3 Classic Rock Two-Hit Wonders That Spanned Multiple Decades

As anyone who has attempted to write a song knows, it’s almost impossible to write a hit that rockets up the charts. It’s even rarer still to pen a second. And to do so over multiple decades? Well, that’s like trying to grab a lightning bolt from the sky and put it in a jar. Nevertheless, some bands have been able to do it over time and not every one of them are household names today.

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Here below, we wanted to explore three groups that did just that. A trio of acts that are two-hit wonders—or, groups that wrote multiple hits over multiple decades but only were able to do it twice. Indeed, these are three classic rock two-hit wonders that spanned multiple decades.

[RELATED: 3 Two-Hit Wonder, Foreign-Born Bands that Ruled the 1970s]

General Public: “Tenderness” from All the Rage (1984) and “I’ll Take You There” from Threesome (1994)

The British-born band General Public scored two hits in the 20s on the Billboard Hot 100. The first came in 1984 with their song “Tenderness,” which hit No. 27 on the chart. Then a decade later, the group garnered another with their cover tune “I’ll Take You There,” which hit No. 22. The latter, of course, is a rendition of the famous soul song from the family band The Staple Singers. But nevertheless, the achievement marked a rarity for the duo.

Tesla: “Love Song” from The Great Radio Controversy (1989) and “Signs” from Five Man Acoustical Jam (1990)

The glam rockers Tesla scored two Top-10 hits over the course of their career and those songs happened to come out in two separate decades (despite being released just two years apart). Indeed, the band’s track “Love Song” hit No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1989, and they followed that up in 1991 with “Signs,” which hit No. 8 on the vaunted chart. Like the group above, Tesla’s second hit was a cover, their rendition of a song from the group Five Man Electrical Band. Only Tesla recorded theirs live and acoustic.

Golden Earring: “Radar Love” from Moontan (1973) and “Twilight Zone” from Cut (1982)

Formed in the Netherlands, the rock group Golden Earring scored two big-time hits almost a decade apart. The first came in 1973 with their song “Radar Love.” And then in 1982, they garnered another with “Twilight Zone.” The first hit No. 13 on the Billboard Hot 100 while the latter jumped to No. 10. And when you hear both, you can feel the time shift. The first is a blues-inspired soul jam while the latter is a clear 1980s headbanger. Hey, you got to change with the times, right?

Photo by Ian Dickson/Redferns