One Hit Wonders - Defined and Ranked

[Breeze]

100. Bobby Day – Rockin' Robin (1958)

Total Points – 562
Charts – 2
Top 40 – 0
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 35

Bobby Day, started as a member of The Hollywood Flames, and he was part of the group when they had their #11 hit “Buzz-Buzz-Buzz”. However, he also started doing solo work and by far his biggest hit was this song which climbed to #2. Day releases several other singles, none did better than #41, he also performed as part of the duo Bob and Earl, but that effort didn’t produce any real hits. He did have some success with songwriting, in addition to this song, which was redone by, among other artists, Michael Jackson who took it to #1, he also wrote “Over and Over” a hit by The Dave Clark Five in ’65, and “Little Bitty Pretty One”, which was made popular three different times by Thurston Harris in 1957, Clyde McPhatter in 1962, and the Jackson Five in 1972.


99. Marc Cohn - Walking in Memphis (1991)

Total Points – 561
Charts – 1
Top 40 – 0
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 1
Highest Ranking – 1

Marc Cohn’s song was considered by 1 of the 6 seeding lists to be the greatest OHW song ever. This is the first one that we run into during our countdown, and it’s also the last song to only be present in only a single list, from this point forward every song appears in at least 2. The single made it to #13 on the Hot 100, but it did much more than that. Cohn received 3 Grammy nominations in association with this song/album, Song of the Year, Best Pop Male Vocalist, and Best New Artist – which he won. Walking in Memphis has been described as “an iconic part of the Great American Songbook”. Side note: in 2005, Cohn was shot in the head during an attempted carjacking in Denver. The bullet barely missed his eye and lodge in his skull. He was kept in the hospital for observation but then released. The officer on the scene said, “Frankly, I can’t tell you how he survived”, the shooter got 36 years in prison.


98. John Fred and His Playboys - Judy in Disguise with Glasses (1967)

Total Points – 560
Charts – 2
Top 40 – 1
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 40

John Fred and the Playboys formed when Fred was just 15 and by 18 they had a minor hit “Shirley” it took 9 years before they would chart again, but when they did, it was this song and it was big. The song is a play on and a mondegreen of The Beatles “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds”. In fact, Fred, when he first heard The Beatles song thought it was Lucy in disguise with diamonds. The tune, which reached #1 actually knocked The Beatles song “Hello, Goodbye” out of that spot. Unfortunately for John Fred and the band, other than the follow up single which peaked at 57, after this song they were often viewed as a novelty act, and they never had any follow up success.


97. Grover Washington, Jr. – Just the Two of Us (1981)

Total Points – 560
Charts – 3
Top 40 – 0
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 54

This song is another that you could easily argue doesn’t belong as a OHW, even though half of the 6 lists included it in the countdown. Grover Washington Jr. is an American jazz-funk/soul-jazz saxophonist, and is considered one of the founders of the smooth jazz genre. He has a few Hot 100 hits, but this song, which peaked at #2 was his only Hot 100 Top 40 song. However, the reason you could argue this doesn’t belong as a OHW is – the song was written in part by and sung by Bill Withers, and Bill is not a OHW. In fact, the song can be argued to be more Withers, especially after he included it on his Greatest Hits compilation album.


96. Shelley Fabares - Johnny Angel (1962)
Total Points – 559
Charts – 2
Top 40 – 1
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 23
The actress Shelley Fabares is probably best remembered for her roles as Mary Stone on the long-running family sitcom The Donna Reed Show, and as Christine Armstrong, Hayden Fox’s love interest on the sitcom Coach. She also appeared opposite Elvis on three of his movies. Oh yeah, she also had this hit, which is funny because according to Shelley herself, “I could never sing.” The story has it she was told by the producers of the Donna Reed Show that she would be singing this song in the premier episode of the 4th season. She was reluctant to do it, knowing she wasn’t much of a singer, but fearing she might be replaced on the show, she did. The song was a #1 hit and the follow up continuation of the story “Johnny Loves Me” a few month later made it to #21, after that she had 3 other songs that charted, the best topping out a #46.


95. House of Pain – Jump Around (1992)

Total Points – 558
Charts – 3
Top 40 – 0
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 63

The band formed in LA at Taft High School, and they took their name from HG Wells’ novel The Island of Dr. Moreau. The producer for this song was DJ Muggs of Cypress Hill, and he states that the beat for this single was originally developed for his group, but B-Real didn’t want to record at that time. The beat was then offered to Ice Cube, who refused as well. House of Pain took it in 1992 and made it a #3 hit on the Hot 100. The song has quite a few distinctive moments including horns, which were sampled from Bob & Earl’s (the Bob in this is Bobby Day from #100 above) “Harlem Shuffle”. It also samples Chubby Checker, but the most distinctive sound of all is the high pitch whistle that occurs at the beginning of almost every bar – 66 times in total. That whistle has been the subject of much debate, some say it’s from Junior Walker & the All Star’s “Shoot Your Shot”, others claim it’s Prince, DJ Muggs states it’s neither, but of course that could be to avoid paying royalties.


94. Alannah Myles – Black Velvet (1989)

Total Points – 557
Charts – 2
Top 40 – 1
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 37

This song is written as a tribute to Elvis, who is often featured painted on black velvet. The idea for the song occurred when co-writer Christopher Ward (Myles’ boyfriend at the time) was riding a bus to Memphis and it was full of Elvis fans going to Graceland for the 10th anniversary vigil. The Canadian, Myles, took the song to #10 in her home country, but in the US, it was a #1 hit for 2 weeks. It also reached #1 in several European countries as well. The song won her a Grammy for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance, and it also won her a Juno Award for Single of the Year in Canada. Also in 2005, the song received the “Millionaire Award” from ASCAP for over 4 million radio plays.


93. The Waitresses – I Know What Boys Like (1982)

Total Points – 557
Charts – 3
Top 40 – 0
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 55

This song, with its nanny-nanny teasing sound and tempo, was originally released in 1980 before the band ever really existed. The song was originally written and recorded by Chris Butler, who used friends to play and sing. Then when he moved to New York, he shopped the song, it was picked up, and released. Initially the song only managed to be an underground hit, but after Butler got the band in place, including the original singer Patty Donahue, they recorded an album, which included this song again. It was re-released as a single and this time it did chart, though it only managed to make it to #62. Making this song more of an alt classic than actual hit. However, 3 of the seeding lists felt the need to include this song in their OHW countdown. This band actually does have another song that gets played frequently, but “Christmas Wrapping” I don’t think should keep them from being considered as having only 1 “hit”.


92. Doris Troy – Just One Look (1963)

Total Points – 556
Charts – 2
Top 40 – 0
Top 20 – 1
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 12

Troy started out in the music industry as a backup singer alongside Dionne and Dee Dee Warwick. She was also part of the original lineup for The Sweet Inspirations, with the Warwicks and their aunt Cissy Houston. In 1963, she wrote this song, under her real name Doris Payne, and sang it under her stage name. It was initially recorded as a demo, but when Jerry Wexler at Atlantic heard it, he released it unchanged. In total, the song, as you hear it, took about 10 minutes to record. The song peaked at #10 on the Hot 100 and got to #3 in the R&B Singles chart. The song was ranked the 11th best R&B single for 1963. It has since been turned into a hit by The Hollies, Anne Murray, and Linda Ronstadt.


91. Chris Isaak - Wicked Game (1989)

Total Points – 555
Charts – 2
Top 40 – 1
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 40

Actor/singer Isaak, often called the Roy Orbison of the 90s, is well known for his role in Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me & this song. The interesting thing about this song is that it ties back into his acting. Originally this song was released as a single from his 3rd album, but it never became a hit, that is until David Lynch (the Twins Peak creator) used the song in his 1990 film Wild at Heart. Following that movie, a DJ in Atlanta began playing the song heavily and it quickly became a nationwide hit, climbing all the way to #6 on the Billboard Hot 100. The video for this single won the MTV awards for Best Male Video, Best Cinematography, Best Video from a Film. It’s been ranked the 13th best video ever by VH1, #4 on VH1s Sexist Video Countdown, and #73 on Rolling Stone’s list of the Top 100 Music Videos. It was also #1 on Fuse’s 40 Sexist Video list.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Breeze

Following that movie, a DJ in Atlanta began playing the song heavily

Sidebar, cause I vaguely remembered this & googled up the rest.

That DJ was Lee Chesnut, at that point program director at Top 40 Power 99. Over the next decade plus he bounced between the radio side (PD for them and another station) & the label side (head of A&R for two major labels) before finally settling into one of his longer gigs.

For the past 8 years Chesnut has been the lead A&R consultant for The Voice

Like I said, just a minor sidebar

[albionmoonlight]

Originally Posted by Breeze

115. Zagar & Evans - In the Year 2525 (1969)

Total Points – 572
Charts – 2
Top 40 – 0
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking –48

This song, which warns of the dangers of technology and medical innovations goes so far as to portray the human race as being destroyed by its passive acquiescence to and overdependence on its own overdone technologies. This theme is still prevalent throughout modern entertainment. This strict definition OHW duo hit #1 on the Hot 100 and the UK Singles Charts. They are the only artists to have ever topped both charts and then never had another hit single on either chart for the rest of their career.

This was my guess for #1, which was clearly way way off.

That said, as Breeze, Jon, and others have pointed out, the shifting of what counts as "pop" music, the different charts, the ability to have some follow up success makes a lot of these bands not quite "one hit" wonders in the "I know it when I see it" sense of the word.

These guys hit #1 on both sides of the Atlantic and never sniffed another chart of any type. So, while the song loses some major points as a wonder because it did not have a lot of staying power (and is a pretty shitty song), I stand by this song being the most one-hitty of the one-hit wonders.

[Vince, Pt. II]

Blows my mind that Walking in Memphis only made one of the lists.

Let me echo several others in that I love the hell out of this thread.

[cuervo72]

I wouldn't have thought there'd be that much space between Jump Around and Shamrocks and Shenanigans, but I guess that's from having them both on a old iPod.

[Breeze]

90. Ace – How Long (1975)

Total Points – 555
Charts – 3
Top 40 – 0
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 42

While this song is often interpreted as being about adultery, it was actually written by lead singer Paul Carrack when he learned that bassist Terry Comer has been secretly working for the Sutherland Brothers band and Quiver. This song reached #20 in this British band’s home country, but it climbed to #3 in the US and Canada. While Ace was a OHW band, Carrack the singer of this song (though not the only singer in the band) was not. When Ace broke up, he ended up in Squeeze and was the lead singer for the alt-classic “Tempted”, and later he was one of the original members and one of the lead singers of Mike Rutherford’s side project, Mike and the Mechanics, and they had 3 top 10 Hot 100 singles.


89. David Soul - Don't Give Up On Us (1977)

Total Points – 554
Charts – 3
Top 40 – 0
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 60

Detective Kenneth “Hutch” Hutchinson from Starsky & Hutch comes in at 89 on the countdown. Soul, actually got his start in 1966 as the “Covered Man”, singing with a mask on during the Merv Griffin Show. In 1967, he made his TV debut in Flipper. He had numerous parts in shows for the next several years before his breakthrough role as Hutch in 1975. Riding high on the success of the show, he elected to return to music, and this song was the lead single on his debut album. It spent 4 weeks at #1 in the UK, and 1 week at #1 here. While Soul managed to have a few additional hits in the UK, here he only managed to get a couple other singles in the 50s of the Hot 100.


88. Gerardo - Rico Suave (1991)

Total Points – 553
Charts – 2
Top 40 – 0
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 1
Highest Ranking – 9

Gerardo calls himself the Latin Elvis and/or the Latin Sinatra…I should probably stop right there. His first major appearance in show biz was in the ’87 film Can’t Buy Me Love. He was also in the film Colors, where he showcased some of his dance moves. However, he’s only here because of this hit, which climbed to #7 on the US Hot 100. His follow up single, “We Want the Funk”, which is a semi-remake of Parliament’s “Give Up the Funk”, climbed all the way to #16, but it was only 2 months later so it doesn’t exclude him from this list. In fact, he’s viewed as a OHW by many including MTV, VH1, Synthesis, and Gerado himself. This song was ranked #100 on VH1s Greatest Songs of the 90s, it was also #37 on Blender Magazine’s list of the 50 Worst Songs Ever.


87. Vicki Lawrence - The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia (1973)

Total Points – 553
Charts – 3
Top 40 – 0
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 60

The Carol Burnett Show star, has received multiple Golden Globe and Emmy Award nominations, winning one Emmy in 1976. Her famous character Mama lived on after The Carol Burnett Show went off the air, with the show Mama’s Family, and in numerous appearances in that role on other sitcoms. However, she’s in our list because of this southern gothic, murder ballad tune. The song was written by Bobby Russell, her husband at the time, but he didn’t like the song, and refused to even record a demo. Lawrence thought the song was destined to be a hit, so she recorded the demo herself. The label liked the song but couldn’t figure out how to position it – it wasn’t country and it wasn’t pop. The label thought about offering it to Liza Minnelli, but eventually gave it to Cher, but Sonny refused stating it might offend her southern fans. Without anyone to sing the song, Lawrence went into a studio and recorded it for real with the Wrecking Crew (mentioned earlier in #238) as the musicians. The song went on to be a #1 hit for two weeks, replaced by Tony Orlando and Dawn’s “Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree”. The song was ranked as the #11 song for 1973.


86. Vangelis - Chariots of Fire (1982)

Total Points – 552
Charts – 2
Top 40 – 1
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 32

While definitely a OHW, Evángelos Odysséas Papathanassíou, who goes by Vangelis for some strange reason, has an extensive history is music. He started in the 60s with bands Forminx and Aphrodite’s Child. From there he moved to music scores for several documentaries, which brought him to the attention of movie studios. In the early 80s he teamed with Jon Anderson of Yes to release several albums under the name Jon & Vangelis. Then in ’81 he produced this song, and it reached the top of the Billboard chart and earned him an Academy Award for Best Original Score. This song was used as the background music for medal presentations at London Games in 2012. Vangelis has also done music scores for Blade Runner, Missing, Antarctica, The Bounty, 1492, Conquest of Paradise, and Alexander. With over 50 years composing music and more than 50 albums created, Vangelis is considered one of the most influential figures in modern electronic music.


85. Billy Ray Cyrus - Achy Breaky Heart (1992)

Total Points – 551
Charts – 2
Top 40 – 0
Top 20 – 1
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 14

Mea Culpa, this one should have been eliminated from the countdown. Despite the fact that 2 of the seeding lists include this song in their countdown, it needs to be removed. In my weeding out process, I somehow missed this one. Cyrus, has had 3 top 40 hits. This song was his only real solo hit, but his duet with Miley, “Ready, Set, Don’t Go”, in 2008 got inside the top 40, peaking at #37, and recently his song with Lil Nas, “Old Town Road” peaked at #1. Thus he should be removed, but given that it would screw up all the previous rankings by 1, I beg your forgiveness, ask that you simply ignore this one and move the numbers of all previous songs up 1 spot….


84. Eagle-Eye Cherry – Save Tonight (1999)

Total Points – 549
Charts – 3
Top 40 – 0
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 55

This Swedish singer pursued acting during high school and ended up taking classing alongside Jennifer Aniston and Chaz Bono, but when his musical career started gaining momentum he changed his focus. This song was the lead single off his debut album, and it was an international hit. The song reached #5 here, #6 in the UK, and #2 in Sweden. It was voted the song of the year in New Zealand and Sweden. Cherry also happens to be the half brother of Neneh Cherry, who is often included in lists of OHW, and based on the criteria for our countdown would be eligible for consideration, with her 1 hit being “Buffalo Stance”, she did have 1 follow up hit make the top 40, but it was only 3 months later.


83. EMF – Unbelievable (1991)

Total Points – 549
Charts – 3
Top 40 – 1
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 31

EMF started out as part of the rave influence Madchester dance scene in the UK, which was heavily influenced by drugs, especially ecstasy. This period was so significant that in the UK the years of 1988 and 1989 are known as the Second Summer of Love. In 1990 the band’s debut single off their debut album was this song, and it was a huge hit reaching the top 10 in numerous countries and hitting #1 on the US Hot 100. In the UK the song peaked at #3, but it was also the 32nd best selling single of 1990. The “oh” that’s repeated at the start of each chorus is a sample of comedian Andrew Dice Clay. The album title, Schubert Dip actually has meaning for the band. Songwriter Ian Dench stated, “If I’m ever short of a chord sequence, I nick one from Schubert.”


82. Merril Bainbridge - Mouth (1996)

Total Points – 545
Charts – 2
Top 40 – 0
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 44

Another lead single off a debut album. Bainbridge an Australian pop music singer/songwriter originally released this album and song in the fall of ’94, but it was re-issued 5 months later, and the second time around was the charm. The song peaked at #1 in her home country and stayed there for 6 weeks, which earned her the accolade of being the female with the longest running number 1 in Australia during the 90s. In the US, it climbed to #4, which was a surprise to everyone involved. Ross Fraser, co-founder of Gotham Records stated he thought the song had a chance to do well in Europe, but when it debuted in the Hot 100 at #67, he realized they had underestimated it. The song stayed on the US charts for 30 weeks and was the 37th best-selling single of 1996. The success in the United States made Bainbridge a superstar in her home country for a while. Interestingly, the song only managed to reach #51 in the UK.


81. The Verve - Bitter Sweet Symphony (1998)

Total Points – 544
Charts – 2
Top 40 – 0
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 39

The Verve started out around 1990, signed their first record contract in ’91 and released the first studio songs in ’92. They even had one of those songs reach #75 on the UK chart. The band had 2 indie chart hits off their first album in ‘93, which earned them the opportunity to open for Oasis (pre-breakout) and The Smashing Pumpkins (during the Siamese Dream tour). They then had a couple top 40 UK hits off of their ’95 album, but it wasn’t until the release of this single that the band earned worldwide acclaim. The only problem was they didn’t get explicit permission to sample an orchestral version of the Rolling Stones’ “The Last Time” before releasing the single, which ultimately required them to forfeit 100% of the profits. While the band lost out on a lot of money, they did receive numerous accolades, including: A Grammy Award Nomination for Best Rock Song, NME (a British music magazine) and Rolling Stone Magazine’s 1997 single of the year, BBC Radio Listeners Poll’s 3rd best song ever, NYC weekly The Village Voice’s critics poll had this as the 3rd best song of 1997. In 2007, NME place the song at #18 of their 50 Greatest Indie Anthems Ever. Also in 2007, Q Magazine’s songwriters poll placed this song in the Top 10 Greatest Tracks, and Australian Triple J Hottest 100 All Time the song ranked #14. Rolling Stone also included it in their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time list - #392. During the tour for this album the band began to splinter and by 1999 they were broken up.

[Bobble]

Originally Posted by Breeze

100. Bobby Day – Rockin' Robin (1958)

Total Points – 562
Charts – 2
Top 40 – 0
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 35

Bobby Day, started as a member of The Hollywood Flames, and he was part of the group when they had their #11 hit “Buzz-Buzz-Buzz”. However, he also started doing solo work and by far his biggest hit was this song which climbed to #2. Day releases several other singles, none did better than #41, he also performed as part of the duo Bob and Earl, but that effort didn’t produce any real hits. He did have some success with songwriting, in addition to this song, which was redone by, among other artists, Michael Jackson who took it to #1, he also wrote “Over and Over” a hit by The Dave Clark Five in ’65, and “Little Bitty Pretty One”, which was made popular three different times by Thurston Harris in 1957, Clyde McPhatter in 1962, and the Jackson Five in 1972.

If Ned Flanders wrote a song -- tweetadeedley deet.

[albionmoonlight]

We're still in the 80s, and I've seen multiple songs that make me think "How is that not in the top 10?"

By the time we're done, I'm gonna have 50 "top 10" one hit wonders in mind.

This list is so fun.

[QuikSand]

The 81-90 batch had no fewer than five songs I was "waiting for" (i.e. expecting to show up very high).

Spoiler

Macarena is going to win, isn't it.

[JAG]

“EMF started out as part of the rave influence Madchester dance scene in the UK, which was heavily influenced by drugs, especially ecstasy.” —- IIRC, their initials stand for Ecstasy Mother******.

Had no clue about the orchestral part of Bitter Sweet Symphony being sampled from Last Time.

Also concur with being surprised at the songs we’re seeing and haven’t even hit the top 75.

[albionmoonlight]

Originally Posted by Breeze

85. Billy Ray Cyrus - Achy Breaky Heart (1992)

Total Points – 551
Charts – 2
Top 40 – 0
Top 20 – 1
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 14

Mea Culpa, this one should have been eliminated from the countdown. Despite the fact that 2 of the seeding lists include this song in their countdown, it needs to be removed. In my weeding out process, I somehow missed this one. Cyrus, has had 3 top 40 hits. This song was his only real solo hit, but his duet with Miley, “Ready, Set, Don’t Go”, in 2008 got inside the top 40, peaking at #37, and recently his song with Lil Nas, “Old Town Road” peaked at #1. Thus he should be removed, but given that it would screw up all the previous rankings by 1, I beg your forgiveness, ask that you simply ignore this one and move the numbers of all previous songs up 1 spot….

Old Town Road got me reading up a bit on Billy Ray Cyrus, and I am impressed with him for breaking out of OHW land. Everything about that song and about him at the time SCREAMED One Hit Wonder. But he kept his head down and kept making music and changing with the times and, from what I can tell, turned a OHW song into a career through hard work and force of will. Good for him.

[JonInMiddleGA]

re: BRC and Achy Breaky

I'm pretty much compelled to mention the stray trivia that the song was recorded - to no meaningful impact - a year prior by another artist.

Note the different words in parts of this version, most notably "Achy breaking, as well as the different title.

Don't Tell My Heart (original) - The Marcy Brothers 1991.wmv - YouTube

[cuervo72]

Originally Posted by JAG

“EMF started out as part of the rave influence Madchester dance scene in the UK, which was heavily influenced by drugs, especially ecstasy.” —- IIRC, their initials stand for Ecstasy Mother******.

Had no clue about the orchestral part of Bitter Sweet Symphony being sampled from Last Time.

Also concur with being surprised at the songs we’re seeing and haven’t even hit the top 75.

I'd always heard "eternal mind fuck."

[Breeze]

80. Quiet Riot - Cum On Feel the Noize (1983)

Total Points – 543
Charts – 2
Top 40 – 0
Top 20 – 1
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 15

VH1 lists Quiet Riot at #100 in their 100 Greatest Hard Rock Artists list. The band started by Randy Rhoads formed in 1973, and recorded their first album in ’77, but that album and the second one were only ever released in Japan. The original bassists, Kelly Garni, and the lead singer Kevin DuBrow hated each other…so much so that during the production of the second album, Garni, who had tried to get DuBrow thrown out for years, got drunk, grabbed a gun and planned to drive to the studio and kill the lead singer. Luckily he decided he was too drunk to drive and surprisingly no one else would give him a lift. Ultimately, Garni was kicked out of the band, but Rhodes left not long after to join Ozzy Osbourne’s band. This song, which was the first single off their first US album, is a remake of a Slade tune that was smash hit in the UK in 1973 – in fact the original was such a smash it debuted on the UK Singles Chart in the #1 spot. QR’s version was also a smash, climbing to #5 on the US Hot 100, and the album, Metal Health, was the first Heavy Metal album to reach the top of the Billboard album chart. The band’s follow up single did chart a few months later, and a second Slade remake “Mama, Weer All Crazee Now” off of the second US album got to #51.


79. Harvey Danger – Flagpole Sitta (1998)

Total Points – 542
Charts – 2
Top 40 – 0
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 1
Highest Ranking – 7

The band started at the University of Washington, when two journalism students decided it would be fun to start a band. The name came from graffiti on the wall of the school’s newspaper office. In 1993, the duo added a drummer with no experience and another student who had never played music, but it worked, as the band slowly began playing bigger and bigger venues. The band released its first album in 1997 and initially it performed well on college radio and it sold well in their home state and in New York, but by the end of the year it had lost momentum and the band was planning to break up. However, a DJ at KNDD received a copy of the album from the band and he starting playing this single and almost immediately it became the station’s most requested song. Other stations quickly caught on, and the hit was born. The song was meant to be a response to the Seattle music scene of the 90s, and the idea of changing the title to “Sitta” came from Pavement’s song “Fame Throwa” and NWA’s “Straight Outta Compton”.


78. Iron Butterfly - In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida (1968)

Total Points – 540
Charts – 2
Top 40 – 0
Top 20 – 1
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 19

Iron Butterfly has gone through numerous changes through the years, so many changes that there have been 63 different members, not counting the 7 short time substitutes. This song, which did get its name because the vocalist was so drunk he couldn’t speak clearly when trying to say “In the Garden of Eden”, is often considered an influence on heavy metal music and they are often cited as one of the first heavy metal bands. VH1 ranked this the 24th greatest hard rock song of all time. The song, which clocks in at a little over 17 minutes, takes up the entire second side of the album of the same name, and live versions are a little over 19 minutes. Despite the fact the song is that long, the vocals stop at about the 2-minute mark and don’t pick up again until 15:30. Amazingly, the song was also released as a 45 and it ran 2:53…The song peaked at #30 on the US Billboard Hot 100.


77. David Naughton - Makin It (1979)

Total Points – 538
Charts – 2
Top 40 – 1
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 36

I’m a pepper, he’s a pepper, she’s a pepper, we’re a pepper, wouldn’t you like to be a pepper too…Naughton got his start as the Dr. Pepper guy, a role he played for 4 years. From there he was cast as the lead in the sitcom Makin’ It, and he recorded the theme song, which became a #5 hit on the Billboard Hot 100. He’s a strict definition OHW, but don’t feel too bad for the guy. I’m sure you’ve seen him on TV or in the movies. He was in the Academy Award winning horror film “An American Werewolf in London”, and he’s got over 90 acting credits to his name on IMDB, including roles on JAG, ER, Touch by an Angel, MacGyver, and almost every other major long running series from the last 35 years.


76. Musical Youth – Pass The Dutchie (1983)

Total Points – 530
Charts – 2
Top 40 – 1
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 29

The band started when 2 fathers, one of which was a member of the reggae band The Techniques, put their sons together to create a band. Despite the fact the band were all schoolboys they managed to play gigs in British pubs. They released a double single in 1981, which helped get them signed by MCA records. In September of ’83 this song was released as the lead single off of the debut album and it was quickly an international sensation, reaching #1 in 9 countries including the UK. In the US it topped out at #10 on the Hot 100, but it has sold over 5 million copies worldwide. The song, which is a combination of two songs, “Gimme the Music” by U Brown, and “Pass the Kouchie” by Mighty Diamonds. While the song “Pass the Kouchie” is the reference to recreational use of cannabis (kouchie being a pipe) that most people initially believed this song was insinuating. However, the words were changed to dutchie (a slang for a baking pan) in order to remove the drug references. Ironically, following this song dutchie is now slang for a blunt stuffed with marijuana and rolled in a wrapper from a Dutch Masters cigar.


75. Lou Bega – Mambo No. 5 (1999)

Total Points – 530
Charts – 3
Top 40 – 0
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 52

Bega, a German singer/songwriter, moved to Miami as a teenager, which is when he found inspiration for this song. Bega started out as a rapper, but moving to Florida exposed him to the Latin music, and when he returned to Germany he worked with producers to create his new sound. This song extensively samples Perez Prado’s 1949 instrumental piece of the same name. Bega added lyrics and added some modern beats and grooves, and the combination of 40s bands with modern influences created a worldwide hit. The song charted at #1 in most European countries but in France the song was a super-smash staying at #1 for 20 weeks. Here in the US the song stalled out at #3. Bega did receive a Grammy nomination for this song.


74. The Heights - How Do You Talk to an Angel (1992)

Total Points – 529
Charts – 2
Top 40 – 1
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 38

The Heights are a fictional band at the centerpiece of a TV show about their life and struggles. The song was a #1 hit on the Hot 100, but there was never a follow up because the series was cancelled exactly 1 week after the song fell from the #1 position. The song did get an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Music and Lyrics. The single was sung by the cast member Jamie Walters, which means this probably shouldn’t be included as a OHW because Walters had his own single hit 3 years later with “Hold On”, but Billboard classifies this song as being from the fictional band. So I guess using this logic, Walters can be said to be a OHW twice over.


73. Edwyn Collins - A Girl Like You (1994)

Total Points – 529
Charts – 2
Top 40 – 0
Top 20 – 1
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 13

Collins started working in music in 1976 as part of a post punk band Orange Juice. He went through several record labels and albums before finally releasing this song in 1994 on his own label. The song had worldwide success reaching the top 10 in several countries. The Scottish artist hit #4 in the UK, and #32 here in the US. The song samples the drum from Len Barry’s single “1-2-3”. Part of the songs popularity was due to its presence in the movie Empire Records. It was also in Charlie’s Angels” Full Throttle.


72. King Harvest – Dancing in the Moonlight (1972)

Total Points – 527
Charts – 2
Top 40 – 1
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 25

A French-American band consisting of 4 expatriates formed in Paris in 1970. The song was written and originally recorded by Sherman Kelly with his band Boffalongo. It came to the attention of King Harvest when their drummer Wells Kelly introduced his brother Sherman’s song to the rest of the group. They recorded the song in 1970, and it languished on the charts so the band broke up. The song was subsequently picked up in 1972 by Perception Records, the single was re-released and it went on to be a hit, reaching #13 here and #5 in Canada. King Harvest has gone through numerous iterations, but always the original 4 members have been present. In all, the band has recorded 10 albums, the most recent in 2015.


71. Marcy Playground – Sex and Candy (1998)

Total Points – 526
Charts – 2
Top 40 – 1
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 34

The idea behind this song occurred when the frontman John Wozniak was at Bryn Mawr College visiting his girlfriend and another girl walked in while they were having sex. The intruder uttered the phrase that would go on to become the single’s title. The band’s name comes from Marcy Open Grade School in Minneapolis, an alternative school that Wozniak attended. He decided to use the name because he was inspired by the music of his childhood. This song was not the lead single off their first real studio album, “Poppies” was; this was the second release, and it made it to #8 on the Hot 100. It also sat at #1 on the Billboard Modern Rock Songs chart for 15 weeks. The band had a little more success through the years on the Alt chart, but this was only Hot 100 hit to chart at all.

[QuikSand]

I think there's some weird psych phenomenon going on here. I'm now convinced that for some reason, a OHW song will make a better karaoke song than another equally familiar/popular song.

At the next suitable confluence of alcohol and audience, I am going to crush that song "Save Tonight" and the people, the people they will love it.

[Breeze]

70. Bow Wow Wow – I Want Candy (1982)

Total Points – 526
Charts – 4
Top 40 – 0
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 49

This is the first song in the countdown to have been rated in 4 of the 6 lists. Bow Wow Wow formed when former Sex Pistols manager Malcolm McLaren convinced 3 members of Adam and the Ants to form a new band with 13-year-old Annabella Lwin on vocals. They released their first EP that year and had their first UK hit in ’82 with “Go Wild in the Country”. For a very short time George Alan O’Dowd also sang for the group, but he left, started a band called Culture Club and achieved superstardom as Boy George. The first album by the band featured then 14-year-old Lwin naked on the cover in a recreation of Édouard Manet’s Le Déjeuner sur l’herbe. This created a good bit of controversy, but when they released the follow up EP, which contained this song, the same image was used in the UK, in the US a second album was created to capitalize on the popularity of this song, and the image on that cover was Lwin nude, this time painted gold. As you watch the video, keep in mind Lwin can be no more than 15. Interesting side note…The song, with its Bo Diddly beat, is a remake of a Strangeloves tune. The Strangeloves were a group of 3 American studio musicians who created a band that pretended to be Australian to capitalize on the British invasion beat group sound (they felt they couldn’t fake being British well enough, which is why they chose Australian). They had a handful of hits, and one time while touring (before they completely offloaded that responsibility) they ran into a band with Rick Derringer as the lead singer. They loved the way he sounded, brought him back with them to the studio, had him sing over some of their previously recorded material and released the song “Hang on Sloopy” under the name The McCoys. Derringer went on to have a single hit under his own name, which is why you might remember him from earlier in the countdown (#217)


69. Marcie Blane - Bobby's Girl (1962)

Total Points – 524
Charts – 2
Top 40 – 2
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 38

This song was rated in 2 of the lists and both times it was rated 38…it also happens to be the first song appearing in the top 40 of multiple lists. This song, which is very reminiscent of Shelley Fabares hit (#92) in both tone and subject matter was also released in the same year. Originally recorded by Marcia Blane as a favor for a friend; the song was intended to be a demo only, but it was released and went on to reach #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, it was kept from getting any higher by The Four Seasons’ “Big Girls Don’t Cry” and Elvis’ “Return to Sender”. The song stayed on the charts long enough to make Blane the top selling female singer in the US that year.


68. Buster Poindexter - Hot Hot Hot (1987)

Total Points – 523
Charts – 2
Top 40 – 1
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 32

Arguably best know for his role as the frontman of the band New York Dolls, David Roger Johansen, aka Buster Poindexter has been around the music scene for a long time. He started in the 60s as part of the Vagabond Missionaries, then in the 70s he was part of New York Dolls. He did his solo work in the 80s under the Poindexter name, and he later performed with his band Banshees of Blue. More recently he started a country/folk band named The Harry Smiths. He also spent time as part of the Saturday Night Live house band. Poindexter is another singer that’s seen time in front of a camera. He’s appeared on the HBO series Oz, As the Ghost of Christmas Past in Scrooged, in Let it Ride, Mr. Nanny, Car 54, Where Are You, and more. IMDB credits him with 43 acting credits (he’s also been involved in 64 soundtracks). This song was written and originally recorded by Arrow in ’82. Arrow’s version was a dance hit in the UK, Buster’s version made it to #45 on the Hot 100. While this was his biggest hit he said, "[the song is] the bane of my existence," owing to its pervasive popularity as a karaoke and wedding song.


67. Chris Norman & Suzi Quatro - Stumblin' In (1978)

Total Points – 522
Charts – 2
Top 40 – 1
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 26

This one is interesting in that both Suzi Quatro and Chris Norman can be considered OHW, and both have this song to thank for that distinction. Norman was the lead singer of the band Smokie, which saw a decent amount of success in Europe, and did have a top 25 hit here with “Living Next Door to Alice”. Quatro like Norman was more successful in Europe, though she did have several songs that charted outside of the Top 40 (but based on the definitions used for this list she still qualifies). However, this duet climbed the Hot 100 and peaked at #4. You might remember Quatro as Leather Tuscadero on Happy Days.


66. When in Rome – The Promise (1988)

Total Points – 521
Charts – 2
Top 40 – 1
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 25

When in Rome is a Manchester based band that took their name from the proverb as a way of expressing the cultural differences between Manchester and London. The band originally signed a record deal with Elecktra Records, but it was only 1 month before they closed their London offices. So they subsequently signed with Virgin UK’s subsidiary, 10 Records for this album. The Promise is the lead single off the debut album and is the bands’ biggest hit by far. It is often compared to New Order with the dark but catchy sound, the throbbing rhythm, the singalong chorus and the hypnotic melody. The song was singled out by AllMusic online database as a Pick Track. The song, which didn’t do much in the UK, just missed the top 10 in the US, stalling out at #11 late in the year. The band’s follow up barely carted at #95 and from there they quickly faded away. Part of the quick disappearance was probably due to internal conflict, the creative writing team of Farrington and Floreale split in ’90. The animosity between the two sides is still significant. In 2004, when the song was used in the movie Napoleon Dynamite, Floreale made sole claim to the song, despite the trio previously receiving equal royalties. In addition, there are currently 2 versions of this band performing shows and fighting over the legal name of the band.


65. Gary Glitter - Rock and Roll Part 2 (1972)

Total Points – 518
Charts – 2
Top 40 – 1
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 23

There is a video on YouTube of this song, and it appears to be from MTV, but I didn’t want to take a chance on this thread getting locked, so I didn’t link to it – I’ll let you find it if you’re interested. Paul Francis Gadd adopted a stage name that left no doubt what he was looking to be. Gary Glitter was undoubtedly a glam rocker, complete with the glitter suits, make up and platform boots. He was also one of the biggest superstars in UK history. He’s sold over 20 million records, spent 168 weeks on the UK Singles charts and had 21 hits, which makes him one of the UKs top 100 most successful chart acts. In the US only the instrumental portion, or Part 2, of the song gained any traction, peaking at #7. However, the song lives on in stadiums and arenas around the country. Glitter, despite all of his success and the ubiquitous nature of this song is probably best remembered now for his dramatic and spectacular fall from grace. He went from one of UKs most beloved entertainers to a public hate figure, but multiple counts of child sexual abuse will tend to have the effect.


64. Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock – It Takes Two (1988)

Total Points – 516
Charts – 2
Top 40 – 2
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 28

The Harlem duo’s first single was DJ Interview which was used to help them get a major recording contract, and it worked. They signed with Profile Records and this song was the first single off the first album. The song heavily samples the James Brown and Lyn Collins 1972 song “Think (About It)”, which was a hit on the Soul Singles chart. This single uses the ’72 single’s drum breaks, the “Yeah! Woo!” and probably most importantly, Collins singing of “It Takes Two to make a thing go right”. This song and the artists are heavily credited as being leaders in the crossover success of rap music. AllMusic critic, Stephen Erlewine stated, "There are many critics and listeners who claim that Rob Base & DJ EZ Rock's 'It Takes Two' is the greatest hip-hop single ever cut. It's hard to disagree with them."


63. Everything but the Girl – Missing (1996)

Total Points – 515
Charts – 3
Top 40 – 1
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 28

This band is really just a duo, formed in 1982 in Hull. EBTG has had 8 gold and 2 platinum albums in the UK, with 4 top 10 singles and 12 top 40 hits. They have received MTV, EMA and Ivor Novello Awards and they have a BMI award for over 3 million in sales in the UK alone. Prior to the release of this song EBTG was known as an indie band, but this song seemed to evolve them into the sophisti-pop sound of the time. Interestingly, the song was remixed by Todd Terry, taking a slow tempo ballad and turning it into an up-tempo dance/pop song. In fact, it’s Terry’s remixed version that charted here in the US., peaking at #3. If you are curious about the original version the video is on YouTube. The popularity of Terry’s version led the band to experiment with more electronic dance music on subsequent albums.


62. Steam – Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye (1969)

Total Points – 514
Charts – 2
Top 40 – 1
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 23

This is another song that was created, released, and attributed to a band that didn’t exist yet. Paul Leka, who was with Mercury Records in New York, wrote and produced The Lemon Pipers’ including their hit “Green Tambourine”. In 1969, he convinced the label to cut record with Gary DeCarlo singing. The first song they wanted to release was “Workin On A Groovy Thing”, but the Fifth Dimension’s version was released a week earlier. The label then decided to release “Sweet Laura Lee”, but they needed a B side song, and “Kiss Him Goodbye” was chosen. A DJ in Georgia played this song on the radio, and immediately the requests started coming in, so the station listed the song in their high rotation play list, and other stations around the south began to follow suit. This caught the attention of the label, who started promoting the B side release, and eventually the single climbed to the #1 spot on the Hot 100. The band on the cover of the album and the one that toured had nothing to do with the recording. Interestingly, this is the second OHW song that Bananarama did a cover of and released as a single.


61. Baha Men – Who Let the Dogs Out? (2000)

Total Points – 511
Charts – 3
Top 40 – 0
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 1
Highest Ranking – 6

Despite how ubiquitous this song felt in 2000, it was barely a hit, topping out on the Hot 100 at #40, and unlike some of the other songs on this list that weren’t super popular on the Hot 100, but found significant success on one of Billboard’s other charts - this one never really did. Originally, Baha Men, started in the early 80s and were a disco/funk type band that performed on the island, self-releasing several albums and becoming local stars. You can find the original band performing in the old movie My Father the Hero. In 1997, they were signed by Steve Greenberg’s record label, who at that point was known for working with Hanson and The Jonas Brothers. He immediately gave the band a pop makeover and had them opening for Hanson, which of course led the older more serious musicians quit. They were replaced by younger singers, which worked perfectly with Greenberg’s efforts to skew the band towards a younger audience. The result was this novelty song that amazingly won a Grammy for Best Dance Recording, Billboard Music Awards for World Music Artist of the Year and World Music Album of the Year, and not surprisingly Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards for Favorite Song and Band. However, despite the awards, the song finished 3rd in a Rolling Stone poll designed to identify the most annoying song ever. Spinner Magazine ranked it as the worst song ever and Rolling Stone also has it at #8 on their list of the worst songs of the 1990s (even though this song was released in 2000).

[JonInMiddleGA]

re: Suzi Quatro - gotta give the lady some credit, she's STILL knocking out music, releasing 2 albums in the last three years.

Sure, there's certainly some sweetening going on in the studio but if any of us would sound anywhere close to this solid at 69 years old I'll eat my hat.

SUZI QUATRO "No Soul/No Control" (Official Video) - YouTube

[albionmoonlight]

Originally Posted by Breeze

64. Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock – It Takes Two (1988)

Total Points – 516
Charts – 2
Top 40 – 2
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 28

The Harlem duo’s first single was DJ Interview which was used to help them get a major recording contract, and it worked. They signed with Profile Records and this song was the first single off the first album. The song heavily samples the James Brown and Lyn Collins 1972 song “Think (About It)”, which was a hit on the Soul Singles chart. This single uses the ’72 single’s drum breaks, the “Yeah! Woo!” and probably most importantly, Collins singing of “It Takes Two to make a thing go right”. This song and the artists are heavily credited as being leaders in the crossover success of rap music. AllMusic critic, Stephen Erlewine stated, "There are many critics and listeners who claim that Rob Base & DJ EZ Rock's 'It Takes Two' is the greatest hip-hop single ever cut. It's hard to disagree with them."

Front Office Football Central - View Single Post - Dumbest Lyrics of All-Time

[albionmoonlight]

dola: I actually love that song and at one point had memorized all the lyrics.

[hoopsguy]

I had absolutely thought "Joy and Pain" would disqualify Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock from this list. But a quick look on Wikipedia shows that I was incorrect.

[NobodyHere]

Originally Posted by Breeze

86. Vangelis - Chariots of Fire (1982)

Total Points – 552
Charts – 2
Top 40 – 1
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 32

While definitely a OHW, Evángelos Odysséas Papathanassíou, who goes by Vangelis for some strange reason, has an extensive history is music. He started in the 60s with bands Forminx and Aphrodite’s Child. From there he moved to music scores for several documentaries, which brought him to the attention of movie studios. In the early 80s he teamed with Jon Anderson of Yes to release several albums under the name Jon & Vangelis. Then in ’81 he produced this song, and it reached the top of the Billboard chart and earned him an Academy Award for Best Original Score. This song was used as the background music for medal presentations at London Games in 2012. Vangelis has also done music scores for Blade Runner, Missing, Antarctica, The Bounty, 1492, Conquest of Paradise, and Alexander. With over 50 years composing music and more than 50 albums created, Vangelis is considered one of the most influential figures in modern electronic music.

I will always think about Mr. Bean when hearing this song

[Breeze]

60. The Weather Girls – It's Raining Men (1983)

Total Points – 504
Charts – 2
Top 40 – 0
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 1
Highest Ranking – 1

This is the second song to receive a #1 ranking from one of the seeding lists. The Weather Girls were a duo comprised of Martha Wash and Izora Rhodes-Armstead. They formed in 1976 as Two Tons O’Fun, and were backup for disco singer Sylvester. Eventually, they signed their own record deal, and when they recorded this song, written by Paul Shaffer (of the David Letterman Show), Paul Jabara, and Bob Esty, they were launched into mainstream recognition. However, The Weather Girls weren’t the first choice to record the song. The first choice was a recently “born again” Donna Summer, who called it blasphemous and mailed a bible to Paul Jabara in reply. Then the song was offered to Dianna Ross, Cher, and Barbara Streisand. Originally, Two Tons O’Fun also rejected it, sighting its stupid premise. However, after constant harassment by Jabara, they finally relented, and the song was released as a single. Because the intro of the song introduces the singers as “your weather girls”, there was confusion around the name of the band, so they change it. The song was a huge hit on the dance chart, and a moderate hit on the R&B chart, it also made it to #46 on the Hot 100. After the breakup of the original duo, Wash went on to become a legend in the house music scene, with twelve #1 hits on the Dance Chart, earning her the title “The Queen of Clubland”. She is also famous for sparking legislation that required vocal credits on music after being denied credit and royalties on songs she recorded including the smash hit “Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)” where her distinctive voices belts out the sub title portion of the song. This song, which was written by men about it “raining men” is considered a gay anthem, which probably explains the artists that were first approached to sing the song.


59. Tag Team – Whoomp! (There It Is) (1993)

Total Points – 504
Charts – 4
Top 40 – 0
Top 20 – 1
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 14

Tag Team is a duo – Cecil Glenn (DC the Brain Supreme) and Steve Gibson (Steve Rolin), but their background is a bit muddy. Apparently the two met in Colorado in High school, moved around a bit and ultimately ended up in Atlanta together at The Art Institute. From there they officially formed Tag Team, however at some point it is noted that they spent some time in Miami, and that’s important because it suggests they were aware of the band 95 South who recorded “Whoot – There It Is”, which was released 2 months prior to Tag Team’s song. Both singles were on the Hot 100 at the same time, with Whoot topping out at #11, and Whoop making it all the way to #2. According to Tag Team, the title line was one DC noticed strippers say when he was DJing at Magic City in Atlanta, and the song was actually recorded in 1992 and originally used in the club. The response to the song in the club was so strong the duo started looking for a record label to release it. Tag Team tried to replicate the success of this song with Addams Family (Whoop!), and Whoop! (There It Went)…very creative.


58. The Exciters – Tell Him (1962)

Total Points – 501
Charts – 2
Top 40 – 2
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 26

The Exciters started out as an all-girl group, but later one male member was added. This song was written by Bert Berns (aka Bert Russell, and Russell Byrd), he was famous for writing “Twist and Shout”, “Piece of My Heart”, “Here Comes the Night”, “Everybody Needs Somebody to Love”, and a non-OHW song that’s already been mentioned twice in this list “Hang on Sloopy”. Interestingly, Bern’s first ever hit record was “A Little Bit of Soap” by the Jarmels (#175). Originally, this song was Tell Her and it was recorded first in ‘62 by Gil Hamilton aka Johnny Thunder and Ed Townsend did a version in 1962 as well, all before the Exciters took their turn with the single. The Exciters’ version reached #4 on the Hot 100 and #5 on the R&B Chart. It also saw some success overseas. The Exciters had a few other songs that charted but didn’t get into the top 40, one of those songs was “Do-Wah-Diddy”, which they recorded in 1963, only months before Manfred Mann’s smash hit.


57. Starland Vocal Band – Afternoon Delight (1976)

Total Points – 501
Charts – 3
Top 40 – 1
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 34

The group started out as a husband and wife duo, Bill Danoff and Taffy Nivert, who co-wrote “Take Me Home, Country Road” with John Denver. The duo created two albums under the name Fat City and two more as Bill & Taffy. In the mid 70’s the Starland Vocal Band was formed when 2 more artists joined, Jon Carroll and Margot Chapman, and the new band was signed by Denver’s label Windsong Records. This song was a #1 hit and it was nominated for 4 Grammy Awards, winning two: Best Arrangement for Voices and Best New Artist, it didn’t win Best Pop Performance, and Song of the Year. This single was the 12th biggest hit of ’76. The band hosted a variety show in the summer of ’77 and David Letterman was one of the writers and a regular on the show, but it only lasted 6 weeks. In 2010, Billboard rated this the 20th sexist song of all time.


56. Young MC - Bust a Move (1989)
Total Points – 501
Charts – 3
Top 40 – 1
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 30
Marvin Young aka Young MC was enrolled at University of Southern California working on a degree in economics when he met 2 music execs from Delicious Vinyl. He rapped for them over the phone and ended up getting a record contract delivered to his dorm room. Before the release of this song, Young MC collaborated with Tone Loc on “Wild Thing” and “Funky Cold Medina”. Then a few months later this single was released, and it stayed on the Billboard Hot 100 for 39 weeks and it spent 20 of those in the Top 40, peaking at #7. Young MC did have another Top 10 hit on the Rap Chart, along with 2 more singles in the mid 20s, and he managed to get another single inside the dance chart’s top 40, but other than the follow up release, nothing else he’s done has reached the Hot 100. This single did win the Grammy for Best Rap Performance, and it’s been listed in several greatest charts for hip hop songs. In a bit of humor, Young MCs fourth album is entitled Return of the 1 Hit Wonder.


55. Timbuk 3 – The Future's So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades (1986)

Total Points – 499
Charts – 3
Top 40 – 0
Top 20 – 1
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 19

TImbuk 3 was started by the husband and wife team of Pat and Barbara MacDonald. The inspiration for this song, and specifically the title, came from a heartfelt comment by Barbara when she stated, “The future is so bright, we’ll have to wear sunglasses!” She was earnest in her comment because at that time the two had just married, they were starting a family, the first EP was being released, and they were booked solid with gigs. Ironically, this song has often been used as a graduation theme song, as people take the catchy rhythm and harmonica to be an upbeat theme, but Pat MacDonald admitted that’s not actually what the song is about, in fact, it’s quite the opposite. In the song the nuclear scientist has a bright future because of an impending nuclear holocaust. If you’re thinking this is an attempt to reposition the song after the fact, the verse “Well I'm well aware of the world out there, getting blown all to bits, but what do I care?” should remove that notion. The song reached #19 on the Hot 100, and TImbuk 3 can be seen in the 1988 movie D.O.A. as a house band.


54. Deep Blue Something - Breakfast at Tiffany's (1994)

Total Points – 496
Charts – 3
Top 40 – 1
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 40

The album containing this single was originally released on an indie label, Brando Records, but it was re-released a year later by Interscope Records. This single was a smash hit for the band, climbing to #5 on the Hot 100, and topping the charts in the UK. Apparently, the lyrics to the song were actually inspired by a different Audrey Hepburn movie, Roman Holiday, but the songwriter Todd Pipes thought Breakfast at Tiffany’s made for a better title. The band never had another charting single making them a strict definition OHW. However, some of their lack of success could be due to legal problems, there were copywrite issues with this song and another from earlier in their career. This caused the label to postpone the release of the follow up album, and eventually the album was released only in Japan. The band then sued the label, got released from their contract, and signed with Aezra Records, but they didn’t release a US follow up until 2001. The critical reception for this song has been mixed, with some praising the catchiness and memorable melody, while others trash the innocuousness of the song. VH1 and Blender ranked the song #6 on their list of the 50 Most Awesomely Bad Songs Ever.


53. Semisonic – Closing Time (1998)

Total Points – 496
Charts – 3
Top 40 – 1
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 22

This band was formed from the demise of Trip Shakespeare, an indie band that got some big label support. Shakespeare’s music was pretty much universally loved by critics, but they failed to get any traction with the listening pubic, probably because of bad timing. In 1991 the whole grunge movement had taken over radio, and artists like Shakespeare fell through the cracks. It took a few years and other projects before Dan Wilson and John Munson from Shakespeare teamed up with Jacob Slichter to form Semisonic in ’95, and the breakthrough came a few years after that with the release of this song. This is another song that never really charted on the Hot 100, but it was extremely successful on some of the other charts, including getting to #1 on the Modern Rock Chart and the Alternative Chart. Of course the band also had other hits on those charts, so it’s difficult to define them as a OHW…and it would be easy to argue they don’t belong. The song was originally written to give the band something to play at the end of their set, so the closing bar idea was formed. However, part way through the writing, Wilson, who’s girlfriend was pregnant at the time, started to put in ideas about being born. The song actually ends with a quote from the Roman Stoic Seneca “Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end”. Dan Wilson, after the breakup of the band has been extremely successful as a writer. In addition to this song, which earned him a Grammy nomination, he won Grammys for Song of the Year with the Dixie Chicks “Not Ready to Make Nice” in 2007 and Album of the Year, which he won in 2012 as one of the producers of Adele’s 21 (he also co-wrote Adele’s hit “Someone Like You”).


52. Minnie Riperton - Lovin You (1975)

Total Points – 496
Charts – 3
Top 40 – 1
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 39

Riperton is widely remembered for her 5 octave coloratura soprano range, and her use of the whistle register. In fact, she was so good with the high pitch that she was known as the “Queen of the whistle register”. She started out singing backup for Etta James, Fontella Bass, Ramsey Lewis, Bo Diddley, Chuck Berry, and Muddy Waters. She was also the lead singer of the experimental rock/soul group Rotary Connection from ’67 – ’71. Around 1974, Riperton, signed with Epic Records and requested Stevie Wonder produce her album. Wonder, who was at the height of his popularity, loved Riperton’s work, and was eager to do it, but Wonder was under contact to Motown Records. In order to avoid any conflicts, Wonder did the work under the pseudonym "El Toro Negro". This song’s melody was created to distract her baby daughter (who was around 18 months at the time), In fact, in the album version of the song Riperton actually sings her daughter’s name (Maya) at the end. Because this song was viewed as more of a lullaby might explain why it was the 4th single released off the album. Fourth release or not, this song was a huge hit, reaching #1 on the Hot 100, #3 on the R&B Chart, #2 in the UK, and it was the 13th ranked song for all of 1975. Unfortunately, in 1976 Riperton discovered she had breast cancer that had already spread through her lymphatic system. She was only expected to live for 6 months, but she held on for 3 years, and was extremely active with the cancer society. Interesting note, the Maya, mentioned at the end of this song is Maya Rudolph who you may remember from Saturday Night Live, 50 First Dates, Grown Ups, or one of her other 80+ roles in TV and movies.


51. Biz Markie – Just a Friend (1989)

Total Points – 495
Charts – 4
Top 40 – 1
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 26

The Clown Prince of Hip Hop just misses out on the top 50 in the countdown. Biz, who’s real name is Marcel Theo Hall, has done quite a lot in the entertainment industry, but he’s by far best known for this single. He recorded his first album in 1988, and it attracted a good bit of attention, mostly from the single “Make the Music With Your Mouth, Biz”, but it did feature a couple of other underground hits. Then his next album, The Biz Never Sleeps, was released along with this song as the lead single, and it was a smash hit. The song, which was written, produced, and performed by Biz peaked at #9 on the Hot 100. Interestingly, even though this song was ranked at #100 on VH1’s 100 Greatest Hip Hop Songs list, it wasn’t a big hit on the Hip Hop Chart, only managing to reach #37. The song interpolates the 1968 Freddie Scott R&B hit, “(You) Got What I Need”. Scott’s song provides the basic chord and melody that made the song famous. Markie’s 3rd album, I Need A Haircut was at the center of attention when he was sued by Gilbert O’Sullivan for copywrite infringement for the use of his song “Along Again (Naturally)” without explicit consent. A lawsuit that O’Sullivan won, and it changed the landscape for hip-hop music, forcing all samples to be cleared by original artists before being used. In a mischievous response, Biz named his 4th album – All Samples Cleared!.

[Breeze]

All, I hate to do this, but I'm going on vacation tonight, so the top 50 will be on hold until 7/1.

Sorry...

[Edward64]

Have a well deserved break.

[Bobble]

Originally Posted by Breeze

57. Starland Vocal Band – Afternoon Delight (1976)

Total Points – 501
Charts – 3
Top 40 – 1
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 34

The group started out as a husband and wife duo, Bill Danoff and Taffy Nivert, who co-wrote “Take Me Home, Country Road” with John Denver. The duo created two albums under the name Fat City and two more as Bill & Taffy. In the mid 70’s the Starland Vocal Band was formed when 2 more artists joined, Jon Carroll and Margot Chapman, and the new band was signed by Denver’s label Windsong Records. This song was a #1 hit and it was nominated for 4 Grammy Awards, winning two: Best Arrangement for Voices and Best New Artist, it didn’t win Best Pop Performance, and Song of the Year. This single was the 12th biggest hit of ’76. The band hosted a variety show in the summer of ’77 and David Letterman was one of the writers and a regular on the show, but it only lasted 6 weeks. In 2010, Billboard rated this the 20th sexist song of all time. It is well known that the greatest rendition of this song anchors the classic film, Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy.

FTFY.

Enjoy your vacation.

[General Mike]

OMC - How Bizarre

[Warhammer]

I have been known to get “It’s Raining Men” stuck in my head at the most inopportune times....

[QuikSand]

Originally Posted by Breeze

67. Chris Norman & Suzi Quatro - Stumblin' In (1978)

Total Points – 522
Charts – 2
Top 40 – 1
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 26

This one is interesting in that both Suzi Quatro and Chris Norman can be considered OHW, and both have this song to thank for that distinction. Norman was the lead singer of the band Smokie, which saw a decent amount of success in Europe, and did have a top 25 hit here with “Living Next Door to Alice”. Quatro like Norman was more successful in Europe, though she did have several songs that charted outside of the Top 40 (but based on the definitions used for this list she still qualifies). However, this duet climbed the Hot 100 and peaked at #4. You might remember Quatro as Leather Tuscadero on Happy Days.

So, I pulled up this song a while after reading this... I will say, this isn't really my lane for musical tastes, but that song is a bop. AM Gold.

Also, regarding Leather Tuscadero... yes, I do, indeed remember her.

[QuikSand]

Heard Breakfast at Tiffany's at a beach bar the other night. Was a tiny bit like methadone. Need my OHW fix, man.

[Breeze]

50. Carl Douglas – Kung Fu Fighting (1975)

Total Points – 494
Charts – 3
Top 40 – 0
Top 20 – 1
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 12

The Jamaican born Douglas moved to the UK early in his life where he would sing regularly as part of church service. This song, which was produced by an unknown at the time British-Indian musician Biddu. The song was released on the cusp of the chopsocky film craze. It rose up the charts all over the world, hitting number 1 in 12 countries, including the US and the UK. It also finished in the top 10 year end chart in Belgium (8), France (5), Netherlands (9), South Africa (2), and Austria (5). In the US it finished as the 14th biggest song of 1975. In all this hit has sold over 11 million times, making it one of the best-selling singles of all time. Douglas did have the follow up and 2 other minor hits in the UK, here in the States only the follow up charted, and that follow up was “Dance the Kung Fu”. And Douglas wonders why this hit overshadows the rest of his career?


49. Taco – Puttin' On the Ritz (1983)

Total Points – 493
Charts – 3
Top 40 – 1
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 35

Irving Berlin wrote this song in 1927 and published it in 1929. Harry Richman was the first to introduce this song as part of a musical of the same name in 1930. According to The Complete Lyrics of Irving Berlin, this was the first song to be sung by an interracial ensemble. Putting on the Ritz is slang for dressing up and the Ritz in the statement comes from the opulent Ritz Hotel in London. This song was extremely popular in the late 20s and early 30s…at one point every record label had a version. Richman had one done by Fred Astaire and Richman’s Brunswick version was a #1 selling record. Taco’s synth-pop version not only referenced the original Puttin’ On the Ritz tune, it references other Berlin songs like, “There’s No Business Like Show Business”, Alexander’s Ragtime Band” and “White Christmas”. The song was a worldwide hit…it topped out on the Hot 100 at #4. When this song reached its peak, it made Irving Berlin, who was 95 at the time, the oldest songwriter to ever have a composition in the top 10.


48. Lipps Inc. – Funkytown (1980)

Total Points – 493
Charts – 4
Top 40 – 1
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 29

Lipps Inc, was originally lead vocalist Cynthia Johnson and a revolving door of session musicians, which often included David Rivkin. The creator of the act was Steve Greenberg, who wrote and produced most of the “band’s” music. This song was the lead single off their debut album and it reached the #1 spot in 28 different countries. Here in the US it spent 4 weeks in the #1 spot of the Hot 100, finishing 1980 as the 8th biggest hit of the year, behind only “Call Me” Bondie, “Another Brick in the Wall” Pink Floyd, “Magic” Olivia Newton John, “Rock with You” Michael Jackson, “Do That to Me One More Time” Captain & Tennille, “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” Queen, and “Coming Up” Paul McCartney. The idea for the song came because the band was in Minneapolis wanting to move to New York. This song, with the segments of a vocoderized voice is considered a precursor to the now all too common Auto-Tune Sound. Funkytown was ranked the 44th best party song by Time Out Magazine, and the 7th best pop dance song by ThoughtCo.


47. Bruce Channel – Hey! Baby (1961)

Total Points – 491
Charts – 2
Top 40 – 2
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 21

Channel started out performing for the radio program Louisiana Hayride before joining Delbert McClinton to do country music. He wrote this song in 1959 and performed it on tour for 2 years before he recorded it. The song was a #1 hit in the US for 3 weeks and it peaked at #2 in the UK. Channel had a few other marginal hits, but none in the Top 40. The main appeal of this song is arguably the sustained first note with the rhythmic patter in the background, a device that was used successfully in the Four Seasons “Sherry” and again in the Beatles “I Should Have Known Better”. At one point when touring Europe, Channel was backed up by the Beatles (who hadn’t broken out yet). Lennon was apparently a big fan of McClinton’s harmonica playing, in fact, legend has it that he used some of what he was taught in the single “Love Me Do”. Channel was inducted into the Rockabilly Hall of Fame. He also had a revival when DJ Otzi remixed this song in 2001 and it went to number 1 around the world.


46. Twisted Sister – We're Not Gonna Take It (1984)

Total Points – 486
Charts – 2
Top 40 – 1
Top 20 – 1
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 17

The band started out in 1972…they went through numerous line up changes before finally starting to gain some popularity in 1976. Interestingly, the popularity of the band seemed to coincide with a change in their approach. At shows, Dee Snider and Jay Jay French, started chatting with the audience between songs about current topics. This peculiar action continued to grow and the chats kept getting longer to the point where the band had sets that only included 1 song. However, the popularity allowed them to sell out bigger and bigger venues. Including selling 3000 tickets to the Paladium without a record contract or radio play. Getting no traction on signing with a record label, the band went to the UK where the signed with Secret Records, a small label known mostly for punk. This song was released as a single in April of ’84, and two weeks later the album was released. The single reached #21 on the Hot 100 and is ranked by VH1 as the 47th best song of the 80s, and #73 of the greatest hard rock songs. Snider said when he wrote the song he was influenced by the glam rock band Slade and “O Come, All Ye Faithful”.


45. Natalie Imbruglia – Torn (1997)

Total Points – 476
Charts – 2
Top 40 – 1
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 1
Highest Ranking – 3

Torn is the last song in the countdown to only be ranked in 2 of the seeding lists; the rest of the songs were in at least half of the lists used to compile our countdown. Natalie started out here career as an actress in an Australian soap opera Neighbors. Three years after leaving that program she started singing, releasing this single which only reach #42 on the Hot 100 here. It did much better on the Adult Contemporary (#4), Alternative (#12), Triple A (#3), and Mainstream Top 40 (#1) charts. Natalie is the 3rd person to record this song, but hers was by far the biggest hit. This song earned Imbruglia a Grammy nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal. In all, she has received numerous accolades including 8 ARIA Awards, 2 Brit Awards, 1 Billboard Music Award, and 3 Grammy nominations. She also never completely gave up acting, she was in the 2003 movie Johnny English as well as an Australian indie film Closed for Winter.


44. Jeannie C Riley - Harper Valley PTA (1968)

Total Points – 473
Charts – 3
Top 40 – 1
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 1
Highest Ranking – 9

This one is very similar to Lynn Anderson (#150) we had earlier in the countdown. Riley was a big country music artist with 6 top 10s, 2 top 20s, and 7 more top 40 songs, she just happens to have had this one crossover song that was a huge hit. In fact, it reached number 1 on both the country and Hot 100 charts, making Riley the first female country artist to ever achieve that honor, and it would go un-repeated until Dolly Parton did it with “9 to 5” in 1981. This song was written by Tom T Hall after singer Margie Singleton asked him for a song similar to Bobby Gentry’s Grammy-winning hit “Ode to Billie Joe”. The melody here is essentially the same (though Gentry isn’t credited by Hall). The title came about after Hall drove by Harpeth Valley Elementary school in Bellevue, Tennessee. Riley, who was working as a secretary in Nashville for Jerry Chestnut, heard the song, loved it, and recorded it for herself. Plantation Records, who recorded Riley’s version, rushed it to release, because Billie Jo Spears and Margie Singleton had both recorded the song as well. The song jumped from #81 in the Hot 100 the first week to #7 the second week, that was the highest climb into the top 10 for the entire decade. The song inspired a ’78 movie and an ’81 TV series, both staring Barbara Eden.


43. Falco - Rock Me Amadeus (1985)

Total Points – 472
Charts – 3
Top 40 – 1
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 29

There are SOOOO many versions of this song, including multiple languages, finding the right one to link here was impossible. I’m sure the one I’ve linked isn’t the one I remember from my high school days, but I finally gave up. This song was one of many hits for Falco, who sold 20 million albums and 40 million singles in his career, making him the best-selling Austrian singer of all time, despite the fact he died before his 41st birthday in a car accident in the Dominican Republic. In the US, this song reached #1 and the follow up 3 months later “Vienna Calling” made it to 18, but nothing else charted (except Dance Club Chart hits). Falco earned the distinction of being the first German-speaking artist to be credited with a number 1 single on all mainstream US pop singles charts.


42. Dionne Farris – I Know (1995)

Total Points – 469
Charts – 3
Top 40 – 2
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 35

Farris, after bouncing around trying to get a record deal in New York, moved to Atlanta and hooked up with Jermaine Dupri. She started writing for artists like TLC and singing backup for Xscape and El Debarge. She ended up signing a contract with Dupri’s father Michael Mauldin, who also had Arrested Development signed. That group was looking for a female singer to add to the band, Farris wasn’t interested in joining the band, but she did sing on 3 songs off of the “3 Years…” album, including the hit “Tennessee”. She performed with the band on the road as well as on the MTV Awards and The Arsenio Hall Show. However, she left the band after a fight with Speech and Headliner. She then signed a record contract with Randy Jackson (American Idol judge) at Columbia Records and released her debut album and it’s first single – I Know. The song would go on to be a #4 hit on the Hot 100, but a #1 hit for 10 straight weeks on the Mainstream Top 40 chart, and Radio and Records Magazine had the song as the most played contemporary hit song in all of 1995, where it spent 8 months on their chart, 19 in the top 10, and 9 at #1. She was nominated for the Best Female Pop Vocal Grammy award as well.


41. Vicki Sue Robinson - Turn the Beat Around (1976)

Total Points – 468
Charts – 3
Top 40 – 1
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 25

This song was written by brothers Gerald and Peter Jackson when they were looking to get a record contract for their new band Touch of Class. They reached out to a studio engineer friend about using him to cut some demos, he responded that as long as they were finished before his girlfriend arrived it was fine. The girlfriend was Robinson, who arrived while the brothers were finishing up this song. She loved it and told the Jacksons she had to have that song. They demurred because it was part of the package they were going to present to studio execs. The next day when they presented the demo, the studio loved everything…except this song. So the bothers told Robinson she could have it. She had already recorded her own demo. In the studio for the final produced version, Robinson recorded the lead vocal in 1 take after multi-tracking her own choral vocals. The producer for the song, hated it. He said it was recorded after a long period of rain and bad weather, and he said he was in such a bad mood that he couldn’t get into the song, and he hated everything about it. However, when the head of disco promotion at RCA walked in, he went crazy over the song, and urged the producer to get it done ASAP. The song peaked at #10 on the Hot 100 and is considered a disco classic. It’s was redone twice in the 90s, by Laura Branigan in ’90 and Gloria Estefan in ’94.

[QuikSand]

(not killing the messenger) "Amadeus" was indeed a huge song, but I'm not wild about the sources qualifying Falco as a OWH. "Der Kommissar" (German original?) was really big, even in the US, and "Vienna Calling" is at least recall-able.

[chesapeake]

Originally Posted by QuikSand

(not killing the messenger) "Amadeus" was indeed a huge song, but I'm not wild about the sources qualifying Falco as a OWH. "Der Kommissar" (German original?) was really big, even in the US, and "Vienna Calling" is at least recall-able.

Pretty sure After the Fire's version of "Der Kommisar" is the one that charted in the US.

[QuikSand]

Originally Posted by chesapeake

Pretty sure After the Fire's version of "Der Kommisar" is the one that charted in the US.

No doubt it was, but as a child of the perfectly timed generation getting our first exposure to music videos in the early 1980s, I can vouch that the Falco version was very much seared into many Americans' memories during that stretch.

Again, not attacking Breeze, but if I were making a list myself, just based on intuition, I would find Falco ineligible, as a one-plus-kinda-plus-sorta-another hit wonder.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Yeah, not really buying Twisted Sister as a OHW either.

4 other songs charted U.S. rock, but perhaps the best argument against it is their cover of "Leader of the Pack" being certified gold.

[QuikSand]

By the way, Timbuk 3 is a definite OHW. But like many, they have a substantial catalog, some of which is really good.

Their album A Hundred Lovers is very hard to track down (I got help here once to secure a CD) but is worth your time. There's a bit of activism under the hood (I don't think I'd point Jon this way, but it's not hard enough for him regardless) but musically and lyrically, really solid stuff.

A Hundred Lovers (complete album)(Timbuk 3)(kaleidoscopic) - YouTube

Ignore, or enjoy, the weird graphics overlay, up to you. It's just an audio capture with random graphics for the medium.

[Radii]

Originally Posted by QuikSand

No doubt it was, but as a child of the perfectly timed generation getting our first exposure to music videos in the early 1980s, I can vouch that the Falco version was very much seared into many Americans' memories during that stretch.

I'd somehow never heard the Falco version. If you've never seen it, the music video is something else:

Falco - Der Kommissar (Official Video) - YouTube

Just godawful green screen usage, but I cannot stop watching this guy casually dance/run from the cops.

[QuikSand]

I don't need to watch the video to recall how totally campy it was. But I will, anyway.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Radii

I'd somehow never heard the Falco version. .

Wait.

WHAT ?!?!?!

[Radii]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

Wait.

WHAT ?!?!?!

I think you guys are slightly older than me, for this it might make a big difference? Looks like Falco's Der Kommissar came out in 1981 and had a re-release in 1983? I was 4 going on 5 in '81, 6 going on 7 in '83, and at the time most of the music I consumed was listening to my mom's records, not a ton of time in the car for radio listening. I only know the other version of that song from classic rock type stations that play older stuff. I have no memory of hearing that in the car with mom or dad either. I'm sure I did, but don't remember it.

By 1985 when Rock Me Amadeus came out I was 9 and somewhere around there I got my own little record/cassette player and from then on I was more aware of everything I guess?


Fun fact from my youth, especially since QS has been heavily involved in this conversation: Billy Joel's "An Innocent Man" was the first album I ever purchased with my own allowance money.

[cuervo72]

I'm not sure if I was aware of Falco's version at the time, but I definitely heard of it later. (I feel like I can't recall anything from MTV until '82 or even '83; we might not have had cable in '81).

I'm surprised I Wanna Rock didn't chart higher. At the same time, I wouldn't be surprised if more people better recognize Goofy Goober Rock.

[Breeze]

40. Edie Brickell & New Bohemians – What I Am (1988)

Total Points – 467
Charts – 5
Top 40 – 1
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 29

This is the first tong in the countdown to be ranked in 5 of the 6 lists. Originally, Edie Brickell and The New Bohemians were independent artists, but in 1985, she was invited to sing one night with her high school friends. She would later join the band as the full time lead singer. This song is a lead single off of the debut album, and it climbed to #7 on the Hot 100. It didn’t do nearly as well in the UK where it topped out at #31. The follow up album was deliberately different from the more poppy first release in an effort to highlight the band’s eclectic personality, while it definitely accomplished its goal, it also didn’t perform nearly as well. Brickell went on to sing Dylan’s “A Hard Rain’s a-Gonna Fall” in Born on the Fourth of July, as well as Lou Reed’s “Walk on the Wild Side” in the ’90 film Flashback. Brickell, who married Paul Simon in 1992, first saw him while performing on Saturday Night Live. She was performing this song, like she had hundreds of times before, but when she saw him standing by the cameraman, she completely forgot how the song went. I looked for a copy of that video but was unable to locate it.


39. Meredith Brooks - Bitch (1997)

Total Points – 459
Charts – 4
Top 40 – 1
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 35

This song is often misattributed to Alanis Morissette, a misconception that has existed since the song’s release. The similarities exists both musically and lyrically, and it's been commented on by publications including: Allmusic, Billboard, Entertainment Weekly, and the LA Times. Critic Stephen Erlewine even stated Brooks sounded like a Morissette clone. That similarity was intentional, the producer, Geza X was looking for a song with that sound. The plan worked as this song climbed to #2 on the Hot 100 where it stayed for 4 weeks, kept out of the top spot by Puff Daddy and Faith Evans “I’ll Be Missing You”. It also got to #2 in Canada, and was kept out of the top spot there by Hanson’s MMMBob. This song was rated the 79th best song of the 90s by VH1, and Brooks was nominated for the Best Female Rock Vocal Grammy.


38. Blind Melon – No Rain (1993)

Total Points – 458
Charts – 4
Top 40 – 2
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 24

Blind Melon is a band formed in LA consisting of 3 Mississippi transplants, a singer from Lafayette, Indiana, and a Guitarists from Pennsylvania. The band’s name is a reference to Mississippi hippies, and it comes from the Cheech & Chong character Blind Melon Chitlin. Originally, the band signed with Capitol Records and started recording with David Briggs, but the results were abandoned because the band didn’t like the sound quality saying the songs sounded slick and doctored. About this time the band was receiving additional attention due to lead singer Shannon Hoon’s friendship with Axl Rose. Hoon sang backup on several of the Guns N’Roses songs. Eventually the debut album was produced by Rick Parashar, known for doing Pearl Jam’s Ten, and the finished product was mostly recorded live with minimal overdubs. The initial release was the single “Tones of Home” and it performed poorly, but this song was the second release and it did much better. This song's popularity was bolstered by the video being in high rotation on MTV. The album, despite only generating this single hit, achieved quadruple platinum status. This single peaked at #20 on the Hot 100, and #4 on the Mainstream Top 40 chart, it was also #1 on the Album Rock Track, and Modern Rock Tracks charts.


37. Sugarhill Gang – Rapper's Delight (1979)

Total Points – 454
Charts – 3
Top 40 – 0
Top 20 – 1
Top 10 – 1
Highest Ranking – 2

The Sugarhill Gang consisted of Michael "Wonder Mike" Wright, Henry "Big Bank Hank" Jackson, and Guy "Master Gee" O'Brien. The three were assembled into a group by producer Sylvia Robinson, who founded Sugar Hill Records with her husband, record producer Joe Robinson. The group and the record company were named after the Sugar Hill, Harlem, neighborhood. Rapper’s Delight, while not the first single to including rapping, is credited with introducing hip hop music to a wide audience. The song is ranked at #251 in Rolling Stone’s list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. It’s also #2 on VH1’s Greatest Hip-Hop Songs of all time. NPR included this song in their list of the 100 most important American musical works of the 20th century, and the Library of Congress preserved the song in the National Recording Registry. The song interpolates Chic’s “Good Times”, which resulted in a lawsuit for copywrite infringement. The song peaked at #36 on the Hot 100, and #4 on the Soul Singles chart. The band never had another US hit, but they did have multiple hits in Europe.


36. Kajagoogoo – Too Shy (1983)

Total Points – 445
Charts – 4
Top 40 – 1
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 25

The band got its big break when Christopher Hamill, aka Limahl (which is an anagram of his surname), was working as a waiter and Nick Rhodes of Duran Duran sat at his table. Somehow Rhodes agreed to co-produce the band’s first single with EMI producer Colin Thurston (who did the first 2 Duran Duran albums). The first single was this song, which went on to the top of the UK Singles Chart, something Rhodes and Duran Duran hadn’t yet achieved in 1983. The band didn’t handle success very well, by the middle of 1983 Limahl had been fired by the rest of the band, who said he was an egomaniac. While Limahl felt the rest of the band was jealous of him. Kajagoogoo never really had any other success in the US, but in the UK they had 2 additional top 10 singles, and a few other songs that made the top 40. Before Limahl decided to try music he was…an actor. He started on stage as part of the Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat tour. He followed that up with a role on a police series, and he has a spot in Adam and the Ants’ video “Stand and Deliver”. After the breakup of the band Limahl’s solo career included the hit “Never Ending Story”, the theme from the movie. He had one other single that charted at #51, which also arguably makes him a OHW twice over.


35. Cheryl Lynn – Got to Be Real (1978)

Total Points – 441
Charts – 3
Top 40 – 2
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 28

Lynn got her professional start as a backup singer for the stage performance of The Wiz. She would later inherit the roll of the Wicked Witch. Following the completion of the tour, she appeared on The Gong Show, and scored a perfect 30 points for her rendition of Joe Cocker’s “You Are So Beautiful”. Unfortunately, she lost to a juggler in the audience applause tie breaker. However, it didn’t matter, at that point numerous record labels were attempting to sign her. She ultimately signed with Columbia Records, and composed this song with David Paich from Toto and music legend David Foster. The song peaked at #12 on the Hot 100, her only single to make it into the top 40. However, she had numerous hits on the R&B Chart. The song was inducted into the Dance Music Hall of Fame in 2005. Interestingly, in 1978, when Lynn was working with Paich, Toto was also cutting an album, and Lynn sang on the song “Georgy Porgy”.


34. Deee-Lite – Groove Is in the Heart (1990)

Total Points – 440
Charts – 4
Top 40 – 0
Top 20 – 1
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 14

Really more of a Dance Club band than a popular music focused group, Deee-Lite found themselves with a crossover hit in 1991 with this song. The song, which was eventually released on the bands own Sampladelic label, was used by the band in night clubs for a couple of years prior to being recorded and released as a single. The single features Q-Tip from A Tribe Called Quest, the base guitar loop from Herbie Hancock’s “Bring Down The Birds”, and additional vocals from Bootsy Collins, who was a big fan of the band. The hit climbed to #4 on the Hot 100, but like so many other OHWs, Deee-Light was much more successful on other charts, in this case the Dance Club Chart, where they had six #1 hits. In fact, the band was ranked by Billboard as the 55th most successful dance artist of all time, and this song ended up #2 in Slant Magazine’s ranking of the 100 Greatest Dance Songs. The song also was voted by several critics the best song of 1990.


33. New Radicals – You Get What You Give (1999)

Total Points – 440
Charts – 4
Top 40 – 0
Top 20 – 1
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 16

This “band” was really just a vehicle for Gregg Alexander, who wrote and produced all the songs. The only other permanent member was keyboard and percussionist Danielle Brisebois (Brisebois is the former child actress from All in the Family and Archie Bunker’s Place). The song and in fact the entire album is filled with social commentary, but it’s the last lines of this single that drew the most attention…"Fashion shoots with Beck and Hanson / Courtney Love and Marilyn Manson / You're all fakes run to your mansions / Come around we'll kick your ass in." Alexander stated it was a test to see if the media would focus on the political issues or the name dropping, and not surprisingly it was the name dropping. The funniest response to the name dropping was Marilyn Manson who stated, “[I’m] not mad he said he'd kick my ass, I just don't want to be used in the same sentence with Courtney Love.... I'll crack his skull open if I see him." This song has received significantly mixed reviews. Billboard called it a Wham-style pop song with cheesy lyrics, but at the same time The Edge from U2 said this was the song he was “most jealous of”, wishing he had written it. Joni Mitchell praised it for rising above the swamp of McMusic, and Ice-T stated in 2006 that this song was the (non-rap) song that most grabbed his attention in the last few years. The band is a OHW mostly because they had already broken up prior to the release of their second single.


32. 4 Non Blondes – What's Up? (1993)

Total Points – 436
Charts – 6
Top 40 – 0
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 41

You may recall from the preview of the countdown that only 2 songs in this entire countdown were ranked by all 6 of the seeding lists…well…this is the first one. It is very possible that this band was ranked in all 6 because they are a strict definition OHW, so there is really no question about the OHW status. It’s also very interesting to see that a song that was ranked in all 6 lists failed to even make it into the top 30…The 6 lists had the song ranked – 41, 58, 71, 78, 94, and 94. This band was signed to a record contract after opening for Primus at the Gavin (a music trade magazine) Convention in 1991. In 1992, when recording their first album, 2 of the 4 members of the original band were fired and replaced. Also after recording the single with David Tickle, the lead singer, Linda Perry, hated the way it sounded and went to a label executive to allow her to redo the song in a more raw sound like the demo. The executive agreed, and the song was re-recorded like the demo in less than a day. The single was the second off their debut album after “Dear Mr. President” did nothing. What’s up got to #14 on the Hot 100, made it to #2 in Australia and the UK, and made it to #1 in several European countries. Despite the simple phase that is the songs title, it is never uttered in the song. Rather What's Going On is stated numerous times in the chorus. Using What's Up as the title was an effort to avoid confusion with Marvin Gaye's song "What's Going On".



31. Thomas Dolby – She Blinded Me with Science (1982)

Total Points – 433
Charts – 4
Top 40 – 1
Top 20 – 1
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 20

Thomas Dolby’s real name is Thomas Morgan Robertson, but he created the stage name Dolby from a nickname he was given as a youth playing around with recording music. His friends referred to him as Dolby in reference to the audio noise-reduction process created by Dolby Laboratories. Thomas was looking for a stage name to avoid confusion with Tom Robinson who was a popular artist at that time in the UK. After the release of this single Dolby Labs wanted him to change his name, but the label refused and after a lawsuit Dolby Labs was told they had no exclusivity rights to the name Dolby. A point of interest, Ray Dolby, the inventor and founder of Dolby Labs, has a novelist and filmmaker son named…Tom. This song was not part of the initial EP released by Dolby, but it was part of the second release and the catchy tune was a smash hit. Because of the success of the song, the initial album was re-released with this single included. Interestingly, this song was actually created to support the idea of the video, not the other way around. Dolby always viewed music videos as short silent movies with a soundtrack, so he story-boarded “She Blinded Me with Science” then wrote the song to fit the video. The mad scientist voice in the song is Magnus Pyke a famous British TV scientist (think Bill Nye). Dolby founded a sound technology company called Beatnik, which was instrumental in the creation of Nokia tune. He’s currently on faculty at the Peabody Institute at Johns Hopkins University where he leads the music for new media program.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Breeze

... at the Gavin (a music trade magazine) Convention in 1991.

SO much more credible for charts than Billboard ever was.

They were more demanding in the requirements for a station to be included, they actually had {gasp} standards and you could (and some did) lose their reporting status for failing to meet those. (And without reporting status somewhere, you largely cease to exist as far as labels were concerned)

The demise of Gavin was a sad day for quality and credibility in the music press.

[albionmoonlight]

Originally Posted by Breeze

38. Blind Melon – No Rain (1993)

Total Points – 458
Charts – 4
Top 40 – 2
Top 20 – 0
Top 10 – 0
Highest Ranking – 24

The album, despite only generating this single hit, achieved quadruple platinum status.

Now that you mention it, everyone I knew seemed to have that album. That was the peak era for "I like that one song, so I'll just buy the CD" music consumption.

[albionmoonlight]

dola: I remember Rapper's Delight also showing up very well in our FOFC Mount Rushmore of songs that do not ever mention the title in the lyrics.

[Vince, Pt. II]

Originally Posted by albionmoonlight

Now that you mention it, everyone I knew seemed to have that album. That was the peak era for "I like that one song, so I'll just buy the CD" music consumption.

Absolutely. Can't count the number of CDs I was super disappointed in but for one song on the album from the mid-90's.

[Butter]

Originally Posted by albionmoonlight

Front Office Football Central - View Single Post - Dumbest Lyrics of All-Time

I'll be that guy and point out that your quote is from Young MC's "Bust a Move" and not "It Takes Two".

[albionmoonlight]

Originally Posted by Butter

I'll be that guy and point out that your quote is from Young MC's "Bust a Move" and not "It Takes Two".

Wow. You are right. Totally melded in my head

[Butter]

Originally Posted by Radii

I'd somehow never heard the Falco version. If you've never seen it, the music video is something else:

Falco - Der Kommissar (Official Video) - YouTube

Just godawful green screen usage, but I cannot stop watching this guy casually dance/run from the cops.

Originally Posted by QuikSand

I don't need to watch the video to recall how totally campy it was. But I will, anyway.

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

Wait.

WHAT ?!?!?!

Nice to know that my post #37 in this thread was summarily ignored.

I'm peeved, PEEVED.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Butter

Nice to know that my post #37 in this thread was summarily ignored.

I'm peeved, PEEVED.

That was nearly a month ago.

Don't confuse ignored with merely forgotten

[Butter]

Originally Posted by Breeze

38. Blind Melon – No Rain (1993)

The initial release was the single “Tones of Home” and it performed poorly, but this song was the second release and it did much better.

I HATED and still hate "No Rain", but "Tones of Home" is outstanding.