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Back in the 1990’s, music journalist Steve Rosen created National One-Hit Wonder Day, every 25th of September, to celebrate those who have had their 5 minutes of fame and then disappeared into the music history abyss, leaving us only a great song to remember them by.

According to VH-1, in 2002 when they aired a countdown of the VH1’s 100 Greatest One-Hit Wonders, their list included:

  1. Macarena” – Los Del Rio  (1996)
  2. Tainted Love” – Soft Cell  (1982)
  3. Come on Eileen” – Dexys Midnight Runners  (1982)
  4. I’m Too Sexy” – Right Said Fred  (1991)
  5. Mickey” – Toni Basil  (1982)
  6. Who Let the Dogs Out?” – Baha Men  (2000)
  7. Ice Ice Baby” – Vanilla Ice  (1990)
  8. Eye of the Tiger” – Survivor  (1982) (Odd choice since they had a ton of hits)
  9. Rico Suave” – Gerardo  (1990)
  10. 99 Luftballons” – Nena  (1984)

Personally, mine has to be “Major Tom (Coming Home)” by Peter Schilling. Listening brings you right back to the Winter of 1983.

Other One Hit Wonders of note, according to National Calendar Day, include:

“Spirit in the Sky” by Norman Greenbaum (1969)

With its smoky, rhythmic intro, “Spirit in the Sky” draws listeners in automatically. Followed by a catchy chorus, the song became a favorite cover song for many other artists, including Elton  John. Like many works of art, inspiration comes from all over. The same applies to Greenbaum. From a greeting card to a gospel performance, Greenbaum developed the song over time.

“Sugar, Sugar” by The Archies (1969)

Brought to us by the cartoon band The Archies, Jeffy Barry and Andy Kim wrote the song. The Archies were characters in The Archie Show: Archie, Reggie, Veronica, Betty, and Jughead. The song reached number 1 on the Billboard charts without the band ever performing before a live audience.

“Hooked on a Feeling” by Blue Swede (1974)

It might be surprising to note that the original version of the song did not include the recognizable “ooga-chaka” intro. Musician Mark James wrote the original song in 1968, and B.J. Thomas performed it. The “ooga-chaka” joined the lyrics in 1971 when British musician Johnathan King recorded his version. Then in 1974, Blue Swede recorded a cover version including the chant and went to #1 on Billboard’s top 100.

“Play that Funky Music” by Wild Cherry (1976)

The Wild Cherry’s band leader Rob Parissi began writing the song after an audience member told a band member they “better play that funky music, white boy.” The rock band was in the midst of an influx of funk and disco music, and it was impacting their regular schedule of gigs. Once it was released, it was an immediate hit and even garnered two Grammy nominations.

“867-5309 (Jenny)” by Tommy Tutone (1981)

Anyone who doesn’t have this phone number memorized yet was born after 2016. And if anyone still has that number today, the band isn’t apologizing for it. Tommy Tutone’s song reached #4 on the Billboard charts, and at the time of its release, lawyers, schools, and even ordinary citizens received calls asking for Jenny. One radio station, WLS in Chicago, went as far as obtaining the  number for their own use after the song was released. As popular as the song was and is, the band never had another hit song. Perhaps they just needed to change their number.

“I’m Gonna Be (500 miles)” by The Proclaimers (1987)

The catchy tune written by the duo Charlie and Craig Reid of The Proclaimers gets a lot of movie time. While you may not recognize all the films that add the song to their soundtracks, you will recognize a few. It first appeared in the 1993 film  Benny and Joon  starring Mary Stuart Masterson and Johnny Depp. The song went acapella in 2012 when it merged with “Titanium” by  David Guerra. Like we mentioned before, songs that cause us to take the stage in our cars are worthy of this list. In the comedy,  Identity Thief, Melissa McCarthy does just that.

“Tubthumping” by Chumbawama (1997)

This pop anthem draws listeners out of their seats. Who doesn’t want to be encouraged to get back up again? The song by the British pop group Chumbawamba could serve as the theme song to many days in our lives. It hit #1 in the UK and #6 on the Billboard Hot 100.

“Closing Time” by Semisonic (1998)

The songs opening lyrics evoke the end of a long night at the local bar. However, the story behind the Grammy-nominated song is something else. Songwriter Dan Wilson explained in an interview in 2008 that the birth of his daughter served for some of the inspiration for the music. Switch out the bar for a delivery room, and the song gives you a whole new perspective.

Every September it’s National One-Hit Wonder Day
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