3 Underrated One-Hit Wonders You Should Know Right Now

One of the best parts about being a music fan is discovering something that no one else knows about or remembers. To be the person walking into the party with a mix of songs that both entertains and educates—that’s really something.

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And that’s just what we wanted to highlight here. We wanted to showcase three songs from back in the day that many people have forgotten, but that still rock. Indeed, these are three underrated one-hit wonders you should know right now.

“I Want Candy” by Bow Wow Wow from ‘The Last Of The Mohicans’ (1982)

For some reason, this 1980s band has been lost to time, and we’re not happy about it. Bow Wow Wow was so fun. And that’s not something that should be forgotten so easily. These days, people seem to revel in sad music. But what’s the point? Negative headlines are everywhere. We already know that! So, try out this one-hit wonder with a song that will make you think about the opposite. Bow Wow Wow will get you considering confections—candy, sweets. It’s glorious!

“Money (That’s What I Want)” by Barrett Strong (Single, 1959)

They don’t make songs like this anymore. Gosh, this track is just so good. The late 1950s and early 1960s might just be the best era of music. And yet we don’t talk about it enough. We always skip ahead to the mid-1960s with artists like Bob Dylan and The Beatles. But music like this—passion like this? Well, we need to return to it over and over again, and we must not forget about the powerful, room-filling voice from Barrett Strong. Money? Give him every red cent!

“Autobahn” by Kraftwerk from ‘Autobahn’ (1974)

There are many reasons music fans should learn more about Kraftwerk. The German-born band helped to start the electronic music movement in the 1970s. And they have since been sampled by rappers for myriad songs, including by hip-hop icon Jay-Z. But more than anything, the quartet just makes delightful tracks. They are also strange and groundbreaking. So, if you’re a fan of music history and of catchy music, dive into this decades-old band. You won’t be disappointed.

Photo by Peter Boettcher / Falcon Publicity