3 One-Hit Wonders Who Were Able To Ditch the Title With a Comeback Hit

Who doesn’t love a comeback story? Most of the world seemingly does, as Hollywood, the music industry, and other media-oriented entities have been retelling them time and time again. However, in music, the comeback stories that rarely get told are the comeback stories of near one-hit wonders.

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Unfairly, one-hit wonders often never ditch the tag after they’ve received it. It’s hard enough to become a one-hit wonder, but it’s seemingly harder to surpass the label. Nevertheless, a few have done so, including these three musicians, who successfully ditched the title with another hit.

Billy Ray Cyrus

Billy Ray Cyrus‘ claim to fame came with his 1992 single, “Achy Breaky Heart”. Following its release, the single launched Cyrus into superstardom as it peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and at No. 1 on the Hot Country Songs chart. It was a crossover smash hit, though it was the only one that came from him for years.

Billy Ray Cyrus successfully ditched the one-hit wonder title with his 2019 collaboration with Lil Nas X on “Old Town Road”. The pop-country single peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and remained at the top of the chart for 19 consecutive weeks.

Warren Zevon

Warren Zevon‘s only mainstream major chart success was his 1978 single, “Werewolves Of London”. After the release of the single, it went on to peak at No. 21 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was Warren Zevon’s only top 40 hit of his career. Zevon eventually ditched the one-hit wonder tag, but it wasn’t in the way you probably think.

Instead of gaining a resurgence on the charts, Zevon went on to gain a resurgence through crafting a cult-following fanbase. Consequently, Zevon’s legacy transcends the charts and the superficial one-hit wonder tag altogether. Songs following “Werewolves Of London” include “Keep Me In Your Heart”, “Searching For A Heart”, and “My S***’s F***ed Up”.

Sugarloaf

Sugarloaf is not considered to be a one-hit wonder. However, they were treading in the same water as the title in the 70s, as the band went five years without securing a major hit. In 1970, Sugarloaf’s single “Green Eyed Lady” peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100. Though their following singles did not initially achieve the same success, that changed in 1975.

Sugarloaf avoided the one-hit wonder title seemingly by the hair on their chin after they released their 1975 single, “Don’t Call Us, We’ll Call You”. Following the release of the single, “Don’t Call Us, We’ll Call You” peaked at No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100.

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