Plenty of great one-hit wonders have won Grammy awards through the years. Baha Men took home an award for “Who Let The Dogs Out?” Sir Mix-A-Lot took home Best Rap Solo Performance for “Baby Got Back”. The list goes on. However, quite a few one-hit wonders from back in the day did not win Grammy awards for their work, and I think a few of those solitary hitmakers deserved at least one Grammy. Let’s take a look! You might just agree with me on a few of these.
Videos by American Songwriter
“Take On Me” by a-ha
Few synth-pop songs from the mid-80s are as easily recognizable to mainstream audiences as “Take On Me” by the Norwegian band a-ha. However, if you’ve spent any amount of time in Europe, you’d be surprised to see the band on this list. This group has been anything but a one-hit wonder across the pond. However, in the US, “Take On Me” was their only substantial hit. And while the music video for this famous tune won quite a few awards, it never earned a Grammy. What a shame!
“Come On Eileen” by Dexys Midnight Runners
“Come On Eileen” by Dexys Midnight Runners is a legendary early-80s new wave tune, but to simply categorize the song as new wave wouldn’t be accurate. This recognizable song blends so many elements together, from Celtic folk to soul to pop to rock. It’s a one-of-a-kind song, and you can’t forget that iconic music video and all those overalls. While Dexys Midnight Runners took home Best British Single for the song from the Brit Awards, they never took home a Grammy for it.
“Mickey” by Toni Basil
It’s hard to deny that “Mickey” by Toni Basil really changed the pop world when it hit the mainstream in 1982. In fact, the lasting influence of this song is still felt in pop music today. That music video is similarly iconic, and Basil choreographed and directed the whole thing on her own. “Mickey” showcased Basil’s impressive vocal range, too. It’s wild to me that this song never earned a Grammy.
“Teenage Dirtbag” by Wheatus
One-hit wonders often don’t get nominated for awards because of their genre. Honestly, I think this might have been the case for “Teenage Dirtbag” by Wheatus. This song is amazing, and its cultural relevance has endured for more than two decades since its release in 2000.
However, pop punk and alt-pop have historically been snubbed by the larger music academies, so it’s not exactly surprising that Wheatus never got a Grammy nom for this one. Still, they should have.
Photo by Erica Echenberg/Redferns
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