3 One-Hit Wonders From the 1970s That Became Cultural Standards

Don’t look now, but the 1970s were over 50 years ago. Yeesh. Yet, while that decade is so far in our rearview mirror that it’s scary, there are some things from that era that have persisted. Like music! And some of the songs from the time period—indeed, even some of the one-hit wonders—have stuck around in major ways. We wanted to explore three examples of just that. Let’s look at a trio of one-hit wonders from the 1970s that have not only stuck around but are still very much in the center of the zeitgeist. Indeed, these are three one-hit wonders from the 1970s that have become cultural standards.

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“I Will Survive” Gloria Gaynor from ‘Love Tracks’ (1978)

Life is hard. Sometimes very hard. And surviving that hardship will always call for a soundtrack. Thank goodness the world has big-voiced singer Gloria Gaynor, who released this glorious anthem to survival in 1978. Not only does she provide the motions of survival with a soundtrack, but she does so while being so effortlessly inspiring. She poses the idea of survival not as a question but as a declarative statement. In this way, she steals your mettle, which is supremely valuable when you’re trying to get through something that seems otherwise impossible.

“Because The Night” Patti Smith from ‘Easter’ (1978)

Everyone knows Patti Smith. Everyone (more or less) loves Patti Smith. But she is one of those rare artists who became famous and beloved without a great number of chart-topping hits. In fact, she only has one hit to her name. The song “Because The Night” was originally written by Bruce Springsteen. But since he thought a woman should sing it, he passed it onto Smith through their mutual friend Jimmy Iovine. The result is pure music history. The track has been covered by a number of artists, including 10,000 Maniacs, but Smith breathed life into it and gave it a mood and a tantalizing feeling to lust at dusk.

“Walk On The Wild Side” Lou Reed from ‘Transformer’ (1972)

Even if Lou Reed never said a single word on this track, it would have been a hit. That’s because the opening music—especially the bass line—has become iconic. It’s been sampled by countless artists, including A Tribe Called Quest, Marky Mark And The Funky Bunch, and HAIM. But on the tune, Reed sings about love and lust, and he does so in a voice that somehow wiggles into your psyche. For all these reasons, his only song to make it high up the charts will continue to live on forever.

Photo by Jorgen Angel/Redferns