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Old 05-29-2019, 12:36 PM   #1
Breeze
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One Hit Wonders - Defined and Ranked

A few weeks back, the wife and I attended a neighborhood party, and when we arrived, we learned the party had a theme – One Hit Wonders. Each person was asked to contribute a few songs to the playlist for the evening. Seeing as how I was just getting heavily into music in the late 70s and through the 80s there were a bunch of songs that I knew, for good or bad. All in all it was an enjoyable evening, but there were a number of songs that were played that I felt shouldn’t be called One Hit Wonders (OHW). In fact, in several cases I could name 2 or 3 songs from the artist off the top of my head. Of course, my knowledge of those additional songs doesn’t mean that they were hits, but if an artist is known for multiple songs, even if they aren’t all hits are they still a OHW?

This got me thinking, “What qualifies an artist to be a OHW?”

So, I started researching the topic, and what I found was…nothing. Actually, that’s not true, what I found were lists…everywhere. There are lists by genre, by time period, by time period and genre, but none seem to quantify how they determined what is a OHW (in fact, as you’ll see later it’s obvious that they didn’t have a methodology for this at all).

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Old 05-29-2019, 12:36 PM   #2
Breeze
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With all these lists, and no definition for OHW, I decided that I would combine the information and come up with a consolidated look at the best OHW songs of all time. Then I’d develop a definition and go back through the list applying that methodology and removing songs that don’t meet the criteria.

The first step was gathering a catalogue of songs that would probably end up in the rankings. I found a real nice list broken down by decade (not sure now where I found it), and I copied the data a placed it in a spreadsheet. This information contained no ratings but it provided me with a pretty comprehensive list of songs believed to be OHW and a template to use. From there I needed to identify the rankings that would work to help determine the “best OHWs ever”. I ultimately found 6 that ranked the top 100, and interestingly they were compiled using different methods. Those methods included, sales and airplay, expert opinion, public opinion, and panel opinion. This created some vastly different results. In fact, when I combined the 6 different lists into 1 consolidated super-list, I had 324 different songs that appeared on one of the lists at least 1 time.

One of the most interesting things I found when I compiled the data was the songs on the original catalog that didn’t get mentioned in any of the 6 rankings and thus failed to make the super-list. They include:

(songs listed based on casual familiarity only)

The American Breed – Bend Me Shape Me (1967)

Brewer & Shipley – One Toke Over the Line (1970)

Arlo Guthrie – City of New Orleans (1972)

T Rex – Bang a Gong (1973)

B W Stevenson - My Maria (1973)

The Boomtown Rats – I Don’t Like Mondays (1980)

Robbie Dupree – Steal Away (1980)

Split Enz – I Got You (1980)

Red Rider – Lunatic Fringe (1981)

The Producers – What She Does To Me (1981)

Haircut 100 – Love Plus One (1982)

Aldo Nova – Fantasy (1982)

Shannon – Let the Music Play (1983)

John Waite – Missing You (1984)

Autograph – Turn Up the Radio (1984)

Animotion – Obsession (1984)

General Public – Tenderness (1984)

Nick Kershaw – Wouldn’t it Be Good (1984)

Talk Talk – It’s My Life (1984)

Yello – Oh Yeah (1985)

Eddie Murphy – Party All The Time (1985)

Scritti Politti – Perfect Way (1985)

The Fabulous Thunderbirds – Tuff Enuff (1986)

Billy Vera – At This Moment (1987)

The Breeders – Cannonball (1993)

The Verve Pipe – The Freshmen (1997)

Tal Bachman – She’s So High (1999)

The Calling – Wherever You Will Go (2002)

Ryan Cabrera – On the Way Down (2004)

Howie Day – Collide (2005)

James Blunt – You’re Beautiful (2006)

The songs listed are just a small sample of the ones that failed to be recognized by the 6 lists that were used to compile the super-list rankings. Many of the songs above are from the 80s, because, as I mentioned, I only noted songs I was familiar with, and my knowledge of 90s and 2000s music is much more limited. Plus this was in no way commenting on the quality of the music. However, that said, I can promise you, many of the songs above are MUCH, MUCH BETTER than songs that actually got ranked. In fact, I’d venture a guess that if FOFC were to create a OHW list, many of these songs would be included in the final rankings.

Note: I hope this is entertaining and creates discussion, comments, etc. So feel free to chime in if you have a question or comment.

Last edited by Breeze : 05-29-2019 at 01:51 PM.
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Old 05-29-2019, 12:36 PM   #3
Breeze
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The songs listed above are a perfect example of the OHW definition problem. Those songs came from a catalog I found online of OHW artists, and yet many shouldn’t have been included in that list. In fact, when I go back and apply the methodology I adopted to determine who qualifies to be a OHW, there are 7 that don’t meet the standard (Ryan Cabrera, Billy Vera, Eddie Murphy, General Public, Animotion, John Waite, and The American Breed)…that’s 22.6%. That’s a very large percentage for a small sample size of songs, but it illustrates what I was thinking during the party, that many OHWs aren’t OHWs at all. You might be thinking that the unranked catalog was more loose with the songs it labelled OHWs because it was simply providing a reference point, and to a certain extent you’d be correct, but even when I get into the lists, you’ll find a large number of songs that were included in rankings that had no business even being considered, including some songs where you have to scratch you head wondering how someone ever thought the band had only 1 hit.

So, what does qualify an artist/band as a OHW? In my research I eventually found an article that touched on this very problem, and I agreed with many of the points made. In fact, I used much of the author's suggestions and added some items of my own to create the methodology that I used. I’ve plagiarized and paraphrased a good bit of the information below.

If we go by the strict definition of OHW, it would mean the song in question charted and then the artist never had another song reach Billboard’s Hot 100. However, this would be extremely restrictive and would remove a large majority of songs included on all 6 of the lists. Even novelty acts are often capable of getting a follow up single into the top 100. For instance, The Baha Men got “You All Dat” to number 94 following their hit “Who Let the Dogs Out”. That’s about as perfect an example of why the strict definition doesn’t work as you could find. Clearly it illustrates that using the Hot 100 as the measuring stick sets the bar too low.

What about the Top 40? Maybe, if the second song was counted down by Casey Kasem, then it should be good enough to remove the label from the artist in question? In most cases, yes it feels right to say a top 40 hit should be sufficient to remove an artist from the OHW category, but is that really in the spirit of what a OHW actually is? What about the artist who has the smash hit and its immediate follow up charts in the top 40 based mostly on the strength of the first song?

There is actually another area that needs to be considered and that’s OHWs that aren’t on these lists. There are several, including Jimi Hendrix and The Grateful Dead. Hendrix had 1 top 40 hit, with the remake of Dylan’s “All Along the Watchtower”, which reached #20. He had 5 other singles released between ’67 and ’71 that all made the chart but never got higher than 58. The Dead got “Touch of Grey” to #9 in 1987, but prior to that “Truckin” at 64 was their highest charting single. These bands are excluded from OHW lists because they don’t feel like a OHW, and rightfully so.

So with these in mind I developed the rules I used to define OHW.

Last edited by Breeze : 05-29-2019 at 02:08 PM.
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Old 05-29-2019, 12:37 PM   #4
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Given the outline above here are the rules that define the methodology used to identify a OHW.

RULE 1: If an artist has 2 songs in the top 10 of Billboard’s Hot 100, they are not a 1 hit wonder.

This seems obvious, any artist with two Top 10 hits, can’t be considered a OHW, regardless of how good/bad the second song is. That second song might be terrible and quickly forgotten but it still reached the Top 10, and thus removes the artist from the OHW category.

RULE 2: Any act that scores a second Top 40 hit, 6 months or more after the first hit, shall not be considered a OHW.

This rule removes artists that managed to get a second song into the top 40, but doesn’t reward the ones who’s only additional hit rode the coattails of the first. This rule was referenced far more than the other 3 in my efforts to implement the methodology. It was used regularly both to remove artists and to justify leaving them in.

RULE 3: Any act that scores at least 3 Top 10 or platinum albums is removed.

This rule protects classic artists that were more album oriented like Hendrix and The Grateful Dead, thus preventing them from being considered as a OHW.

RULE 4: If the artist is known as much or more for a second single as the first, they are not a one hit wonder.

Here we get into situations were songs were “ahead of their time” or “classics” despite the fact they didn’t chart in the top 40, but in today’s climate those songs get as much airplay or more than the hit the artist is known for. A good example of this is The Romantics, who’s hit “Talking in Your Sleep” reached #3, but often on the radio “What I Like About You” gets as much if not more airplay despite the fact it only reached #49 and thus wouldn’t remove The Romantics from OHW status normally. The combination of these two songs getting frequent radio play on classic alternative and 80s stations removes them from the OHW label (however, 1 of the 6 lists did include The Romantics).

Last edited by Breeze : 05-29-2019 at 02:41 PM.
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Old 05-29-2019, 12:37 PM   #5
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Now I should probably take a second to explain how the songs in the super-list are ranked. In this case the lower the score the better, as each song receives 1 point for wherever the song is rated in all 6 charts (1 point #1, 2 points #2, etc.). Then for every chart a song fails to get ranked in they receive 112 points. The additional 12 points are a penalty so songs that do chart are rewarded for being recognized by the disparate lists and their different methods of ranking. In the event of a tie, the first tie breaker is the number of lists a song is recognized in. The second tie breaker is the highest total ranking in 1 chart, this is repeated for as many charts as applicable, until the tie is broken. If the tie isn’t broken, then the lists are weighted and the song that is ranked by the higher weighted list wins the tie.

Before I get into listing the songs, I thought I’d point out a few interesting items that I noticed:

- Only 2 songs managed to get ranked by all 6 lists, and only 10 more were ranked in 5. While 170 songs were ranked by only 1 lists.

- While the 80s are often seen as the decade of the OHWs, in this list, there are only 11 more from this decade than the 1990s

- The 2000s are underrepresented because some of the lists were older and pre-date songs that might have been included, but 10 songs still got ranked at least 1 time.

- All 6 lists had different #1 songs and all 6 are OHW after applying my methodology

- Three songs were dropped from the rankings before the methodology was applied – 1 because it was a foreign language, 1 because it was remade a few years later and was a smash hit and they sound very similar, and 1 because it was never a hit in the first place.

- Out of the remaining 321 songs – 44 were eliminated due to the application of the rules above.

- All 6 lists had songs that were eliminated from the ranking. The public poll had the most eliminated with 18. The list with the fewest songs removed had only 5. Interestingly, two of the lists, both panel opinion polls had the exact same 12 songs removed.

Last edited by Breeze : 05-30-2019 at 06:28 AM.
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Old 05-29-2019, 12:38 PM   #6
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Before I get to actually listing the songs, I thought I’d take a second and provide you with the eliminated songs along with their rank before being cut. In the parenthesis the info represents (how many of the 6 lists included the song, # of times the song is ranked 50 – 21. # of times ranked 20 - 11, # of times ranked in the top 10).

I'll let you guys find these songs on YouTube if you are interested.

309. Montell Jordan – This is How We Do It (1995) – (1, 0, 0, 0) – RULE 1: Multiple top 10 hits. In fact, 3 top 10s, 2 more top 20, and 3 more in the top 40.

306. The Cutting Crew – I Just Died in Your Arms (1986) - (1, 0, 0, 0) – RULE 1: “I’ve Been in Love Before” reached #9.

301. Europe – The Final Countdown (1986) – (2, 0, 0, 0) – RULE 1: “Carrie” reached #3

292. Little Peggy March – I Will Follow Him (1963) – (1, 0, 0, 0) – RULE 2: Two additional top 40 hits (#26 “Hello Heartache, Goodbye Love, and #32 “I Wish I Were a Princess”)

291. Til Tuesday – Voices Carry (1985) – (1, 0, 0, 0) – RULE 2: “What About Love” reached #26 on 11/22/86, 16 months after the initial hit.

290. Smash Mouth – All Star (1999) – (1, 0, 0, 0) – RULE 2: Two additional top 40 hits (#11 “Then the Morning Comes”, and #25 “I’m A Believer”)

283. Katrina & The Waves – Walking on Sunshine (1983) – (3, 0, 0, 0) – RULE 2: “That’s the Way” reached #16 in 1989 to remove this one from OHW status.

271. Kris Kross – Jump (1992) – (1, 0, 0, 0) – RULE 2: Multiple Top 40 hits (#12 “Tonite’s Tha Night”, #13 “Warm it Up”, & #19 “Alright”)

265. Mary MacGregor – Torn Between Two Lovers (1977) - (1, 0, 0, 0) – RULE 2: “Good Friend” reached #39, two years after the initial hit.

261. Boy Meets Girl – Waiting for a Star to Fall (1988) – (1, 0, 0, 0) – RULE 2: “Oh Girl” reached #39 in 1985, 3 years before the hit.

256. Gordon Lightfoot – Sundown (1974) – (1, 0, 0, 0) – RULE 1: Had 4 top 10 songs and several other hits (#2 “Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald”, #5 “If You Could Read My Mind”, & #10 “Carefree Highway”)

253. Jermaine Stewart – We Don’t Have to Take Our Clothes Off (1986) – (2, 0, 0, 0) - RULE 2: “Say it Again” reached #27, two years after the initial hit.

248. Gallery – Nice to Be With You (1972) – (1, 0, 0, 0) – RULE 2: two additional top 40 hits (#22 “I Believe in Music” & #23 “Big City Miss Ruth Ann”)

236. C. W. McCall – Convoy (1976) – (2, 0, 0, 0) – RULE 2: “Wolf Creek Pass” reached #40 10 months before Convoy.

229. Wilbert Harrison – Kansas City (1959) – (1, 1, 0, 0) – RULE 2: “Let’s Work Together” reached #32, eleven years after the initial hit.

227. Pure Prairie League – Aime (1972) – (1, 1, 0, 0) - RULE 2: Three additional top 40 hits. (#34. “I’m Almost Ready”, #28 “Still Right Here In My Heart”, and interestingly – there highest charting single (yes, higher than Aime) “Let Me Love You Tonight” which got all the way to #10.)

212. Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch – Good Vibrations (1991) – (1, 1, 0, 0) – RULE 1: “Wildside” the follow up hit made it all the way to #10.

211. Murray Head – One Night in Bangkok (1984) – (1, 1, 0, 0) – RULE 2: #14 “ Superstar” was a hit 14 years before One Night in Bangkok.

206. Lita Ford – Kiss Me Deadly (1988) – (1, 1, 0, 0) – RULE 1: “Close My Eyes Forever” the duet with Ozzy reached #8.

203. The Royal Guardsmen – Snoopy vs The Red Baron (1966) – (1, 1, 0, 0) – RULE 2: Two additional Top 40 hits (#15 The Return of The Red Baron” & #35 “Baby Let’s Wait”)

201. The Romantics – Talking in Your Sleep (1983) – (1, 1, 0, 0) – RULE 4: Noted in the intro for this section – “What I Like About You” in regular rotation for 80s and Classic Alternative stations.

200. Flock of Seagulls – I Ran (1982) – (1, 1, 0, 0) – RULE 2: Two additional Top 40 hits (#26 Wishing & #30 Space Age Love Song)

196. Eddy Grant – Electric Avenue (1982) – (2, 0, 0, 0) – RULE 2: “Romancing the Stone” reached #26, one year after the hit.

194. Survivor – Eye of the Tiger (1982) – (1, 1, 0, 0) – RULE 1: Multiple Top 10 hits. (#2 “Burning Heart”, #4 “The Search is Over”, #8 “High on You”, #9 “Is this Love”, plus 3 more songs in the top 40)

189. Quarterflash – Harden My Heart (1981) – (1, 1, 0, 0) – RULE 2: Two additional Top 40 hits (#14 “Take Me To Heart” & #16 “Find Another Fool”)

186. Thelma Houston – Don’t Leave Me This Way (1976) – (2, 0, 0, 0) – RULE 2: “Saturday Night, Sunday Morning” reached #34 two years after the hit.

177. Go West – King of Wishful Thinking (1992) – (1, 1, 0, 0) – RULE 2: “Faithful” reached #14 three years after the hit

170. Nicolette Larson – Lotta Love (1978) – (1, 1, 0, 0) – RULE 2: “Let Me Go Love” reached #35, a year after the hit.

164. Rick Astley – Never Going to Give You Up (1987) – (1, 1, 0, 0) – RULE 1: Multiple Top 10 hits, including “Together Forever” which reached #1 (#6 “She Wants to Dance With Me”, #7 “Cry for Help” & #10 “It Would Take A Strong Strong Man”, plus 2 additional Top 40 hits)

158. Jesus Jones – Right Here, Right Now (1991) – (1, 1, 0, 0) – RULE 1: “Real, Real, Real” reached #4

146. Timmy T – One More Try (1991) – (1, 0, 1, 0) – RULE 2: “Time After Time” reached #40, ten months before the hit

143. Bobbie Gentry – Ode to Billie Joe (1967) – (1, 0, 1, 0) – RULE 2: Four additional Top 40 hits (#27 “All I Have To Do is Dream”, #31 “Fancy”, #36 “Let It Be Me”)

128. Naked Eyes – Always Something There to Remind Me (1983) – (1, 0, 0, 1) – RULE 2: (#39 “In The Name of Love”, #37 “When The Lights Go Out”, & #11 “Promises, Promises”…Rule 4 would have applied here as well.

124. The Brothers Four – Greenfields (1960) – (1, 0, 0, 1) – RULE 2: “Frogg” reached #32 thirteen months after the hit

116. The Knack – My Sharona (1979) – (1, 0, 0, 1) – RULE 2: two additional Top 40 hits (#11 “Good Girls Don’t” & #38 “Baby Talks Dirty”)

109. Ratt – Round and Round (1984) – (2, 0, 0, 0) – RULE 2: “Lay it Down” reached #40 a year after the hit.

86. Andrea True Connection – More, More, More (1976) – (2, 1, 0, 0) – “NY You Got Me Dancing” reached #21, nine months after the hit.

85. Vanilla Ice – Ice Ice Baby (1990) – (2, 0, 0, 1) – RULE 1: The follow up song “Play That Funky Music” reached #4.

80. Brownsville Station – Smokin in the Boys Room (1973) – (2, 1, 0, 0) - RULE 2: “The Kings of the Party” reached #31, nine months after the hit.

66. Dead or Alive – You Spin Me Round (Like a Record) (1984) – (2, 1, 1, 0) – RULE 2: “Brand New Lover” reached #15, two years after the hit.

60. Men Without Hats – Safety Dance (1982) – (3, 0, 1, 0) – RULE 2: “Pop Goes the World” reached #20 five years after the hit.

21. Looking Glass – Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl) (1972) – (3, 2, 0, 1) – RULE 2: “Jimmy Loves Mary-Anne” reached #33, thirteen months after the hit.

19. Spandau Ballet – True (1983) – (4, 2, 0, 1) – RULE 2: “Only When You Leave” reached #34 a year after the hit.

18. Tommy Tutone – 867-5309/Jenny (1981) - (4, 1, 0, 1) - RULE 2: “Angel Say No” reached #38, two years before the hit.

12. Billy Paul – Me and Mrs. Jones (1972) – (4, 3, 0, 1) – RULE 2: “Thanks for Saving My Life” reached #37, two years after the hit.

As you can clearly see from the songs listed above, especially the ones that were higher ranked (lower numbers), the definition of OHW was extremely vague when the separate lists put together their rankings. We have 3 songs that appear in 4 different lists, and 2 more that appear in 3 lists. We have 4 songs in at least one top 10, and a few more in the top 20. The highest ranking received was tie between Looking Glass’ Brandy and the Knack’s My Sharona both getting a 5. It total, around 14% of the 321 songs that remain in the super-list were incorrectly considered a OHW by the methodology I used.

Last edited by Breeze : 05-30-2019 at 06:37 AM.
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Old 05-29-2019, 12:38 PM   #7
Breeze
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Now that I've gotten all the rules, methodology, ranking explanations, etc. outlined, I'm ready to start posting the countdown. I can post as much or as little as you're interested in. Do you want to see just the top 100, 200, all 321? Just let me know...

Last edited by Breeze : 05-30-2019 at 08:29 AM.
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Old 05-29-2019, 01:34 PM   #8
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To your o.p., I think the phrase "hit" probably provides guidance.

I can name a lot of album cuts from various artists - whether for merit or simply from stray useless knowledge stuck in my head - but that doesn't make those songs "hits".

The premise reminds me of something Chris Jericho said about (I think it was) Eddy Guerrero, that his hidden superpower was being able to name the other songs by various one-hit wonders.
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Old 05-29-2019, 03:02 PM   #9
sabotai
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A few years back when doing music tournaments were all the rage on the forum, I thought of doing a OHW tourney and ran into a lot of the same issues you brought up. Lots of artists who are technically one hit wonders, but they have more than one album go platinum, they have a lot of hits in the UK but only 1 in the US, etc.

For your rules, I'd suggest adding one about TV shows or movie soundtracks. A OHW should stand on its own. There have been a lot of one hit wonders based on their song being used as a TV show's theme song or because it was used in a movie. Checking that might take some leg work though (comparing when a song charted vs. the movie being released)
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Old 05-29-2019, 03:08 PM   #10
JonInMiddleGA
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sabotai View Post
For your rules, I'd suggest adding one about TV shows or movie soundtracks. A OHW should stand on its own. There have been a lot of one hit wonders based on their song being used as a TV show's theme song or because it was used in a movie. Checking that might take some leg work though (comparing when a song charted vs. the movie being released)

Not sure that the TV popularity dqs somebody like Joey Scarbury on its own. I mean, the airplay that goes with "a hit" was very real, whatever the reason for it.
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Old 05-29-2019, 05:29 PM   #11
larrymcg421
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I would also exclude people like Eddie Murphy (even if he wasn't already excluded for other reasons) who had fame prior to their hit and didn't attempt a full music career. For example, I wouldn't count Anna Kendrick as a 1 hit wonder for the "Cups" song, which went to #6.
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Old 05-30-2019, 06:09 AM   #12
Breeze
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I completely understand the sentiment to remove songs that don't stand on their own, however, Billboard doesn't care about ancillary issues that might help push a song/artist to popularity. A hit is a hit, my goal with the methodology I chose was simply to remove any artist that didn't deserve the label of OHW, but to apply that definition so that it kept the spirit of what is a OHW in place. Basically, it came down to, identifying artists that made the top 40 for more than just a 6 month period.

Also, remember, the list of songs that are ranked are not my opinion, they are simply a compilation of 6 lists that were compiled using 6 different methods. My only impact was to remove the songs that meet one of the definitions explained above.

I'm all for us doing an elimination bracket or FOFC list, and if we do you can vote against songs that don't stand on their own with my full support

Last edited by Breeze : 05-30-2019 at 06:26 AM.
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Old 05-30-2019, 09:49 AM   #13
Vince, Pt. II
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I want to see all of them! As a member of a 60s band who is typically in charge of building our set lists, this topic is near and dear to my heart
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Old 05-30-2019, 11:03 AM   #14
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Originally Posted by Vince, Pt. II View Post
I want to see all of them! As a member of a 60s band who is typically in charge of building our set lists, this topic is near and dear to my heart

ALL OF THEM
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Old 05-30-2019, 12:26 PM   #15
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Ok, I'm getting ready to go into a long meeting, but given there have been 2 votes for all of them, I figure - why not. So here are a few to chew on...

After removing the 44 non-qualifiers, and removing 1 additional song that didn't belong in the first place, we are left with 274...

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

274. Joe Public – Live and Learn (1992)

Total Points - 659
Charts – 1
Top 40 – 0
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking - 99

Live and Learn topped out a #4 on the Hot 100 in 1992, and it’s the only Top 40 hit for the band. Two other songs charted in the Top 100, but it wasn’t sufficient to remove them from the OHW methodology. In this countdown, Live and Learn managed to get 1 ranking at #99, 1 point better than the maximum score possible.


273. David Loggins – Please Come to Boston (1974)

Total Points – 658
Charts – 1
Top 40 – 0
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 98

Please Come to Boston reached #5 on the Hot 100 in 1974. The only other charting single David Loggins managed was the follow up 4 months later that got to #57.


272. Gotye and Kimbra – Somebody That I Used to Know (2012)

Total Points – 656
Charts – 1
Top 40 – 0
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 96

Somebody That I Used to Know was a #1 hit, but the follow up song only managed to get to #96, and Gotye hasn’t seen the Top 100 since. As I mentioned above in my explanations, the 2000s are under-represented because many of the lists used to compile this countdown were older and thus many of these songs didn’t exist at the time. In my research, this song was mentioned numerous times regarding OHWs, leading me to believe if new lists are created in say 2020, this song will be much higher next time around.


271. Paper Lace – The Night Chicago Died (1974)

Total Points – 656
Charts – 1
Top 40 – 0
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 96

The Night Chicago Died was a #1 in 1974. The follow up single topped out at #41, and the only other charting song only managed to reach #96.


270. White Town – Your Woman (1997)

Total Points – 656
Charts – 1
Top 40 – 0
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 96

This is the only song White Town has ever charted, so even in the strictest definition of no other Top 100 songs they qualify as a OHW.
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Old 05-30-2019, 12:35 PM   #16
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When I hear THE NIGHT CHICAGO DIED, I think of this commercial, every time.

Sounds of the 70's - YouTube
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Old 05-31-2019, 07:49 AM   #17
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269. The Big Bopper – Chantilly Lace (1958)

Total Points – 654
Charts – 1
Top 40 – 0
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 94

The third most played song of 1958, climbed all the way to #6 on the Billboard Charts, and it spent 22 weeks in the top 40. Jiles Perry “The Big Bopper” Richardson had two follow ups, both in December, one got to #72, the other to #38. He never got a chance to have a second hit more than 6 months later, because the plane crash that killed him was only 3 months after this song reached its peak.


268. Baltimora – Tarzan Boy (1985)

Total Points – 653
Charts – 1
Top 40 – 0
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 93

This song by Italian artists was an international hit, including topping the French charts for 5 consecutive weeks. Here, the song managed to get to #13, and it’s follow up 6 weeks later got to #87.


267. Allen O’Day – Undercover Angel (1977)

Total Points – 653
Charts – 1
Top 40 – 0
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 93

This song was not only a #1 hit, it was also one of the 10 biggest hits of 1977. However, O’Day was only ever able to get his follow up to chart, and that song could do no better than #73.


266. Ronald & Ruby – Lollipop (1958)

Total Points – 653
Charts – 1
Top 40 – 0
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 93

I probably should have removed this song from the list as it has been redone numerous times and the most famous version by the Chordettes was a huge hit in 1958 as well. But I missed it initially, so here we are. Ronald and Ruby, an interracial group, were the writers and the first to perform the hit. They had no other songs they performed that were hits. They did however write several other hits, in fact, Ruby Ross has over 200 songs registered with BMI including “Candy man”.


265. The La’s – There She Goes (1990)

Total Points – 652
Charts – 1
Top 40 – 0
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 92

Another song I had to wrestle with about keeping. This song which predated Britpop by about 4 years and eventually became a foundation song of that sound, wasn’t ever much of a hit here in the states when it was released. Which is why I had to decide if it should stay in the countdown, however, it has become a staple on Classic Alternative stations now, and was voted one of the 40 greatest one hit wonders by Rolling Stone, so I left it in.


264. Billie Myers – Kiss the Rain (1996)

Total Points – 652
Charts – 1
Top 40 – 0
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 92

Desmond Child produced this song for Myers, but unfortunately, she's a strict definition OHW artist, with this song charting at #15, but nothing else reaching the Top 100.


263. Son By Four – Purest of Pain (2000)

Total Points – 651
Charts – 1
Top 40 – 0
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 91

This Puerto Rican-American band is another strict definition OHW with this song getting to #26, and nothing else has charted in the U.S.


262. Frankie Ford – Sea Cruise (1959)

Total Points – 650
Charts – 1
Top 40 – 0
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 90

This song was written and originally performed by Huey Smith and the Clowns, and in fact, Frankie Ford’s version uses the Smith’s original backing track with just Ford’s voice overdubbed. The song, with its piano, horn, and driving beat, is believed to have influenced ska music. Ford’s version got to #14, he had 4 other hits, the highest reaching #72.


261. 4 P.M. – Sukiyaki (1995)

Total Points – 650
Charts – 1
Top 40 – 0
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 90

This song was first released by Japanese crooner Kyu Sakamoto, and it is one of the best-selling singles of all time. 4 P.M.’s cover reached #8, but that’s the only charting song by the band, as they would meet the strict definition of OHW.

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Old 05-31-2019, 07:55 AM   #18
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When I hear THE NIGHT CHICAGO DIED, I think of this commercial, every time.

Sounds of the 70's - YouTube

Nice bit of nostalgia there...By the way...you might be reminded of this ad again before we are finished...
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Old 05-31-2019, 09:06 AM   #19
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There aren't many of these songs that I will probably actively dislike, but UNDERCOVER ANGEL. Oof.

I remember hearing SEA CRUISE on the radio recently, and was struck by how heavily they lean on the ship horn during the chorus. And it was still a hit. That's not a pleasant sound.
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Old 05-31-2019, 10:15 AM   #20
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Old 05-31-2019, 11:51 AM   #21
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260. Mott the Hoople – All the Young Dudes (1972)

Total Points – 647
Charts – 1
Top 40 – 0
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 87

David Bowie wrote Mott the Hoople’s only hit, which reached #37 on the billboard charts. However, the song was ranked #253 in Rolling Stone’s 2004 list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, and in the 2010 update of the ranking it was still #256. In addition, it is in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll. MtH had two additional songs in the Top 100, both reached #96.


259. Bobby Pickett – The Monster Mash (1962)

Total Points – 647
Charts – 1
Top 40 – 0
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 87

This song gets ranked as one of the best OHWs of all time, and many of the songs listed back towards the top of this thread don’t? OK, I get there aren’t many Halloween songs, and I guess the novelty of this one allows it to reappear every year, but I don’t think that consistent reemergence each fall by default makes it good. This whole thing started when Pickett, out of boredom asked the cover band he was a part of if he could sing a song while doing his Boris Karloff impression. It was so funny, that he was urged to create a whole song specially for that impression and the rest is history. This song reached #1 on the charts.


258. Luscious Jackson – Naked Eye (1996)

Total Points – 647
Charts – 1
Top 40 – 0
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 87

A band that had a few hits on the alternative charts, but for the Hot 100, they only managed this one. In fact, this is another strict definition band as nothing else they recorded charted at all.


257. Midnight Oil – Beds Are Burning (1987)

Total Points – 646
Charts – 1
Top 40 – 0
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 86

The extremely political and prolific band from Australia produced their first album in 1978 and they went on to create 10 more after that. The Diesel and Dust album, that this single came from, was voted the best Australian Album ever, ahead of AC/DC's Back in Black and INXS' Kick. I nearly used RULE 4 on Midnight Oil because they had so many alternative chart hits and they all occasionally get played on Alternative Radio channels, and if you believe they should have been pulled for that reason I won’t argue, but from a Top 40 perspective Beds Are Burning was their only Top 40 song.


256. Force MD’s – Tender Love (1985)

Total Points – 643
Charts – 1
Top 40 – 0
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 83

The Force MD’s started as an old school hip hop band, but evolved their sound with this song, which reached #4 on the R&B charts and #10 in the Hot 100. They had another song get to #78 about 18 months later, but nothing else in the Hot 100.


255. R. B. Greaves – Take A Letter Maria (1969)

Total Points – 643
Charts – 1
Top 40 – 0
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 83

Greaves' hit climbed to #2 and sold over a million copies. A few months later he charted with his second hit “Always Something There to Remind Me”, which was made more famous 13 years later when it was redone by Naked Eyes. There were 3 more songs that reached the Hot 100, but they all stalled in the 80s which keeps him in this list.


254. Republica – Ready to Go (1996)

Total Points – 643
Charts – 1
Top 40 – 0
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 83

From the roof top shout it out…Republica’s hit originally released as a single charted in the UK climbing to #43. Later in the year they began to gain popularity internationally, including in the US where the song peaked at #56. It was re-released in the UK and it climbed to #13 the second time around. I realize OHW may not apply here given that #56 doesn’t even meet the follow up standard of hit, so if you want to exclude it, then ignore this song and move on. I left it in place, because it was in the list and it didn’t have a follow up - plus I'd rather listen to this than...


253. Rick Dees – Disco Duck (1976)

Total Points – 642
Charts – 1
Top 40 – 0
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 82

SERIOUSLY??? This song is in this list? Ugh…ok, this satirical song was a Hot 100 number 1 hit, and was also in the top 100 songs of 1976. It has sold over 6 million copies. Believe it or not Dees doesn’t qualify as a OHW under the strict definition, he also had Dis-Gorilla, and Eat My Shorts that both made the Top 100.


252. The Vines – Get Free (2002)

Total Points – 642
Charts – 1
Top 40 – 0
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 82

Here is another one that is debatable for this list as the initial song can be argued as not a hit. In this case the “hit” was more on the Alternative charts, but 1 of the lists felt it was good enough/memorable enough to be listed. Again, I left this one (as I did in almost every case) but wouldn’t argue if you felt it didn’t belong.


251. Dishwalla – Counting Blue Cars (1996)

Total Points – 640
Charts – 1
Top 40 – 0
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 80

A strict definition OHW, with this song charting at 15, but nothing else reaching the top 100. This song received two ASCAP awards (1997 and 1998) as the most played radio song of the year in the U.S.

Last edited by Breeze : 01-12-2022 at 03:42 PM.
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Old 05-31-2019, 12:10 PM   #22
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This might be a "duh, yeah" statement, but it's notable how many artists in this list so far were relatively successful across the pond.

Fun exercise and already a bunch of artists and songs that bring back some great memories. Thanks for putting it together!
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Old 05-31-2019, 12:57 PM   #23
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Paper Lace are a one hit wonder on a technicality really. They also had a number 1 in the UK with "Billy Dont Be A Hero", but their record label decided somebody else should release it in the US and it was a number one here for Bo Donaldson and the Heywoods. Voted number 8 on Rolling Stones "Worst Songs of the 70s" apparently.

The Paper Lace version was the first record I ever bought. I'm old.
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Old 05-31-2019, 01:10 PM   #24
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Paper Lace are a one hit wonder on a technicality really. They also had a number 1 in the UK with "Billy Dont Be A Hero", but their record label decided somebody else should release it in the US and it was a number one here for Bo Donaldson and the Heywoods. Voted number 8 on Rolling Stones "Worst Songs of the 70s" apparently.

The Paper Lace version was the first record I ever bought. I'm old.

Very interesting...I'm going to have to read up on this.
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Old 05-31-2019, 10:44 PM   #25
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Old 06-03-2019, 07:37 AM   #26
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250. Jonathan King – Everyone’s Gone to the Moon (1965)

Total Points – 639
Charts – 1
Top 40 – 0
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 79

King wrote and performed this song while still an undergrad at Cambridge University. The song climbed to #17 on the U.S. chart, and reach #4 in the U.K. This song has since been performed by, Marlene Dietrich, Chad & Jeremy, Doris Day, The Flaming Lips, Nina Simone, The Lettermen, Dana, Bobby Womack, Jan & Dean, and Percy Faith. The follow up single barely cracked the Hot 100.


249. Big Mountain – Baby I Love Your Way (1994)

Total Points – 639
Charts – 1
Top 40 – 0
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 79

Flashbacks to UB40…a reggae version of Peter Frampton’s hit that reached #12 on the charts in 1976, this version made it all the way to #6. It was probably helped by being included on the Reality Bites soundtrack. Big Mountain nearly didn’t qualify as a OHW, as they had a single 2 years after this hit that climbed to #44. They had 2 others that charted at #51 and #80.


248. Take That – Back for Good (1995)

Total Points – 637
Charts – 1
Top 40 – 0
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 77

A strict definition band. This song reached #7 here in the U.S. It spent 30 weeks on the charts, but nothing before or since. In the U.K. however, they have had 28 singles that have reached the Top 40, 12 of which have been #1 hits.


247. Natural Selection – Do Anything (1991)

Total Points – 637
Charts – 1
Top 40 – 0
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 77

The album this song comes from was self-produced by the two band members, and it managed to climb to #2 on the charts. The follow up 4 months later got to #28, but they haven’t charted since.


246. Robert Knight – Everlasting Love (1967)

Total Points – 637
Charts – 1
Top 40 – 0
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 77

This one will sound familiar, sort of…it’s been redone numerous times, and it’s been a hit numerous times. It’s another one I thought about removing because of that fact, but I left it in. Knight’s version is the original, and it made it to #13. There were two follow ups that both stopped at #97. If you are wondering about the follow ups…The Love Affair did it in 1968, Carl Carlton did it in ’74 and it got to #6, Rex Smith and Rachel Sweet took it to #32 in ‘81, Sandra’s version charted on the dance charts, World’s Apart made it a hit overseas in ‘94, & Gloria Estefan got her version to 27 in 1994.


245. Johnny Hates Jazz – Shattered Dreams (1988)

Total Points – 636
Charts – 1
Top 40 – 0
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 76

The two members of Johnny Hates Jazz both come from musical families. Nocito’s father had 2 chart topping singles in the UK, and Datchler’s father sang backup vocals for The Beatles, Frank Sinatra, and Petula Clark. This song peaked at #5 in the U.K. in 1987, but did better in the U.S. the following year when it got to #2. The follow up 4 months later got to #31.


244. Stacey Q – Two of Hearts (1986)

Total Points – 636
Charts – 2
Top 40 – 0
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 90

This is our first song in the countdown to be ranked in two separate lists. The vocal sampling hook of “I Need You” helped the song attract attention. It reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 100. The follow up 4 months later got to #35, two other singles charted after that, but the highest one got to #66. This song was rated by VH1 as the 27th best OHW of the 80s.


243. Charlene – I’ve Never Been to Me (1982)

Total Points – 635
Charts – 1
Top 40 – 0
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 75

Originally, this song was the third release for Charlene in 1976, with all three barely making the Hot 100, but in 1982, disc jockey Scott Shannon began playing the album track of the song and its popularity grew. The song after its rerelease debuted in the Hot 100 at #84, already 13 places higher than its peak back in 1977. The song rose all the way to #3, but her only other charting single was a duet with Stevie Wonder and it stopped at #46.


242. Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen – Hot Rod Lincoln (1971)

Total Points – 634
Charts – 1
Top 40 – 0
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 74

This song is a sequel to the 1951 hit Hot Rod Race in which a Ford and Mercury are racing head to head until they are passed by a hopped up Model A. This song is sung from the perspective of the driver of the Model A. It was originally released in 1955 by the writer, who then released a second version in 1959. It’s been done numerous times through the years. Commander Cody did get 3 other songs into the Top 100, but the highest charter only got to #56.


241. Bertie Higgins – Key Largo (1981)

Total Points – 634
Charts – 1
Top 40 – 0
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 74

The former sponge diver and ventriloquist later grew up to be a drummer for Tommy Roe and the Roemans playing gigs with the Beach Boys and Rolling Stones. Later, after tiring of touring, he left the band and decided to focus on his own music. In 1981 he released Key Largo which peaked at #8, the follow up got to #46. Nothing else ever reached the top 100.
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Old 06-03-2019, 07:47 AM   #27
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Thomas Dolby fan?
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Old 06-03-2019, 09:36 AM   #28
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I know what I would put as Number One. Interesting to see where it falls on this list.

Spoiler

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Old 06-03-2019, 10:24 AM   #29
QuikSand
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Paper Lace are a one hit wonder on a technicality really. They also had a number 1 in the UK with "Billy Dont Be A Hero", but their record label decided somebody else should release it in the US and it was a number one here for Bo Donaldson and the Heywoods. Voted number 8 on Rolling Stones "Worst Songs of the 70s" apparently.

The Paper Lace version was the first record I ever bought. I'm old.

The 45, which I am pretty sure contained both Chicago/Billy, was among my first music purchases, as well.
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Old 06-03-2019, 10:25 AM   #30
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If we are making picks,
Spoiler


Fun thread.
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Old 06-03-2019, 10:59 AM   #31
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I can never see Take That without thinking about that clip from Season 2 of Derry Girls that I see on Facebook occasionally (can't wait for S2 to release on Netflix).
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Old 06-03-2019, 01:22 PM   #32
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I'll make my guess too

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Old 06-03-2019, 02:07 PM   #33
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240. The Flys – Got You (Where I Want You) (1998)

Total Points – 634
Charts – 1
Top 40 – 0
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 74

This is another one we can argue about…this was more of an Alternative Chart hit and an Adult Top 40 hit (which is odd, you’d think with the audiences for those two charts, getting the same song on both would lead to a Top 100 hit, but in this case you’d be wrong).


239. Barrett Strong – Money (That’s What I Want) (1959)

Total Points – 633
Charts – 1
Top 40 – 0
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 73

This is an historical song. Written by Berry Gordy and Janie Bradford, this song became Motown’s first hit, and by extension Strong its first hit artist. You’ll undoubtedly recognize the song as it’s been redone numerous times, including by the Beatles. The original release made it to #23 on the charts, but as a strict definition artist, Strong didn’t have any other songs hit the charts. He did however become one of Motown’s greatest lyricists teaming with Norman Whitefield to produce some of the most famous songs ever, like: I Heard it Through the Grapevine, War, Wherever I Lay My Hat, I Can’t Get Next To You, and more.


238. The Cascades – Rhythm of the Rain (1962)

Total Points – 633
Charts – 2
Top 40 – 0
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 88

A two chart song, only the second we’ve seen so far, and pretty rare in this area of the countdown. The song was written by one of the band members during his Navy days, when he was on watch during a thunderstorm. When the song was recorded the instruments were played by the studio musicians that called themselves the “Wrecking Crew”, they were employed for thousands of recordings in the 60s and 70s including several hundred top 40 hits. This song reached #3, the other 4 singles to chart for The Cascades never got higher than #60.


237. Toadies – Possum Kingdom (1994)

Total Points – 632
Charts – 1
Top 40 – 0
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 72

Another debatable song due to it actually being an Alternative Chart hit. This song is supposed to be a sequel to an earlier song, I Burn, which was about cultists immolating themselves to ascend to a higher plane. This song is apparently about one of the cultists becoming just smoke and going to Possum Kingdom Lake, and looking for someone to join him.


236. Walter Egan – Magnet and Steel (1978)

Total Points – 631
Charts – 1
Top 40 – 0
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 71

Egan’s first album was produced by Lindsey Buckingham, and this song was apparently inspired by Stevie Nicks. It was a top 10 billboard hit, getting to #8. Egan had 2 other songs reach Billboard’s 50s and one other reach the 80s. This song appeared in a 90s movie for three straight years – Boogie Nights (’97), Overnight Delivery (’98), and Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo (’99).


235. Grayson Hugh – Talk it Over (1988)

Total Points – 631
Charts – 1
Top 40 – 0
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 71

Grayson Hugh, started playing piano at 3 years old. He fell in love with rock and roll and soul music. To learn more he played piano for a black gospel church and studied African drumming. He also studied piano with jazz musician Jaki Byard and avant garde pianist Ran Blake. His hit peaked at #19, and his other two charting songs hit #67 and #87.


234. The Youngbloods – Get Together (1969)

Total Points – 631
Charts – 1
Top 40 – 0
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 71

This Chet Powers song’s appeal for peace and brotherhood is extremely recognizable. The song (also titled Let’s Get Together) was originally recorded by the Kingston Trio in 1964, but it was an album cut and not released as a single. A pre-Byrds David Crosby recorded the song around the same time as the Kingston Trio, it was used as one of the 4 songs on his demo tape to join the Byrds. The song first charted in 1965 when We Five recorded it, peaking at #31. Jefferson Airplane also recorded it on the Jefferson Airplane Takes Off album. Then the Youngbloods released it in 67, and it was a minor hit, getting to #62. However, interest increased when the song was used in a radio public service announcement calling for brotherhood by the National Conference of Christians and Jews. This enabled the song to soar to #5. Two other Youngblood songs got on the Top 100, one at #52 and the other at #86.


233. Hugh Masekela – Grazing in the Grass (1968)

Total Points – 630
Charts – 1
Top 40 – 0
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 70

An instrumental song that reached #1 on the Hot 100 chart. It ranked as the 18th biggest hit of the year. The South African trumpeter, flugelhornist, cornetist, singer and composer is known as the father of South African jazz. He also managed to have 3 other top 100 hits, none better than #55 though.


232. The Surfaris – Wipe Out (1963)

Total Points – 630
Charts – 1
Top 40 – 0
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 70

Interestingly, we have another instrumental with the exact same score as the previous one. The Surfaris are a surf rock band best known for what amounts to their greatest hits 45, which included this song on the A side and Surfer Joe on the B side. Wipe Out, based on the 1959 song Bongo Rock, climbed to #2 on the Hot 100 chart. Surfer Joe made it to #62. They did have a third moderate hit that is typically forgotten that got to #49.


231. After the Fire – Der Kommissar (1983)

Total Points – 629
Charts – 1
Top 40 – 0
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 69

If this song makes you think Falco from Rock Me Amadeus fame, that’s not coincidence. Falco was the first to perform this song, After the Fire’s version came a year later. Falco’s version did well in German speaking and Scandinavian countries, After the Fire’s version floundered in the UK. Finally, in 1983 the song reached the US Charts (Laura Branigan, who sampled this song on her second album may have helped with Der Kommissar’s momentum). Despite the fact this song only reached the top 50 in the U.K. it climbed to #5 in the U.S., helped also by a hit video on MTV. They did get a second song to #85 so they aren’t a strict definition OHW.

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Old 06-03-2019, 02:33 PM   #34
QuikSand
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Seems low for "Get Together" if that song truly qualifies. That seems like a big song, even if only by metrics you aren't factoring in.

(Not criticizing, just observing)
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Old 06-03-2019, 02:37 PM   #35
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Seems low for "Get Together" if that song truly qualifies. That seems like a big song, even if only by metrics you aren't factoring in.

(Not criticizing, just observing)

I'm guessing that, because it was used as the background music to most every 60s-70s retrospective, it is a song that got more play decades after it officially charted than it did when it was released.
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Old 06-03-2019, 03:00 PM   #36
Breeze
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Seems low for "Get Together" if that song truly qualifies. That seems like a big song, even if only by metrics you aren't factoring in.

(Not criticizing, just observing)


I was surprised this song wasn't higher as well. It was only included in 1 of the lists so it's possible the rest of them felt the song didn't belong as a OHW for one reason or another. It's also possible that it wasn't included in some of the lists due to how many times it was recorded. Not sure, just a guess.

But the lookup indicates it was the only legitimate hit by the Youngbloods.

And feel free to comment, I like the discussion. Remember, these aren't my rankings, I just compiled the 6 lists I found and removed bands that met a definition of what constitutes a OHW.

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Old 06-04-2019, 06:21 AM   #37
Butter
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GRAZING IN THE GRASS is a personal favorite, never fails to put a smile on my face.

I like to pretend like the After the Fire version of DER KOMMISSAR never happened. I mean, if you haven't seen the $10 budget Falco video, you haven't lived my friend. To this day, I still do the gesturing and head movements to this song. This is peak music video.

But finally I like to think of WIPE OUT as the song with some asshole who is laughing at his friend who wiped out while surfing. I mean, what kind of dick laughs at his friend trying to learn how to surf and then wipes out???

And not to be that guy (which means I'm going to be that guy), but that link to WIPE OUT is a re-recording or something. Original
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Old 06-04-2019, 08:02 AM   #38
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230. Focus – Hocus Pocus (1970)

Total Points – 628
Charts – 1
Top 40 – 0
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 68

Hard Rock containing yodeling, eefing, scat singing, organs, flutes and whistling…this song from the Dutch Prog Rock band Focus’ second album peaked at #9 on the Hot 100. Sylvia from their third album also charted but only reached #89.


229. Billy Swan – I Can Help (1974)

Total Points – 628
Charts – 1
Top 40 – 0
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 68

A country crossover hit that reached No. 1 on both the Hot 100 and Hot Country Singles charts. Swan claims he wrote the song in about 20 minutes. This is another case that we can argue about the status of OHW. While Swan didn’t have any other Hot 100 singles to reach the Top 40, he did have 8 country hits that got inside that same range.


228. Jann Arden – Insensitive (1996)

Total Points – 628
Charts – 1
Top 40 – 0
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 68

Arden a Canadian singer-songwriter has been fairly successful in her home country. In the U.S. however, she’s a strict definition OHW. In addition, this hit was not one that she wrote. This one was written by Anne Loree. Insensitive, which reached #12, was probably aided by being included in the film Bed of Roses (even though that move wasn’t much of a success), because of the movie, the song’s video was played on Entertainment Tonight and that helped with the promotion.


227. Aqua – Barbie Girl (1997)

Total Points – 628
Charts – 2
Top 40 – 0
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 88

Another Scandinavian band, this one with Danish-Norwegian members. Amazingly this song managed to get ranked in two of the lists used for the super-list. This song was the third release off of their debut studio album, and it was a worldwide hit. It was big throughout Europe and was even #1 in the U.K. and Australia for 3 weeks. In the U.S. it reached #7. They did have a follow up hit Lollipop (no, not a remake of the song from earlier in the countdown)…it peaked at #23, but it was only 5 months after the original hit, thus it doesn’t remove them from this list.


226. The Reflections – (Just Like) Romeo and Juliet (1964)

Total Points – 626
Charts – 1
Top 40 – 0
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 66

The Reflections was a pretty popular name for bands, the best known is probably this doo-wop group from Detroit. They took this song to #6 on the Billboard Hot 100, which was the only Top 40 hit of their career. They did have 3 other songs that charted, but 2 stopped in the 90s and the other peaked at #55. Interestingly, The Reflections felt this song was somewhat of a joke. In fact, the falsetto “doo-doo-doot” that becomes a hook in the song is an ad-libbed mocking of the vocal style the writer used when he pitched the sound of the song to the band.


225. MFSB – TSOP (The Sound of Philadelphia) (1974)

Total Points – 626
Charts – 1
Top 40 – 0
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 66

Here is another debatable song…Officially standing for Mother Father Sister Brother, this band was really a pool of studio musicians based out of the Philadelphia Sigma Sound Studios. However, the vocals on this song, however minor, were recorded by The Three Degrees, and they are decidedly NOT a OHW. This song, which was also the theme for Soul Train, was the first TV theme to reach #1 on Billboard’s Hot 100, and it is often cited as a major influence in establishing the disco sound. The band almost didn’t qualify as a OHW anyway…they had a hit a year after this one that stop just short of the Top 40 at number 42.


224. The Capitols – Cool Jerk (1966)

Total Points – 626
Charts – 1
Top 40 – 0
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 66

Originally written as Pimp Jerk, to poke fun at the Pimps that were too cool to do the jerk dance, the producer changed the lyric because he was afraid the song might be banned or get little attention because of the Pimp association. This song, which got to #7 back in ’66, was remade by The Go-Go's, The Outsiders, Todd Rundgren, Big Trouble, Human Sexual Response, The La De Das, The Creation, The Tremeloes, and The Coasters


223. Corona – The Rhythm of the Night (1993)

Total Points – 625
Charts – 1
Top 40 – 0
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 65

Corona is an Italian Eurodance band, initially formed by Brazilian born singer and model Olga Maria de Souza (the girl in the video, but not the singer). This song was the band’s very first release, and it received huge success worldwide. It peaked here in the U.S. at #11. This song was ranked #9 by Vibe magazine in their list of 90s Dance Tracks that Changed the Game.


222. Daniel Powter – Bad Day (2006)

Total Points – 623
Charts – 1
Top 40 – 0
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 63

A strict definition OHW with only this song reaching the Top 100. The Canadian artist's one hit did spend 5 weeks at #1 on the Billboard charts, though. Originally, the song was recorded in 2002, but Powter and the song producer Dawson couldn’t find anyone to release it. It was first used in a French Coca Cola ad in 2004. The song was also used as American Idol’s elimination song.


221. The Standells – Dirty Water (1965)

Total Points – 623
Charts – 1
Top 40 – 0
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 63

This garage rock bank from Los Angeles and their mock paean to the city of Boston peaked at #11. The Standells are often referred to as the punk band of the 60, and have been noted as inspiring bands like the Sex Pistols and the Ramones. Interestingly, a song designed to point out Boston’s pollution problems in the Charles River and Boston Harbor has been adopted by Boston sports teams and is played after every win by the Red Sox and the Bruins. This band did get 3 other songs into the chart they peaked at #43, #54, and #78.

Last edited by Breeze : 06-04-2019 at 08:12 AM.
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Old 06-04-2019, 08:04 AM   #39
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And not to be that guy (which means I'm going to be that guy), but that link to WIPE OUT is a re-recording or something. Original


Thanks, I updated the link with the one you provided...
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Old 06-04-2019, 10:34 AM   #40
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"Bad Day" was also used for that one series of NFL fantasy commercials.
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Old 06-04-2019, 02:00 PM   #41
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220. Edison Lighthouse – Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes) (1970)

Total Points – 623
Charts – 1
Top 40 – 0
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 63

Edison Lighthouse’s lead vocalist Tony Burrows had this song in the top 10 of the U.K. charts at almost the exact same time as he had 3 other songs also in that range under different names (Gimmie Dat Ding – The Pipkins, My Baby Loves Lovin – White Plains, and United We Stand (Brotherhood of Man). This song reached #5 in the U.S. and sold a million copies by April. The only other song to chart by Edison Lighthouse got to #72 about a year after this song peaked.


219. Walter Murphy & The Big Apple Band - A Fifth of Beethoven (1976)

Total Points – 622
Charts – 1
Top 40 – 0
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 62

Beethoven’s classical symphony reimagined as disco was a huge success for Walter Murphy, as the song debuted in the Hot 100 charts at #80 and reached the #1 spot in 19 weeks. A year later the song was licensed to RSO Records for inclusion on the best-selling Saturday Night Fever soundtrack. Murphy tried other classical-disco fusions like Rhapsody in Blue, Toccata and Funk in D Minor, Bolero, and a Mozart compilation, none of them were very successful. He did have 2 other songs reach the mid 40s – Flight ’76 (44) and Themes from E.T. (47).


218. Peter Schilling – Major Tom (Coming Home) (1983)

Total Points – 622
Charts – 1
Top 40 – 0
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 62

Schilling, the German synthpop musician created an unofficial sequel David Bowie’s protagonist in his 1969 hit Space Oddity. This song was originally released in German reaching #1 in Austria, Switzerland, and West Germany. The English version was released 9 months later and it hit #1 in Canada and South Africa. In the U.S. it peaked at #14. He didn’t chart again until 1989 but that song stalled at #61. He’s also beat this dead horse by doing remixes of Major Tom in ’94, 2000, and 2003.


217. Rick Derringer - Rock and Roll Hoochie Koo (1973)

Total Points – 620
Charts – 1
Top 40 – 0
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 60

Here is another one hit wonder that get’s a bit fuzzy. Derringer at one point was the lead singer for the McCoys and he hit #1 with Hang on Sloopy. Then he joined Edgar and Johnny Winters bands in the early 70s (before their chart success). In 1973 he released his first solo album and released the re-recording of this song, which was initially on the Johnny Winter And album. Derringer’s version peaked at #23.


216. MARRS – Pump Up the Volume (1987)

Total Points – 620
Charts – 1
Top 40 – 0
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 60

MARRS was a recording collective formed by the groups A.R. Kane and Colourbox. They only released 1 disc which amounted to a 45. It contained Pump up the Volume and Anitina. Pump up the Volume got all the attention and was a smash hit worldwide. The song reached #13 on the U.S. Chart. Considering this collaboration was only for a single disc containing 2 songs, it’s not surprising that this is a strict definition OHW. However, I did check and neither A.R. Kane or Colourbox have any Top 100 billboard hits that I could find.


215. Climax - Precious and Few (1972)

Total Points – 619
Charts – 1
Top 40 – 0
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 59

Precious and Few was a smash hit peaking at #3 on the Hot 100 and selling over 1 million copies. However, despite the success of the single, the album barely reached the Billboard 200 sales chart, only managing to get to #177. Given the lack of album sales it shouldn’t be all that surprising that the follow up stalled at #52. It’s possible Climax’s lack of momentum was due to issues with their record label. Around that time the record company changed names because a second record company with the same name existed. Also the promoter was busy pushing the 5th Dimension while also trying to sign other artists, and Climax received token effort and they never recovered.


214. Sneaker Pimps - 6 Underground (1996)

Total Points – 619
Charts – 1
Top 40 – 0
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 59

Here is another debatable one based on if the hit is really a hit. This song only managed to get to #45 on the U.S. Hot 100, which doesn’t even qualify for our follow up requirement, so again feel free to ignore this one if you feel it falls short of a hit. If the harp melody and horns at the beginning sound familiar but you can’t place them…they were sampled from Golden Girl, a track from the 1964 Bond film Goldfinger. I’m sure you can guess what part of the movie it’s from.


213. Pilot – Magic (1974)

Total Points – 618
Charts – 2
Top 40 – 0
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 84

Pilot was a rock group, formed during 1973 in Edinburgh, Scotland by former Bay City Rollers (substitute) members, David Paton and Billy Lyall. "Magic", which was produced by Alan Parsons, was the first hit single for the group. It charted most successfully in Canada, where it reached #1, topping the RPM national singles chart on 19 July 1975, and received a gold certification. It climbed as far as #11 on the UK Singles Chart and reached #5 during the summer of 1975 in the United States on the Billboard Hot 100. This is another song that was ranked on 2 separate charts.


212. Alicia Bridges – I Love the Nightlife (1978)

Total Points – 617
Charts – 1
Top 40 – 0
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 57

Originally, when Bridges and her songwriting partner Susan Hutcheson wrote this song it was entitled Disco ‘Round. The record producer felt this song was more R&B than disco and suggested the title be changed to I Love the Nightlife. Often the song is now seen with both titles, as the Disco ‘Round appears as a subtitle in parenthesis. The reason the subtitle was added back…well right before the release Bridges looked at a list of Top 10 hits, and several referenced disco, boogie or had other dance-oriented titles. This song peaked at #5. This song got a short revival in 1994 after it was included in The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.


211. Morris Albert – Feelings (1975)

Total Points – 617
Charts – 1
Top 40 – 0
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 57

Morris Albert, a Brazilian singer/songwriter was a member of numerous bands before he recorded his debut album and released this song as his first single. In Brazil this song hit #1 and stayed on the charts for half a year. In the U.S. is climbed to #6. His follow up only reached #93. Feelings has been redone so often it has become almost ubiquitous. Interestingly, Albert was sued for plagiarizing the melody of a 1957 song “Pour Toi” in Feelings, he lost and now the credit for this song is shared.
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Old 06-04-2019, 02:09 PM   #42
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218. Peter Schilling – Major Tom (Coming Home) (1983)

Total Points – 622
Charts – 1
Top 40 – 0
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 62

Schilling, the German synthpop musician created an unofficial sequel David Bowie’s protagonist in his 1969 hit Space Oddity. This song was originally released in German reaching #1 in Austria, Switzerland, and West Germany. The English version was released 9 months later and it hit #1 in Canada and South Africa. In the U.S. it peaked at #14. He didn’t chart again until 1989 but that song stalled at #61. He’s also beat this dead horse by doing remixes of Major Tom in ’94, 2000, and 2003.

I appreciate the moxie of a guy who makes his one hit by shamelessly riding the coattails of another song and then remixes it three times to keep draining that well.
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Old 06-04-2019, 02:43 PM   #43
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Sneaker Pimps ftw, video totally sent me back to 1996.
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Old 06-04-2019, 02:56 PM   #44
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GRAZING IN THE GRASS is a personal favorite, never fails to put a smile on my face.

Was wondering whether this makes the Mount Rushmore of instrumental pop songs. Don't think it does. Mr. Mangione, though, does, and had damned well better be forthcoming in this list.
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Old 06-05-2019, 07:28 AM   #45
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PUMP UP THE VOLUME, god damn I loved that song when I was like 14.
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Old 06-05-2019, 08:41 AM   #46
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Yeah, I still own the MARRS two-song CD some place. That song, man...
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Old 06-05-2019, 10:54 AM   #47
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210. Ten Years After – I’d Love to Change the World (1971)

Total Points – 617
Charts – 1
Top 40 – 0
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 57

This British band was popular in the U.K. in the late 60s and early 70s. This song is the only one that reached the Top 40 in the U.S., and it just barely reached it, peaking at #40 in November of ’71. Amazingly, Ten Years After, though they managed just this one significant hit, did put 12 albums in the Billboard album chart, with 5 reaching the top 40 and a sixth just outside that range at #43. They did have 3 other songs that reached the top 100, but the best only got to #61.


209. Blues Image - Ride Captain Ride (1970)

Total Points – 616
Charts – 1
Top 40 – 0
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 56

Blues Image was a Tampa based band that moved to Miami in 1968 where they were instrumental in helping promoters form Thee Image, an innovative venue, where Blues Image served as the house band at the club, which featured other bands like Cream, Grateful Dead, and Blood, Sweat & Tears. In 1969 the band moved to LA and recorded their first album. A year later they released their second album which included this hit song, which peaked at #4 on the Billboard Charts. Their only other charting single stopped at #81.


208. Madness – Our House (1982)

Total Points – 616
Charts – 1
Top 40 – 0
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 56

This English Ska band has had a huge career in the U.K. They, along with UB40, spent the most time (214 weeks) on the UK singles charts during the 80s, only Madness accomplished that feat in just 7 years (’80 – ’86). They’ve also had 15 singles reach the U.K. top 10. This song was a #7 hit in the U.S., and it received the Best Pop Song award for 1983 from Ivor Novello Awards. Madness’ follow up song It Must Be Love reached #33, but it was only 3 months later, so it doesn’t remove the OHW label based on our rules, however, it might explain why this song didn’t appear in more lists.


207. London Beat - I've Been Thinking About You (1990)

Total Points – 615
Charts – 1
Top 40 – 0
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 55

This #1 hit in the U.S., reached number 1 in 14 countries in total. It was described by Music & Media as “A C&W-tinged pop number underpins the band's characteristic massed gospel vocal style complete with jangling, melodic guitars.” The follow up single A Better Love climbed to #18 3 months after this hit, which doesn’t remove the band from OHW status based on our rules, but like Madness above, might explain why they weren’t included in more lists and therefore why they aren’t rated higher.


206. Steve Earle - Copperhead Road (1988)

Total Points – 614
Charts – 1
Top 40 – 0
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 54

Another song that is difficult to include because defining it as a hit is problematic. It wasn’t really a hit on the Hot 100, but it was on the list so I didn’t remove it. This song, which Rolling Stone suggested should be called “Power Twang” was what Earle described as the first ever Heavy Metal / Bluegrass blend. In total, Earle has released 15 studio albums and received 3 Grammy awards. He’s had his songs recorded by Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, The Highwaymen (country supergroup), Travis Tritt, Vince Gill, Patty Loveless, Shawn Colvin, Bob Seger, Ian Stuart Donaldson and Emmylou Harris.


205. The Gentrys – Keep on Dancing (1965)

Total Points – 614
Charts – 1
Top 40 – 0
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 54

This song, which is notable mostly because it is 1 short song repeated in order to stretch it to the point it was the length of typical pop songs, peaked at #4. The band had 5 other songs make the Hot 100, but none reached Top 40 status. The Bay City Rollers covered this tune and it reached #9 in the U.K. 6 years later.


204. Joe Dolce - Shaddap You Face (1981)

Total Points – 614
Charts – 1
Top 40 – 0
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 54

Not surprisingly, this novelty song is a strict definition one hit wonder. However, it did hit #1 in 15 countries, including the U.K. where it kept Ultravox’s Vienna out of the top spot for 3 weeks. All in all the song was a multi-million selling hit worldwide, but in the U.S., it’s more debatable if this was ever a hit as it only reached #53 on our charts.


203. The Tornadoes - Telstar (1962)

Total Points – 614
Charts – 2
Top 40 – 0
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 80

Another instrumental, this one was ranked by 2 separate lists making up our countdown. The Tornados were and English band that served as backing group for many of record producer Joe Meek’s songs as well as for singer Billy Fury. This song was apparently the first #1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 by a British Group. It was also the second instrumental to hit #1 in the U.S. in 1962.


202. Jump 'n the Saddle Band – The Curly Shuffle (1984)

Total Points – 613
Charts – 1
Top 40 – 0
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 53

Another novelty song and another strict definition OHW. The country pop group from Chicago scored big with this song in 1983. It rose to #15 on the Hot 100. The popularity could have been impacted by the coincidental timing of the release and the Three Stooges getting their star on the Walk of Fame. The band and their record label disagreed over the follow up song, the band eventually recorded the song the label wanted, but added lyrics that were critical of the decision. They were dropped shortly afterwards.


201. Five Man Electric Band - Signs (1971)

Total Points – 611
Charts – 1
Top 40 – 0
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 51

This Canadian band, originally known as the Staccatos, hit it big with Signs, which was originally released as a B-Side to the relatively unknown song Hello Melinda Goodbye. It was rereleased as an A side a year later and reached #3 on the U.S. Charts, and ranked it as the #24 song for all of 1971. The follow up hit Absolutely Right reached #26, but it was only 3 months later, so by our standards still a OHW, but again it might explain why the song only appears in one of the 6 lists used to create our countdown. The other 3 charting songs by this band never got higher than #64.
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Old 06-05-2019, 11:30 AM   #48
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"Shaddap You Face"? You serious, Clark?
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Old 06-05-2019, 11:55 AM   #49
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Had a buddy in college get the Madness Greatest Hits album figuring that he’d only heard Our House, but the other songs would probably be OK. He said they were not OK. I’m surprised it’s not higher on the list.
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Old 06-05-2019, 12:04 PM   #50
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Madness is classic. ONE STEP BEYOND, IT MUST BE LOVE, HOUSE OF FUN, all classics in my book.
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