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06-05-2019, 12:07 PM
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#51 | ||
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Coordinator
Join Date: Nov 2003
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Yeah, I’m trying to figure out how you could like Our House but not the rest of Madness’ stuff. I could understand somebody not liking their style at all, but that’s a bit of a surprising take to me.
And as noted they are a massive, massive band in other countries. |
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06-05-2019, 12:31 PM
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#52 | |
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lolzcat
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Annapolis, Md
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Huge fan here.
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Steve Earle always suffered from being hard to categorize. Is he country? Rock? Rockabilly? Not a perfect fit either way, and never really big enough to transcend labels like a Johnny Cash. Excellent songwriter, very authentic performer, and it's a shame that his long career is arguably reduced to one minor "hit." Not contesting that he's a fit, but rather I'm commending you track him down and give him some of your time if that genre sounds at all attractive to you. |
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06-05-2019, 03:46 PM
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#53 | |
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Head Coach
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: North Carolina
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I've never listened, so I'll take your word for it. |
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06-06-2019, 06:58 AM
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#54 |
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Grizzled Veteran
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: Northern Suburbs of ATL
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200. Hugo Montenegro - The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly (1968)
Total Points – 611 Charts – 1 Top 40 – 0 Top 20 – 0 Top 10 – 0 Highest Ranking – 51 The theme from the 1966 movie became a hit in 1968 when Hugo Montenegro rerecorded it with his orchestra. Montenegro began scoring films in the 60s and after hearing Morricone’s version, he decided to do a cover version. According to all accounts the recording took less than 1 day to complete. The single became a #2 hit on the Billboard charts kept out of the #1 spot by another movie theme song – Mrs. Robinson. 199. The Casinos – Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye (1967) Total Points – 611 Charts – 1 Top 40 – 0 Top 20 – 0 Top 10 – 0 Highest Ranking – 51 This song was originally recorded by Don Cherry as a country song in 1962. The Casinos, a nine member doo-wop group, were the second to record this song and they took it to #6, well after the doo-wop era. It’s since been done by Eddy Arnold who made it a #1 country hit in 1968, and Neal McCoy who got it to #5 on the country charts in ’96. 198. Primitive Radio Gods – Standing Outside a Broken Phone Booth with Money in My Hand (1996) Total Points – 611 Charts – 2 Top 40 – 0 Top 20 – 0 Top 10 – 0 Highest Ranking – 68 The song with the ridiculously long title is the sole hit from the Primitive Radio Gods, but this song got to #1 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart and to #10 in the Hot 100 Airplay chart. Of course it’s difficult to consider this band a OHW when it’s BB King’s wailing line “I’ve been down hearted baby” that is the hook, and he’s definitely not a OHW. Brilliantly, the follow up single for this band was entitled Motherfucker, and for some reason it didn’t get a lot of promotional effort. 197. Shawn Mullins - Lullaby (1998) Total Points – 610 Charts – 1 Top 40 – 0 Top 20 – 0 Top 10 – 0 Highest Ranking – 50 We’ve reached the first song in the countdown to have gotten inside the top 50 of at least 1 of the 6 charts. Mullins is a strict definition OHW with this song reaching #7, but nothing else getting into the top 100. However, this song has appeared on 32 different releases including numerous compilation albums. Mullins also received a Grammy nomination for this song. 196. Love and Rockets – So Alive (1989) Total Points – 609 Charts – 1 Top 40 – 0 Top 20 – 0 Top 10 – 0 Highest Ranking – 49 Love and Rockets is an English alt rock band formed in 1985 from the remains of Bauhaus following that group's split in 1983. This band has quite a few Alternative and Modern Rock hits, but So Alive, which was a T. Rex inspired song is their only real Top 100 hit. Their only other song to reach that chart topped out a #82. So Alive was the second release from their fourth album, but it was a huge hit peaking at #3 on the U.S. Charts. The band embarked on a worldwide tour for this album, but instead of recording a follow up single when the tour ended, both the songwriters decided to focus on their solo careers. They didn’t reunite to record as Love and Rockets again until 1994, which might explain why they are a OHW. 195. T’Pau – Heart and Soul (1987) Total Points – 608 Charts – 2 Top 40 – 0 Top 20 – 0 Top 10 – 0 Highest Ranking – 68 A strict definition OHW. This was the very first release from the bands debut album and it manage to peak at #4 on our charts. They went on to have a string of hits in the U.K. but they never charted in our Hot 100 again. The production of the song with the overdubs makes it impossible to perform live without additional backup singers, but T’Pau typically just does a basic version in concert leaving out the overdub affects. Initially, this song wasn’t a hit in the U.K., it entered the bottom of the chart and immediately fell out. However, after it’s heavy airplay and charting success here, it was re-released and it became a hit ultimately equaling the #4 ranking it got in the U.S. 194. Shawn Colvin – Sunny Came Home (1997) Total Points – 607 Charts – 1 Top 40 – 0 Top 20 – 0 Top 10 – 0 Highest Ranking – 47 Colvin, who basically got her start singing backup vocals for Suzanne Vega on Luka (and touring with her), released her first album in 1989. It wasn’t until her concept album in 1996 that she was able to chart a single in the Hot 100. Sunny Came Home is about a woman who burns down her house to escape her past, the contrast between the warm melodic music and the lyrical content is striking. Colvin, who has numerous hits on the Adult Contemporary charts, is kept from being a strict definition OHW by a duet she performed with Bruce Hornsby and the Range. Lost Soul, which only managed to get to #84, is the only other song she’s featured on that charted at all in the Hot 100. 193. Joey Scarbury - Believe It Or Not (Theme From Greatest American Hero) (1981) Total Points – 607 Charts – 1 Top 40 – 0 Top 20 – 0 Top 10 – 0 Highest Ranking – 47 Here we are at JiMGA’s example earlier in the thread. Scarbury’s career started as a backup singer for many country artists including Loretta Lynn. He would occasionally record his own material, and one of those recordings, Mixed up Guy made it to #73 back in 1971, 10 years before his one major hit. In 1981, The Greatest American Hero TV show started, and the theme’s catchy tune prompted Elektra Records to not only release the song as a single, but to create an Album titled America’s Greatest Hero. The single got to #2 and the follow up managed to get to #49, but that was the last of Scarbury on the charts as a singer/performer. 192. The Ides of March - Vehicle (1970) Total Points – 607 Charts – 1 Top 40 – 0 Top 20 – 0 Top 10 – 0 Highest Ranking – 47 This band first charted in 1966 with their debut album. 2 songs from that release made the Hot 100, but the highest charter was You Wouldn’t Listen which peaked at #42. Those singles helped the band get a contract with Warner Bros., and in 1970 this song was released, and it made it all the way to #2. The band toured in support of the Vehicle album supporting acts like Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, and Led Zeppelin. In all, the band has 5 songs that reached the Hot 100, but only Vehicle got inside the top 40. 191. Eiffel 65 – Blue (Da Ba Dee) (1999) Total Points – 607 Charts – 2 Top 40 – 0 Top 20 – 0 Top 10 – 0 Highest Ranking – 73 Another Italian Eurodance band that is not surprisingly a strict definition OHW. This song reached #1 in many countries, including the U.K, where it originally entered their Top 40 purely on import sales...this is only the third song in history to do that. In the U.S. the song peaked at #6. Over the course of their career, Eiffel 65 won a World Music Award in 2000 for the Best Selling Italian Group, and they got nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording. It also drew the ire of Rolling Stone Magazine which stated “[This song] blends Cher-esque vocoder vocals, trance-like synth riffs, unabashed Eurodisco beats and a baby-babble chorus so infantile it makes the Teletubbies sound like Shakespeare." It also placed the song in their list of the 20 most annoying songs; number 14 if you are curious. Last edited by Breeze : 06-06-2019 at 05:37 PM. |
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06-06-2019, 07:44 AM
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#55 | ||
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College Prospect
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: High and outside
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Quote:
Cha pow pow! Quote:
I LOVE me some OHW and this is an awesome thread. I cannot believe I have never heard this song! I'm not a country guy or anything but I can't believe this song has missed me all these years. For Pete's sake, I remember "Shaddup You Face" and tons of whacky crap from Dr. Demento. |
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06-06-2019, 08:03 AM
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#56 | |
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Grizzled Veteran
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: Northern Suburbs of ATL
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Quote:
If you like this song by Steve Earle I'd suggest you look him up. I have a couple of his songs that get played regularly on one of my Pandora stations. NYC & Another Town, check'em out. |
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06-06-2019, 09:51 AM
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#57 | |
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lolzcat
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Herndon, VA
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That's a strange one. T'Pau had a single that was one of the best selling singles of the '80s in the UK but it wasnt this one, it was one of the followups. "China in your Hand" was also released in 1987, looking at the Wiki discography it's a hit all over Europe (and Canada) but didnt make the charts at all in the US. Wonder how they missed completely after having their US "breakthrough" hit earlier the same year. |
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06-06-2019, 03:00 PM
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#58 |
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Grizzled Veteran
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: Northern Suburbs of ATL
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190. Joan Osborne – One of Us (1996)
Total Points – 607 Charts – 3 Top 40 – 0 Top 20 – 0 Top 10 – 0 Highest Ranking – 89 This is the first song in the countdown to be ranked in half of the charts, which is a pretty big distinction when you consider the fact that 74% of these songs were ranked in only 1 or 2 lists. In fact, this song being ranked in 3 lists but still being this low probably indicates I should have been more punitive to songs that didn’t appear as often. This song was written by Eric Basilian of the Hooters, and if you are familiar with their songs and the lyrics of this one then you are probably saying to yourself “That makes since.” Joan, took the song to #4, but that’s all she’s every gotten in the Hot 100, making her a strict definition OHW. She did receive 3 Grammy nominations for this song, and she was much more successful in the Triple A format. 189. Patrick Hernandez - Born to Be Alive (1979) Total Points – 606 Charts – 1 Top 40 – 0 Top 20 – 0 Top 10 – 0 Highest Ranking – 46 This French artist, released his disco single Born to Be Alive and it was an immediate success in Europe. It was a #1 hit in France from April until July. Before being released in the U.S. is was remixed, but once it was released it reached #1 on the Hot Dance Club chart and it crossed over to the Top 100 peaking at #16. To give you an idea how big this song was, in his home country of France, as of 2010, this song is still the 21st best selling single ever. 188. David Essex – Rock On (1973) Total Points – 606 Charts – 1 Top 40 – 0 Top 20 – 0 Top 10 – 0 Highest Ranking – 46 Essex was a British Singer and Actor, who had 19 top 40 hits in the U.K. 1973 was a huge year for Essex, as he starred in his first film “That’ll Be the Day” and recorded this this song which turned out to be an international hit. This Grammy nominated single peaked at #5 in the U.S. Interestingly, this song was remade in 1981 by another Singer/Actor Michael Damian, and his version was rated as the 99th best OHW of the 80s (however, he wouldn’t qualify as a OHW under the rules applied for this lists). 187. Ocean - Put Your Hand in the Hand (1971) Total Points – 606 Charts – 1 Top 40 – 0 Top 20 – 0 Top 10 – 0 Highest Ranking – 46 The Canadian Gospel Rock band Ocean released this song in 1971 and it climbed all the way to #2 on the U.S. charts where it was kept from the #1 spot by Three Dog Night’s Joy to the World. This song was the 22nd best selling song of 1971, and this single was inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2006. The band had 3 other marginal hits in the Hot 100, but they disbanded in 1975 after just 2 albums. 186. Mountain - Mississipi Queen (1970) Total Points – 606 Charts – 1 Top 40 – 0 Top 20 – 0 Top 10 – 0 Highest Ranking – 46 Of course, in a OHW countdown, where else would you expect to find a band called Mountain but immediately following one called Ocean. This tune, which remains in rotation on Classic Rock stations everywhere, only peaked at #21 on the Billboard Hot 100. Prior to joining the band drummer Corky Lang had written lyrics as well as the drum parts for this song. Later guitarist Leslie West was looking for lyrics to a guitar part he had written, the two collaborated and this song was born. The song producer insisted on the band doing numerous takes, the cowbell you hear at the beginning was the guitarist's way of counting them off…ultimately the producer liked it, so he left it in. 185. Sniff 'n' the Tears – Driver's Seat (1979) Total Points – 606 Charts – 2 Top 40 – 0 Top 20 – 0 Top 10 – 0 Highest Ranking – 66 The British band released Driver’s Seat and it was a hit in many countries, including reaching #15 here. Ironically, it was not a hit in the U.K, but that was mostly due to unfortunate timing. EMI had a malfunction at the pressing plant, so the single was not available until well after the band’s appearance on Top of the Pops, limiting its success to a spot just outside of the top 40. This band is also a strict definition OHW, but it’s not surprising when you learn that the band split up almost immediately after the album was released. 184. Crash Test Dummies - Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm (1993) Total Points – 606 Charts – 3 Top 40 – 0 Top 20 – 0 Top 10 – 0 Highest Ranking – 78 I don’t how close you’ve been paying attention to the Total Points, but this is the 6th straight song with 606 points. This one gets this score even though it appeared in 3 different lists. This band is instantly identifiable by Brad Robert’s bass-baritone voice. This single was the first from the God Shuffled His Feet album, and it received mostly negative reviews, but it was a very successful song worldwide, including reaching #1 in 7 countries. This song, despite its success continues to get panned by critics. Rolling Stone lists it as the 15th Most Annoying Song and VH1 has it as the 15th Most Awesomely Bad Songs Ever. VH1 also had it listed as the 31st best OHW song of the 90s. 183. Rocky Burnette - Tired of Toein’ the Line (1980) Total Points – 605 Charts – 1 Top 40 – 0 Top 20 – 0 Top 10 – 0 Highest Ranking – 45 Rocky Burnette is the son of Rock and Roller Johnny Burnette who had 4 top 20 hits of his own in the early 60s. Rocky co-wrote this song with Ron Coleman, who was the bass player for the Brothers Grim and The Everly Brothers. If you listen to the song after knowing the writers’ backgrounds the influence of late 50s early 60s rock becomes more obvious. Toein’ the Line peaked at #8 on the U.S. Charts, which interestingly, tied his dad’s highest ranking song, You’re Sixteen. However, unlike his father, Rocky is a strict definition OHW, but believe it or not, he’s due to release a new album in 2019…so…who knows. 182. Thunderclap Newman – Something in the Air (1969) Total Points – 605 Charts – 1 Top 40 – 0 Top 20 – 0 Top 10 – 0 Highest Ranking – 45 Thunderclap Newman was a band created by Pete Townsend. After Speedy Keen wrote “Armenia City in the Sky, which was used on the The Who Sell Out album, Townsend decided he needed to create a way for Keen to display his talent. Jazz pianist Andy “Thunderclap” Newman (Townsend’s friend from college) was added, along with a 15 year old guitarist Jimmy McCulloch (who went on to play lead guitar in Paul McCartney’s Wings). The bass player on the album Bijou Drains is actually Townsend. This song reached #1 in the UK just 3 weeks after its release, and it held off Elvis in the process. In the U.S. the song peaked at #37. 181. King Missile - Detachable Penis (1992) Total Points – 604 Charts – 1 Top 40 – 0 Top 20 – 0 Top 10 – 0 Highest Ranking – 44 This whole thing started when John S Hall the writer started presenting his work at open mic poetry readings. He quickly became a “featured” poet, but when he was expected to do a 20 minute set he felt it would be boring to just listen to poetry for that long, so he asked his friend to play some original guitar music, a bassist and drummer and xylophonist were added and King Missile was born. Now, defining this as a hit is a bit of a reach, as it only managed to get to #25 on the Alternative Charts. The ironic thing is, while this song was by far their biggest hit the singer believes it was also the end of their popularity. He felt after this song their airplay disappeared for future efforts and that the success of Detachable led to people getting tired of their sound. Last edited by Breeze : 06-06-2019 at 05:36 PM. |
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06-06-2019, 04:22 PM
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#59 | |
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Head Coach
Join Date: Sep 2004
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Quote:
This takes me back to the late '90s/early '00s, when it was one of the most popular songs among my IRC group. Even now, it's an irresistible earworm, much to my annoyance.
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2006 Golden Scribe Nominee 2006 Golden Scribe Winner Best Non-Sport Dynasty: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) Rookie Writer of the Year Dynasty of the Year: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) |
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06-06-2019, 06:27 PM
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#60 | |
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Behind Enemy Lines in Athens, GA
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A little Googling probably tells the tale. The U.S. hit came after the song was featured in a commercial. Absent that, no real traction in the U.S. And the follow-up album didn't produce a significant hit even in the U.K. (only one that even made the Top 20)
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"I lit another cigarette. Unless I specifically inform you to the contrary, I am always lighting another cigarette." - from a novel by Martin Amis |
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06-06-2019, 09:02 PM
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#61 |
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lolzcat
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Annapolis, Md
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I (and my 6yo son now) have streamed that Primitive Radio Gods at least 25 times in the last six weeks. I somehow got on a loop with a few older songs (including, now that I think of it, OHW contenders "Lazy Eye," "Sometime Around Midnight," and "Sweet Disposition") and YouTube just keep puling them up for me when left to its own devices, which is at least one day a week for me.
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06-06-2019, 09:19 PM
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#62 |
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Head Coach
Join Date: Dec 2009
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why isn't this a dynasty?
totally fits |
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06-07-2019, 05:38 AM
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#63 |
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Head Coach
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: North Carolina
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Embarrassing admission here. Without ever really thinking about it, I had always just subconsciously assumed that Mississippi Queen was a CCR song.
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06-07-2019, 06:24 AM
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#64 | |
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Coordinator
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: Dayton, OH
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Quote:
Any idea what commercial?
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My listening habits |
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06-07-2019, 10:23 AM
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#65 |
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Grizzled Veteran
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: Northern Suburbs of ATL
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180. Jane Child - Don't Wanna Fall In Love (1990)
Total Points – 604 Charts – 2 Top 40 – 0 Top 20 – 0 Top 10 – 0 Highest Ranking – 66 Jane Hyslop is the artist's real name and you can obviously see why she chose not to use that one. She may be remembered as much for her hairdo and nose/ear chain as her singing. This song was the second single from her debut album, and it climbed to #2 on the charts and was there for 3 weeks, It was kept out of the number 1 spot by Tommy Page’s “I’ll Be Your Everything”, and Sinead O’Connor’s “Nothing Compares 2 U”. This song was remixed by Teddy Riley and that version made it to #6 on the R&B chart. 179. The Ad Libs - The Boy From New York City (1964) Total Points – 603 Charts – 1 Top 40 – 0 Top 20 – 0 Top 10 – 0 Highest Ranking – 43 Under these rules, The Ad Libs are as close to a strict definition OHW as they can be without actually qualifying. This song peaked a #8, the only other song they have that carted was He Ain’t No Angel, and it stopped at #100. The Manhattan Transfer remade this song in 1981 and they did The Ad Libs one better getting to #7 on the Hot 100 with their version. 178. Sixpence None The Richer - Kiss Me (1999) Total Points – 602 Charts – 1 Top 40 – 0 Top 20 – 0 Top 10 – 0 Highest Ranking – 42 The Christian alternative band from Texas took there name from the book “Mere Christianity” by C.S. Lewis. This song, which was a worldwide success peaked at #2 here, but it also spent 16 weeks in the Top 10 and 35 weeks on the chart. By the end of 1999, Billboard ranked the song the 6th best selling single of the year, ahead of several songs that reached #1. This song was used in the TV show Dawson’s Creek (in fact it was featured on the TV Soundtrack), it was the main theme song of the movie She’s All That. It was also used on the movie How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days. Sixpense's version of The La’s “There She Goes” (#265 on this list) made it to #32, exactly 6 months after this hit – a little larger gap and they wouldn't have qualify under these rules to be in the countdown. 177. Jean Knight - Mr. Big Stuff (1971) Total Points – 601 Charts – 1 Top 40 – 0 Top 20 – 0 Top 10 – 0 Highest Ranking – 41 Originally, when this song was recorded at Malaco Studio’s in Mississippi it was shopped around but no labels showed any interest. That is until King Floyd’s “Groove Me” from the same studio reached #1 on the R&B charts. Then Stax Records remembered Knight’s tune and released it. The song proved to be an instant smash reaching #2 on the Hot 100 and #1 on the R&B chart. She received a Grammy nomination for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance (losing to Aretha Franklin). Her follow up song got to #57. About a year later (and 1 additional album) disagreements with the record company led to a contract termination, and it would take 14 years before she charted anything in the Hot 100 again. This time it was a remake of Rockin’ Sidney’s zydeco novelty tune “My Toot Toot”. That single got to #50. 176. Phantom Planet - California (2001) Total Points – 600 Charts – 1 Top 40 – 1 Top 20 – 0 Top 10 – 0 Highest Ranking – 40 This is another single that benefited by being associated with a TV Show/Movie. It was the theme song for The O. C. It’s also a song that is difficult to define as a hit. It only made it to #35 on Alternative Charts (and wasn’t even the bands highest ranked song on that chart). In fact, I believe it is listed here because is was memorable due to its role with the TV Show. It’s made a few other appearances on the small screen…It was in the show Fastlane, as well as an episode of The Simpsons. The song was a top 10 hit in Austria, Italy, UK, and Ireland. 175. The Jarmels - A Little Bit of Soap (1961) Total Points – 599 Charts – 1 Top 40 – 1 Top 20 – 0 Top 10 – 0 Highest Ranking – 39 This band, from Richmond, Virginia all went to high school or church together. Their big break came when they met Ben E King at a local venue and he took them to New York to meet with various record companies. The group, which was originally known as The Cherokees, had their named changed by the record company to The Jarmels after a street in Harlem. While this song has been covered numerous times, no one else has come close to the Jarmels’ success with it. Unfortunately for the band, Soap, which reached #12 on the Hot 100, ended up being the bands only hit. In fact, their next 4 singles all failed to chart at all, making these guys a strict definition OHW. 174. Mary Jane Girls – In My House (1985) Total Points – 599 Charts – 2 Top 40 – 0 Top 20 – 0 Top 10 – 0 Highest Ranking – 65 The Mary Jane Girls were protegees of Rick James, and this song was written and arranged by James. It was the lead single off their second album, and it was a big hit on the Dance, R&B, and Hot 100 charts (peaked at #7). In 1984, after the formation of the Parents Music Resource Center, this song was labeled one of the Filthy Fifteen, due to alleged sexual innuendo. The group argues the song is about love not sex…(wait, what? Didn’t Rick James write it?). Actually, their second release was much more risqué, but it didn’t receive the same level of scrutiny. This band did pretty good on the R&B and Dance charts, and on the Hot 100 they had 2 other songs that knocked on the door of the top 40, with one stopping at #41 and the other at #42. 173. Sneaker- More Than Just the Two of Us (1981) Total Points – 598 Charts – 1 Top 40 – 1 Top 20 – 0 Top 10 – 0 Highest Ranking – 38 This is another debatable “hit”. It did make the hot 100, peaking at #34. It also got to #17 on the Adult Contemporary Chart, and #25 on the Mainstream Rock Chart, meaning...it wasn’t a smash on any of Billboard’s rankings. Moreover, it appears to have had no impact internationally. In fact, this song doesn’t even have a Wikipedia page. The album of the same name does, but not the single. With all the great songs that were listed before we started the countdown, I find it very interesting that a band/song with such a marginal amount of initial success, and little to no notability has a song ranked on even 1 of the 6 lists used, much less ranked as high as 38… 172. Matthew Wilder – Break My Stride (1983) Total Points – 598 Charts – 2 Top 40 – 0 Top 20 – 0 Top 10 – 0 Highest Ranking – 55 Another debut album lead single that goes on to become a OHW. This song peaked at #5, and the follow up 3 months later got to #33, but the best he could do after that was a single that topped out at #52. This song has been redone numerous times, and each time it has performed well in various charts. While Wilder’s performing career fizzled his musical career didn’t. He was extremely successful as a writer and producer including working with No Doubt, 702, Christina Aguilera, Kelly Clarkson, Miley Cirus, The Belle Brigade, King Charles, and Joanna Pacitti. Also, in the Disney movie Mulan, Wilder was the singing voice of Ling, and he won an Annie Award for his performance. He also received an Academy Award nomination for Original Music Score for his work on that film. 171. Tom Tom Club – Genius of Love (1981) Total Points – 598 Charts – 2 Top 40 – 0 Top 20 – 0 Top 10 – 0 Highest Ranking – 52 This band was originally a side project from the Talking Heads for husband and wife team Tina Weymouth and Chris Frantz. The band takes its name from the dancehall in the Bahamas where they rehearsed for the first time. Before this song was ever released in the U.S. 100,000 copies had been sold as imports from Island Record’s UK. This song was a commercial success, so much so that it outperformed all the previously released Talking Heads songs. As far as the Hot 100 goes, it topped out at #31, but it did reach #1 on the Hot Dance, #1 on the Disco Top 80, and #2 on the R&B charts. This song has been sampled and reworked so often listing it here is pointless, if you are interested you can look it up. Last edited by Breeze : 06-10-2019 at 08:18 AM. |
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06-07-2019, 10:33 AM
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#66 |
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Coordinator
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: Dayton, OH
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Still surprised we're hitting songs I've never heard of. Sneaker and The Jarmels. Welp
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My listening habits |
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06-07-2019, 02:36 PM
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#67 | |
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Head Coach
Join Date: Sep 2004
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Quote:
One of my favorite OHW songs. Used to listen to lead singer Leigh Nash's collabs with Delerium quite a bit too.
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2006 Golden Scribe Nominee 2006 Golden Scribe Winner Best Non-Sport Dynasty: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) Rookie Writer of the Year Dynasty of the Year: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) |
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06-07-2019, 02:50 PM
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#68 | |
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Grizzled Veteran
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: Northern Suburbs of ATL
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Quote:
Oooh...didn't know about that. Going to have to look that up. |
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06-10-2019, 07:09 AM
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#69 |
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Grizzled Veteran
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: Northern Suburbs of ATL
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170. Stories - Brother Louie (1973)
Total Points – 597 Charts – 1 Top 40 – 1 Top 20 – 0 Top 10 – 0 Highest Ranking – 37 This song was originally recorded in 1973 by the British group Hot Chocolate and it hit #7 on the UK Singles Chart. Stories covered the song 6 months later and released it in the U.S. It reached the top spot, stayed on the charts for 18 weeks and sold over a million copies. However, despite the song’s success, there was a problem…this song was not typical of the type of music the band wanted to play, and the lead singer did one more album with the band before leaving. The band had a couple other songs that just missed the top 40. 169. Digable Planets - Rebirth of Slick (1992) Total Points – 597 Charts – 2 Top 40 – 0 Top 20 – 0 Top 10 – 0 Highest Ranking – 74 Digable Planets is a Grammy Award Winning jazz rap trio that formed in Brooklyn. This song was a big hit for the band crossing over from the Rap and R&B charts to the Hot 100 where is maxed out at #15. With their follow up album the band took a darker, edgier, more political tone. While many critics loved it, it didn’t perform nearly as well as the first album, and the band split up afterwards citing creative differences. All 3 members have remained active in the music industry joining/creating new bands, collaborating with other artists and touring. 168. Faith No More - Epic (1990) Total Points – 597 Charts – 2 Top 40 – 0 Top 20 – 0 Top 10 – 0 Highest Ranking – 67 Rap Metal, Funk Metal, Alt Metal, it’s been described as a bunch of things, but ultimately, no matter how you want to label it, it was a hit. Despite it’s hard edged sound the song climbed all the way to #9 on the Billboard Hot 100, and the song was nominated for a Grammy for Best Hard Rock Performance. The song was also a hit with the critics, ranking at #30 of VH1’s 40 greatest metal songs in 2009, and it was also named the 54th best hard rock song ever by VH1 later that same year. The public has been taken by this song as well, the largest music poll in the world, Triple J, has this song listed at #46 of the Hottest 100 of All Time. 167. Shocking Blue – Venus (1970) Total Points – 597 Charts – 3 Top 40 – 0 Top 20 – 0 Top 10 – 0 Highest Ranking – 75 During the 60s and 70s the band had numerous psychedelic rock hits, but nothing close to the popularity of Venus. Late in 1969 this single was released and on February 7th it hit #1. The song hit #1 in 9 different countries and worldwide it sold over 7.5 million copies. Bananrama remade the song in 1986, making it more of a dance number. Originally, the label resisted that change, but the band eventually got their way and the reworked single also reached #1 (in case you are wondering, it was #1 in 7 countries). 166. Steve Forbert - Romeo's Tune (1979) Total Points – 596 Charts – 1 Top 40 – 1 Top 20 – 0 Top 10 – 0 Highest Ranking – 36 Forbert has been an extremely prolific artist having released 19 studio and 3 live albums. When he arrived on the scene in 1978 he was called the new Dylan. His second album Jackrabbit Slim, which contained this single, was recorded completely live at Quadrophonic Studio in Nashville. The album peaked at #54 on the UK charts and at No 20 on Billboard, while the single went to #11. Even though Forbert never enjoyed much commercial success he has continued to received praise from critics including this comment following the release of his 16th album, “Like Warren Zevon, Gram Parsons, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, and Bruce Springsteen, Steve Forbert has left his unmistakable imprint on the landscape of American music.” 165. The New Vaudeville Band - Winchester Cathedral (1966) Total Points – 596 Charts – 1 Top 40 – 1 Top 20 – 0 Top 10 – 0 Highest Ranking – 36 The whole point of this British band was to record this one song. That’s right, the songwriter Geoff Stephens created the band to compose a novelty tune. Given that background it’s a bit shocking to know that they aren’t s strict definition OHW. Stephens was actually shocked when this song became a transatlantic hit. The song, which peaked at #4 in the U.K., got to the top in the U.S., but it had a very interesting time at the top of the charts. To take the number 1 spot it displaced The Supremes “You Keep Me Hangin’ On”. After 1 week, it lost the #1 spot to The Beach Boys’ “Good Vibrations” only to rebound the following week to retake the #1 slot. After two more weeks on top it was replaced for good by The Monkees’ “I’m A Believer”. 164. The Monotones – The Book of Love (1958) Total Points – 596 Charts – 1 Top 40 – 1 Top 20 – 0 Top 10 – 0 Highest Ranking – 36 This doo-wop vocal band all started singling together in their Baptist choir (other members of the choir included Dionne and Dee Dee Warwick, Judy Clay, Cissy Houston, Leroy Hutson (of the Impressions), and several of the Sweet Inspirations). The inspiration for this song came from a Pepsodent toothpaste commercial. The line in the commercial was “wonder where the yellow went”. This song climbed the charts all the way to #5. Story has it, when the band was initially recording this song in their garage a ball came crashing into the outside wall of the room at exactly the point in the song where it pauses from “Oh, I wonder, wonder who ba doo doo who” and “who wrote the book of love”. When the band listened to the song, they loved the sound so they kept it, replacing the generic boom with a bass kick. 163. Real Life - Send Me An Angel (1989) Total Points – 595 Charts – 1 Top 40 – 1 Top 20 – 0 Top 10 – 0 Highest Ranking – 35 This Australian new wave/synthpop band actually had 2 hits in the top 30, but they were both the same song. Originally, this song was released in 1983 and it did pretty well reaching the top 10 in their home country, got to #1 in German, and peaked at #29 in the United States. The follow up single got to #40. Then 5 years later this song was updated and rereleased, and this time it did even better – it got to #26, 3 spots higher. The movie Rad featured the updated version of the song as background music for a scene showing BMX freestyle stunts. The song was also included on the movie soundtrack. 162. OMC – How Bizarre (1997) Total Points – 595 Charts – 3 Top 40 – 0 Top 20 – 0 Top 10 – 0 Highest Ranking – 71 OMC = Otara Millionaires Club, and the New Zealand group’s name is a tongue in cheek reference to Otara’s status as one of the poorest suburbs of Auckland. The single was an immediate smash hit in the home country, even before the video was released. It reached #1 in a matter of weeks. The song also quickly climbed to #1 in Australia, and it reached #5 on the UK Singles Chart. In the US, the song hit #1 on the Mainstream Top 40 chart and was on the chart for 32 weeks. It never charted on the Hot 100, but that was because it was never released as a commercially available song, a requirement for the chart. This song was named one of the greatest New Zealand songs of all time by the Australasian Performing Right Association. 161. Jennifer Page - Crush (1998) Total Points – 594 Charts – 1 Top 40 – 1 Top 20 – 0 Top 10 – 0 Highest Ranking – 34 After recording a dance version of Aretha Franklin’s “Chain of Fools”, a German indie label was extremely impressed and signed her to a contract. Her first album garnered critical acclaim, Billboard said "Paige succeeds in the nearly impossible task of oozing smouldering sensuality without resorting to typical groans and moans; instead, she uses her notably flexible vocal range to convey the emotion of the tune. As a result, she breathes a refreshing intensity into the song.” Crush reached the top spot in several countries but in the U.S. it topped out at #3, where it stayed for 4 weeks before falling to #4 and staying for another 4 weeks. Paige has had a little more success overseas with a few moderate hits in addition to this smash, but in the U.S. she’s a strict definition OHW. Last edited by Breeze : 06-10-2019 at 08:17 AM. |
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06-10-2019, 12:45 PM
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#70 |
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Coordinator
Join Date: Nov 2003
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Man, those last two are two I expected to see way, way higher. OMC in particular would probably be one of the first bands that came into my head for OHW status.
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06-10-2019, 01:41 PM
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#71 |
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Grizzled Veteran
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: Northern Suburbs of ATL
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160. The Rivieras - California Sun (1965)
Total Points – 593 Charts – 1 Top 40 – 1 Top 20 – 0 Top 10 – 0 Highest Ranking – 33 This band formed at South Bend High School in the early 60s (not to be confused with The Riviera’s band from the late 50s). Their first album was California Sun, and this single climbed all the way to #5 on the Hot 100 chart. However, shortly after releasing the album 3 of the band members left the group to join the Marines, including the lead singer. They were replaced, but parental pressure to focus on grades led to significant turnover in personnel. The band called it quits after 2 years and they never had another hit. 159. Swing Out Sister – Breakout (1986) Total Points – 592 Charts – 1 Top 40 – 1 Top 20 – 0 Top 10 – 0 Highest Ranking – 32 Swing Out Sister, currently a duo, started out as a trio. They took their name from an Arthur Treacher film of the same name. They decided to use that name because they said it was the only thing they could agree on – they all hated it. The band’s first single didn’t chart, but the second one about a year later was Breakout, and it did, reaching #4 in the U.K and #6 here. In the U.K. the follow up single, “Surrender” peaked at #7, here they chose to release “Twilight World” instead, and it made it to #31, 4 months after the hit. After a marginal hit in ’89, 3 years later the band charted again, but the single peaked at #45, keeping them eligible for this countdown. 158. Wheatus – Teenage Dirtbag (2000) Total Points – 592 Charts – 1 Top 40 – 1 Top 20 – 0 Top 10 – 0 Highest Ranking – 32 The New York based band hit it big in the U.K, when this song reached number 1, the follow up got to 3, and the 3rd release managed to get to 23. Here in the U.S. things weren’t as good. This song was a hit on the alternative charts only, topping out at #7. Due to a serious dispute with the label, the second album “Hand Over Your Loved Ones” got very little promotional effort. 3 years after it’s initial release the second album was rereleased under the bands own label and it was renamed to “Suck Fony”, very subtle. This song was ranked #69 on the British Music Channels list of the 100 Greatest Pop Songs of All Time. 157. J Frank Wilson and the Cavaliers - Last Kiss (1964) Total Points – 591 Charts – 1 Top 40 – 1 Top 20 – 0 Top 10 – 0 Highest Ranking – 31 This song was written by Wayne Cochran who grew up on Route 19/41 in Georgia, a busy road that had a lot of accidents, which influenced him to create this song. He claims the major inspiration for the song was the accident that killed a bandmember’s girlfriend’s sister, along with 2 other people that the band knew. However, the accident in question occurred over a year after the song was originally recorded. Cochran recorded the song for a small south Georgia label in 1961, he released the song again in ’62 on a different label, then reworked the song’s tempo and rerecorded it a third time in 1963. All in all, Cochran would release the song 4 times, none reached the Hot 100. Then in 1964, J. Frank Wilson and the Cavaliers recorded the song and it got all the way to #2. However, Wilson and company didn’t have any other significant hits. 156. Duncan Sheik – Barely Breathing (1997) Total Points – 591 Charts – 2 Top 40 – 0 Top 20 – 0 Top 10 – 0 Highest Ranking – 61 Originally, this song was a throwaway track designed to complete the album, but it ultimately became Sheik’s breakout hit reaching #16 on the Hot 100 and remaining on the charts for 55 weeks. The song earned a Grammy nomination for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance. This song was ranked by VH1 as #88 of the best songs of the 90s, and #8 of the best OHWs of the 90s. Sheik is a true definition OHW, but he’s moved away from recording and has focused on compositions creating movie soundtracks/scores and writing stage productions which won him multiple Tony and Grammy awards. 155. Wall of Voodoo – Mexican Radio (1982) Total Points – 591 Charts – 2 Top 40 – 0 Top 20 – 0 Top 10 – 0 Highest Ranking – 59 More alternative classic than hit, this song topped out at #58 on the Hot 100 chart and was a marginal success on a few other U.S. charts as well. It did do slightly better in other countries but was never a smash hit anywhere. The bones of the band started out doing film scores as part of Stan Ridgway’s (the lead singer) company. The company’s office was across the street from the Hollywood punk club The Masque, and Ridgway was drawn to the emerging punk/new wave scene. Some additional musicians were added in order to round out the band. As for the name, it came from one of the new band members who heard some of the movie scores created by Ridgway with the multiple drum machines and heavy organ sounds and referenced the music as a Phil Spector’s Wall of Sound but more like a Wall of Voodoo - and the name stuck. 154. Nick Lowe – Cruel to Be Kind (1979) Total Points – 591 Charts – 1 Top 40 – 1 Top 20 – 0 Top 10 – 0 Highest Ranking – 30 Nick Lowe, a noted figure in the power pop and new wave genres, wrote, performed, and produced on many of the classic albums of the time. In addition to a string of well-reviewed solo albums, Lowe, sings, plays guitar, bass guitar, piano and harmonica as a studio musician for other artists. He’s best known in the U.S. for this song, but he also wrote Elvis Costello’s “What’s so Funny ‘Bout Peace, Love and Understanding”, as well as produced many of his and Graham Parker’s albums. Lowe married Carlene Carter (June Carter Cash’s daughter and Johnny’s stepdaughter). This song was influenced by Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes’ “The Love I Lost”. Interestingly, this song peaked at #12 here, and in the UK, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, and Australia. The video for the song is a combination of his actual wedding footage and several humorous re-enactments. 153. Nu Shooz – I Can't Wait (1986) Total Points – 591 Charts – 1 Top 40 – 1 Top 20 – 0 Top 10 – 0 Highest Ranking – 30 This song was originally released in the UK, and it was remixed overseas, when it was released in the U.S. this remixed version is the one that was on the album. The song reached #1 on the Hot Dance chart, then appeared in the Hot 100, where it peaked at #3. The follow up was also a hit, and if their ’88 single “Should I Say Yes?” had climbed 1 more spot to #40, they wouldn’t qualify as a OHW in this chart. In 2015 this single managed to return to the U.S. Dance/Electronic Digital Songs chart, reaching #17. Spin Magazine said this about the song "You can listen to this record as many times as you want and still not have any strong impressions that human beings actually made it. In other words, it's the perfect disco record." 152. Curtis Lee - Pretty Little Angel Eyes (1961) Total Points – 591 Charts – 1 Top 40 – 1 Top 20 – 0 Top 10 – 0 Highest Ranking – 30 This song, released on Dunes Records was produced by Phil Spector. The backup vocals in this doo-wop style song were performed by The Halos (who could also be considered a OHW with their 1 hit being “Nag” from 1961 as well). Lee’s follow up single “Under the Moon of Love”, also produced by Spector was a moderate hit stopping just outside the top 40. This song was #77 on Billboard’s end of year Hot 100 for 1961. The rest of Lee’s songs were produced by someone else and failed to have any impact. 151. The Darkness – I Believe in a Thing Called Love (2003) Total Points – 590 Charts – 2 Top 40 – 1 Top 20 – 0 Top 10 – 0 Highest Ranking – 30 The English rock band, heavily influenced by the Glam Rock bands of the 70s, came to prominence with the release of their debut album “Permission to Land”, which included this song and 2 others that were big hits in the UK. In all, this first album was a quadruple platinum smash with sales over 1.3 million. The band also won 3 Brit Awards, Best British Group, Best British Rock Act, and Best British Album. I the U.S. the song reached #35 on the Mainstream Top 40 chart, and performed pretty well on several album oriented charts. This song has received some notoriety by appearing in several best of lists, including Blender Magazine’s 500 Greatest Songs Since You Were Born List, where it placed #497, Pitchfork’s Top 500 Tracks of the 2000s, where it was ranked #276, VH1 rated it #94 best rock song of all time, and Classic Rock Magazine had it at #1 on the Greatest Rock Songs of the Noughties list. Last edited by Breeze : 06-14-2019 at 06:58 AM. |
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06-11-2019, 08:41 AM
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#72 |
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Grizzled Veteran
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: Northern Suburbs of ATL
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150. Lynn Anderson - Rose Garden (1971)
Total Points – 589 Charts – 1 Top 40 – 1 Top 20 – 0 Top 10 – 0 Highest Ranking – 29 An absolute superstar on the country charts, so much so that you could argue that only having 1 crossover hit shouldn’t make her a OHW (and I'm ok with that argument). On the country side of things she had 58 songs that charted, 35 songs that charted inside the top 20, 18 top 10s, 13 top 5s, and 5 #1 hits. On the Hot 100 side, she did chart 5 songs, 4 rather low, and then Rose Garden which peaked at #3. Anderson was the second person to record this song, Billy Joe Royal did it with far less success in 1967. 149. Len – Steal My Sunshine (1999) Total Points – 589 Charts – 2 Top 40 – 0 Top 20 – 0 Top 10 – 0 Highest Ranking – 47 The Canadian band Len is actually a duo consisting of siblings Marc and Sharon Costanzo, the rest of the artists are a revolving lineup of touring studio musicians. The indie pop song became a hit when radio stations began playing it in March 1999, 4 months before the release of the album. The song made it to #3 on the Canadian, Australian, and Irish charts. It got to #8 on the UK Singles chart and #9 here in the U.S. It received positive reviews from critics and earned the duo a Best Single nomination at the Juno Awards in 2000. The background is sampled from a small piece of the Andrea True Connection’s 1976 disco single “More, More, More”. 148. Mungo Jerry – In the Summertime (1970) Total Points – 588 Charts – 1 Top 40 – 1 Top 20 – 0 Top 10 – 0 Highest Ranking – 28 Yes, the Mungo Jerry mentioned in Endgame makes our OHW list. The British band, who has really been a revolving door of musicians always fronted by Ray Dorset took their name from the poem "Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer", from T. S. Eliot's Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats. The band had 9 charting singles in the U.K. including two number 1 hits, and 5 hits in South Africa. However, in the U.S. they are a strict definition OHW. This song, which Dorset claims only took 10 minutes to write, climbed to #3 in the U.S. It’s also become one of the best selling singles of all-time eventually selling 30 million copies. 147. Us3 – Cantaloop (Flip Fantasia) (1993) Total Points – 588 Charts – 1 Top 40 – 1 Top 20 – 0 Top 10 – 0 Highest Ranking – 28 The British jazz rap group was a brainchild of producer Geoff Wilkinson. The bands first few singles received some airplay in London but got Wilkinson in some hot water because he hadn’t gotten the rights to the music that was sampled. Ultimately, he was grated the rights to the Blue Note Records catalog. The band’s name came from a Horace Parlan recording produced by Alfred Lion, the founder of Blue Note Records, and all the songs on the debut album sample Blue Note songs produced by Lion. This song samples Herbie Hancock’s “Cantaloupe Island”. Initially this song didn’t chart in the U.K. but after it peaked here at #9, it was re-released and made it to 23 over there. 146. Exile - Kiss You All Over (1978) Total Points – 587 Charts – 1 Top 40 – 1 Top 20 – 0 Top 10 – 0 Highest Ranking – 27 The band got their start as part of Dick Clark’s Caravan of Stars opening shows and providing backup for major rock stars of the period. In 1978 that changed in a big way with the release of this song. It climbed all the way to #1 and stayed there for 4 weeks. It was also ranked the 5th biggest single for 1978. The follow up to this song topped out at #40 a few months later, and after a few hits that barely charted on the Hot 100 the band transitioned in 1983 to a country group. Between 1983 and 1990 they recorded 10 number 1 hits on the country charts. Like Lynn Anderson above, calling these guys a OHW is a bit misleading, but using out definitions outlined earlier in thread they qualify (you can choose to exclude them if you disagree). 145. Michael Sembello – Maniac (1983) Total Points – 585 Charts – 3 Top 40 – 0 Top 20 – 0 Top 10 – 0 Highest Ranking – 72 This song, famous for being featured in the move Flashdance, was not written for that movie. In fact, if Michael’s wife hadn’t accidently included it on the demo tape handed to the executives at Paramount Pictures they never would have heard it. The song was written to be used as a horror theme song. The lyrics were originally, "He's a maniac, maniac, that's for sure / He will kill your cat and nail it to the door." The reworked version made it to #1 on the Hot 100 and is one of the highest grossing songs ever written for a film. Sembello was nominated for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for this song. After the success of the single, the record company had him throw together another song that they could release to capitalize on his sudden popularity. “Automatic Man” ended up making the Top 40, getting to #34, but that overflow popularity only went so far, as he’s failed to chart since. 144. Marshall Crenshaw - Someday, Someway (1982) Total Points – 584 Charts – 1 Top 40 – 1 Top 20 – 0 Top 10 – 0 Highest Ranking – 24 Crenshaw was heavily influenced by classic soul and early rock, especially Buddy Holly. Early in his career the Holly influence was obvious, and he was often compared to the legendary rocker. Interestingly, in the 1987 movie La Bamba, Crenshaw plays Holly. Crenshaw’s roles as rock icons didn’t stop there, he had previously played John Lennon in the musical Beatlemania. In fact, it’s during his time in New York with this production that Someday, Someway was written. This song was taken from the ’57 Gene Vincent song “Lotta Love”. Crenshaw liked the beat and atmosphere of that tune, so he used that as a reference point and reworked the melody. The original version of the song was released by Robert Gordon in 1981, but Crenshaw released his own single a year later and it was a much bigger hit nationally, getting to #36 on the Hot 100. 143. The Honeycombs - Have I the Right (1964) Total Points – 583 Charts – 1 Top 40 – 1 Top 20 – 0 Top 10 – 0 Highest Ranking – 23 This band was started by Martin Murray, a hairdresser, and his salon assistant Honey Lantree, who played drums. The rest of the band was Lantree’s brother and two of his friends. After playing together on the club scene they arranged an audition with indie producer Joe Meek, who used his apartment as a recording studio. That studio produced three UK number 1 hits, "Johnny Remember Me" by John Leyton, "Telstar" by The Tornados and this one. If the drums on the song sound odd, it’s because the sound was enhanced by the band stamping their feet on wooden stairs to the studio. Meek recorded the sound with 5 mics he had fixed to the banisters with bicycle clips. To add a finishing touch to the beat, a tambourine was hit directly against a microphone, then the entire thing was slightly sped up. In the U.S. this song peaked at #5. 142. Tom Cochrane – Life Is a Highway (1992) Total Points – 583 Charts – 2 Top 40 – 0 Top 20 – 0 Top 10 – 0 Highest Ranking – 64 Tom was originally the front man for the band Red Rider. The Canadian rocker has won 8 Juno Awards and is a member of the Canadian Music Hall of Fame. He was also inducted into the Canadian Walk of Fame in 2009. This song was originally written as “Love is a Highway” back when Cochrane was still with Red Rider. He later released the song that he felt was unfinished, but at the urging of a friend he revisited the song and reworked it into the hit that reached #6 on the Billboard charts. The follow up barely made the hot 100, and if you are wondering the best Red Rider did was reach #48 on the Hot 100. 141. Hollywood Argyles - Alley-Oop (1960) Total Points – 583 Charts – 2 Top 40 – 0 Top 20 – 0 Top 10 – 0 Highest Ranking – 42 The man in the funny papers mentioned at the beginning of this song was a real thing not invented for this song. Alley Oop was a comic strip created in 1932, featuring, as you’ve probably guessed, a prehistoric caveman who is described pretty well in the song. The band, who’s name came from the fact the studio where the song was recorded was on the corner of Hollywood Blvd. and Argyle Street, consisted of Gary Paxton and no one else. The rest of the performers on the song were friends or studio musicians that were paid $25 for their efforts. The reason the song was recorded under the name Hollywood Argyles was because Paxton was under contract as half of the duo Skip and Flip and couldn’t record anything in his name. When this song was released, Dante and the Evergreens and the Dyna-Sores both had versions of exactly the same song on the charts at exactly the same time. Dante’s version got to #15, the Dyna-Sores got to #59, and this one reached #1 Last edited by Breeze : 06-14-2019 at 06:59 AM. |
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06-11-2019, 09:16 AM
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#73 |
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Coordinator
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: Dayton, OH
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That Marshall Crenshaw song is great.
My 17 year old is in his high school "jazz band". They play Cantaloupe Island every year. And I can't help but rearrange it in my head to this song instead. Also, LEN. I don't know if anyone has ever tried to listen to that album, but just don't. Sometimes I look at the Spotify plays for a specific artist to see if they have other popular songs. In Len's case, Steal My Sunshine has 57 million plus plays. Their next most listened to song has 850k. Then #4 is 197,000, with a final song pulling in at 12k.
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My listening habits Last edited by Butter : 06-11-2019 at 09:18 AM. |
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06-11-2019, 01:34 PM
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#74 |
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Head Coach
Join Date: Oct 2005
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Thanks for this list and for your hard work.
Great compilation so far and really enjoying listening to many (and grimacing at others), brings back good memories (in addition to WTF, it was that long ago?). |
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06-11-2019, 02:56 PM
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#75 | |
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Grizzled Veteran
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Stuck in Yinzerville, PA
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Quote:
Not a chart topper but David Loggins wrote and played one of the most recognized sports tunes...the theme for A tradition unlike any other....The Masters. |
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06-11-2019, 03:32 PM
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#76 | |
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Behind Enemy Lines in Athens, GA
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Quote:
A band that was kind of their own worst enemy with regard to following their own success. An inability (unwillingness?) to define whether they were supposed to be taken seriously or as a joke followed by the (reportedly) alcohol and cocaine fueled departure of the unique sounding frontman, left them with one follow up album and fortunes that were already declining within 3 years of their peak. Subsequent reformation has amounted to fairly little, with the "are they serious or are they some sort of inside joke" crown being assumed by Greta Van Fleet.
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"I lit another cigarette. Unless I specifically inform you to the contrary, I am always lighting another cigarette." - from a novel by Martin Amis |
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06-11-2019, 03:59 PM
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#77 | |
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Pro Starter
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Somewhere More Familiar
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Quote:
Massive +1 here. I don't know why I loved Steal My Sunshine so much, but that album may have been the biggest gulf between the hit and everything else on it I have ever come across. And I spent a lot of the '90s at Rasputin and Tower Records purchasing whole albums because I liked a song on the radio. Last edited by Vince, Pt. II : 06-11-2019 at 04:00 PM. |
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06-12-2019, 06:47 AM
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#78 |
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Grizzled Veteran
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: Northern Suburbs of ATL
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140. Wreckx-N-Effect - Rump Shaker (1992)
Total Points – 582 Charts – 1 Top 40 – 1 Top 20 – 0 Top 10 – 0 Highest Ranking – 22 The New jack swing group from Harlem reached #2 on the Hot 100 with this song. It was the lead single off their second album and it was produced by Teddy Riley, brother of Wreckx member Markell Riley. The song opens with Teddy chanting the chorus "All I wanna do is zooma-zoom-zoom-zoom in a poom-poom." Later these parts were rapped by different artists. That verse is notable because it was written by Pharrell Williams. The song is a series of samples, the sax from 1972’s “Darkest Light” by Lafayette Afro Rock Band, drums from Manzel’s “Midnight Theme”. Other samples include: "Scratchin'" by the Magic Disco Machine and "Blues and Pants" by James Brown (the vocal "come on!"). 139. Mark Morrison - Return of the Mack (1996) Total Points – 582 Charts – 2 Top 40 – 0 Top 20 – 0 Top 10 – 0 Highest Ranking – 45 Morrison’s first release was on his own small label in 1993 and it didn’t amount to much, but only a couple of years later he had a Top 20 hit in the U.K., and he followed that up with a second release that make the UK top 40. Then in 1996 this song was released and it spent 2 weeks at #1 over there, and was an international hit, including getting to #2 on the Billboard Hot 100, behind Hanson’s “MMMBop”. Morrison has a long list of legal issues including bringing a firearm on a plane, armed robbery, being involved in an altercation that required tear gas to disband. He also had an incident where he was arrested for his part in a brawl that resulted in a fatality. He was sentenced to community service, only he was later incarcerated when he attempted to pass off a look alike to perform that work.. 138. The Georgia Satellites – Keep Your Hands to Yourself (1986) Total Points – 581 Charts – 1 Top 40 – 1 Top 20 – 0 Top 10 – 0 Highest Ranking – 21 The Georgia Satellites after playing bars in Atlanta for years they recorded a 6 track demo produced by Jeff Glixman, who had produced numerous artists, including: Paul Stanley, Kansas, Gary More, Yngwie Malmsteen, and Black Sabbath. However, soon after the demo recording the band disbanded. The band’s English manager refused to give up, and he sent the demo to a small Yorkshire label, who released the entire demo as an EP. The response was positive, so the band regrouped. This single was released off their first LP, and it climbed to #2 in the charts, held out of the top spot by Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ on a Prayer”. The follow up single from the album barely charted. The only other marginal hit the band managed was “Hippy Hippy Shake” which benefited by the fact that it was a remake of The Swinging Blue Jean’s ’64 hit, and it was in the Tom Cruise movie Cocktail. Even with all that support it only managed to get to #45. 137. Concrete Blonde - Joey (1990) Total Points – 581 Charts – 1 Top 40 – 1 Top 20 – 0 Top 10 – 0 Highest Ranking – 21 The band originally went by the name Dream 6, but when they signed with IRS Records, label-mate Michael Stipe suggested the name Concrete Blonde as a way to describe the contrast between the bands’ hard rock music and introspective lyrics. Napolitano, the lead singer and songwriter for the band said this song is about her relationship with Marc Moreland from Wall of Voodoo (#155 in this chart). Moreland died of kidney failure following a liver transplant. Because the subject matter was so difficult for Napolitano to deal with, this song was the last one recorded for the album. It went on to be the bands biggest hit reaching #19. The band had several hits on the alternative charts, but this was the only song to reach the Hot 100. 136. Spiral Starecase – More Today Than Yesterday (1969) Total Points – 580 Charts – 1 Top 40 – 0 Top 20 – 1 Top 10 – 0 Highest Ranking – 20 This is the first song in our countdown to be rated in the top 20 in one of the 6 seed lists. This group, originally named the Fydallions, evolved from a 4-piece instrumental band. They started out playing 5 hour lounge jobs in Las Vegas. After adding a 5th member and lead singer the band caught the attention of Columbia records who signed the band but force them to change their name, they did, to this deliberately misspelled one. This song reached #12 on the Hot 100, and was the 50th biggest song of 1969. However, 18 months after the release of this single, the band broke up due to poor management and squabbles over finances. In total the band managed this hit, 1 album and 2 other singles that saw marginal success. Upton, the lead singer, went back to LA to work as a session musician, eventually working with Ricky Nelson. 135. Fountains of Wayne – Stacy's Mom (2003) Total Points – 579 Charts – 1 Top 40 – 0 Top 20 – 1 Top 10 – 0 Highest Ranking –19 The 2 primary creative minds in Fountains of Wayne, Adam Schlesinger and Chris Collingwood, are credited as co-writers on all of the bands material, but in actuality each artist created their own songs independently. They chose to go the co-writer route to avoid arguments over how much someone contributed to a song. In 2003, after being dropped from their initial label the band released this song which earned them a Grammy nomination. The song was intended to be a tribute to the band The Cars, with the opening riff similar to “Just What I Needed” and even going so far as to include a kid meant to resemble Rick Ocasek in the video. The song initially stalled on the Alt charts, but MTV President Judy McGrath loved the video’s Fast Times at Ridgemont High homage and pushed the song. It eventually reached #21 on the Hot 100. 134. The Soul Survivors - Expressway (To Your Heart) (1967) Total Points – 579 Charts – 1 Top 40 – 0 Top 20 – 1 Top 10 – 0 Highest Ranking –19 This song was written by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame team of Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, who have written and produced 175 gold and platinum albums. In fact, this song was their very first top 5 single, reaching #3 on the R&B charts and #4 on the Billboard Hot 100. The follow up single 2 months later stalled at #33 and The Soul Survivors had one other hit in the Hot 100 which peaked at 68. 133. Human Beinz – Nobody But Me (1968) Total Points – 579 Charts – 1 Top 40 – 0 Top 20 – 1 Top 10 – 0 Highest Ranking –19 The group who went by The Human Beingz signed with Capitol Records in 1967, and the label misspelled the name by dropping the ‘g’. The idea was to tie the band to the Human Be-In movement of the time. The label promised to change the name as long as the debut single wasn’t a hit, well…”Nobody But Me” was that single, and it was a hit. The Isley Brothers’ song went on to peak at #8. According to Casey Kasem’s “Book of Records” the song’s two 31-fold repetitions of the word no are the most repetitive word or phrase in a Hot 100 top 10 hit, besting the 26-fold repetition of “I Know” in Bill Withers’ “Ain’t No Sunshine”. 132. The Silhouettes – Get a Job (1958) Total Points – 578 Charts – 1 Top 40 – 0 Top 20 – 1 Top 10 – 0 Highest Ranking –18 This legendary doo-wop song started out as a ‘B’ side on the release of “I Am Lonely”. An executive at Ember Records hear the song, bought the rights, and released this single nationally, and it became a #1 hit on both the R&B and Billboard charts. The band performed this song numerous times on American Bandstand, which helped cement its popularity. The premise for the song came from tenor, Richard Lewis’ mother, who was tired of him sitting around after getting out of the service. The “sha na na” and “dip dip dip”s are ad-libbed by the other artists. Those sounds went on to become signatures of the doo-wop era. The band Sha Na Na’s name came directly from the intro to this song. 131. Godley & Creme – Cry (1985) Total Points – 578 Charts – 1 Top 40 – 0 Top 20 – 1 Top 10 – 0 Highest Ranking –18 Godley and Crème were members of the band 10cc before performing as a duo. After 10cc’s fourth album the members of the band had different focuses. Godley and Crème were working on a device they called The Gizmotron. The item would attach to the bridge of a guitar and use small motor driven wheels to press strings, thus creating continuous violin like sounds. The idea was to develop this product to allow the band, who self-produced their albums, to remove the need for expensive studio musicians. After a demo of the device Mercury Records allowed them to continue the project. This morphed into a huge three LP concept album with guest singers. It took years before they turned this concept into a hit, but in 1985 this single was released and with the help of the video charted in the US reaching #16 and #19 in the UK. Last edited by Breeze : 06-14-2019 at 07:00 AM. |
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06-12-2019, 07:00 AM
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#79 |
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Behind Enemy Lines in Athens, GA
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Georgia Satellites are another good example of how the Hot 100 really isn't an indicator of one-hit status for genre artists.
The follow-up - Battleship Chains - might arguably be more highly regarded in rock circles (a #11 rock hit) and even the noticeably weaker Hippy Hippy Shake got to #13 on the rock chart.
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"I lit another cigarette. Unless I specifically inform you to the contrary, I am always lighting another cigarette." - from a novel by Martin Amis |
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06-12-2019, 07:28 AM
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#80 |
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Coordinator
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: Dayton, OH
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139 and 140, that's some good stuff. All of this batch is good...
except the Georgia Satellites. I remember when that song used to come on, it was a race to change the station before the guy got to his first line: "I got a little change in my pocket, goin' jing-a-ling-a-LING". Where the dude's voice breaks. I hate it so much, that... flames... FLAMES, on the side of my face.
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My listening habits |
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06-12-2019, 08:22 AM
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#81 |
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lolzcat
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Annapolis, Md
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...and I very faithfully recreate the guy's breaking voice at karaoke with Satellites.
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06-12-2019, 01:56 PM
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#82 |
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Grizzled Veteran
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: Northern Suburbs of ATL
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130. The Dream Academy – Life in a Northern Town (1985)
Total Points – 577 Charts – 1 Top 40 – 0 Top 20 – 1 Top 10 – 0 Highest Ranking –17 The 3 members of this band came together with an idea to create a sound that moved away from the power pop that was popular in Britain at the time. They accomplished this by adding instruments that are rarely heard in pop music, including woodwinds, timpani, and orchestral string instruments. Every record label rejected the band for two years before Warner Bros. signed them in 1985. This song was the debut single off their first album and it was a worldwide success. The song, which is a tribute to English singer-songwriter Nick Drake, made it to #7 on the U.S. charts and #15 in the U.K. David Gilmore, of Pink Floyd, co-produced the album and played on a couple of the songs. 129. Eddie Holman – Hey There Lonely Girl (1969) Total Points – 577 Charts – 1 Top 40 – 0 Top 20 – 1 Top 10 – 0 Highest Ranking –17 This song, originally titled “Hey There Lonely Boy” was a Top 30 hit for Ruby and the Romantics. Eddie Holman released his version 6 years later and it did much better, peaking at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100. It took 4 more years for this song to chart in the U.K., but ultimately it climbed to #4. Holman had 3 other songs that made the Hot 100, but none got higher than #48. Holman’s career basically started when he won an Amateur Night competition at the Apollo Theater at the age of 10. From there he started working on Broadway and Carnegie Hall and was a regular performer on NBC’s The Children’s Hour. 128. Thin Lizzy - The Boys Are Back in Town (1976) Total Points – 576 Charts – 1 Top 40 – 0 Top 20 – 1 Top 10 – 0 Highest Ranking –16 The Irish hard rock band formed in 1969, and they achieved international success with several songs, but in the U.S., this was the only serious hit on the Hot 100, and even on the Rock chart their success was moderate. This song ended up being a surprise hit for the band. Apparently, the band was touring in the U.S. but the Jailbreak album wasn’t getting any traction and they weren’t selling tickets. However, at some point the manager walked in and told them they had a hit. The band asked which song, and when he told them this one, they were shocked. Apparently, the band demoed 15 songs, and this wasn’t one of them and it wasn’t among the 10 that they chose to include on the album. Apparently, 2 DJs in Louisville fell in love with the song and played the hell out of it until other stations started picking it up. 127. Spacehog – In the Meantime (1996) Total Points – 576 Charts – 1 Top 40 – 0 Top 20 – 1 Top 10 – 0 Highest Ranking –16 This is an English band that formed in New York City. Apparently, all the band members are from Leeds, West Yorkshire, but the band started when 2 members met by chance in a café. The rest of the band was rounded out when one of the two brought in a brother and the other grabbed his best friend. This song was a lead single on the debut album, and it was #1 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock and UK Rock charts. It also reached #32 on the Billboard Hot 100, and 29 on the UK Singles Chart. One of the band members, Royston Langdon, married Liv Tyler in 2001 and had a son, Milo. 126. Karla Bonoff - Personally (1982) Total Points – 575 Charts – 1 Top 40 – 0 Top 20 – 1 Top 10 – 0 Highest Ranking –15 Bonoff is an American singer/songwriter who is much better known for her writing. She’s had her songs performed by Bonnie Raitt, Wynonna Judd and Lynn Anderson (#150 in this countdown). Early in her career she was a backup singer for Linda Ronstadt and Wendy Waldman. She recorded her first solo album in ’77 and in all she’s had 5 (including one earlier this year). She’s had 4 songs reach the Hot 100, but this is the only one to make it into the Top 40, peaking at #19. Ironically, while this is her biggest hit, it also wasn’t written by her. It was an old R&B tune that Glenn Fry brought to her attention when it looked like he was going to produce her Wild Heart of the Young album. 125. Sheriff - When I'm with You (1989) Total Points – 575 Charts – 1 Top 40 – 0 Top 20 – 1 Top 10 – 0 Highest Ranking –15 Sheriff is a Canadian rock band that formed in 1979 and had 1 full album, 1982s You Remind Me. That album included this power ballad that was a top 10 hit in their home country. In the U.S. the song made it to #61. Disappointed by a lack of success the band split up. 4 years later, a few DJs around the country started playing the song and listener response was positive. As a result, Capitol Records re-released the single and it became a #1 hit. This was one of only a few number 1s not to have a video during the MTV era. After the success of the song, the lead vocalist and guitarist tried to reform the band, but two of the members were working as a duo named Frozen Ghost and declined the offer. The singer and guitarist then decided to create the band Alias, and they produced 2 hits, “Waiting for Love” (#13), and the #2 hit “More Than Words Can Say”. In case you are wondering, the lead singer holds the final note in this song for 19.4 seconds. 124. Macy Gray – I Try (2000) Total Points – 575 Charts – 1 Top 40 – 0 Top 20 – 1 Top 10 – 0 Highest Ranking –15 Grammy Award winner Macy Gray is known for her raspy voice and singing style heavily influenced by Billie Holiday. Gray has released 6 studio albums and she’s received 5 Grammy nominations, winning one (Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for this song). This song was a #1 hit in Australia, New Zealand and Ireland, it was #6 in the U.K. and #5 here. Gray also received Grammy nominations for Record of the Year and Song of the Year associated with this song and album. This song has been featured in TV shows, Spin City, The Office, Mrs. Brown’s Boys, and Last Man on Earth. 123. Ram Jam - Black Betty (1977) Total Points – 574 Charts – 1 Top 40 – 0 Top 20 – 1 Top 10 – 0 Highest Ranking –14 The history of this song states it started as an African-American work song, credited to Huddle “Lead Belly” Ledbetter, though the earliest recordings are not by him. Some sources claim even the Lead Belly versions are adaptations of earlier folk music, in this case an 18th century marching song. What exactly a “Black Betty” is has been a matter of debate for some time, it has been attributed to a musket, a whiskey bottle, a whip, a penitentiary transfer wagon, and a person. Regardless, the Ram Jam version (which was exactly the same lyrically to the Starstruck version the year before) drew the ire of the NAACP and Congress of Racial Equality which called for the song to be boycotted. Despite the efforts of the civil rights groups this song reached #18 on the Billboard Hot 100. 122. Reunion - Life is a Rock (1974) Total Points – 574 Charts – 1 Top 40 – 0 Top 20 – 1 Top 10 – 0 Highest Ranking –14 Reunion was a group of ad hoc musicians with Joey Levine, a bubble gum music artist with “Chewy Chewy” and “Yummy Yummy Yummy” to his credit, as the lead singer. The song is a fast patter list of 50’s, 60’s and 70’s disc jockeys, musicians, songwriters, record labels, song titles and lyrics, broken only by the chorus. The song is nothing but references so there are way too many to list. Given this “group” was sort of thrown together to make this song it might surprise you to know they had a marginal second hit on the Adult Contemporary Chart. This song climbed to #8 here and #33 in the U.K. 121. Free – All Right Now (1970) Total Points – 574 Charts – 1 Top 40 – 0 Top 20 – 1 Top 10 – 0 Highest Ranking –14 One of the most amazing things about this band was how young they were when they started. At the time of their first gig bass player Fraser was 15, guitarist Kossoff was 17, drummer Kirke was 18, and Paul Rodgers was also 18. Later that year they had already recorded their first album. This song, off of their third album was a huge hit, reaching #2 in the UK and #4 here in the states. This song has received an ASCAP award in 1989 for having received 1 million radio plays. In 2006 BMI followed suit recognizing this song for 3 million air plays. The band was famous for their sensational live shows and nonstop touring. One person heavily influenced by Free and specifically the performance of this song was Ronnie Van Zant. The Lynyrd Skynyrd front man was so impressed that he made a point to try and do what he described as a Paul Rodger’s impersonation song on every album. |
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06-12-2019, 02:09 PM
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#83 | |
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Coordinator
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: Dayton, OH
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Quote:
You know who else does that? Billy Joel
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My listening habits |
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06-12-2019, 09:14 PM
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#84 |
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Grizzled Veteran
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: St. Paul, MN
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This thread belongs in a museum when it’s done. Amazing work Breeze.
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06-12-2019, 09:32 PM
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#85 | ||
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Grizzled Veteran
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: St. Paul, MN
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FWIW, I prefer their version of Hippy Hippy Shake to the original. Admittedly I grew up fond of the Cocktail album around age 10-11 (which featured a different Fabulous Thunderbirds hit (Powerful Stuff) than their OHW). Quote:
Love this song and forget about it a lot. |
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06-13-2019, 08:09 AM
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#86 | |
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lolzcat
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Annapolis, Md
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Not shooting the messenger here, but that seems criminally underrated. Nowhere near my favorite song on this list, but in "greatness" terms I think it's a towering play. |
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06-13-2019, 08:32 AM
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#87 | |
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Grizzled Veteran
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: Northern Suburbs of ATL
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Quote:
I would agree with you...I was shocked it was so low. |
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06-13-2019, 10:52 AM
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#88 |
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Grizzled Veteran
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: Northern Suburbs of ATL
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120. The Mighty Mighty Bosstones - The Impression That I Get (1997)
Total Points – 573 Charts – 1 Top 40 – 0 Top 20 – 1 Top 10 – 0 Highest Ranking –13 Considered progenitors of the ska punk and ska-core genres, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones formed in 1983 as just the Bosstones. The only problem was - that name had been used by an acapella band in the 50s, so Mighty Mighty was added based on a suggestion from a bartender friend. The band was heavily influenced by the British 2 Tone ska scene of the 70s, but having grown up in Boston they also were influenced by typical hard rock bands like: AC/DC, Motorhead, etc. The band’s first record contract came in 1989, and this song wasn’t created until the 5th album. This is one of those songs that is more of an alternative classic, having reached #1 on the alt chart. It also reached #1 on the Modern Rock chart and #23 on the Hot 100 Airplay chart. However, the band did have several other hits on these same charts, so an argument could again be made that this band shouldn’t be considered a OHW. 119. Gregory Abbott - Shake You Down (1986) Total Points – 573 Charts – 2 Top 40 – 0 Top 20 – 0 Top 10 – 0 Highest Ranking –56 One of Abbott’s first opportunities to sing professionally came from an independent label that set him up to do a duet with Whitney Houston. He released his first solo album in 1986 and this was the lead single. It reached the top spot on the Hot 100, and the follow up, which was a Top 50 hit on that chart and a top 5 hit on the R&B chart propelled the album to platinum status. This song was ranked by Billboard as the 3rd biggest for 1987. Abbott continues to perform releasing singles periodically through his own Mojo Man label. 118. Martin Page - In the House of Stone & Light (1994) Total Points – 573 Charts – 2 Top 40 – 0 Top 20 – 0 Top 10 – 0 Highest Ranking –52 Martin Page started out as a professional soccer player. He was part of Southhampton FC, but he spent a significant amount of time improving his ability to play the bass guitar. His love for music and the time he spent with it ultimately impacted his ability to play the sport, so he quit to focus on music. In 1994, he released his debut solo album, In the House of Stone and Light, and the first single was the title track. Apparently, this song is based on his reflections following a visit to the Grand Canyon. The song reached #14 on the Hot 100, and the follow up single 4 months later got to #83. He didn’t record his second album until 2008, which might explain why he didn’t have any other hits…that is unless you want to count his Q-Feel, Brit synth-pop song “Dancing in Heaven (Orbital Be-Bop)”, which he did back in 1982 (by the way, it wasn’t much of a hit here in the U.S. but they do occasionally get mentioned as a OHW). 117. The Chantays – Pipeline (1963) Total Points – 572 Charts – 1 Top 40 – 0 Top 20 – 1 Top 10 – 0 Highest Ranking –12 This surf rock band recorded Pipeline in 1963, combining electronic keyboard and surf guitar to create this unique ghostly sound that capitalized on the popular surfing craze of the time. This single swiftly climbed the Billboard charts reaching #4. The tune is notable for using Alberti bass arpeggios, a kind of accompaniment that was popular in early 1700s classical music. Which might explain why they were the only rock band to ever appear on The Lawrence Welk Show. Despite the fact this band is a strict definition OHW they have received a number of honors including being added to the Hollywood’s Rock Walk, and this song was included as one of the 500 songs that shaped rock and roll. 116. The Singing Nun – Dominique (1963) Total Points – 572 Charts – 1 Top 40 – 0 Top 20 – 1 Top 10 – 0 Highest Ranking –12 Jeanne Deckers’, aka The Singing Nun, “Dominque” took just 5 weeks to Top the American Billboard chart in December of 1963. It knocked off Dale & Grace’s hit “I’m leaving it up to you” from the #1 position, and it spent 4 weeks at #1 on the US chart. Apparently, Deckers would sing casually and perform for the other nuns and their guests, but the music was so well received that she was urged to record an album. In 1961, the album was recorded and “Dominque” was an international hit reaching the top 10 in eleven countries. This strict definition OHW was the second to last #1 before the British invasion. 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. 114. Nazareth – Love Hurts (1975) Total Points – 571 Charts – 1 Top 40 – 0 Top 20 – 1 Top 10 – 0 Highest Ranking –11 The Scottish hard rock band took their name from Nazareth, Pennsylvania, which is mentioned in the opening lines of the band’s song “The Weight”. The band had a decent run in the U.K. with 7 top 40 hits. They are mentioned as OHWs in a number of places, but they probably don’t belong on this list based on Rule 4, which says “If the artist is known as much or more for a second single as the major hit, they are not a one hit wonder.” Here in the U.S., besides this song, they had “Love Leads to Madness” which reached #19 on the Rock Chart, and “Holiday” managed to get to #87 on the Hot 100. However, those are not the songs that one can argue should remove Nazareth from the list. The song in question is “Hair of the Dog”, with the line, “Now you’re messing with a sonofabitch” propelling it to classic rock staple. Love Hurts reached #8 on the Billboard chart and was the 23rd biggest song of 1976. 113. Oleta Adams - Get Here (1990) Total Points – 570 Charts – 1 Top 40 – 0 Top 20 – 0 Top 10 – 1 Highest Ranking –10 This is the first song in the countdown to have a top 10 ranking in any of the seeding lists. Adams, started singing in church, and she endured a great deal of rejection before finally getting her break. She started shopping demo tapes in LA in the 1970s, but music executives were only interested in disco. She moved to Kansas City at the urging of her singing coach, where she performed locally and cut two self-financed albums that saw marginal local success. Then in 1985, Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith of Tears for Fears heard her perform at a hotel bar while on tour. They contacted her 2 years later to play piano and sing on the “Seeds of Love” album. She actually had a hit with Tears for Fears; she sang a duet with Orazbal on “Woman in Chains” which reached #36 on the charts, but because Adams was viewed as part of the band she doesn’t get credit for that song. In 1990, as part of the Tears for Fears tour, and she performed as the opening act, then remained on stage to support the band. That led to a record contract, and the release of this hit, which peaked at #5. 112. Ini Kamoze – Here Comes the Hotstepper (1994) Total Points – 570 Charts – 1 Top 40 – 0 Top 20 – 0 Top 10 – 1 Highest Ranking –10 Ini Kamoze disappeared from the music scene in 1998 after lukewarm reception to his intermittent releases. Around 1992 he founded his own label, and in 1994 he released the single that would become his signature “Here Comes the Hopstepper”. A song that became so synonymous with him that he adopted Hopstepper as a nickname (a hopstepper is a person on the run from the law). This song experienced international success reaching the top 10 in several countries, including reaching #1 on the US Hot 100. Because this was all done on his label, there was a huge bidding war for his signature, which Elektra Records won. This song has its roots in other successful songs. The “na na” parts come from Wilson Pickett’s “Land of a Thousand Dances”, which was a #1 hit in 1966. The version in this song is from Cannibal and the Headhunters’ recording. Other samples include vocals from “The Champ” by the Mohawks, "Hot Pants" by Bobby Byrd, and "La Di Da Di" by Doug E. Fresh and Slick Rick. The song's instrumental samples the drums and bass from "Heartbeat" by Taana Gardner and guitar notes from "Hung Up on My Baby" by Isaac Hayes. 111. Danny Wilson - Mary's Prayer (1987) Total Points – 569 Charts – 1 Top 40 – 0 Top 20 – 0 Top 10 – 1 Highest Ranking –9 Danny Wilson is the name of a Scottish pop group that is known for a sophisti-pop sound. Having grown up heavily influenced by soul and pop artists like Steely Dan, Stevie Wonder, and Bacharach and David, the band wanted to incorporate those sounds into their music, and it came at a good time because labels were looking for bands with more of a soul sound. The band, originally known as Spencer Tracy, signed with Virgin records and they produced their first album. However, right before release, the estate of the late actor threatened to sue if the band didn’t change their name. So they did, Danny Wilson comes from the 1952 Frank Sinatra film called Meet Danny Wilson. This song reached #23 here in the US, but in the UK it had a decidedly peculiar journey. Originally when it was released it only managed to make #86. Then after the success in the US, it was re-released and it managed to climb to #42. Then a few months later BBC Radio held a phone-in poll where listeners nominated songs that had undeservedly failed to reach the upper UK chart, and this song topped the poll. Virgin decided to release the song a third time, and this time it climbed to #3. Last edited by Breeze : 06-13-2019 at 02:54 PM. |
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06-13-2019, 03:49 PM
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#89 | |
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Hockey Boy
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Royal Oak, MI
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Quote:
Concrete Blonde probably remains my favorite band of all time. I saw them in concert twice. Absolutely loved "Bloodletting" and much of their stuff from the 80's and early 90's.
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Steve Yzerman: 1,755 points in 1,514 regular season games. 185 points in 196 postseason games. A First-Team All-Star, Conn Smythe Trophy winner, Selke Trophy winner, Masterton Trophy winner, member of the Hockey Hall of Fame, Olympic gold medallist, and a three-time Stanley Cup Champion. Longest serving captain of one team in the history of the NHL (19 seasons). |
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06-13-2019, 05:40 PM
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#90 |
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lolzcat
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Annapolis, Md
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I love that there are opinions that deep on lots of these nobody artists. You love Concrete Blonde... awesome. I could hold court for 90 solid minutes on the virtues of Steve Earle's music. Other people are talking about deep album cuts and seeing shows and personal memories.
This is my favorite thread here in quite some time. |
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06-13-2019, 05:44 PM
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#91 |
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Coordinator
Join Date: Oct 2000
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Great thread - I’ve gotten lost watching some of these videos more than once.
#126 has just about every stereotypical early 80s background musician in one band (I couldn’t make it all the way through, but didn’t see a guy wearing a white sports coat with ‘shades’). It’s like a computer simulated a band in a video game. God, the 80s was both awesome and sucked. |
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06-13-2019, 07:29 PM
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#92 | |
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Behind Enemy Lines in Athens, GA
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Quote:
There's also a pretty good look (if you read between the lines) about how the nature of "the Hot 100" and/or "Pop(ular) Music" has changed with relationship to various genres over several decades. It used to be - kind of - that whatever got hot enough was pop. Now "pop" is its own genre.
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"I lit another cigarette. Unless I specifically inform you to the contrary, I am always lighting another cigarette." - from a novel by Martin Amis |
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06-13-2019, 08:35 PM
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#93 | |
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Grizzled Veteran
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: St. Paul, MN
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Quote:
Funny, yesterday I almost said this is my favorite thread here in years. Another observation I wanted to make from yesterday. My kids have a couple times asked about one-hit wonders and one time while listening to Walking on sunshine i mentioned Katrina and the Waves as such a band. So that got me thinking, what else did they do? I tried playing the first song that came up for them for the heck of it and I was surprised to really enjoy it. Then I tried a number of others from them and they were all forgettable. I’ve played it enough now that the kids know it. Katrina and the Waves - Do You Want Crying (1985) (P.S. Don’t actually watch the video unless you want to revel in its badness. |
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06-13-2019, 08:53 PM
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#94 |
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Coordinator
Join Date: Nov 2003
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Here Comes the Hotstepper and Return of the Mack define a period of time for me in my life like few other songs do (first year of high school) - I'm really surprised to see Ini Kamoze not higher in this list. There must be some humdingers in the top 100.
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06-14-2019, 10:11 AM
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#95 |
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Grizzled Veteran
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: Northern Suburbs of ATL
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110. The Church – Under the Milky Way (1988)
Total Points – 569 Charts – 1 Top 40 – 0 Top 20 – 0 Top 10 – 1 Highest Ranking –9 This Australian alt-rock band has been making music for a very long time. Their first album came out in 1981 and their most recent in 2017. In total the band has released 17 studio albums, the biggest being their fifth, Starfish, which included this single. Because the band’s sales were better overseas than in Australia, they decided to record in a studio abroad, so they traveled to LA, and they hated it. On this album, the band moved from layered orchestrations to a more uncluttered live sound. The reception was totally unexpected but the album gained worldwide success. The song went on to win song of the year in Australia for 1989, and in 2008, The Australian [newspaper] voted it the best Australian song of the last 20 years. 109. Sanford-Townsend Band - Smoke from a Distant Fire (1976) Total Points – 568 Charts – 1 Top 40 – 0 Top 20 – 0 Top 10 – 1 Highest Ranking –8 In their younger years Ed Sanford and Johnny Townsend played in a band together in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Years later the two reunited in LA, and they signed a publishing deal with Chappell Music. The two wrote numerous songs, probably the biggest was Loggins and Messina’s “Peacemaker” a song they collaborated on with Kenny Loggins. In 1976 they recorded their self-title album at the famous Muscle Shoals Sound Studio, and they gained a lot of attention as this song began climbing the charts. The song was performing so well, the album was re-released quickly with the title of this single. It ultimately peaked at #9. In support of this hit the band opened for Fleetwood Mac during the Rumors tour. They also opened for The Marshall Tucker Band, Charlie Daniels, Jimmy Buffett and more. Unfortunately, the duo never had another hit and they returned to their rolls as studio musicians and songwriters. By the way, Sanford co-wrote “I Keep Forgetting” with Michael McDonald for his debut solo album in 1982. 108. Donna Lewis - I Love You Always Forever (1996) Total Points – 567 Charts – 1 Top 40 – 0 Top 20 – 0 Top 10 – 1 Highest Ranking –7 Lewis is a Welsh singer-songwriter who started playing piano at 6 and was composing songs at 14. She attended the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama majoring in classical composition for piano and flute. This song is another lead single from a debut album that went on to become a OHW. This song was big, it reached the top 10 in Australia, Austria, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, New Zealand, Norway, Switzerland, and the Czech Republic. In the UK it got to #5 and in the US is peaked at #2 where it remained for 9 weeks, being blocked from the #1 spot by “Macarena”. It did reach #1 on the Hot Airplay Chart and stayed there for 13 weeks, and the Top 40 Mainstream chart where it held its position for 11 weeks. The chorus of the song, “I love you always forever, near and far closer together” is a quote taken directly from H. E. Bates, Love for Lydia, the novel that inspired the song. 107. Anita Ward – Ring My Bell (1979) Total Points – 567 Charts – 2 Top 40 – 0 Top 20 – 0 Top 10 – 0 Highest Ranking – 41 While working on her debut album, record label owner Fred Knight presented Ward with a song he wrote for Stacy Lattisaw the previous year. Ward didn’t like the song, but Knight insisted the album needed a dance number to capitalize on the disco craze. Ward wasn’t pleased but she relented. Originally, because the song was written for the 11-year-old Lattisaw, it was more of a teenybopper song about talking on the telephone, which probably explains part of the reason Ward didn’t like it. However, after the rewrite the song was anything but teenybopper. In fact, it was listed in Billboard magazine’s list of the 50 sexiest songs of all time. The song was a #1 hit on the Hot 100 and the Soul Singles Chart. It also garnered a Grammy nomination for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance. 106. The Buggles – Video Killed the Radio Star (1980) Total Points – 566 Charts – 1 Top 40 – 0 Top 20 – 0 Top 10 – 0 Highest Ranking – 6 Ok, I’m going to get this out of the way early – Yes, this was the first video ever played on MTV. The band was really a duo, Trevor Horn and Geoffrey Downes, and this song was…you guessed it, the lead single off of their debut album. It was also a smash hit internationally topping charts in the UK, Australia, and Japan, and getting into the top 10 in Canada, Germany, New Zealand, and South Africa. Surprisingly, the song’s performance in the U.S. was only moderate with it topping out at #40. Horn stated that in writing this song, he had recently read JG Ballard and had a vision of a future where record companies would have computers in basements that would manufacture artists”, which seems amazingly prophetic given the current state of music. Following this song, the duo joined the band Yes. They still released a second Buggles album in 1981, but it didn’t perform as well, and the two members were no longer as interested in being performers, so they called it quits. 105. Rockwell – Somebody's Watching Me (1984) Total Points – 566 Charts – 2 Top 40 – 0 Top 20 – 0 Top 10 – 0 Highest Ranking –53 Rockwell’s real name is Kenny William Gordy, son of Barry Gordy the founder of Motown. He changed his name to try and avoid the appearance of nepotism. However, Rockwell benefited greatly from his upbringing, mostly in the form of having his childhood friend Michael Jackson sing on his OHW single. In fact, this song is very similar to the Primitive Radio Gods song (#193) from earlier in the countdown, where it was BB King’s wailing of “I’ve been down hearted baby” that was the hook, here it’s Jackson’s “I always feel like somebody’s watching me” that people remember. Rockwell, also benefited from Michael in another way. This song, with its spooky tone came along at exactly the right time, following Michael’s smash hit Thriller by just a few months, providing it with a ready-made audience for a Michael Jackson vocal on a single with a horror-based atmosphere. Regardless of reason, the song was a big hit everywhere. In the U.S. it climbed to #2, kept out of the top spot by both Van Halen’s “Jump”, and Kenny Loggins’ “Footloose”. 104. The First Class – Beach Baby (1974) Total Points – 564 Charts – 1 Top 40 – 0 Top 20 – 0 Top 10 – 1 Highest Ranking –4 This is our first song to get into the top 5 of a seed list. The First Class was a studio creation by John Carter. He brought together a couple of guys that worked for his studio to help him to produce some of his own material. Carter, who worked extensively as a studio singer can be heard on the hits "It's Not Unusual" (Tom Jones), "I Can't Explain" (The Who), "Hi Ho Silver Lining" (Jeff Beck), "(There's) Always Something There to Remind Me" (Sandie Shaw), "Excerpt From A Teenage Opera" (Keith West), and "Out of Time" (Chris Farlowe). This song peaked at #13 in the UK and at #4 here. Following the success of the song, there was demand for the band to tour, but neither Carter or Burrows (one of the two musicians brought in) had time or interest in doing it, so a group of musicians, completely unrelated to the song, was formed to handle those duties. The band did create a second album a couple of years later prior to disbanding. 103. The Five Stairsteps – O-o-h Child (1970) Total Points – 564 Charts – 1 Top 40 – 0 Top 20 – 0 Top 10 – 1 Highest Ranking –4 I’m sure your mental image right now is Chris Pratt singing and dancing. This band, known as The First Family of Soul, is an interesting one, and one that probably should have forced a 5th rule that would state “Any artist with an abundance of hits in the Hot 100, regardless of position can’t be considered a OHW”. You see, The Five Stairsteps meet the previous definition of OHW outlined earlier, because this song was their only Top 40 hit, as it peaked at #8. However, they did have 16 other songs that made the Hot 100, the best topping out at #45. At some point a body of work this extensive has to carry weight. This song was listed by Billboard as the 402nd ranked song in their list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. 102. Benny Mardones - Into the Night (1980) Total Points – 563 Charts – 1 Top 40 – 0 Top 20 – 0 Top 10 – 1 Highest Ranking – 3 Benny Mardones started out as a songwriter, having written songs for Chubby Checker and Brenda Lee. He used to pitch his songs by demoing them, and at one point a producer suggested he cut his own album. He ended up recording this song and it was a Top 20 hit…twice. That’s right, the song, originally off of his second album reached #11 in 1980, and his rerecorded version in 1989 made it to #20, this is one of only 10 songs to ever chart that high twice. Some of the others, include: Chubby Checker’s “The Twist” (#1 in ‘60 & #1 in ‘62), Ben E. King’s “Stand by Me” (#4 in ’61 & #9 in ’86), Neil Sedaka’s “Breaking Up is Hard to Do” (#1 in ’62 & #8 with a much slower version in ’76), The Contours’ “Do You Love Me” (#3 in ’62 & #11 in ’88 following the popularity of the movie Dirty Dancing), The Righteous Brothers’ “Unchained Melody” (#4 in ’65 & #13 in ’90, after the popularity of the move Ghost), The 4 Seasons’ “December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night)” (#1 in ’76 & #14 in ’94), and Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” (#9 in ’76 & #2 in ’92 after the movie Wayne’s World). 101. Des'ree - You Gotta Be (1994) Total Points – 563 Charts – 3 Top 40 – 0 Top 20 – 0 Top 10 – 0 Highest Ranking – 70 This British R&B artist has had a nice run in her home country with 6 songs that charted in the Top 40 and several more just outside of that. But in the U.S. it’s this song which peaked at #5 and its follow up that stalled at #67. Des’ree has received numerous awards including a Brit Award, an Ivor Novello Award, World Music Award, Urban Music Award and a BMI award for 5 million air plays of this song in America alone. This video was also nominated by MTV for “Best Female Video” in 1995, losing to Madonna’s “Take a Bow”. Unfortunately, she’s also won a BBC poll for Worst Pop Lyricist for her ’98 single “Life”, which by the way was a #1 hit in Japan, Spain, and several other European countries. Last edited by Breeze : 06-14-2019 at 12:07 PM. |
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06-14-2019, 02:53 PM
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#96 | ||
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Coordinator
Join Date: Nov 2003
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I've been chuckling randomly most of the morning after being reminded of this song and it's lyrics. For people who think it might not be that bad, may I present in all it's glory: Quote:
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06-14-2019, 02:56 PM
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#97 |
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Coordinator
Join Date: Nov 2003
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DOLA - I also never realized Donna Lewis was Welsh, although going back and listening to that song again you can clearly hear the accent. So that's kinda cool. And Video Killed the Radio Star is an all-time underrated classic.
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06-14-2019, 03:29 PM
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#98 | |
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Resident Alien
Join Date: Jun 2001
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I actually own 3 of their albums: Permission to Land (2003) One Way Ticket to Hell... and Back (2005) Hot Cakes (2012) Not my favorite band by any measure, but I can usually count on a couple good songs from each album. Growing On Me and I Believe in a Thing Called Love were good off of Permission. Is It Just Me and Girlfriend were good from Hell and Back (although my wife was like "WTF is this?" when she heard it the other day). Living Each Day Blind is a good song off of Hot Cakes. I wasn't aware they had more albums after 2012. Might have to track those down.  Last edited by Kodos : 06-14-2019 at 03:30 PM. |
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06-14-2019, 03:43 PM
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#99 | |
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Coordinator
Join Date: Nov 2003
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I saw them as the opening act for Def Leppard in Sheffield in around 2001 or 2002 before they blew up. They were most memorable to me for the open fronted leotard the lead singer was wearing and his absurdly high voice and felt like a novelty act, so I can definitely see Jon's point. Imagine my surprise when they absolutely blew up around a year later, and a couple of their songs were absolutely huge in the UK. |
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06-15-2019, 08:44 PM
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#100 | |
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Coordinator
Join Date: Jan 2002
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Quote:
(And how did "Big League" not chart high in the US, what is wrong with you people?)
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Down Goes Brown: Toronto Maple Leafs Humor and Analysis |
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