I picked a few one hit wonders, mostly from the 1970s. Feel free to add your own favorites.
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It is my sincere desire to provide readers of this site with the best unbiased information available, and a forum where it can be discussed openly, as our Founders intended. But it is not easy nor inexpensive to do so, especially when those who wish to prevent us from making the truth known, attack us without mercy on all fronts on a daily basis. So each time you visit the site, I would ask that you consider the value that you receive and have received from The Burning Platform and the community of which you are a vital part. I can't do it all alone, and I need your help and support to keep it alive. Please consider contributing an amount commensurate to the value that you receive from this site and community, or even by becoming a sustaining supporter through periodic contributions. [Burning Platform LLC - PO Box 1520 Kulpsville, PA 19443] or Paypal
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I DJ’ed for 50 years and never heard this.
Great song. I think the allusion killed its airplay.
It was a local hit, heavily played on Chicago top forty radio.
I once captured a great screen shot from the Weather Channel from a massive snowstorm that hit Chicago. The caption below the pictures of all the stopped cars was “STUCK ON LSD.” Gotta love it. I am always tempted to take a razor and switch the letters on cars that have the LDS sticker on them. I’m not sure Win 22mag would appreciate the humor. Great song…thanks for posting. Will be sending a link to a former “traveling” buddy from college time.
This is an early version of the song. The siren sounded so real that some drivers actually pulled over to the side of the road! Radio stations were afraid to play the song, so the record company released a second version.
Taylor become one of the few white artists to score a hit for Motown Records.
Taylor explained the inspiration for the song.
“I was living in a fleabag hotel and one night I heard these sirens and somebody was breaking in a store below. I looked out and police had surrounded this store and I turned my tape-recorder on. I saw Bonnie and Clyde a couple of times and with those two things that’s how I came to write “Indiana”.'”
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All that from —> http://www.songfacts.com <—- imho, the best place on the web to find out stuff about songs.
good comment, with a good link addition.
I have a niece named Brandy (by marriage, not blood). When I first heard her name, I immediately thought of this song and figured it was the inspiration for her name (early 70s birth). Turns out it was actually a Playboy bunny instead.
My daughter gave me a Australian Shepard for Christmas, I named her “Brandy”.
A really great song.
A lot of pissed off owners of that phone number. I’m sure it only got worse once the video came out.
Ma Bell had to delete that number from use in all area codes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMc8naeeSS8
I miss EC, he would have loved this thread.
EC would have played The Ketchup Song. Guaranteed.
Back when you could appreciate a band for their sound without having to give a damn, care, or be judged because of their sexual orientation. This was absolutely one of the best versions of this song, though Marilyn Manson does an interesting version.
awesome song!
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Nothing like a girl who can play the sax.
Funny you should post this next; Quarterflash was from a merger between two Oregon bands, Seafood Momma and Pilot. But not this Scottish Pilot.
You have very good taste in 70s music.
77 WABC AM on an avocado transistor radio.
…speaking of silver…
BLACK BETTY
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I used to have season tickets to University of NH hockey. They played this song at each intermission when the team came back out on the ice. Then of course, some person of color complained and that tradition was over. So sad. Thing is, it was written by a black guy. I gave up my tickets the next year.
Black Betty by Ram Jam 1977
Hm. That looks familiar…
Listening to AM radio on the way to school in the late 60s and early 70s, these songs truly bring back memories. I remember when I heard these two songs, I just enjoyed the stories being told.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwPRm5UMe1A
This one appears to be introduced by the criminal child molester from the BBC.
Jim Stafford had some great humorous songs in the 1970s, a lot with quite a bit of innuendo, like Wildwood Weed, My Girl Bill, and of course who can forget some of the Ray Steven’s classics:
My parents turned me on to Jim Croce as young kid in the mid to late 70s still listening to him today.
Jim Croce is not a one hit wonder.
The story is based on truth, but embellished. Jim’s wife, Ingrid Croce, told Songfacts the story.
“Jim Croce joined the US National Guard in 1966, hoping it would keep him from getting sent to Vietnam. He married Ingrid that year, and hoped to continue his education and launch his music career. Unfortunately, Jim was sent for training less then two weeks after their wedding. As Ingrid explained, Jim had no interest in being a soldier and had the distinction of having to repeat basic training. But he did meet a guy who inspired one of his most famous songs. “Leroy Brown is a guy that he actually met,” said Ingrid. “When he was in the service – The National Guard – this guy had gone AWOL. He was a guy that Jim kind of related to, he liked to sing with him. This guy had gone AWOL but he came back to get his paycheck, and he got caught. Jim just thought he was such a funny guy that he thought he’d include his name in the song, and it just worked. There really was a Leroy Brown, and sometimes having a name helps you to build a song around it.”
Ingrid Croce is still alive and runs Croce’s Restaurant & Jazz Bar in San Diego. She says many Leroy Browns come in to her restaurant claiming THEY are the Leroy Brown in the song.lol
https://www.songfacts.com/facts/jim-croce/bad-bad-leroy-brown
His guitarist was Maury Muehleisen from Hopewell, NJ. He died in the same plane crash that killed Croce. Small world.
And just because it’s a great song-
a great croce song that many people don’t know–setting kipling to music,a great match–
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Had forgotten about this song. Never actually knew the title. Thanks for the memory.
https://youtu.be/Dj0drevGOgA
Bought the entire Midnight Special DVD collection a decade ago or so. Worth ever penny. Some of the greatest television there has been. Now its all just crap.
“If man is still alive……”
These days when a Jew dresses up like a woman they give him a government health policy position.
Actually he does look at lot like that PA freak.
Absolutely great for the times…..but who can forget Weird Al’s version.
I absolutely love this book. Ignatius Reilly is one of the most memorable characters ever. I laughed out loud so many times while reading it.
It’s too bad J.K. Toole committed suicide (this book was posthumously released by his mother in 1980, 11 years after Toole’s death, and won the Pulitzer Prize in 1981), he had a great career ahead of him.
She found a carbon copy and gave it to Walker Percy to read. That’s how it got published.
Strongly recommend Percy’s “The Thanatos Syndrome”, his last novel. Very relevant to what is happening in the USA today.
https://youtu.be/m2fPkzJsMU8
Tom Cochrane isn’t a 1 hit wonder… sorry
Ha, I got it off a one hit wonder list.
You are not Canadian i am guessing…. lol
1 hit wonders are sooo subjective…. Tom has made a name for himself rocking it out over many years from red rider onwards…..
Not Canadian but have Lunatic Fringe album by Red Rider.
So many of these weren’t.
What – a billion or so people heard that on the Cars movie?
Mr Liberty,
What pinball machines did you play?
Never did much pinball. I was born in 1964 and got more into video games in the 80s. Not that I didn’t play, but was never enough of a player to be able to remember any of the games. I won’t list off my video favs as I’m figuring you are talking traditional pinball.
With a disturbing into….
Dated Taffy (the blonde) back when I was on the road. She had her Grammy on a shelf in her apartment. It kinda made me sad. Horrible song. To her credit she co-wrote John Denver’s Country Road which is a pretty good one, so on average…
Lived down the street from Susan Crough of the Partridge Family (yeah, the ugly girl). Definitely not as good a story as yours. Taffy…what a great name.
https://youtu.be/h9nE2spOw_o
https://youtu.be/FGl5ReYunoY
As the first video ever played on MTV (you remember them…they used to play videos set to popular music), the Buggle’s song was beyond prescient.
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And the Simpson’s humorous take:
Somewhat sappy, but one I sure remember from the 70s.
2 hit wonder maybe??
I remember my mom asking me if the line in this song was “dressed up like a douche?” Not something you want your mom asking you…especially when you are 12.
not 1 hit wonders
Had some friends who had named their son Quinn after this song.
Geeez, Manfred Mann was far from a one hit wonder.
The studio version is better, but I prefer to see the band.
Another great 70’s “story” song. Had the pleasure of see this guy in concert at a very small venue in Atlanta about 8 years ago. Never appreciated how may great songs he wrote.
Not really a “one hit wonder”, though. “Sundown”, “If You Could Read My Mind”, “Carefree Highway”.
True indeed.
Stick with the program, dude! one hit wonders!!!!
So I was did a search on One Hit Wonders .to find one that slipped my mind. I never heard of this one, “Safety Dance” by some outfit named Men Without Hats. I include it because voters on Rolling Stone voted in one of the worse 5 songs of the entire 1980s!
I don’t like it at all. But, other people apparently do … 48 MILLION views!
https://youtu.be/AjPau5QYtYs
I remember that song and band – yes, horrible song.
Wow. You’ve never heard this song before? There is a ton of the 80s I simply do not remember, but this song is practically burned in my brain. But then I watched way too much MTV and this one was in HEAVY rotation.
Safety Mask remake lol..
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v068zQDXYsE&w=560&h=315%5D
At first I thought this was just going to piss me off….but I should know the TBP crowd better. Thank you so much. This thread already made my day with great music. This is an awesome parody. Great post!!!
i guess it depends on what country you are reaching the 1 hits from… they are Canadian and also hit with “Pop Goes the World”….
Some flashback TV reference too in this one.
OK, Certainly NOT a one-hit wonder, but seems like a lot of folks are going to be seeing some big storms today. Most have likely never seen this footage of Jim either.
Story goes, Morrison had a big block Shelby( probably that on the vid) So he’s reported to have had someone enter the car, freaked him out and so, full throttled it into the nearest pole.
This should be part 2 of “Stuck in the middle with you,” posted above. Rafferty wrote/performed both….
Right Down The Line, is a fantastic song by Rafferty, if you want to play a good one for her,
come Feb. 14th.
That’s another good thread, JQ, that you could launch on Feb. 13th.
I’d add:
-You’re The World To Me” by David Grey
And for instrumental mood music, consider:
“Alone” by Kenny G…(the two of you, with alone time…get it? not for the pudwhackers)
and
“Surrender” by Ottmar Liebert (flamenco, for the dance on the floor, before the one in the sack)
great photos of the 60s early 70s
Some great photos. They definitely stretch into the early 90s though. It would be great if all the folks were identified. Most I recognize. The early Dennis Hopper (0:18) is great. Is the hot blonde at the car Bridget Bardot? Nice take on Hey Joe too. The really early Don Johnson and Melanie Griffith ones (looks like when they were teenagers almost) are quite shocking. The muscular Christopher Walken (4:53) is a bit different too. Great find.
Who does it better?
I will always love Jimmy’s version best….though I will give huge kudos to Stevie Ray Vaughan’s version of ‘Lil Wing.