ranking with 4 of 6

A few notable changes:

A lot of shuffling in the top 20, most just a spot or two
Los del Rio - Macarena climbs from 8 to 5
Chumbawumba - Tubthumping drops from 3 to 6
Modern English - I Melt with You - from 11 to 8
The Vapers - Turning Japanese - drops 10 to 14
4 Non Blonds - What's Up - fell from 32 to 41
Edie Brickell & New Bohemians - What I Am - dropped from 40 to 45

[Breeze]

Ranking with 3 of 6

1	Los del Rio - Macarena (1993)
2	a-ha*– Take On Me (1984)
3	Soft Cell*– Tainted Love (1981)
4	Dexys Midnight Runners*– Come On Eileen (1982)
5	Nena*– 99 Luftballons (1984)
6	Modern English*– I Melt with You (1982)
7	The Proclaimers - I'm Gonna Be (1988)
8	Divynls - I touch myself (1990)
9	Right Said Fred*– I'm Too Sexy (1992)
10	Chumbawamba - Tubthumping (1997)
11	Terry Jacks*– Seasons in the Sun (1974)
12	The Vapors*– Turning Japanese (1980)
13	Nick Gilder - Hot Child in the City (1978)
14	Wild Cherry*– Play That Funky Music (1976)
15	Norman Greenbaum*– Spirit in the Sky (1970)
16	The Contours*– Do You Love Me (1962)
17	Van McCoy & The Soul City Symphony - The Hustle (1975)
18	Sir Mix-A-Lot*– Baby Got Back (1992)
19	M*– Pop Muzik (1979)
20	Frankie Goes to Hollywood*– Relax (1983)
21	? and the Mysterians*– 96 Tears (1966)
22	Sinead O'Connor*– Nothing Compares 2 U (1990)
23	Toni Basil*– Mickey (1982)
24	Debby Boone*– You Light Up My Life (1977)
25	Gary Numan*– Cars (1980)
26	The Cardigans*– Lovefool (1997)
27	Haddaway – What Is Love (1993)
28	Devo*– Whip It (1980)
29	Big Country*– In a Big Country (1983)
30	Bobby McFerrin*– Don't Worry, Be Happy (1988)
31	Cheryl Lynn*– Got to Be Real (1978)
32	Thomas Dolby*– She Blinded Me with Science (1982)
33	Sugarhill Gang*– Rapper's Delight (1979)
34	Kajagoogoo*– Too Shy (1983)
35	Deee-Lite*– Groove Is in the Heart (1991)
36	Vicki Sue Robinson - Turn the Beat Around (1976)
37	New Radicals*– You Get What You Give (1999)
38	Dionne Farris*– I Know (1995)
39	Blind Melon*– No Rain (1993)
40	Falco - Rock Me Amadeus (1985)
41	Meredith Brooks - Bitch (1997)
42	Jeannie C Riley - Harper Valley PTA (1968)
43	Natalie Imbruglia*– Torn (1997)
44	Twisted Sister*– We're Not Gonna Take It (1984)
45	Bruce Channel*– Hey! Baby (1961)
46	Taco*– Puttin' On the Ritz (1983)
47	Carl Douglas*– Kung Fu Fighting (1974)
48	Minnie Riperton - Lovin You (1975)
49	Semisonic*– Closing Time (1998)
50	Deep Blue Something - Breakfast at Tiffany's (1994)
51	Timbuk 3*– The Future's So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades (1986)
52	Young MC - Bust a Move (1989)
53	Starland Vocal Band*– Afternoon Delight (1976)
54	The Exciters*– Tell Him (1962)
55	The Weather Girls*– It's Raining Men (1983)
56	4 Non Blondes*– What's Up? (1993)
57	Lipps Inc.*– Funkytown (1980)
58	Edie Brickell & New Bohemians*– What I Am (1988)
59	Baha Men*– Who Let the Dogs Out? (2000)
60	Steam*– Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye (1969)
61	Everything but the Girl*– Missing (1996)
62	Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock*– It Takes Two (1988)
63	Gary Glitter - Rock and Roll (1972)
64	Tag Team*– Whoomp! (There It Is) (1993)
65	When in Rome*– The Promise (1987)
66	Chris Norman & Suzi Quatro - Stumblin' In (1978)
67	Biz Markie*– Just a Friend (1989)
68	Buster Poindexter - Hot Hot Hot (1987)
69	Marcie Blane - Bobby's Girl (1962)
70	Marcy Playground*– Sex and Candy (1998)
71	King Harvest*– Dancing in the Moonlight (1972)
72	Edwyn Collins - A Girl Like You (1994)
73	The Heights - How Do You Talk to an Angel (1992)
74	Lou Bega*– Mambo No. 5 (1999)
75	Bow Wow Wow*– I Want Candy (1982)

[Breeze]

Ranking with 3 of 6

Quite a bit of shuffling...here are some notable changes:

Los del Rio's gets the top spot when only half the lists are counted
Modern English climbs again, from 11 in the original list to 6 in this one
Right Said Fred is up from 13 to 8
Chumbawumba falls again this time from 3 to 10.
Terry Jacks falls from 7 to 11
The Vapors actually do better in 3 list than they did in 4, in the original they were 10, with 4 lists they were 14 with 3 lists they are 12.
Nick Gilder goes from 19 to 13
The Contours from 21 to 16
Van McCoy from 22 to 17
Haddaway drops from 18 to 27
Big Country drops from 16 to 29
Bobby McFerrin drops from 20 to 30
4 Non Blondes from 32 to 56
Lipps Inc from 48 to 57
Edie Brickell & New Bohemians from 40 to 58

[Breeze]

Originally Posted by Edward64

BTW - what's the next countdown that you're planning?

I'll see what I can come up with...

[QuikSand]

I remember a book coming out in the 80s, ranking the pound for pound best boxers of all time. Ranked Sugar Ray Robinson as their #1, but it was a fun hypothetical read.

In the foreword, I recall someone (Bert Sugar, I'd hope) offering a quick tidbit... paraphrased as: If you're reading this in 1987, then there's an up-and-coming fighter named Mike Tyson you're probably thinking about... it's too soon to place him here, but we think he'd come in at around #27 already, with a bullet..we'll be watching...

Doing a list of OHWs right now, as Lil Nas X reigns over the pop chart, feels the same way.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by QuikSand

Doing a list of OHWs right now, as Lil Nas X reigns over the pop chart, feels the same way.

Nas may already be excluded however, with a #16 called "Panini"

[Maple Leafs]

Just one more voice saying that this was very well done and a fun read.

[Warhammer]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

I looked at the same year (1983) year end chart, there are some interesting comparisons to be made I think.

Dexy's finished #13 for the year.

Arguably 2-hit (3?) wonder Irene Cara was #3 with "Flashdance"
Michael Sembello "Maniac" was #9
Eddie Rabbit/Crystal Gayle duet "You & I" was #12
Sergio Mendes "Never Gonna Let You Go" was #16

I think that's about the right tier for Dexy & Eileen. I'd rate it being smaller than Maniac in terms of "hit" (never mind OHW) , much more on par with the #12/#16 than the #3/#9.

I know this is a bit late for this comment, but I think these lists are looking at these songs as much more than the hit in time. Heck, if we were just looking at how these charted "I Melt With You" would be lucky to have even made the list, much less top 15.

"Maniac" and "Macarena" were huge at the time of their release, but when was the last time you heard either song? "Come on Eileen" still gets a fair amount of radio play depending on the station.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Warhammer

I know this is a bit late for this comment, but I think these lists are looking at these songs as much more than the hit in time. Heck, if we were just looking at how these charted "I Melt With You" would be lucky to have even made the list, much less top 15.

"Maniac" and "Macarena" were huge at the time of their release, but when was the last time you heard either song? "Come on Eileen" still gets a fair amount of radio play depending on the station.

I'd say it's more about ... saturation? About how pervasive a song became.

And if there are radio stations out there playing Dexy, that's a new one on me. I literally don't know of a format where that makes any sense aside from the "Bob" jukebox niche.

[Warhammer]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

I'd say it's more about ... saturation? About how pervasive a song became.

And if there are radio stations out there playing Dexy, that's a new one on me. I literally don't know of a format where that makes any sense aside from the "Bob" jukebox niche.

I listen to a fair amount of 80s stations when travelling, "Come on Eileen" is played a lot more than "Maniac."

[QuikSand]

Originally Posted by Warhammer

I listen to a fair amount of 80s stations when travelling, "Come on Eileen" is played a lot more than "Maniac."

same, via Mrs. Q

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Warhammer

I listen to a fair amount of 80s stations when travelling, "Come on Eileen" is played a lot more than "Maniac."

Outside of satellite specialty channels, I literally don't think I realized any of those (formatted as such) stations were even still around. (Actually, I think I knew in some dark corner of my mind that Cox still had a few left but had to really think hard about it)

From a programming standpoint that makes sense though. But that has nothing to do with quality or relevance or and everything to do with tempo & style. (Maniac would be a lot tougher to avoid a sonic trainwreck with the song before/after)

[cuervo72]

I'd imagine 80s on 8 on Sirius/XM is one of their bigger stations (not "specialty"). Dexy's gets play on there. Not so much Maniac.

[Breeze]

Originally Posted by QuikSand

Just figured out how to add this to my libraries. Thanks for setting it up.

[Breeze]

Created an elimination bracket for the songs in this thread....

FOFC Favorite One Hit Wonder

[JonInMiddleGA]

Benny Mardones, 'Into the Night' Singer-Songwriter, Dead at 73 | Billboard