3 One-Hit Wonders You Had No Idea Were Cover Songs

Some of the greatest one-hit wonders of all time have been covers of other musicians’ music. And unless you’re a serious fan of the OG bands, you might not know that the following one-hit wonders are actually cover songs. Let’s take a look!

“Blue Monday” by Orgy

From the ashes left by Joy Division came New Order in 1980. The band produced so many amazing synth-pop and post-punk delights, one of which was the hit song “Blue Monday” from 1983. And unless you listen to New Order, you might not have even clocked that industrial rock band Orgy produced a unique version of that very song.

Orgy’s “Blue Monday” is the band’s most well-known track. In fact, it made it to No. 56 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1998. Sadly, Orgy never hit any of the charts again, and they are firmly remembered as one-hit wonders. Though, the group is still together today, so who knows? They may just defy the odds in the future.

“Time After Time” by INOJ

Remember INOJ? Ayanna Porter, better known by her stage name INOJ, made waves with her debut 1997 single, “Love You Down”. That song happens to be a cover of a Ready For The World classic. However, INOJ’s 1998 cover of Cyndi Lauper’s famous tune “Time After Time” was what really got everyone’s attention.

This pop R&B version of the Lauper original hit No. 6 on the Hot 100 chart in 1998. Unfortunately for INOJ, the cover would be her only Top 20 hit in the United States. 

“The Boys Of Summer” by The Ataris

Maybe I’m alone on this one, but this example of one-hit wonders that are actually covers slipped past my radar. I’ve heard The Ataris’ version of “The Boys Of Summer” quite a few times and never realized until now that it is actually a cover of a 1984 rock song by The Eagles’ Don Henley.

The Ataris’ version of the song is very early-2000s in the best way possible. It’s a pop-punk delight, and Henley’s original tune suits the modern genre quite well, surprisingly. The Ataris’ song hit No. 20 on the Hot 100 that year and also did quite well on other charts in other countries. Sadly, though, it would be the band’s only single to make it to the Hot 100 chart.

Photo by Martin Philbey /Redferns