3 Classic Rock Songs More Famous Than the Bands That Recorded Them

Sometimes songs are more successful than the bands that released them. For whatever reason, earning a hit doesn’t automatically mean becoming a beloved group. The three classic rock songs below proved more famous than the bands that released them. Revisit these three generation-defining hits that didn’t earn their bands an enduring career.

Videos by American Songwriter

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“Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl)” (Looking Glass)

Following the release of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 in 2017, everyone in the younger generation got introduced to Looking Glass’ “Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl).” All those who were around in the ’70s to hear this song in its heyday were instantly reminded of how stellar it is.

Looking Glass was an undisputed one-hit wonder. While that descriptor can sometimes feel like a jab, it’s really a testament to how perfect “Brandy” is. It’s hard to repeat perfection, which happened to be the case with this era-defining track.

“Carry On My Wayward Son” (Kansas)

Kansas isn’t a one-hit wonder by any means, but many people only know “Carry On My Wayward Son.” This song is undoubtedly their biggest hit, with many people only learning the work itself and not the band that created it.

This kind of success is a double-edged sword. “Carry On My Wayward Son” has been popular for decades, which is all a band can really ask for. But their longevity is sullied by the fact that this track can often feel authorless to the general public.

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“Dancing in the Moonlight” (King Harvest)

King Harvest is widely considered a one-hit wonder, but their one hit was generation-defining. “Dancing in the Moonlight” embodied the ’70s state of mind. Everybody here is out of sight / They don’t bark and they don’t bite / They keep things loose, they keep things light / Everybody was dancing in the moonlight, the timestamped lyrics read.

“Dancing in the Moonlight” has an intriguing backstory that only adds to its mystique. The songwriter, Sherman Kelly, was beaten brutally by a group of men one night. He survived and wrote this song to imagine a world in which something like what happened to him didn’t exist.

“I felt that I was rewarded for taking this horrible bummer and getting it up onto higher ground–celebrating the positive,” Kelly once explained. “I think the universe enjoyed my response.”

(Photo by John Atashian/Getty Images)