4 Famous Bands and Musicians You Didn’t Know Were Technically One-Hit Wonders

One-hit wonders tend to make it big and then disappear from mainstream consciousness fairly quickly. The following bands and musicians, though, went on to have pretty successful careers. However, they are technically one-hit wonders on the charts, despite being so well-known for other songs as well. Let’s take a look!

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Grateful Dead

Few jam bands on this planet are as well-known as The Grateful Dead. And yet, they are technically considered one-hit wonders. Imagine that! 

Despite releasing upwards of 200 albums during the band’s lifespan, only one particular single reached the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100 chart. That single is the 1987 hit “Touch Of Grey”, which peaked at No. 9 on the Hot 100. The band would never release another single to hit that particular chart again.

Randy Newman

Randy Newman has been making tunes since the 1960s. He’s known for plenty of songs, from “I Love L.A.” to the absolutely iconic “You’ve Got A Friend In Me”. Shockingly, though, neither of those songs made it to the Hot 100 chart. The only single in Randy Newman’s hefty discography to reach the Top 50 is “Short People”, which peaked at No. 2. The comedic tune, which was actually a commentary on the nature of prejudice, topped the Canadian charts as well.

Lou Reed

This one is really shocking to me. The frontman of The Velvet Underground is famous for both his work with that influential band and his many solo endeavors. However, it seems like Lou Reed was just too ahead of his time during the high points of his career for mainstream audiences. His only song to make it to the US Hot 100 was the legendary 1972 song “Walk On The Wild Side”. That glam rock delight peaked at No. 16 and did similarly well in the UK.

Rush

This iconic Canadian rock band is yet another entry on our list of bands that are technically one-hit wonders. Despite enjoying a long and successful career, these prog-rock legends only charted particularly well with one single. That single was the 1982 hit “New World Man”, which peaked at No. 21 on the Hot 100 and No. 1 on the Canadian charts. None of Rush’s subsequent or previous singles cracked the Top 40 of the Hot 100 chart.

Photo by Gijsbert Hanekroot/Redferns

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