4 One-Hit Wonder Songs by Musicians Who Were in Multi-Hit Bands

We often imagine one-hit wonders as shooting stars across a night sky—fast, fleeting, and never to be heard of again. But in reality, many of these one-hit wonders are more like lightning bugs flashing in a field. One minute they’re here, then they disappear, only to reappear somewhere totally different moments later. At least, that was the case for these one-hit wonders who were also in multi-hit bands.

“All Right Now” by Free

Free released “All Right Now” in 1970, and it proved to be the band’s most successful hit. (Ironically, considering they wrote the song after a terrible gig.) Free was never able to recreate the success of this classic rock track, but vocalist Paul Rodgers was. After working in Free, Rodgers moved on to Bad Company, which would enjoy multiple chart-topping hits, including “Bad Company”, “Rock ‘n’ Roll Fantasy”, “Can’t Get Enough”, and “Shooting Star”.

“Without Your Love” by Roger Daltrey

By the time Roger Daltrey released “Without Your Love” in 1980, it was virtually impossible to separate him from his legacy as The Who’s microphone-swinging lead singer. He had been fronting the iconic rock ‘n’ roll band for decades by this point, and even today, this is the strongest association most of us have with Daltrey. However, he did achieve solo success with his 1980 single, peaking at No. 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 and breaking into the Top 10 in Belgium and the Netherlands.

“Layla” by Derek & The Dominos

If you thought “Layla” was by Eric Clapton, you wouldn’t be wrong. Clapton did write this classic rock track, along with Jim Gordon. But the pair first released the song under Derek and the Dominos. The band only released one album, thereby cementing their status as one-hit wonders. Clapton, of course, went on to have multiple hits, including an electric version of “Layla”, “Cocaine”, “Wonderful Tonight”, “I Shot The Sheriff”, and “Tears In Heaven”. 

“Rock And Roll, Hoochie Koo” by Rick Derringer

In the decade before Rick Derringer released “Rock And Roll, Hoochie Koo”, the guitarist was enjoying the success of his band The McCoys. The pioneering garage rock group is most famous for “Hang On Sloopy”, particularly in Ohio, but the band also achieved chart-topping success with their rendition of “Fever” and “Come On, Let’s Go”. Derringer’s subsequent solo track would be the most successful of his career in that project, earning him the rare distinction of being a multi-hit and a one-hit wonder.

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