Disappearing after making it big with one song comes with the territory of being a one-hit wonder. But for these four one-hit wonders, one can’t help but wonder what actually happened. It really does seem like they fell off the face of the earth. Let’s find out what became of them, shall we?
1. Norman Greenbaum
No matter your age, you probably have at least heard the line “Gotta have a friend in Jesus” from Norman Greenbaum’s hit 1969 boogie rock song “Spirit In The Sky”. Greenbaum is one of the best-selling one-hit wonders of all time. So, why did he almost completely disappear?
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To put it simply, Greenbaum struggled to match the success of “Spirit In The Sky” with subsequent releases. In 1972, he decided to ditch the music business and become a dairy farmer, a profession he originally left to become a musician. He would later return to music as a manager and promoter in the 1980s.
2. Looking Glass
Remember the pop-rock hit “Brandy (You’re A Fine Girl)” from 1972? This massive no. 1 hit by Looking Glass was a definitive song of the Jersey Shore sound. So, what happened to these one-hit wonders after their major hit?
Looking Glass released a few more follow-up singles until 1974, the last of which failed to chart at all. The band had swapped out members in 1974 and changed their name, but they ultimately broke up by the end of the year. However, a new version of the band with new members (led by original member Elliot Lurie) still performs today.
3. Ram Jam
Boogie rock outfit Ram Jam became enormously popular in 1977 with the release of their hit song “Black Betty”. Unfortunately, their follow-up singles, as well as their follow-up album to their self-titled debut record, failed to chart entirely. The band only lasted two years before breaking up in 1978.
4. The Knack
One can’t help but wonder what happened to some of the more famous one-hit wonders out there. The Knack is a good example of that. This American power-pop outfit became international superstars with the release of “My Sharona” in 1979.
Sadly, their downfall is one that is quite common for one-hit wonders. Despite releasing several albums after the release of “My Sharona” and Get The Knack, none of those albums were even slightly successful. Because of that descending success, The Knack broke up in 1982. However, they returned off and on through the years before calling it quits entirely in 2010.
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