Good things come to those who wait, and that’s especially true for these one-hit wonders whose biggest hits came after the age of 30. While the entertainment industry seems to be on the constant search for the next best thing that’s also the youngest and freshest, these artists rebelled against this ideology, opting to take their time and let their creativity marinate.
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Sure, we’ll admit there’s a bit of a stigma around being a one-hit wonder. (After all, who wouldn’t prefer 5, 10, or 20 hits compared to one?) Still, a one-hit wonder is better than a none-hit wonder, as I’m sure these musicians and their royalty checks would agree.
Alannah Myles, 31: “Black Velvet”
Alannah Myles released “Black Velvet” on her eponymous 1989 album when she was 31 years old. Christopher Ward wrote the song after taking a trip to Graceland with a bus full of Elvis fans. The song garnered Myles a 1991 Grammy for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance and a 1990 Juno Award for Single of the Year, but she was never able to match the same commercial success as the Southern rock ode to Elvis Presley from her debut record.
Joan Osborne, 34: “One of Us”
If you were alive and well in the 1990s, you’ve likely heard Joan Osborne’s hit single “One of Us,” which was famously used as the theme song for Joan of Arcadia. Osborne included the song musing over the idea of God being one of us on her 1995 studio debut, Relish. Osborne was 33 years old at the time. While the song never hit the top of the charts in the States, it managed to hit No. 1 in Sweden, Australia, and Belgium.
Eddy Grant, 35: “Electric Avenue”
Eddy Grant took the world by storm in 1983 with his hit single “Electric Avenue.” The Guyanese-British artist was 35 years old when it climbed to the No. 2 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 1 on the U.S. Cash Box chart. The 2008 stoner comedy Pineapple Express helped introduce the classic dance jam to a new, younger audience. By then, Grant was 60 years old, proving that it’s never too late to find new fans.
Tommy Tutone, 34: “867-5309/Jenny”
For the sake of keeping with our singular one-hit wonder artist trend, we’ll go ahead and consider Tommy Tutone to mean the power pop band’s frontman, Tommy Heath, who was 34 years old when his band released “867-5309/Jenny.” The song turned into a cultural movement in its own right, with countless people calling the number and asking for Jenny. The one-hit wonder also irrevocably changed the lives of all present and future Jennys everywhere, dooming them to a life of hearing, “Ha! Jenny! 867-5309, right?”
Daniel Powter, 34: “Bad Day”
Daniel Powter’s 2005 hit single “Bad Day” was virtually inescapable in the mid-2000s. The song capitalized on the same kind of sentimental pop rock that skyrocketed Coldplay’s career around the same time. However, he Powter was never able to recreate the success of the song he released when he was 34 years old. One could take that as having a bad day, or one could consider that to be one very, very good—unreplicably good, even—day.
Meredith Brooks, 39: “Bitch”
Although some might misattribute this song to Alanis Morrisette, Meredith Brooks is the real singer behind the 1997 feminist power anthem, “Bitch.” With its bold, brash chorus about being a bitch, a lover, a child, a mother, a sinner, a saint, I do not feel ashamed, the song embodied the alt-femme spirit that permeated the 1990s. Brooks was 39 when she released the song that would come to define her entire career. Talk about a good 40th birthday present.
Bill Medley, 47: “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life”
The Dirty Dancing theme song “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life” is hardly Bill Medley’s only hit, but it’s certainly his biggest one. The gold-throated baritone’s duet with Jennifer Warnes skyrocketed to the top of the charts after the release of the 1987 film Dirty Dancing. How is the country not supposed to fall in love with the song that Patrick Swayze lip-syncs while gyrating his hips with Jennifer Grey? (Sorry, got distracted: Medley was 47, by the way.)
Photo by Gie Knaeps/Getty Images
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