Top 30 One Hit Wonders

Neil’s Top 30 One Hit Wonders

In this countdown, Neil selects his favourite one hit wonders but before we get started let’s understand the criteria:

  • The song will typically have to have charted nationally or, in the case of a song that didn’t chart, it will need to have been really, really well-known. Our charts as alway come from the same reference book – The Book: Top 40 Research by Steve Scanes and Jim Barnes.
  • The artist(s) may have appeared in the charts in other ensembles or as a solo artist (e.g. Martha Davis vs The Motels) but only had the one hit under this name. In this case, they are considered eligible.
  • Where the band was fundamentally the same but changed its name (e.g. Flowers to Icehouse, Johnny Cougar to John Mellencamp), the two are considered to be the same and therefore ineligible.

How many of these would you include in your list?

  1. Baker Street – Gerry Rafferty
  2. San Francisco – Scott McKenzie
  3. Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes) – Edison Lighthouse
  4. Video Killed The Radio Star – The Buggles
  5. Life In A Northern Town – Dream Academy
  6. One Perfect Day – Little Heroes
  7. Seasons In The Sun – Terry Jacks
  8. Golden Miles – Healing Force
  9. Don’t Fall In Love – The Ferrets
  10. Werewolves Of London – Warren Zevon
  11. Life In A Northern Town – Dream Academy
  12. Solid Rock – Goanna
  13. Red Rubber Ball – The Cyrkle
  14. Just When I Needed You Most – Randy Vanwarmer
  15. Afternoon Delight – Starland Vocal Band
  16. You’re Only Lonely – JD Souther
  17. What Can I Say / Lido Shuffle – Boz Scaggs (double A single)
  18. Me and Bobby McGee – Janis Joplin
  19. Don’t Tell Me The Time – Martha Davis
  20. I’ll Be Gone – Spectrum
  21. I Am Pegasus – Ross Ryan
  22. Hooked On A Feeling – Blue Swede
  23. She (Didn’t Remember My Name) – Osmosis
  24. The Boys Are Back In Town – Thin Lizzy
  25. Everybody’s Gotta Learn Sometime – The Korgis
  26. Suburban Boy – Dave Warner From The Suburbs
  27. Convoy – CW McCall
  28. Classic – Adrian Gurvitz
  29. Walking In Memphis – Marc Cohn
  30. Ernie – Benny Hill

The next 10 cabs off the rank if we had taken it to number 40 – in chronological order:

  • Eleanor Rigby – Zoot – 1971
  • Resurrection Shuffle – Ashton, Gardner & Dyke – 1971
  • Drift Away – Dobie Gray – 1973
  • Make Me Smile (Come Up And See Me) – Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel – 1975
  • Gonna Fly Now – Bill Conti – 1977
  • Ca Plane Pour Moi – Plastic Bertrand – 1978
  • Missing You – John Waite – 1984
  • St Elmos Fire – John Parr – 1985
  • Slice Of Heaven – Dave Dobbyn & Herbs – 1987
  • Talk It Over In Bed – Grayson Hugh – 1989