3 of the Weirdest One-Hit Wonders From 1974

Does it ever feel like things are a little too sanitized? Too many suits and cell phones and not enough finger-painting and rabble-rousing? Well, thank goodness we can go back in time to the year 1974 and check out some of their strangest tunes. That’s just what we wanted to do today.

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Indeed, we wanted to dive into the past and take a look at three one-hit wonders from 1974 that are just strange. Three songs we love and that are incredible but yet are nevertheless odd. Hey, embrace your weird side, right? These are three of the weirdest one-hit wonders from 1974.

“Autobahn” by Kraftwerk from ‘Autobahn’ (1974)

Kraftwerk has been making music for 50 years, and still people don’t know what to do with them, how to quite frame them. The German electronic band is one of those influential groups that not enough people know about. And their highway-themed song “Autobahn”, which hit No. 25 on the Billboard Hot 100, is a good place to start if you want to learn more. It’s great, albeit strange music, like robots using Apple’s Garage Band. But it’s well worth your time.

“Kung Fu Fighting” by Carl Douglas from ‘Kung Fu Fighting And Other Great Love Songs’ (1974)

Certainly a strange song when you look back on it now. Some say we shouldn’t talk about it, given some amount of cultural appropriation. But many others would argue that you can tell there was no malice in Carl Douglas’ heart. Just look at the title of the album this tune came out on. Now, while it’s not an ugly song, it certainly is a weird one. Where are all these people doing martial arts, and why? See! Weird!

“The Entertainer” by Marvin Hamlisch from ‘The Sting Soundtrack’ (1974)

Ragtime pianist Scott Joplin created a timeless masterpiece when he wrote “The Entertainer” in 1902. Then, 72 years later, pianist Marvin Hamlisch covered the tune for the famed Paul Newman and Robert Redford film, The Sting. Indeed, Hamlisch’s version was so well received then that the song rocketed up the Billboard charts and hit No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100. So, while the song itself isn’t weird, it certainly is strange that ragtime became mainstream culture in the early 70s! We’ll take it!

Photo by David Redfern/Redferns