5 Forgotten One-Hit Wonders You Need To Rediscover

One-hit wonders are often forgotten to time. It’s simply a part of being known for one song and then fading away into music history. That being said, quite a few one-hit wonders still get love today, but a few underrated hits have been more or less forgotten. Let’s refresh your memory with a few stellar one-hit wonders that don’t deserve to be forgotten!

1. “Rapper’s Delight” by The Sugarhill Gang

Few songs are as synonymous with old-school hip hop quite like the 1979 disco funk tune “Rapper’s Delight” by The Sugarhill Gang. This legendary trio deserved so much more than they got commercially. 

“Rapper’s Delight” hit no. 36 on the US Hot 100 and ranked even higher internationally in countries like Canada and Germany. However, despite having a few additional hits rank well on the US R&B chart, they never had another Top 40 hit on the Hot 100 again.

2. “Too Shy” by Kajagoogoo

Forgotten one-hit wonders are often new wave hits from the 1980s, and “Too Shy” by Kajagoogoo is just one example. This song is a synth-pop delight, and we’d hate to see it be forgotten. 

“Too Shy” was a no. 5 hit on the US Hot 100, but Kajagoogoo barely scraped the bottom of the chart with the subsequent release “Hang On Now”. Though the band did well in the UK and Germany, they never had another US hit again.

3. “Pop Muzik” by M

“Pop Muzik” is a great example of what was coming out in the early years of new wave. This 1979 art-pop track was released under M, a project created by famed English artist Robin Scott. 

The track was a pretty enormous hit that made it to no. 1 on the Hot 100 in the US. Unfortunately, M never scored another hit in the US again, though a few of his songs did decently in the UK.

4. “Got To Be Real” by Cheryl Lynn

Cheryl Lynn has a voice unlike any other, and “Got To Be Real” should have been one of many disco hits to lend credibility to her name. Sadly, though, the debut single was her only Top 20 song on the US Hot 100. 

Though, it is worth noting that Cheryl Lynn continued to dominate the US R&B charts well through the 1980s. So, she’s only technically a one-hit wonder.

5. “How Do You Talk To An Angel?” by Jamie Walters

Remember this pop hit from The Heights? No? We don’t blame you. This is one of those forgotten one-hit wonders that are genuinely good but seem to just disappear from public consciousness soon after becoming big. 

The 1992 track “How Do You Talk To An Angel?” was the theme song to The Heights and made it to no. 1 on the Hot 100. Ironically enough, the musical drama was canceled just one week after the song was knocked from the no. 1 spot.

Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

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