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SALT LAKE CITY -- Chances are listeners know the catchy beat, the melody or infectious hooks, but do they remember anything about the singers or bands? There’s something special about these songs that stick in the minds and hearts of listeners, a special magical formula that unfortunately for the artists involved, couldn’t be repeated.
Here’s a list of just 10 of some of the best one hit-wonders through the decades of popular music.
"Rockin' Robin" – Bobby Day
Day was tweeting before Twitter’s founders were even born. The ditty topped at No. 2 in 1958.
"Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye" — Steam
Perfect for bitter exes and sporting events, this song is one of the most famous one-hit wonders by a band that wasn’t even really a band. The song was written and recorded by studio musicians Paul Leka, Gary DeCarlo and Dale Frashuer as a B-side recording. They didn’t want to be linked with the project time and released the recording to the fictitious band, Steam. However, the song flew up the charts and hit No. 1 as a pop single on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1969 and stayed until early 1970.
"Play That Funky Music" — Wild Cherry
Popular at weddings and anywhere dancing takes place, this funky number hit No. 1 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart in 1976. As a response from an actual concert to play more dance songs, this toe-tapping ditty is certified platinum white-boy gold.
"Funkytown" — Lipps, Inc.
In 1980, this spaced-out swan song of the disco genre hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and Dance charts. Full of synthesizers, guitar hooks and horns, the dance classic was a No. 1 hit around the world. Won’t you take me to Funkytown?
"Kung Fu Fighting" — Carl Douglas
Those kids were fast as lightning to buy this single in 1974. The disco homage to kung fu was written by Jim Brusatto and performed by Carl Douglas. The Recording Industry Association of America certified the single gold. “Kung Fu Fighting” also won a 1974 Grammy award for Best Selling Single. It has sold over 11 million copies worldwide and most recently been covered by Cee Lo Green for the “Kung Fu Panda” soundtrack.
"Mickey" - Toni Basil
Toni Basil changed this song’s musical choreography in 1982. The song originally recorded as “Kitty” by Racey in 1979, Basil changed it to “Mickey” as a tribute to The Monkees’ lead singer Micky Dolenz. The up-tempo hooks were popular with the Billboard charts, hitting No. 1 in the U.S., and No. 2 in the United Kingdom. Basil’s bouncy cheerleading video was in heavy rotation in the infancy of MTV.
"Macarena" – Los del Río
While there are several versions of this song, the hugely successful song that dominated the world in 1995 is the “Bayside Boys” mix sung in English by an uncredited artist. The Spanish dance song was released with Los del Rio’s 1994 album , "A Mí Me Gusta" It dominated international dance halls, weddings and sport games for years, and fans probably still remember the dance, or at least part of it, if they were hard-pressed. Billboard ranks “Macarena” as the No. 1 song on the Billboard's All Time Latin Songs chart.
"Tubthumping" - Chumbawamba
In the late 1990s, Chumbawamba, a group of self-proclaimed anarchists released their most successful hit, “Tubthumping.” The song chock-full of British slang didn’t make much sense to U.S. audiences, but nevertheless, people sang and danced around to the song with wild abandon. The unlikely song for personal motivation, there is a certain Stuart Smalley like self-affirmation charm to the tune. The song went to No. 2 on the UK Singles charts and hit No. 6 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 10 chart in 1997. It also went on to the top of the Billboard Modern Rock tracks chart.
"Who Let the Dogs Out" - Baha Men
Who who who remembers this song? The Baha Men version has been voted as one of the most annoying songs of all time on many industry lists. However, Anslem Douglas originally recorded the doggy ditty in 1998. Fast forward to 2000, the song as we know hit the world’s airwaves on radio and a plum spot on the “Rugrats in Paris: The Movie” soundtrack. It reached No. 40 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts and No. 2 on the UK Singles Charts. Interestingly, the single won a Grammy in 2001 for Best Dance Recording. It also became popular at sporting events and pop culture. It shall remain in the annuals of one-hit wonder history.
"Bad Day" – Daniel Powter
Powter’s career might be having a bad day, but it only takes one hit to live off. “Bad Day” was a 2005 optimistic hit that melted the world’s hearts with its feel message of understanding. The song reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and Adult Contemporary Charts as well as charting around the world. It was also featured in American Idol’s fifth season as contestants had to stand as the world watched their humiliation after being eliminated. The song has gone platinum twice according to the RIAA and was nominated for a 2007 Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance. Billboard listed it as the No. 1 Hot 100 song of 2006. In 2008, the United Kingdom-based Performing Right Society found that the tune was the most played song in the UK during the span of 2003-08.
