3 One-Hit Wonders That Personify the Wild and Wacky 1970s

The decade of the 1960s brought with it a revolution. The world changed dramatically during that time, from Civil Rights to creative shifts like the evolving genre of rock and roll. But when the decade finished, it wasn’t all rainbows and sunshine. Many artists, from Jimi Hendrix to Janis Joplin, died as a result of the abundance in that time period. And when the 1970s hit, it was a whole new ballgame for artists and one-hit wonders alike.

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Indeed, if the 60s were a time of revolution, then the 70s were a time to try and pick up the pieces. Society was reconfigured and many were trying to understand what just happened. New musical genres popped up, new fashion came to be, and creative choices started to change. And as a result, the music of the 70s was wild, wonderful, and a bit weird.

Here below, we wanted to explore three songs that quintessentially personified the 1970s. Not only that, but three one-hit wonders. We present to you a trio of tracks that show how unique and odd the era was. Indeed, these are three one-hit wonders that personified the wild and wacky 1970s.

[RELATED: 3 One-Hit Wonders You Didn’t Know Were Merely One-Hit Wonders]

“The Hustle” by Van McCoy from ‘Disco Baby’ (1975)

You can’t talk about the 1970s without mentioning disco. The upbeat genre of music that was meant to get you moving and shaking on the dance floor and sweating to the beat was everywhere, with stars from the sounds popping up left and right.

Perhaps more than any song from the era, Van McCoy’s “The Hustle” shows just what it was all about. The Grammy Award-winning track hit no. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 because of its danceability and its smile-inducing lyrics. It’s a blissful, silly little tune that sums up the mainstream disco craze.

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

Along with disco, funk music rose to fame and popularity in the 1970s. From its origins in rock and roll, funk became a new genre that offered deeper rhythms and stranger sonic idiosyncrasies. And no one-hit wonder shows off funk’s mainstream allure quite like “Play That Funky Music” by Wild Cherry.

The once-little-known rock was been playing a gig in a venue when a patron walked up to them and asked if they could play something funky. Famously, that request birthed the chorus for this song, which went on to hit no. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. This is one of the most memorable one-hit wonders of the 1970s out there.

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

Perhaps not the most politically correct song these days, the Carl Douglas disco hit “Kung Fu Fighting” is emblematic of the era. What does it even mean? No one really knows. Yet, the tune is delivered with such passion and flair that it climbed up the charts and hit no. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

You can’t understand the 1970s if you don’t understand how odd the decade was in terms of one-hit wonders and the general vibe. Gritty at times, influential at times, creative at times—yes. But also very weird.

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