Top Ten Best One-Hit Wonders of the 1970s

Disco balls, platform shoes, and bell bottom jeans were all the rage in the 1970s. It was also a time where some of the most memorable one-hit wonders played on the radio. Here are some of my picks that I chose as the best.

"In the Summertime" is practically the theme song to the warmest season of the year. In 1970, rock group Mungo Jerry released their first hit and made it to the top ten of the charts in America. They produced other music which were popular in England but couldn't get headway overseas. Mungo had trouble topping their catchy summer time hit. Years later, in 1995, "In the Summertime" was revived by reggae singer Shaggy (featuring Rayvon).

Perhaps, it's best to not have your first single be a cover. That's what happened with folk artist, Arlo Guthrie. He got big with a cover of "The City of New Orleans" by Steve Goodman. He has also done covers of Bob Dylan songs (which makes sense because he kind of sounds like Bob). "New Orleans" made it to the Top 100 Billboard charts in 1972. Unfortunately, Arlo had little success producing original material, but he continues to make music to this very day. Steve Goodman's song eventually went on to be covered a second time by country singer, Willie Nelson.

Norman Greenbaum reached the top three of the charts with "Spirit in the Sky" in 1970. This song is so sad yet so upbeat at the same time. His follow ups "Canned Ham" and "California Earthquake" completely tanked in record sales. This led Norman to focus on a California dairy farm until the 1980's when he returned to music as a manager.

The Five Stairsteps was a soul/R&B group consisting of five siblings, like The Jackson 5. In 1970, they released "O-o-h Child," which made it to number fourteen on the R&B list and number eight on the pop list. The band was actually quite successful before and after the hit. However, "O-o-h Child" is the only song listeners remember them by. The Guardians of the Galaxy remember it as well.

Rock band, Nazareth, composed their own rendition of The Everly Brothers' "Love Hurts." The single helped sell over a million copies of their album Hair of the Dog in 1975. Unfortunately, an ever-changing line up in the band caused a stall in their continuing success. By the 1980s, their popular appeal dwindled down. "Love Hurts" has also been recorded by crooner Roy Orbinson.

The year 1970 was a great year for British rock band Free. Their third album was a hit thanks to the smash single "All Right Now." The first two albums did not do so well, and neither did their LP Highway that released after the "All Right Now" phenomenon. The band quickly broke up due to fights among members. I suppose it's hard to escape the shadow of your greatest hit.

Is it silly? Yes. Could it be considered a novelty? Sure. But does it really matter? "Kung Fu Fighting" is a fun catchy song that everybody knows. Carl Douglas was a Jamaican-born disco artist. During 1974 was when Bruce Lee and other kung fu movies were very popular. So, Carl wrote a song about just that, and recorded it in just ten minutes. The single was an instant hit, and Carl couldn't get rid of the kung fu persona. His other single "Dance the Kung Fu" was sadly a flop. Perhaps, people were starting to get sick of kung fu.

Cheryl Lynn strangely got her start on the wacky talent series The Gong Show. Luckily, she didn't get the gong. In 1978 she got signed to Columbia and recorded the R&B hit "Got to be Real." Despite her continuing success as a singer (including a duet with Luther Vandross), Cheryl is only known for that one hit. That is the unfortunate definition of a one hit wonder.

The Sugarhill Gang were a hip-hop group formed by Sylvia Robinson, who was interested in the underground rap parties in New York. In 1979, the gang recorded "Rapper's Delight," and it became the first rap song to hit the Billboard charts. At the time, rap was written off as a phase. So, despite other catchy singles including "Apache," The Sugarhill Gang faded away from the public until 1999 when they made a rap album for children. On the up side, "Apache" did gain more recognition when featured on the 1990's sitcom, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.

With the perfect blend of rock and funk, Wild Cherry were able to slide into the number one spot on the pop charts in 1976. "Play That Funky Music" received many awards for the band as well as Grammy nominations for Best New Vocal Group and Best R&B Performance by a group. Unfortunately, the band's sophomore album did not fare well in sales. Wild Cherry will end up splitting in 1979, but their biggest hit remains a favorite at dance parties.

Did you like the list? Did I miss your favorite one hit wonder from the 1970's?

Source: AllMusic