3 One-Hit Wonders That Could Have Been Their Own Genres

A one-hit wonder is a song created by an artist that rocketed up the charts, but then, that artist never quite had the same success to follow it up. Generally speaking, one-hit wonders come about because they are unusual, quirky, or somehow crystallize a moment in time perfectly. Sometimes, however, they forge an entirely new musical path forward. Sometimes they seem to create their own genre!

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Here below, we wanted to explore three such examples throughout one-hit wonder history. Let’s look at a trio of tracks that not only were single successes but that seemed to forge a new future for songs in general. Indeed, these are three one-hit wonders that could have been their own genres.

“Monster Mash” by Bobby Pickett from ‘The Original Monster Mash’ (1962)

Why don’t we have more spoof dance songs? Why can’t we get up in the club and leave behind (at least for a little while) all the serious bump and grind songs that have become synonymous with the places and instead trade them (at least for a little while) in exchange for songs about dancing monsters, dancing animals, dancing candy—whatever. This song from Bobby Pickett has become a staple around the holidays. Everyone loves it. It’s on the radio, in corn chip commercials. So, why not embrace it more in public life and bring back the spoof dance songs!?

“Autobahn” by Kraftwerk from ‘Autobahn’ (1975)

In the 1980s, people started to make music with synths en masse. In the 1990s, electronic music was all the rage (we see you, The Prodigy). But it can largely all be traced back to a German group that took computers and turned them into musical instruments. Like a city constructing a fast super-highway (like the Autobahn), Kraftwerk created a new lane for itself and the world. Today, the band, which has been sampled by myriad artists including Jay-Z, is still touring and sharing with audiences its creations. No group has turned 1s and 0s into music better.

“The Safety Dance” by Men Without Hats from ‘Rhythm Of Youth’ (1982)

Perhaps the strangest one-hit wonder of all time, “The Safety Dance” created the genre of nonsensical pop music. The song, which is about the freedom to dance, seems like a fever dream you might have had in 2020 or 2021. It’s like some combination of a B-movie and 1980s radio. It’s like Lord Of The Rings combined with a Bavarian-themed resort town. Maybe no one followed in the footsteps of this new genre… but something was certainly created here.

Photo by Fröhling/Kraftwerk/Getty Images