3 One-Hit Wonders Every 1970s Kid Remembers

The music we hear as children, teens, and young adults tends to stick with us forever. The following one-hit wonders are likely burned into the minds of anyone who was young in the 1970s. And that’s not a bad thing. These songs are absolutely killer. Let’s take a look!

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“You Light Up My Life” by Debby Boone (1977)

Remember this gorgeous little ballad? Originally, this song was recorded by Kasey Cisyk for the 1977 film of the same name. However, it was Debby Boone’s version of “You Light Up My Life” that became an international hit. 

Boone’s version of the song was released that same year and was noted for being a particularly emotional soft rock ballad made even better by Boone’s delivery. The tune peaked at No. 1 on the Hot 100 and also did fairly well in Canada. Sadly, Debby Boone never scored a Top 40 hit on the Hot 100 again.

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

This song’s a classic. One-hit wonders from the 1970s don’t get better than this. Even if you weren’t young in the 1970s, you probably can recognize that funky bassline and those catchy lyrics immediately. 

Wild Cherry released “Play That Funky Music” in 1976, and it catapulted up the international charts. It was a No. 1 hit on the Hot 100 chart and quickly became one of the most memorable funk-rock tunes of all time. Despite making it big with “Play That Funky Music”, the band never made it to the Top 40 again and disbanded in 1979.

“Seasons In The Sun” by Terry Jacks (1973)

This is one of those one-hit wonders from the 1970s that took a song that was big in Europe and made it a hit in North America. “Seasons In The Sun” was originally a 1961 Belgian song, titled “Le Moribond”, by Jacques Brel. The lyrics were rewritten and the song was given a new title in English around 1963 by Rod McKuen, and Canadian crooner Terry Jacks’s version of the adaptation became a No. 1 hit in multiple countries in 1974. For Jacks, the song was a No. 1 hit in the US, Canada, UK, and across Europe. 

Jacks never had another Top 60 hit on the Hot 100 again, but he did enjoy ongoing success in his native Canada well into the 1980s.

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