Ask “Mr. Music”
Jerry Osborne



FOR THE WEEK OF MAY 23, 2016

DEAR JERRY: Long ago, you listed the only so-called "one-hit wonders" with No. 1 hits. How about expanding that list to those with only one hit that reached the Top 10?

Do this and I promise not to ask you to go any further down the charts.
—Maxine Holmes, Upper Darby, Pa.

DEAR MAXINE: I like the idea, so let's round them up.

Defining a one-hit wonder is, as you know, entirely up to the user. All that matters is to be consistent.

To that end, here are our parameters:

Anyone with a vinyl era (1950 through 1989) Top 10 hit, on either Billboard or Cash Box qualifies, if they never had another tune on either magazine's primary chart. That most likely means a Top 100, but could be fewer if in the early 1950s.

If they have a second chart record that is merely a reissue of their first hit, it will not count as a separate release.

An example of this is Napoleon XIV's "They're Coming to Take Me Away, Ha-Haaa!," that charted in 1966 and again in 1973. It is still just one hit — ha-haa!

If an artist is credited differently, whether intentional or not, we lump them all together.

Thus, "The All American Boy" by Bobby Bare, but mistakenly credited to Bill Parsons, is not included because Bare had many hits, though "Parsons" never charted again.

As for one-off Top 10 duets, they are not considered one-hitters if both members have charted records apart from their duet.

Here are the 93 one-hit wonders, by peak Top 10 positions, then chronologically:

No. 1s (22)

1950: "The Third Man Theme" - Anton Karas
1952: "It's in the Book" - Johnny Standley
1953: "Crying in the Chapel" - Darrell Glenn
1955: "Let Me Go, Lover" - Joan Weber
1958: "Get a Job" - Silhouettes
1958: "Little Star" - Elegants
1958: "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands" - Laurie London
1960: "Alley-Oop" - Hollywood Argyles
1963: "Dominique" - Singing Nun
1966: "They're Coming to Take Me Away, Ha-Haaa!" - Napoleon XIV
1969: "In the Year 2525" - Zager & Evans
1973: "Dueling Banjos" - Eric Weissberg From the Warner Bros. Film Deliverance
1974: "Americans" - Byron MacGregor
1974: "The Entertainer" - Marvin Hamlisch
1979: "Pop Muzik" - M (Robin Scott)
1981: "Chariots of Fire - Titles" - Vangelis
1983: "99 Luftballons" - Nena
1984: "Puttin' on the Ritz" - Taco
1985: "Miami Vice Theme" - Jan Hammer
1985: "We Are the World" - USA for Africa
1988: "Don't Worry Be Happy" - Bobby McFerrin
1988: "When I'm With You" - Sheriff

No. 2s (6)

1959: "Sea of Love" - Phil Phillips With the Twilights
1963: "Sally, Go 'Round the Roses" - Jaynetts
1970: "In the Summertime" - Mungo Jerry
1973: "Playground in My Mind" - Clint Holmes
1977: "Float On" - Floaters
1986: "Friends and Lovers" - Gloria Loring & Carl Anderson

No. 3s (5)

1959: "Uh! Oh!" - Nutty Squirrels
1963: "Popsicles and Icicles" - Murmaids
1969: "Oh Happy Day" - Edwin Hawkins Singers Featuring Dorothy Combs Morrison (Formerly Northern California State Youth Choir)
1985: "Axel F" - Harold Faltermeyer
1987: "She's Like the Wind" - Patrick Swayze (Featuring Wendy Fraser)

No. 4s (6)

1959: "Petite Fleur (Little Flower)" - Chris Barber's Jazz Band
1963: "Pipeline" - Chantays
1966: "Psychotic Reaction" - Count Five
1974: "The Lord's Prayer" - Sister Janet Mead
1980: "Cars" - Gary Numan
1987: "Heart and Soul" - T'Pau

No. 5s (8)

1957: "Happy, Happy Birthday Baby" - Tune Weavers
1958: "Oh Julie" - Crescendos
1958: "Book of Love" - Monotones
1958: "Chanson D'Amour (Song of Love)" - Art and Dotty Todd
1962: "Party Lights" - Claudine Clark
1977: "Do You Wanna Make Love" - Peter McCann
1979: "Makin' It" - David Naughton
1989: "Heaven Help Me" - Deon Estus (With George Michael)

No. 6s (7)

1962: "Shout! Shout! (Knock Yourself Out)" - Ernie Maresca
1962: "Al Di La" - Emilio Pericoli
1964: "The Jerk" - Larks
1967: "An Open Letter to My Teenage Son" - Victor Lundberg
1974: "Tubular Bells" - Mike Oldfield
1980: "Tired of Toein' the Line" - Rocky Burnette
1989: "Surrender to Me" - Ann Wilson and Robin Zander

No. 7s (10)

1955 "Open Up Your Heart (And Let the Sunshine In)" - Cowboy Church Sunday School
1963: "Our Winter Love" - Bill Pursell
1970: "Gimme Dat Ding" - Pipkins
1971: "What the World Needs Now Is Love/Abraham, Martin and John" - Tom Clay
1974: "Life Is a Rock (But the Radio Rolled Me)" - Reunion
1979: "You Take My Breath Away" - Rex Smith
1979: "You're Only Lonely" - J.D. Souther
1982: "Tainted Love" - Soft Cell
1984: "Almost Paradise - Love Theme From Footloose" - Mike Reno and Ann Wilson
1984: "Breakin' - There's No Stopping Us" - Ollie & Jerry

No. 8s (9)

1958: "Dinner With Drac" - John "The Cool Ghoul" Zacherle
1959: "Only You" - Franck Pourcel's French Fiddles
1961: "Asia Minor" - Kokomo
1963: "More" - Kai Winding & Orchestra
1964: "The Boy From New York City" - Ad Libs
1969: "Israelites" - Desmond Dekker & the Aces
1969: "Quentin's Theme" - Charles Randolph Grean Sounde
1971: "Desiderata" - Les Crane
1972: "Convention '72" - Delegates

No. 9s (9)

1957: "I'm Available" - Margie Rayburn
1960: "Forever" - Little Dippers
1963: "Just One Look" - Doris Troy
1972: "Day By Day" - Godspell
1972: "Good Time Charlie's Got the Blues" - Danny O'Keefe
1974: "Eres Tu (Touch the Wind)" - Mocedades
1976: "Junk Food Junkie" - Larry Groce
1977: "Smoke From a Distant Fire" - Sanford/Townsend Band
1986: "The Rain" - Oren "Juice" Jones

No. 10s (11)

1958: "Manhattan Spiritual" - Reg Owen and His Orchestra
1961: "Please Love Me Forever" - Cathy Jean and the Roomates
1962: "Percolator (Twist)" - Billy Joe & the Checkmates
1963: "Midnight Mary" - Joey Powers
1965: "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away" - Silkie
1971: "Funky Nassau, Part 1" - Beginning of the End
1972: "Amazing Grace" - Pipes and Drums and Military Band of the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards
1975: "Dynomite, Part 1" - Bazuka
1976: "I'm Easy" - Keith Carradine
1980: "Into the Night" - Benny Mardones
1986: "Baby Love" - Regina

IZ ZAT SO? Because it is progressively more difficult to reach No. 1 than any of the less lofty Top 10 spots, it is flabbergasting to see how many more than not one-hit artists topped the charts with their only hit (22 of 94).





Return to "Mr. Music" Home Page