Talk:One-hit wonders in the UK/Archive 1

The Association was NOT a "one-hit wonder"

Among others, they had Along Comes Mary, Cherish, and Windy - each being a 'hit' of some degree. So, I have removed The Association from the list (1960's). —Preceding unsigned comment added by 99.227.86.155 (talk) 14:22, 24 July 2008 (UTC)

People who had success in other media

Should this list include athletes (Frank Bruno), actors (Amanda Barrie and Johnny Briggs) and such who only briefly dabbled in music as a result of their existing popularity? And what of people like Danny Tenaglia and Howie B, acclaimed producers and remixers? --MartinUK 10:33, 9 May 2006 (UTC)

Why no list for 2000s?

And what's the Baz Luhrmann song doing in the 1990s? And since when did Frank Bruno sing Eye of the Tiger? Also wasn't 19 by Paul Hardcastle a one hit wonder?

There was a special version of Eye of the Tiger which had commentary of Frank Bruno winning a fight over it. I only heard it once so I cant fill in any more details such as chart position, sales etc

Well, the Baz Luhrmann record was a hit in 1999, so that's why it's in the 1990s section. And no, Paul Hardcastle wasn't a one-hit wonder. He also had a top ten hit with "Don't Waste My Time" (which gets played on radio about as much as "19" itself, viz. almost never, but that doesn't change the fact that it was a hit) and perhaps more memorably made the top 20 with "The Wizard". --Bonalaw 10:39, 14 May 2006 (UTC)

the wrong way of looking at this (IMO)

i believe that, while one hit wonders are obviously related to chart success, it kind of misses the point to impose chart-placing-related criteria on their inclusion in this list as the only criterion, since one-hit wonders, as implied in the one-hit wonder article, have cultural aspects as well. for example, the below example of Baha Men i would describe as an archetypal one hit wonder, regardless of the fact that on paper they had other moderately successful chart hits. a one-hit wonder is not something that an alien with a chart compendium can identify, a one-hit wonder is something that enters the public consciousness briefly, before the artist is forgotten and only the song remains. like Nena, Baha Men, Babylon Zoo etc. likewise, just because a song has entered the top 40 does not make it a "hit" in the way meant in "one hit wonder". for example, i noticed Bullet For My Valentine on the list, but sales alone did not make that a hit, since a very small proportion of the record-buying demographic even know that band (that statement POV possibly, but i wouldnt put it in an article!) let alone the song. thats the danger of doing it based on chart positions alone. consensus instead? Jdcooper 14:19, 11 November 2005 (UTC)

criteria

Just wondering on what grounds some of these songs are termed one hit wonders... I mean I just removed "A-Ha - Take On Me" because A-Ha were one of the bigger acts of the 80s, with a string of top 10 hits. Kajagoogoo, while being best known for Too Shy, had two other Top 10 hits, and a further top 20 hit. Let alone the top 40. The Guinness Book of Hit Singles would tell us that a one hit wonder has to get to number one. I disagree with that, but would insist that a one hit wonder really has to have had only ONE HIT. Whether that's a top 40 hit or a top 75 hit is open to debate perhaps... But a LOT of these acts had more than one hit. -Nommo

Yes. This list has been spawned from the original list which was in the One-hit wonder page and contained many examples of artists who had many hits in the UK and were one hits wonders in the US and vice versa and/or were no-hit wonders in the US/UK. I just went through the 50s songs to check which were one hit wonders (I would say must have been in the top 10 to qualify). Mintguy 02:35 Dec 4, 2002 (UTC)

Sounds good to me. -Nommo

I think if a band had a top 10 hit and had a few bubling under the top ten it's kinda borderline. What do you think? Mintguy 02:55 Dec 4, 2002 (UTC)

Well... the way I see it, I'd say that a seperate top 40 hit would negate a top 10 hit's OHW status. I mean, if a band gets one record in the top ten and no others in the top 40, that seems to me to work out as a OHW. But a top ten and another in the top 40 doesn't... It means we don't have to worry about a massive amount of records - just a lot of records. More than one record in the top 40 doesn't seem like a OHW to me. -Nommo

Hmmm... It's difficult Billy Ray Curtis got another song (""Could've been me"") to 24, but I doubt if anyone (but a fan) could remember it. It would be a shame to remove him. Channel 4 had a top 10 one hit wonder thing a while ago. I wonder what criteria they used.

Weren't they all number ones? I seem to remember a second Billy Ray Cyrus record coming out. I remember a small amount of associated pain. Though I don't remember the song. Reneé and Renato were in that C4 thing... They had a number 1 and a number 48, so that would fit my criteria. Which seems right. -Nommo

I'd suggest using a sliding scale - say that if an artist has a #1 and no other top 10s, it counts, or a top 5 and no other top 20s, or a top 10 and no other top 40s. That seems to allow a wide enough range of artists, who are only remembered for one song. People like Babylon Zoo and Billy Ray Cyrus only had other hits on the back of their previous one anyway.

Bit late jumping on this - but I would suggest a One Hit Wonder being someone who had a top 10 hit and nothing else within the top 40. There could well be someone who had a well-known No.12 hit and nothing else - but you've got to draw the line somewhere. Certainly a top 40 hit on it's own isn't good enough to qualify (what if an artist has a No.36 and then a No.42?!!). It shoudn't matter if someone has a big well-known song and then a No.24 that nobody remembers (in the example with Billy Ray C) - the fact is, he had a follow-up hit. Most artists are only remembered by one song (unless they're really big names) - you can't include all of them or else the term becomes meaningless. But unlike the Guinness Book of Hit Singles - I wouldn't include one-off duets by otherwise successful artists ( although the example of Elton John and Kiki Dee mentioned above is incorrect anyway - and they had another hit in 1994 together - a No.2 in fact!).--Tuzapicabit (talk) 23:50, 30 May 2008 (UTC) Thinking about this again - considering Chesney Hawkes - he would definitely be considered a one hit wonder, but given my suggestion above wouldn't be counted since he had a no.1 and a no.27 follow-up. So I would agree with the above and go with a sliding scale. Say - if an artist has a No.1 then nothing else in the top 20, a top 5 hit and nothing else in the top 30, a top 10 and nothing else in the top 40 - beyond that I would say leave it, otherwise anything below top 10 (ie- a top 20 hit) and no other top 75 hit at all.--Tuzapicabit (talk) 08:12, 31 May 2008 (UTC)

Obviously, I've since changed my mind on this as it would constitute original research (apart from the fact that my suggestion was rambling wildly!)--Tuzapicabit (talk) 19:46, 9 October 2008 (UTC)

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My GBBHS only goes up to 2000. Has Christine Aguilera had any other hits other than "Genie in a bottle"? I haven't been able to find out the chart positions of her other singles. Mintguy 13:33 Dec 4, 2002 (UTC)

Mine only goes to the end of '96. And its a really unpleasant neon orange and green colour. I have to wear sunglasses to look at it. -Nommo

You need "The Great Rock Discography". Splendidly non-NPOV... Re: Christina: Yes more hits, including Dirrty (sic), featuring Redman from Wu Tang Clan -- User:GWO

My copy of GRD has no back cover or spine, and most of the pages are falling out. Plus, it's as out of date as my Guinness. -Nommo

How can we tell? Aguilera's career is still active, God help us. --Charles A. L. 17:39, Nov 11, 2003 (UTC)

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Deb I've been adding from the Guiness Book of British Hit Singles not from memory.

Dear Whoever - It's spelled "Guinness", and Lena Lovich is spelled "Lene" (spelling is important for links) - but she's not a OHW anyway, as she had other top 40 hits, as did Charles Aznavour and the Motors, so I've taken them out. The entry for one-hit wonder seems to say that a "hit" is something that got into the top 40, and I agree with Nommo. --User:Deb

Deb. Ok so you want to establish that a OHW only counts if there were no other songs in the top 40. That wasn't fully established it was being debated. I don't know what qualified as a OHW in channel 4's list. What the OHW entry says is irrelevant, it could be easily changed. Even by your definition the removal of America - Horse with no name was wrong. But fine, I'll go through the list again to check what's correct and what isn't. I know that Billy Ray Curtis will have to come off which is a shame. BTW I know how to spell Guinness. I drink it, I've done the brewery tour, I'm from Irish stock, I've got the jumper and I've got the Guinness hit singles book on the shelf behind me. My typing skills leave something to be desired especially when drunk. Mintguy 20:28 Dec 6, 2002 (UTC)

Sorry, I wasn't trying to be offensive. The Guinness book (orange edition) has a full list of one-hit wonders on page 508. Admittedly, Guinness accepts anything in the top 75 as a hit. I did think you wrote the original article on one-hit wonders, which does seem to define "hit" as something in the top 40??? Deb

Hi. I apologize also. I get annoyed with my own spelling mistakes and typos (a speylyn chequer wud bee handi) so someone pointing them out only adds to my embarrassment and I become defensive. Mintguy

My edition of Guinness doesn't have such a list. It's the 13th blue edition. The original OHW article had OHWs from the UK and US in together and I decided to split off UK OHW because the talk was becomming filled with people saying so-and-so wasn't a OHW on their side of the pond. I'd taken some flak for this so again I was feeling a bit defensive. Take care. Mintguy 00:05 Dec 8, 2002 (UTC)

Some of the flak was as follows, if I add "Ride Captain Ride" by Blues Image (1970) to the American list, it may never make it to the UK list because I don't have any idea of the UK hit parade and no one will necessarily check the American list to see if there are British one-hit wonders there. Takes all the fun out of it for me. Much better to have one list and label the US-only and UK-only hits. The international one-hit wonder gets lost by having two lists. If there were only one list and Blues Image never had a hit on the other side, then all you'd have to do is label it US only, but this way no one will never know. Hate to be a crank, but it just struck me again. Ortolan88 05:20 Dec 8, 2002 (UTC)

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can you explain why Chumabawamba's "Tubthumping" has been removed from the list?

ALSO, I'm not sure that Artful Dodger counts as that track was surely as much a hit for Craig David, who, my daughter tells me, has had many more hits...

Cheers quercus robur

Craig David has had *far* too many hits. "Amnesia" was Top 40 (#10, actually) for the Wambas. See http://www.chartwatch.co.uk -- User:GWO.

Cheers I never realised Amnesia got so high in the charts quercus robur

Also Chumbawamba had "Enough is Enough" which was in the charts - not sure how high it got. GRAHAMUK 09:12, 16 Oct 2003 (UTC)

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If anybody can be arsed at this stage, this page might be made much more useful by including additional information for each song like highest chart position, no. of weeks in chart and year of release. Just an idea quercus robur

I've been thinking about this for ages, but as I can't be arsed (American and British English Differences)? to add the entries from B-Z from Guinness, er... you can guess the rest. Mintguy 17:05 Dec 17, 2002 (UTC)

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Several OHWs came about after being used as the soundtrack for Levi's adverts:

• Babylon Zoon - "Spaceman"
• Stiltskin - "Inside"

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Intersting fact about The Snowman. Ask anybody; Who sang on The Snowman film? - and they'll say Aled Jones. But infact he sang on the single that was released, a different choirester sang on The Snowman film but (I think this is right) his voice had broken by the time they wanted to release the single. Mintguy

yep that's right, though I don't know about the broken voice bit. The single was AJ, but the film soundtrack was Peter Auty, a chorister from St Paul's Cathedral. Nevilley

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Is it too early to put The Cheeky girls in here? Mintguy

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What was the name of thats song made in teh mid 1990s by some guy in his garage or closet or something. It wasn an electronic sound. I can not rember for the lfie of me what it was called. But I am shore it was a one hit wonder

Sounds like White Town, "Your Woman" (the Abort/Retry/Fail? EP) And it was a one-hit wonder

-thanx that was it. -fonzy

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I dispute that Sinéad O'Connor was a 1-hit wonder. Though "Nothing Compares 2 U" was definitely her most obvious success, she did have charting singles previously with "Mandinka" and possibly others. GRAHAMUK 09:10, 16 Oct 2003 (UTC)

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Gainsbourg and Birkin only had one hit in the English speaking world but many hits in France. BTW, weren't Crosby, Stills and Nash one hit wonders in the UK? I remember reading that "Marrakesh Express" was their only UK hit.

Marrakesh Express got to No 17 in August 1969, another single "American Dream" reached No 55 in January 1989. I don't know if that counts as a hit (what is the cutoff for this list anyway? - I'd say Top 40 but that's just my opinion). Je t'aime was Birkin and Gainsbourg's only UK hit, but it was in the charts on three separate occasions - July and October 1969 (No 1 in October), and again in December 1974 (reached No 31). All this info from the Guiness Book of British Hit Singles, which I tend to think of as the canonical reference. Graham 09:16, 4 Jul 2004 (UTC)

Dunblane charity single? Thats hardly could be classed as a one hit wonder because it was just one song to help the victims families of Dunblane. Also The Bravery's "Honest Mistake"? They have only released one album and are recording another.

Up-to-date?

One-hit wonders in the United States seems to be much more frequently updated than this article, with loads of tracks I know were also 1HWs here too. Anyone willing to sift through them? If not I'll give it a go when I get round to it. violet/riga 14:39, 8 Aug 2004 (UTC)

Over-reliance on the Guinness Book

I've been acquiring GBOBHS(&A)s for the last few years now, and they've changed the description themselves a couple of times as to what actually constitutes a one-hit wonder. The first version I had said that an OHW was an artist who had one and only one single, peaking at number 75 (a list including such luminaries as Sir Alec Guinness). The next version (actually bought two years later) suggested that it was one and only one single, peaking at number 1 (the most common definition used these days). And neither of them is sufficient to account for the likes of Joan Osborne, who had one monster hit peaking at about number 6; or Chesney Hawkes, whose second single got to about number 16 (I left the book at home) but is still regarded almost as canonical as The Archies in OHW terms.

Can I therefore ask that the GBOBHS(&A), seemingly the Bible in these sorts of debates, be used with considerable caution and that ploughing through it to rattle off a list be discouraged, in favour of some thought as to acts and singles that are (I hate this expression too) generally regarded as OHWs? As some have suggested, Chumbawamba are generally reckoned to be a one-hit wonder despite fitting 'none' of these overly picky criteria; Tubthumping was a number 2, their next hit was top ten, and they've had other hits in various places in the charts. Kinitawowi 14:25, Aug 27, 2004 (UTC)

Clearly the definition that requires a "hit" to be Number 1 is too restrictive, and the definition requiring only Number 75 far too loose, especially as these numbers have nothing to do with absolute numbers of sales or anything - just relative sales at the time the chart was compiled. Maybe we should define our own criterion - but since sales figures are hard to come by, sticking with chart positions is the best we can do. I'd suggest counting Top 20 as a "hit", otherwise not, for the purposes of this article. Once we decide on the criterion we can carefully add that definition to the article itself. I don't see anything wrong with doing this rather than relying on an external source - it's not "original research" or anything, it's just a sort of WP policy. The GBOBHS is still the best source for actually determining chart positions. Graham 09:22, 28 Aug 2004 (UTC)

I think you misunderstood the purpose of the "one hit at no.75 list" (or maybe it was mis-stated in the book, that was the terrible error-ridden 12th edition, wasn't it?). Certainly the Guinness book has always considered a OHW to be an artist that has one number one hit and nothing else in the top 75, which produces an interesting list but is a bit too restrictive. I think Top 20 is a good yardstick for being a "hit" as you say. I actually have a complete list of artists who fit that criterion (one and only one single in the top 20) up to 2000, which I will check the current article against when I'm less tired. -- Bonalaw 22:08, 28 Aug 2004 (UTC)

13th ed, actually. I can't find the book at the moment (it's fallen apart down the middle of the spine...), but if I can dig it up I'll give the wording it provides; basically it boils down to "the ultimate one-hit wonders", the qualification for which is "one solitary week at the lowest position in the chart. Some of these acts have gone on to bigger and better things elsewhere, and yes; the list is headed by the Anthony Hopkins." Or something like that. Kinitawowi 11:32, Sep 1, 2004 (UTC)

Baha Men?

They had two other top 20 hits, shouldn't they be removed from the list? Jeffy 13:23, 12 Sep 2004 (UTC)

Though they are known mainly for the one song yes I agree they should be removed. violet/riga (t) 14:18, 12 Sep 2004 (UTC)

Disagree. Would anybody know the name of those other two hits without resorting to a reference work? It's a crappy definition, I know, but I'd suspect the second hit needs to have at least some acclaim to boot the tag. Kinitawowi 11:54, Sep 19, 2004 (UTC)

The fact that you don't remember it, doesn't mean it wasn't a hit. Bonalaw 18:14, 19 Sep 2004 (UTC)

I'd be willing to bet that there's more people who don't remember it than do. However, since the definition seems to be degenerating to a very strict dictdef ("one hit in the top twenty and nothing else at all"; obsoleting the likes of Stiltskin (Inside was number 1, the follow-up was about number 61)), you may as well add that complete list you reckon you've got. Personally I think that definition sucks, but then I don't run the Wikipedia.

There's also this, from One-hit wonder:

In some cases, artists who had successful charts but still have a "signature song" are considered one hit wonders

And there isn't a better match for that definition than Baha Men. Kinitawowi 08:56, Sep 20, 2004 (UTC)

Maybe this whole article is just hopelessly subjective. I've stopped trying to add every act with one top twenty hit to the list as there's just an insane number of them (over a thousand, in fact!). I'm not convinced by this "signature song" business. By that reckoning I might as well restore a load of acts I removed the other day - Paul Hardcastle, Rick Astley, Yazz, S'Express et al. But I'm not going to. Nyah. Bonalaw 10:22, 20 Sep 2004 (UTC)

Just for the record... Paul Hardcastle and S'Express, in my insignificant view at least, absolutely should be there. Rick Astley absolutely should not. Yazz I can take or leave (probably leaning towards the former). And I think I prefer the idea of the article being subjective over that of it being rigidly defined as some function of chart position. Hell, Led Zeppelin's singles chart record reads "one and only one track, peaking at number 21" (a rerelease of Whole Lotta Love in 1997)... Kinitawowi 11:53, Sep 20, 2004 (UTC)

Perhaps we should inlcude Led Zeppelin, with their signature song, of course - "Stairway To Heaven". ;-) --Bonalaw 15:17, 20 Sep 2004 (UTC)

All in favour of Non-hit wonder... :-p Kinitawowi 15:25, Sep 20, 2004 (UTC)

"Funky Town" by Pseudo Echo

"Funky Town" by Pseudo Echo (cover of the Lipps, Inc. song) – I know the did the cover but was it really a hit? Can't remember the chart positioning of it. violet/riga (t) 08:14, 20 Sep 2004 (UTC)

• Everyhit.com says number 8. Kinitawowi 08:45, Sep 20, 2004 (UTC)

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Can a theme tune really constitute a one hit wonder? I say it mainly in reference to the inclusion of "Suicide is Painless"--Thomas 19:47, 29 Oct 2004 (UTC)

It was released as a single and got to number one, credited to The MASH. Whether you say The MASH were a one-off session group, or a pseudonym for Jahnny Mandel, either way it's their (his) only hit. Bonalaw 09:43, 30 Oct 2004 (UTC)

Spaceman

The inclusion of Babylon Zoo's 'Spaceman' in the 1990's is innaccurate. The band's next single, 'Animal Army' charted also, instantly disqualifying them from any kind of 'One Hit Wonder' list. So there. :)

It peaked at #23 [1] so I think that doesn't really count as a successful second single. violet/riga (t) 09:24, 31 Oct 2004 (UTC)

Peaked at no.17 actually. Those charts aren't actual weekly top 40s, they're averaged out over several weeks in order to avoid copyright issues. Bonalaw 09:32, 31 Oct 2004 (UTC)

Ahh thanks - didn't look around to check it out. #17, hmm, well does the fact that it's not a very good song count? ;) violet/riga (t) 09:54, 31 Oct 2004 (UTC)

I thought both songs were awful. [[User:Dmn|Dmn / Դմն 14:27, 31 Oct 2004 (UTC)

While that's true "Spaceman" had a certain at-the-time appeal, mainly because of the first few (speeded-up) moments of the song. Back to the question, I think it can remain on here especially if, along with other entries, a * is placed next to those of questionable OHW status. violet/riga (t) 16:03, 31 Oct 2004 (UTC)

I took him off; He also had "The Boy With The X-Ray Eyes" which went to #32. RomeoVoid 06:00, 8 April 2006 (UTC)

He's more of a 'one-chorus wonder' than a one-hit wonder; a lot fo people bought the single for the bit on the advert and hated the rest of the song --MartinUK 00:51, 9 April 2006 (UTC)

Too early?

Some of the 'one-hit wonders' listed here are less than a year old. Surely, it's much too early to guess whether Eamon, Frankee or 3 of a Kind will follow with another hit any day now.
Should we decide on a sensible amount of time to elapse before listing it? Without such a criterion, every successful newcomer is a one-hit wonder for a while. -- Smjg 19:13, 2 Jan 2005 (UTC)

I reckon those are quite safe. Eamon released a second single which bombed and none of those three have any kind of appeal which would extend beyond their one hit, I would think. As it stands they actually are one-hit wonders – who's to say that Slim Dusty (the first one on this list) isn't going to have a second, posthumous smash hit? violet/riga (t) 19:18, 2 Jan 2005 (UTC)

Nobody. But then again, if it's going to happen to a long-classic OHW, it isn't naturally expected to happen in the near future, unlike artists who have just debuted. Sometimes a newcomer is expected be a OHW, but you can't draw any conclusions (e.g. I heard that both Steps and Fast Food Rockers* were expected to be OHWs at first).

*OK, so FFR had one main hit. But still. And I still feel that I Love Christmas should've been a classic.

-- Smjg 11:24, 11 Jan 2005 (UTC)

True, but in each of those cases the group followed up there first single quite quickly (easily within two months) and the three you mention haven't. violet/riga (t) 11:39, 11 Jan 2005 (UTC)

"If I Had Words" by Scott Fitzgerald

The "Scott Fitzgerald" link incorrectly redirects to "F. Scott Fitzgerald", and these guys are not the same person.

Do They Know It's Christmas?

I have removed all three versions of this song from this article, because I do not feel one could accurately describe a charity record as a one-hit wonder. Almost all of those who recorded the song are massively successful artists, although this is perhaps less true for Band Aid II. The song is neither a novelty release, or released by performers who only achieved one success despite all their efforts. I don't think anyone would think of adding "Love Can Build a Bridge" to this list just because it is the only hit that Cher, Nenah Cherry and Chrissie Hynde ever had together. Rje 18:51, 18 September 2005 (UTC)

"Let It Be" by Ferry Aid

Like above, I don't think a charity record should be considered as a one hit wonder - it was supposed to be a one time thing anyway. Besides, the record featured profilic artists like Boy George, Kate Bush, Paul McCartney, Mark Knopfler, just to mention a few, none of which fit into this category at all.

Switchfoot

I see Meant to Live on this list, but I can't find any UK top 40 archives online, so can someone please send me a reference URL or tell me how well this song did on the UK charts, thanks --T-rex 17:10, 21 January 2006 (UTC)

It peaked at #29 in August 2004. RomeoVoid 04:02, 7 April 2006 (UTC)

Hank Mizell

Can I put forward Hank Mizell's "Jungle Rock" for inclusion on the OHW list ? With a Top Ten UK placing in 1976, and no other UK chart entries at all, it seems a good candidate. I have just put together a Wiki page on dear old Hank himself, (if anyone is interested).

Derek R Bullamore 17:06, 23 February 2006 (UTC)

• Be Bold!, he seems like a perfect candidate... Jdcooper 18:14, 23 February 2006 (UTC)

Alizée

Alizée has quite a few #1 tracks (see the Alizée article), that too internationally. So what is the rationale for including her in the One-Hit wonders list? --Soumyasch 10:34, 22 March 2006 (UTC)

• The article is explicitly for One-hit wonders in the UK; and Alizée's chart record fits the bill perfectly (one #9 hit and nothing else). Kinitawowi 10:57, 22 March 2006 (UTC)
  • Agreed, and what a hit! Jdcooper 11:53, 22 March 2006 (UTC)

Babylon Zoo and Stiltskin

• I have replaced these two, because they are two examples of "one-hit wonders" that i would describe as archetypal. I know Babylon Zoo "had another chart hit", but i think, as i noted at the top of this page, that chart placings alone are not sufficient to declare something a one-hit wonder or otherwise. The point is that the follow up single was markedly less successful, and wasn't really a hit. Neither did Babylon Zoo have any special-interest career, like artists such as Tomcraft, but were truly a one-hit wonder. We don't need any chart approved scheme to sort out whether artist are one-hit wonders, the point of being a wiki is that we can use consensus. In my opinion, Babylon Zoo and Stiltskin are known overwhelmingly for one song only, therefore are one-hit wonders. Jdcooper 10:15, 6 April 2006 (UTC)

The fact is they still had other hits, albeit less well-remembered. Stiltskin's followup "Footsteps" peaked at #34 on the UK charts, and Bablyon Zoo's "Animal Army" made the top twenty, while "The Boy With The X-Ray Eyes" went to #32. Top Twenty? That's a hit, whatever way you look at it; They're probably not remembered because they were carbon copies of the first song (I'm just guessing here), but the British public bought it up.

There's plenty of artists that are not remembered even though they had several big hits. Take the band Grass Roots in America for instance. They managed to chart 14 Top 40 hits, including seven gold singles and one platinum single but when was the last time you heard them being mentioned anywhere? Does that make them no-hit wonders, because no one remembers their songs? RomeoVoid 20:34, 7 April 2006 (UTC)

• No, because they probably had a lot of hits of equal success. If Babylon Zoo had had two singles which both reached about #15, then fine, top twenty counts, but top twenty is not a hit compared with the massive success of Spaceman. I just think we can't be that clinical when judging a one-hit wonder, because it is a cultural term as well as a technical one. If Nena (probably the most famous one-hit wonder in UK) released another single next month and it received no publicity or cultural impact, but reached #36 or something, and that was it, would that mean she wasnt a one-hit wonder? I don't think it would. Ditto Babylon Zoo and Stiltskin, they are bands who had one defining track that was far more successful than anything else they did. Most of the artists on this list you "never hear mentioned anywhere", because they were only one-hit wonders. Jdcooper 13:32, 8 April 2006 (UTC)

If Nena released another single and it became a hit, I'm sure it'll get some coverage. "Most of the artists on this list you "never hear mentioned anywhere", because they were only one-hit wonders." My point exactly, a hit doesn't necessarily have to be remembered to be considered one. RomeoVoid 00:13, 9 April 2006 (UTC)

• Fine, I'm removing this article from my watchlist to avoid revert wars etc, because its not really important, but i have to say i think it is a mistake to omit bands like Babylon Zoo and Stiltskin, of whom a major feature is their "one-hit wonderness", on a technicality. Jdcooper 04:09, 9 April 2006 (UTC)

Actually, I think you make a good case for including them, but it's tricky to draw a line with subjective criteria like that. I tend toward thinking of it like this: imagine the bigger hit didn't exist. Would the second-biggest song count as a hit in its own right? If so, then the act has had two hits and shouldn't qualify. Personally, I think Stiltskin should definitely qualify and Babylon Zoo is a borderline case. --Bonalaw 11:13, 9 April 2006 (UTC)

I just saw that Top Fifty One-Hit Wonders thing on Channel 4, and www.1hw.org/c4list.shtml has a complete listing. This list was produced by people voting for it, which means that it represents a "popular consensus" of one-hit wonderhood rather than a mechanical "one number one and nothing else higher than x". The list includes Babylon Zoo but not Stiltskin. (For the record, the site itself identifies a list, using x=20 in the above condition; Babylon Zoo is in it's Does Not Qualify list). Kinitawowi 15:01, 8 May 2006 (UTC)

Criteria for inclusion

I think there should be some sort of time criterion for including people on the list; I just removed Daniel Powter's "Bad Day" (which was released less than a year ago), Jesse McCartney's "Beautiful Soul" (which came out last February) and "So Sick" by Ne-Yo (which is less than a month old!). Obviously acts like these will have only had one hit because in most cases they haven't released any (or many) singles after that. Extraordinary Machine 17:55, 17 April 2006 (UTC)

Agreed — and, re the discussion above, entries should have no other hits; having another hit thatwasn't so big doesn't count. How about stopping the list at five years before the current date? --Mel Etitis (Μελ Ετητης) 13:37, 8 May 2006 (UTC)

And what of They Might Be Giants, who had a 10 year gap between their first 2 top-40 hits? I'd say 2 years is long enough to wait, but occasionally these people return.

What about Mr Blobby? anonymous entry 8th May 2006

I have drawn a criteria for inclusions which should be two years before the current date for...

• Active acts.
• Acts that is known for being in a band/solo project/side project.
• Is a feature act.

The only exceptions are 9 months for acts who...

• Have broken up or dissolved from record contract and not had not been signed again.
• Are unlikely to have another hits - having 2 other singles that did not make it to the top 40 qualifies that (Mattafix).
• Are more well known in a non-English speaking country (Las Ketchup).
• Is a novelty special, especially from a TV show (Crazy Frog.
• Also it is easier to include dance acts but anybody with a aliases or as a fictional character should be excluded. Willirennen 14.32 10 May 2006 (utc)

FULL of mistakes

This list is meaningless due to the lack of parity in deciding what should go into it. Furthermore, it's riddled with mistakes. How can Boogie Pimps' Somebody To Love be there when they had another top 10 hit with Sunny? It's also really badly written. Triangle e 11:25, 7 July 2006 (UTC)

It strikes me that too much effort has been spent on the listing of 'one-hit wonders', and nothing like enough time on reaching a consensus agreement of those to include (or exclude) or, indeed, the wording of the article itself. However, I think it is worth saving, IF those problems could be ironed out. Generally, 'one-hit wonders' do have more than a cult following (as the amount of contributors to this page seem to testify).

Derek R Bullamore 16:29, 28 August 2006 (UTC)

It's no question for me that this is the worst article on wikipedia I have ever seen. The definition given at the top of the page is utterly POV, the statements made do not express the most popular view, the article is exceptionally badly written "nobody really knows why" etc., some of the entries in the table are wrong and a consensus will never be reached as to the criteria that should be used for inclusion to this article. Triangle e 11:43, 8 September 2006 (UTC)

i monster?

i monster aren't one hit wonders over here, i don't think. their song 'the blue wraith' has become fairly popular in recent years. it was included during the opening credits of the film shaun of the dead and was featured on some adverts this year.

Unusually Bad Formatting

I realise that the term OHW is very subjective and there are inherent dificulties in listing such artists. However, just because there is dispute over facts, there is no reason not to use proper formatting. In a perfect world, all the lists from different countries and decades would be formatted in the same way. But even if this is not done, it is obvious that each individual article should have consistent formatting. This isn't just me on a crazy rant, it's a WP policy! There is no reason that when editors update the list with new decades they can't stick to established formats. Currently, the 50's are arranged by year, the 90's by year and date, and other decades alphebetically. There's already enough banners at the top of this article, so I won't add one asking for a cleanup, but all regular editors should make an effort to keep this page more organized and legible. Random89 01:49, 1 September 2006 (UTC)

I fixed the 50's list and will try and get around to doing the 90's evetually Random89 01:12, 6 September 2006 (UTC)

Terrible article

Some of the entries for 'one hit wonders' are utter nonsense. I once read that the title 'one-hit wonders' should ONLY be attributed to an artist/act that scores a Number one AND THEN NOTHING ELSE EVER. See Teletubbies, Boy The Builder, Joe Dolce, St Winifreds Choir. Therefore even if the criteria was extended to 'Top Ten hit and then nothing else ever' most of this list should be removed. Even the likes of Babylon Zoo had follow-up singles. The basis of entries at the moment is 'A top ten hit and the person adding the entry hasnt heard of anything else they did'. This article desperately needs sorting out. 80.177.65.182

I'm afraid that I agree. Although had you seen the article when I made my comments a few months ago, you would have had even more of a fit. The problem is, is that there is no consensus of the definition and hence the article has become an unencyclopaedic free-for-all. Triangle e 15:13, 30 November 2006 (UTC)

Elton John and Kiki Dee

"For example, "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" by Elton John and Kiki Dee is considered a one-hit wonder even though both artists have had solo hits, or as part of another act." Elton and Kiki did a cover version of "True Love", released as a single at the end of 1993 and peaking at Number 2 in the UK singles chart. I suggest a different song be used to illustrate what is considered a one-hit wonder, what do others think? Col2006ie (talk) 17:16, 16 December 2007 (UTC)

Yes, I agree. There are many better (and more accurate) examples that could be used.

Derek R Bullamore (talk) 18:13, 16 December 2007 (UTC)

Sorting it out

How about this? No song to be added that hasn't got its own page (on the basis that it isn't notable enough if it doesn't). I know it's not ideal criteria, but we've got to draw the line somewhere - this list will just get longer and longer otherwise. Just had a look back and saw that there's actually some artists that don't even have a page. --Tuzapicabit (talk) 14:09, 19 August 2008 (UTC)

recent edit

Hello All,

I recently added (who had other hits in the United States) to the listings for Third Eye Blind, Blaque, Paula Cole, and Marc Anthony. This is based on the fact these artists had more than one top 40 hit in the US. Marc Anthony, Paula Cole, and Blaque each had two and Third Eye Blind had four. These artists also had various hits on the respective Modern Rock, R&B, Latin, and Adult Contemporary charts as well. Because of this, I added the (who had other hits in the United States) note to their listing. - Thanks, Hoshie 19:18, 19 August 2008 (UTC)

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Wrongly listed

Apart from the fact that this is a hellish page and should be scrapped, it's just occurred to me that all the entries are incorrectly listed. A 'One Hit Wonder' refers to the artist not the song (- the song could be maybe mentioned afterwards in brackets). But since nobody can come up with decent criteria - why don't we go with the Guinness Book of definition which says a No.1 and no other hit at all. This would take away the endless and pointless list that nobody's ever going to read. Then with a reduced list, you could do a small summing up of the hit they had and perhaps mention the follow-up that failed completely. It would make a more interesting page at least. What does anyone else think? Or should I just be bold and do it? Anything's got to be better than what's there.

Please also note that this has been debated on this page since 2002 - six years and nobody's any nearer to coming up with a solution.--Tuzapicabit (talk) 00:01, 4 October 2008 (UTC)

Example

OK, how about this? I've done a test example of the sort of thing I mean (see above). This list would comprise about 55 artists in total.

• Kitty Kallen (1954)

Kallen stands as the very first One Hit Wonder, scoring a No.1 hit in September 1954 with the song "Little Things Mean a Lot". Despite scoring other hits in her native US, Kallen never achieved another hit on the UK Chart, which at this point was a mere Top 12.

• Dream Weavers (1956)

US band who reached No.1 with "It's Almost Tomorrow". It reached the top on two seperate occasions in March and April, but they never managed to follow it up successfully. In the US, they scored a minor hit some months later, but then faded into obscurity there also.

• The Kalin Twins (1958)

The Kalin Twins remain the only One Hit Wonder siblings (comprising of twin brothers). Their song "When" reached No.1 in August 1958 for five weeks.

• Jerry Keller (1959)

Despite writing many hits, Jerry Keller only ever had one hit in his own right. "Here Comes Summer" was a No.1 in October 1959 for a single week.

OK, changed

OK, since there's never going to be (or even can be) any other factual criteria that doesn't contitute original research, I've been bold and changed the page. I'm sure there's still going to be controversy, but I don't think there's ever going to be an ultimate agreement. I feel that the page as it is now is better and more readable than the endless list (which would have grown to infinity) that was there. See what you think. Maybe further tweaks are needed. I've included the previous version of the page as an archive if people still want to see it. I am of course, now waiting for the backlash but with comments above such as: "this is the worst page on Wikipedia" etc and endless disagreement, I seriously can't see a point in going back to the way it was. If the page remains, I'll get a load more references. --Tuzapicabit (talk) 12:24, 8 October 2008 (UTC)