The title of a one-hit wonder is seemingly a bittersweet one. While it means a band or a musician garnered success, it also means they didn’t garner a whole lot more after their signature track. The positive is that, of course, they achieved success, which most musicians rarely do. The negative, of course, is that it didn’t last long, well, on the charts that is.
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Numerically and statistically speaking, it’s easy to define a one-hit wonder. However, when viewed through a more artistic and subjective lens, that is not the case. So with the lens of the latter perspective, here are three one-wit wonders whose follow-up tracks were better, even if the charts say otherwise.
“Hot To Trot” by Wild Cherry
Wild Cherry‘s claim to fame was and likely always will be their “Play That Funky Music”. Released in 1976, the single became an enormous hit for the band, as it peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 that year. Criminally, this song led to Wild Cherry receiving the one-hit wonder tag, but their 1977 single “Hot To Trot” begs to differ with the label.
Released in 1977, “Hot To Trot” contains far more funk, far more grit, and far more soul than their No. 1 single. Though the public seemingly didn’t care about these elements, because the song peaked at No. 95 on the Billboard Hot 100. But, to us, the song is better than the song that put them on the map.
“Free Lopps” by Daniel Powter
Daniel Powter‘s one-hit wonder label came from his 2005 smash single, “Bad Day”. Following its release, the single peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and spent a total of five weeks at the top. To the general public, Powter’s catalog really only includes this single, which is a shame, because they’ve likely never heard “Free Loop”.
Shortly after the release of “Bad Day”, Powter released “Free Loop”. The song is sentimentally simple, overly honest, and far more candid than the soft-pop ballad “Bad Day”. However, the charts didn’t agree, as this single didn’t chart on any major American charts. Though it did fare rather well in Canada.
“Right On” by OMC
OMC’s massive commercial success in the 90s came thanks to their hit single, “How Bizarre”. Released in 1995, OMC’s single was a massive global hit; however, it never charted on the Billboard Hot 100 due to some global purchase rules put in place by Billboard at the time. Nevertheless, it is OMC’s biggest song, but to us, not their best.
OMC’s best track, to us that is, is their 1996 follow-up track, “Right On”. The song never charted on any major Billboard chart. Furthermore, it only achieved modest success in other countries as well. Though in their home country of New Zealand, it became a hit, but it was wrongfully not widely recognized anywhere else in the world.
Photo by JIL Studio/FilmMagic
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