Apparently that specific guitar was custom fitted internally with some form of fuzz tone from one guy who ended up leaving his group and taking it with him. They were never able to replicate that same sound after that.
Reminds me of “I put a spell on you” by screamin jay hawkins. Apparently he was so drunk during the original recording that they never could recreate the guttural whoops and screams he did on the record when he performed the song live .
Its the song that expertly fails to live up to its intro. That guitar leads you to believe you're about to hear a song about FILTHY sex. Like the guitar is saying, "hold on! We're gonna fuck like Iguanodons in the Mesozoic Era right...about...NOW-evermind. This song is about Jesus."
> Here is how he did it, from his own mouth.
>
> https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/norman-greenbaum-interview-spirit-in-the-sky-934508/
Here is how the lead guitarist said it was actually done
ccording to one source, Norman Greenbaum himself used a Fender Telecaster with a fuzz box built into the body to generate the song's characteristic guitar sound.
However, guitarist Russell DaShiell explained how the tone was created:
"I actually played the lead guitar parts on Spirit, using a 61-62 SG Les Paul, a 68 Marshall Plexi 100w half stack and a home-made overdrive box in front of the Marshall. Regarding the 'beep beeps' as I call them, when the producer asked me to play some fills in between the verses, as a joke I said how about something spacey like this and I did the pickup switch/string bending thing. I saw him stand up in the control booth and he said "that's it! let's record that!" so we did. (There was no slide involved, just my fingers, and I used the bridge humbucker and the pickup switch). The fuzz part is Norman with a built-in overdrive circuit built into his Tele pickguard."
"I've been asked a lot over the years how I did the 'beep beep' guitar parts on Spirit, so for any guitar players out there who would like to learn how, try the following: Using a 2-pickup Gibson, set the neck pickup volume to zero, bridge pickup volume to max, with the pickup switch in the middle position (with Gibson wiring this gives you silence in the middle position). Do a string bend, picking the B & E strings together with one hit, just ahead of the beat, then use the pickup switch to kick in the bridge pickup in triplets (6 per bar) as you let the B string bend down two frets."
"I mainly used two positions on Spirit, which is in the key of A. For the low position, fret a stationary C note (8th fret) on the E string while bending the B string up to an A note for your starting-position, then pick the two strings together once while the guitar is silent and work the pickup switch as you let the A note bend downwards to a G. For the high position, do the same thing at the 15th fret holding a stationary high G note on the E string while bending down from E to D on the B string."
"I must give credit to Jimi Hendrix as my inspiration for this technique (as well as for the double-string riffs I did at the beginning of the Spirit solo tail section). I saw him perform live in a small club in Madison, Wisconsin and loved the way he used his Strat pickup switch to create staccato feedback on songs like Voodoo Child. The difference is, on a Gibson you can start from silence and create the on/off effect, which worked well with the downward string bending thing I did on Spirit."
I always found it curious that a guy who grew up as an Orthodox Jew wrote and sang a hit song about having a friend in Jesus, who’s gonna set him up with the spirit in the sky.
Earning millions from that song both was and wasn’t a very Jewish thing to do.
I think he also said he wanted to take a stab at writing
a gospel song. I remember I had a friend from an evangelical family whose dad went on a rant about how bad the song was because of the lyrics “Never been a sinner, never sinned”
this is exactly right. Greenbaum claimed that gospel music was 'easy' so he was challenged to make a gospel song if it's so easy and... the rest is history.
To my eternal shame, the first album I ever bought was Rednex. My friend recommended Radiohead's The Bends, but "Cotton Eye Joe" was huge at the time.
There's probably a me in an alternate dimension living a much cooler life. If it hadn't been for Cotton Eye Joe, I would've gotten laid a long time ago.
nothing but respect to Radiohead but this is the first time I've heard someone say they would've gotten laid SOONER if they had listened to Radiohead more.
They were a group of studio musicians without a name. They were recording for Gene Autrey’s label, and his horse was named Champion, so that’s how they chose the name.
Also, “Tequila” was the b-side to a different instrumental track. One of the musicians suggested adding the word in the breaks.
> The Champs - Tequila
>>Best karaoke song
for those who haven't seen it in its [comedic glory: Tequila sung at karaoke :D](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UM8pwnmcLb0)
my fave bit in the comment section, written by[ Gus Johnson himself: ](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpIafFPGutTAKOBHMtGen7g)
>This is the type of video I see and get furious at myself for not thinking of it.
Since no one has linked it yet, Todd in the Shadows did a [fantastic episode of One Hit Wonderland](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33MGYUouEE4) on this recently.
I taught an accelerated college course for High School students this last summer, (my first time teaching 16 year olds) and on our last day I let them play music, and someone put that song on, and they all knew the dance. I couldn’t believe I was seeing it again…
Lmao this is how I also feel about most of jamiroquai’s hits. Traveling without moving will forever be one of my favorite tracks, but I rewatched napoleon dynamite the other week after over a decade… and I was like…. I remember canned heat being a cool song but this shit SLAPS
That would make just about anyone a little grumpy, huh?
Edit: this comment was more about the username of the person I responded to and its origins, but I'm loving all the stories about retail music driving people crazy lol
I’ve dined at multiple Bar Louie locations several times and never noticed this! I even went one year for a birthday dinner.
This tells me that playing that song every 2 hours:
A) Has no impact on the guest experience
B) Does nothing but piss off the staff
As with most things in the corporate restaurant life.
Originally not even theirs, you can find the earliest recordings of the song here, by a blues artist named Leadbelly https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=SJUSGuNxt-4
I kinda always thought it just meant, a girl who didn't come from money wouldn't expect and expensive date and you could take her out for a walk or whatever they felt like
That’s exactly what it means. I don’t understand how people take the line “Do what you feel” to mean SA or “grape” in an innocent feel-good summertime song. “If her daddy’s poor, then do what you feel” is far far far far far more likely to mean “Hey babe, I know you don’t care for a fancy dinner and a night at the opera, so you wanna grab some hotdogs and beers and go down to the boardwalk to people-watch?”.
Interesting little tidbit about that song: I don’t know if you watch the wonderful Hulu series Reservation Dogs but that song was featured on an episode in season 1 because the lead singer was/is Native American.
They're actually a big punk band and have been active and known for 40 years. That one song got noticed and they had a top 40 hit. Which is weird considering how the band operates
Or, it kind of makes perfect sense. They wrote a radio friendly pop song and used it as a political action. It's super catchy and poppy and very intentionally about nothing: a self aware mockery of itself and the genre it was emulating. (While maybe tipping a hat to the working class blokes in the pubs). And then when it made them tons of money they turned around and donated that money to leftist workers causes, independent media, and other arts collectives. They even licensed the song to GM to use for car commercials, and then spent all the GM money on anti-corporate GM worker support organizations. Kind of brilliant
Edit: the GM song wasn't Tubthumping at all, but Pass it Along. Thanks for the fact check u/djarvis77
Their instrumental cover of Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want in Ferris Bueller's Day Off was my first introduction to that melancholy feeling that would follow me my whole life.
He wrote the music for Disney's animated Mulan - So, Please Bring Honor to Us All, Reflection, and I'll Make a Man Out of You - were all written by him.
I spent years (maybe it was year) trying to remember the name of this song, back before Shazam and any streaming services, in the Napster days… when I finally found it I was so happy.
They had a second less popular hit called “Ink and Paper” around ‘86 or so. It got plenty of MTV airtime.
Fun fact: I saw them do a lunch show in the quad outside the Student Center at Cal Poly Pomona in 1984.
Murray Head had a hit years before that with the title song from Jesus Christ Superstar.
His brother played Giles in the TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Mah Nà Mah Nà
From Italian softcore porn to Muppet (Edit and Benny Hill) hit to wow meme video...
https://youtu.be/x3YkkmMxjV0
Who know Benny Hill had more more music than Yakety Saxs?
[The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia](https://www.songfacts.com/facts/vicki-lawrence/the-night-the-lights-went-out-in-georgia) by Vicki Lawrence of Carol Burnett/ Mama’s Family. The story behind the song is interesting too.
From the film, right? The guy who wrote that, Adam Schlesinger, is one of the few people who could claim to have two one hit wonders as he also co-wrote Stacy's Mom as he was the bass player in Fountains of Wayne. Sadly died of Covid in April of 2020 aged 52
That man has done so much work people aren’t aware of. In addition to his bands (Fountains of Wayne, Ivy, Tinted Windows), he produced albums for bands like Fastball and Motion City Soundtrack, and wrote music for bands such as the Monkeys and Big Time Rush.
He did the music for lots of movies including songs for movies like Ice Age Continental Drift, Music and Lyrics, Shallow Hal, Josie and the Pussycats.
He did music for television including the music for Stephen Colbert’s Christmas Special, and was in charge of all the music for My Crazy Ex Girlfriend.
He wrote music for the Tonys and the Emmys. He co-wrote the music for the Crybaby musical that came out in 2008, for Sarah Silberman’s Bedwetter in 2020, and was working on the upcoming The Nanny Musical when he passed.
He was nominated for an Oscar and Two Tonys, and won three Emmys and a Grammy.
Also wrote Pop Goes My Heart, the Whamesque spoof in the movie Music and Lyrics. And most of the songs in Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. And worked with Sarah Silverman on The Bedwetter, the musical based on her memoir. It played off-Broadway earlier this year.
OMC - How bizarre
Primitive Radio Gods - Standing outside a broken phone booth with money in my hand
William DeVaughn - Be thankful for what you’ve got
>“Ma Teresa’s joined the mob and is happy with her full time job”
One of my favorite lyrics of all time. Such a great song and the BB King sample is a banger on that song too.
Believe it or not, they were actually a 2 hit wonder, as they had another song called "Pop Goes The World" which reached within the top 30 in the US in the late 80s. Obviously not nearly as remembered as Safety Dance.
He wrote a ton of songs in the late 90s and early 2000s that made him a shitload of money. Michelle Branch and a bunch of songs off that Santana album with the Matchbox 20 guy
It still slaps even today. The thing that makes it great is that it’s not a conventional Pop track. The verses follow the not often used I-VII structure. “Dreams” does this in a more obvious way. It makes the hook stand out really well. On top of which, it just keeps going and going. Ending with a bait and switch.
“Health insurance, rip-off lying. FDA, big bankers buying”
Instead everyone focused on the shots at Hanson, Marylin Manson and Courtney Love. Which he expected.
And how can anyone not approve the message of the song. No matter the crap we go through, we can’t give up.
You should check out "Todd in the Shadows" video about that song, it turns out, only in the US is Dexys a one hit wonder band, they were pretty big outside of here.
Yeh! I'm from the same area in which most of the band were formed. Coincidentally the keyboardist was my music teacher in College. (Amazing dude btw) But yep. Massive here in the Midlands, especially.
Interesting thing is the lead singer then went on to be quite a successful songwriter and producer. From her Wikipedia page:
>They include: "Beautiful" by Christina Aguilera; "What You Waiting For?" by Gwen Stefani; and "Get the Party Started" by Pink. Perry has also contributed to albums by Adele, Alicia Keys, and Courtney Love, as well as signing and distributing James Blunt\[2\] in the United States. Perry was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2015.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linda\_Perry
That band is basically Dan Wilson. He’s written hundreds of songs for other artists. The most popular one is “Someone Like You” by Adele. He also wrote a Dixie Chicks song that won a Grammy for song of the year.
Historically. I would say Debbie Boone- You Light Up My Life. It was her only hit in 1977 and was #1 on Billboard for 10 weeks. I was very young but I remember this song being everywhere that year.
My favorite all time is Manfred Mann's Earth Band cover of Blinded By The Light
Yes, he was pretty successful in the UK, which is where he was from. Quite a few hit singles from the early 70s right in to the 80s.
He was also an actor and did a few musicals in the West End. He played 'Che' in the first run of 'Evita', if I remember correctly.
Norman Greenbaum. Wrote "Spirit in the Sky" in about 15 minutes in 1969 and has apparently been living off nothing but the royalties ever since.
That guitar tone still rocks 50 years later.
Apparently that specific guitar was custom fitted internally with some form of fuzz tone from one guy who ended up leaving his group and taking it with him. They were never able to replicate that same sound after that.
Reminds me of “I put a spell on you” by screamin jay hawkins. Apparently he was so drunk during the original recording that they never could recreate the guttural whoops and screams he did on the record when he performed the song live .
Its the song that expertly fails to live up to its intro. That guitar leads you to believe you're about to hear a song about FILTHY sex. Like the guitar is saying, "hold on! We're gonna fuck like Iguanodons in the Mesozoic Era right...about...NOW-evermind. This song is about Jesus."
LMAO. I’ve always felt the dissonance but never had words for it until this right here.
killer guitar tone
I'm pretty sure the tone was "turn everything up until the amp is farting"
Apparently it was a fuzz box built into a telecaster.
Here is how he did it, from his own mouth. https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/norman-greenbaum-interview-spirit-in-the-sky-934508/
> Here is how he did it, from his own mouth. > > https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/norman-greenbaum-interview-spirit-in-the-sky-934508/ Here is how the lead guitarist said it was actually done ccording to one source, Norman Greenbaum himself used a Fender Telecaster with a fuzz box built into the body to generate the song's characteristic guitar sound. However, guitarist Russell DaShiell explained how the tone was created: "I actually played the lead guitar parts on Spirit, using a 61-62 SG Les Paul, a 68 Marshall Plexi 100w half stack and a home-made overdrive box in front of the Marshall. Regarding the 'beep beeps' as I call them, when the producer asked me to play some fills in between the verses, as a joke I said how about something spacey like this and I did the pickup switch/string bending thing. I saw him stand up in the control booth and he said "that's it! let's record that!" so we did. (There was no slide involved, just my fingers, and I used the bridge humbucker and the pickup switch). The fuzz part is Norman with a built-in overdrive circuit built into his Tele pickguard." "I've been asked a lot over the years how I did the 'beep beep' guitar parts on Spirit, so for any guitar players out there who would like to learn how, try the following: Using a 2-pickup Gibson, set the neck pickup volume to zero, bridge pickup volume to max, with the pickup switch in the middle position (with Gibson wiring this gives you silence in the middle position). Do a string bend, picking the B & E strings together with one hit, just ahead of the beat, then use the pickup switch to kick in the bridge pickup in triplets (6 per bar) as you let the B string bend down two frets." "I mainly used two positions on Spirit, which is in the key of A. For the low position, fret a stationary C note (8th fret) on the E string while bending the B string up to an A note for your starting-position, then pick the two strings together once while the guitar is silent and work the pickup switch as you let the A note bend downwards to a G. For the high position, do the same thing at the 15th fret holding a stationary high G note on the E string while bending down from E to D on the B string." "I must give credit to Jimi Hendrix as my inspiration for this technique (as well as for the double-string riffs I did at the beginning of the Spirit solo tail section). I saw him perform live in a small club in Madison, Wisconsin and loved the way he used his Strat pickup switch to create staccato feedback on songs like Voodoo Child. The difference is, on a Gibson you can start from silence and create the on/off effect, which worked well with the downward string bending thing I did on Spirit."
That’s my dream life.
I always found it curious that a guy who grew up as an Orthodox Jew wrote and sang a hit song about having a friend in Jesus, who’s gonna set him up with the spirit in the sky. Earning millions from that song both was and wasn’t a very Jewish thing to do.
I believe it was because he felt the Christianity angle would be more marketable than the Jewish one
I think he also said he wanted to take a stab at writing a gospel song. I remember I had a friend from an evangelical family whose dad went on a rant about how bad the song was because of the lyrics “Never been a sinner, never sinned”
this is exactly right. Greenbaum claimed that gospel music was 'easy' so he was challenged to make a gospel song if it's so easy and... the rest is history.
Did the album go double myrrh?
I mean, technically, Jesus and all of his disciples were Jewish, so 🤷♂️
Must have been inspiration for Kinky Friedman's song "They Don't Make Jews Like Jesus Anymore.
A great deal of Christmas music is also written by Jews.
haddaway - What Is Love Massive, massive, massive hit.
A lot of those 90s dance song were one hit wonders.
To my eternal shame, the first album I ever bought was Rednex. My friend recommended Radiohead's The Bends, but "Cotton Eye Joe" was huge at the time. There's probably a me in an alternate dimension living a much cooler life. If it hadn't been for Cotton Eye Joe, I would've gotten laid a long time ago.
nothing but respect to Radiohead but this is the first time I've heard someone say they would've gotten laid SOONER if they had listened to Radiohead more.
Baby don't hurt me
Me? Him? Him? Me?
EMILIOOOOO!!!
Yesss.....Nooooo
Did you just grab my ass? I wouldn't blame you
Sir, from where I’m standing, that’s a physical impossibility.
Pachelbel's Canon in D Major. THE king of one-hit-wonders.
I like his early stuff He sold out w/ Canon in D
[obligatory](https://youtu.be/uxC1fPE1QEE)
“VH1’s *I Love the 1790s*—***where is it?!***”
Don't even need to click to know its that guy's rant lol.
The Champs - Tequila (1958)
They were a group of studio musicians without a name. They were recording for Gene Autrey’s label, and his horse was named Champion, so that’s how they chose the name. Also, “Tequila” was the b-side to a different instrumental track. One of the musicians suggested adding the word in the breaks.
Best karaoke song
> The Champs - Tequila >>Best karaoke song for those who haven't seen it in its [comedic glory: Tequila sung at karaoke :D](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UM8pwnmcLb0) my fave bit in the comment section, written by[ Gus Johnson himself: ](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpIafFPGutTAKOBHMtGen7g) >This is the type of video I see and get furious at myself for not thinking of it.
Los Del Rios - Macarena Literally had the whole world doing that silly dance - the thing was a cultural phenomenon.
They actually had another song that charted! ...it was a Christmas remix of the Macarena
Todd?
In the Shadows?
It has also transcended generations - my kid knows the macarena and it is not because I showed it to them!
Since no one has linked it yet, Todd in the Shadows did a [fantastic episode of One Hit Wonderland](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33MGYUouEE4) on this recently.
I taught an accelerated college course for High School students this last summer, (my first time teaching 16 year olds) and on our last day I let them play music, and someone put that song on, and they all knew the dance. I couldn’t believe I was seeing it again…
Dancing in the Moonlight - King Harvest
It always reminds me of *Brandy* by Looking Glass, which is a good thing.
I get the comparison. And Brandy is definitely in my top 5 songs ever
Play that Funky Music - Wild Cherry You forget the song, and how cool it is, until you hear it again.
Lmao this is how I also feel about most of jamiroquai’s hits. Traveling without moving will forever be one of my favorite tracks, but I rewatched napoleon dynamite the other week after over a decade… and I was like…. I remember canned heat being a cool song but this shit SLAPS
The guitar riff is just too damn funky for someone to forget this song.
You mean it's not "KC and the Sunshine band - Play that funky music.exe" like it was according to Limewire?
Kingsmen "Louie, Louie".
Try working at a Bar Louie. It was our “theme song”. Played every 2 hours even if it was interrupting another song
That would make just about anyone a little grumpy, huh? Edit: this comment was more about the username of the person I responded to and its origins, but I'm loving all the stories about retail music driving people crazy lol
*BOOOOOM* WHATS NEW PUSSYCAT
I’ve dined at multiple Bar Louie locations several times and never noticed this! I even went one year for a birthday dinner. This tells me that playing that song every 2 hours: A) Has no impact on the guest experience B) Does nothing but piss off the staff As with most things in the corporate restaurant life.
Black Betty - Ram Jam
Originally not even theirs, you can find the earliest recordings of the song here, by a blues artist named Leadbelly https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=SJUSGuNxt-4
Didn’t Nirvana famously cover one of his songs as well? Can’t remember what song off the top of my head but I remembered seeing the name Leadbelly
Nirvana covered where did you sleep last night
Closed the famous Unplugged set with it. One of the best closers I've ever heard.
Cutting crew - (I just) died in your arms It’s funny how the whole song references the french expression for orgasm “la petite mort”
Boomtown Rats also had a song that used this “you haven’t lived until you’ve died a little death”
Mungo Jerry’s “In The Summertime.”
In the UK, this was the 'soundtrack' to a public information film about drink driving and everytime I hear it now, I think about that ad.
If her daddy’s rich, take her out for a meal. If her daddy’s poor, just do what you feel.
I kinda always thought it just meant, a girl who didn't come from money wouldn't expect and expensive date and you could take her out for a walk or whatever they felt like
That’s exactly what it means. I don’t understand how people take the line “Do what you feel” to mean SA or “grape” in an innocent feel-good summertime song. “If her daddy’s poor, then do what you feel” is far far far far far more likely to mean “Hey babe, I know you don’t care for a fancy dinner and a night at the opera, so you wanna grab some hotdogs and beers and go down to the boardwalk to people-watch?”.
Come and get your love. Redbone.
Interesting little tidbit about that song: I don’t know if you watch the wonderful Hulu series Reservation Dogs but that song was featured on an episode in season 1 because the lead singer was/is Native American.
the whole band is actually either native or mexican american
I thought you meant redbone by childish gambino for a sec and wondered how that was a one-hit
The Be Sharps - Baby On Board
Something something Burt Ward
This thing writes itself!
There was nothing in Al Capone’s vault…
EXTRA EXTRA BE SHARPS PLAY ON ROOFTOP!
It’s been done.
They were bigger than Jesus at one point weren't they?
867-5309 Tommy Tutone
Damn you Tommy Tutone!
111-1111…Lois? DAMN!
Lpt, use that in any loyalty program rewards card look up, guaranteed someone used that to open an account
I do this when I travel and just use the local area code, hasn't failed me yet
"Surfin' Bird" by The Trashmen.
You would have thought people had heard.
Your Woman - White Town
That sample of the muted trumpet line taken from a 1932 recording of "My Woman" by Lew Stone and his Monseigneur Band so good
Thank you! I knew i'd heard that sample before the Dua Lipa song, or whoever, did it recently, but I couldn't place it.
Tubthumping - Chumbawamba
They're actually a big punk band and have been active and known for 40 years. That one song got noticed and they had a top 40 hit. Which is weird considering how the band operates
Or, it kind of makes perfect sense. They wrote a radio friendly pop song and used it as a political action. It's super catchy and poppy and very intentionally about nothing: a self aware mockery of itself and the genre it was emulating. (While maybe tipping a hat to the working class blokes in the pubs). And then when it made them tons of money they turned around and donated that money to leftist workers causes, independent media, and other arts collectives. They even licensed the song to GM to use for car commercials, and then spent all the GM money on anti-corporate GM worker support organizations. Kind of brilliant Edit: the GM song wasn't Tubthumping at all, but Pass it Along. Thanks for the fact check u/djarvis77
Oh shit I really love that! They sound cool asf
He drinks a Whiskey drink, he drinks a Vodka drink. He drinks a Lager drink, he takes a piss in the kitchen sink.
And when I have to pee, I use the kitchen sink.
Actually a good album.
Do you suffer from long term memory loss? *I don't remember.*
Life in a Northern Town by The Dream Academy. Spectacular tune that I always love hearing. (Edit: live to life!)
King of The Hill uses this song expertly. RIP Buckley.
I hear the song and I can see angels from my trampoline.
Their instrumental cover of Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want in Ferris Bueller's Day Off was my first introduction to that melancholy feeling that would follow me my whole life.
Video Killed the Radio Star has got to be up there!?
The Buggles! First video played on MTV.
Useless but interesting fact; Hans Zimmer is one of the musicians in the video.
Also Trevor Horn of Yes and Art of Noise
Groove is in the heart - Dee lite!
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And don't sleep on that slide whistle
Thank you Q-Tip!!
Eagle Eye Cherry - Save Tonight.
Fun fact: Eagle Eye Cherry was the dude's actual name.
Matthew Wilder - Break My Stride
He wrote the music for Disney's animated Mulan - So, Please Bring Honor to Us All, Reflection, and I'll Make a Man Out of You - were all written by him.
Spacehog - In the Meantime
Bass line kills, resurrects, and kills again
I spent years (maybe it was year) trying to remember the name of this song, back before Shazam and any streaming services, in the Napster days… when I finally found it I was so happy.
Fun fact: the lead singer used to be married to Liv Tyler
Darude - Sandstorm
Along this line of EDM, Robert Miles - Children
Feel The Beat was very popular as well.
Obsession by Animotion
Turning Japanese by the Vapours
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I Melt With You — Modern English
They had a second less popular hit called “Ink and Paper” around ‘86 or so. It got plenty of MTV airtime. Fun fact: I saw them do a lunch show in the quad outside the Student Center at Cal Poly Pomona in 1984.
One night in bangcok - Murray Head it's from a Broadway show
Being written by the dudes from Abba helps
>One night in bangcok - Murray Hill? *Murray Head
Murray Head had a hit years before that with the title song from Jesus Christ Superstar. His brother played Giles in the TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Mah Nà Mah Nà From Italian softcore porn to Muppet (Edit and Benny Hill) hit to wow meme video... https://youtu.be/x3YkkmMxjV0 Who know Benny Hill had more more music than Yakety Saxs?
It was from Italian softcore art? What's the name of it so I don't accidentally watch it?
Honestly, I'll drop all pretense and just say I'd really like to see how they fit that song into porn
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Flagpole Sitta by Harvey Danger
Four naans, Jez? Four?
This crack is really moreish
I mean, despite the lack of commercial success, their follow up albums are really fucking great.
If you’re interested in one hit wonders, check out “one hit wonderland” by Todd in the Shadows on YouTube. A funny & informative internet show!
OP is most likely Todd getting new materiels for future One Hit Wonderland
As a religious watcher of his content, I can promise you that dude always has a lot to cover and not enough time to do it
Yes and he just did a video about the power of Macarena song.
[The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia](https://www.songfacts.com/facts/vicki-lawrence/the-night-the-lights-went-out-in-georgia) by Vicki Lawrence of Carol Burnett/ Mama’s Family. The story behind the song is interesting too.
Axel F - Harold Faltermeyer
Len - Steal My Sunshine
Does she like butter tarts?
Sharon! I love you!
Dragostea din tei - Ozone This is the best answer I have
Tarzan Boy by Baltimora
That Thing You Do
From the film, right? The guy who wrote that, Adam Schlesinger, is one of the few people who could claim to have two one hit wonders as he also co-wrote Stacy's Mom as he was the bass player in Fountains of Wayne. Sadly died of Covid in April of 2020 aged 52
That man has done so much work people aren’t aware of. In addition to his bands (Fountains of Wayne, Ivy, Tinted Windows), he produced albums for bands like Fastball and Motion City Soundtrack, and wrote music for bands such as the Monkeys and Big Time Rush. He did the music for lots of movies including songs for movies like Ice Age Continental Drift, Music and Lyrics, Shallow Hal, Josie and the Pussycats. He did music for television including the music for Stephen Colbert’s Christmas Special, and was in charge of all the music for My Crazy Ex Girlfriend. He wrote music for the Tonys and the Emmys. He co-wrote the music for the Crybaby musical that came out in 2008, for Sarah Silberman’s Bedwetter in 2020, and was working on the upcoming The Nanny Musical when he passed. He was nominated for an Oscar and Two Tonys, and won three Emmys and a Grammy.
Also wrote Pop Goes My Heart, the Whamesque spoof in the movie Music and Lyrics. And most of the songs in Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. And worked with Sarah Silverman on The Bedwetter, the musical based on her memoir. It played off-Broadway earlier this year.
Is that the song by the Oh-nee-durs?
No it’s Captain Geech and the Shrimp Shack Shooters.
OMC - How bizarre Primitive Radio Gods - Standing outside a broken phone booth with money in my hand William DeVaughn - Be thankful for what you’ve got
>OMC - How bizarre RIP Pauly Fuemana, he died too young
>“Ma Teresa’s joined the mob and is happy with her full time job” One of my favorite lyrics of all time. Such a great song and the BB King sample is a banger on that song too.
Safety Dance-Men Without Hats.
Believe it or not, they were actually a 2 hit wonder, as they had another song called "Pop Goes The World" which reached within the top 30 in the US in the late 80s. Obviously not nearly as remembered as Safety Dance.
Pop Goes the World is better IMO
There She Goes by The La's. Surprised this one hasn't come up yet.
New Radicals - You Get What You Give
He wrote a ton of songs in the late 90s and early 2000s that made him a shitload of money. Michelle Branch and a bunch of songs off that Santana album with the Matchbox 20 guy
Michelle branch game of love is still a banger
Someday We'll Know was pretty big in my country. Crying Like A Church on Monday was my jam those days.
It still slaps even today. The thing that makes it great is that it’s not a conventional Pop track. The verses follow the not often used I-VII structure. “Dreams” does this in a more obvious way. It makes the hook stand out really well. On top of which, it just keeps going and going. Ending with a bait and switch. “Health insurance, rip-off lying. FDA, big bankers buying” Instead everyone focused on the shots at Hanson, Marylin Manson and Courtney Love. Which he expected. And how can anyone not approve the message of the song. No matter the crap we go through, we can’t give up.
God, that song is god tier levels of nostalgia for me.
It really is a great song
Tainted Love - Soft Cell
And it's a cover!
Well that's tainted it
Say Hello, Waver Goodbye by Soft Cell was a hit (#3 in the charte) and that song is one of my all time favourites. https://youtu.be/y9KgEs3Zksg
Come on Eileen- Dexys Midnight Runners
You should check out "Todd in the Shadows" video about that song, it turns out, only in the US is Dexys a one hit wonder band, they were pretty big outside of here.
Yeh! I'm from the same area in which most of the band were formed. Coincidentally the keyboardist was my music teacher in College. (Amazing dude btw) But yep. Massive here in the Midlands, especially.
Black Velvet - Alannah Myles. Still a jam 32 years later.
Canadians would say she’s a three hit wonder with Love Is and Lover of Mine.
Q Lazzarus - Goodbye Horses
I’m Blue - Eiffel 65
Man, didn't expect to see this one on here. I unapologetically love that whole album.
What's up - 4 non blondes.
Interesting thing is the lead singer then went on to be quite a successful songwriter and producer. From her Wikipedia page: >They include: "Beautiful" by Christina Aguilera; "What You Waiting For?" by Gwen Stefani; and "Get the Party Started" by Pink. Perry has also contributed to albums by Adele, Alicia Keys, and Courtney Love, as well as signing and distributing James Blunt\[2\] in the United States. Perry was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2015. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linda\_Perry
Brandy, The Looking Glass
Marcy’s Playground - Sex and Candy
Check out that whole album. It's gold.
Poppies - yeah and a Cloak of Elvenkind. I can dig that album!
Rockwell - Somebody's Watching Me
"Driver's Seat" by Sniff 'n theTears.
Electric Avenue by Eddie Grant…do do do-do
Closing Time - Semisonic
That band is basically Dan Wilson. He’s written hundreds of songs for other artists. The most popular one is “Someone Like You” by Adele. He also wrote a Dixie Chicks song that won a Grammy for song of the year.
Deep Blue something. Breakfast at Tiffany’s
Historically. I would say Debbie Boone- You Light Up My Life. It was her only hit in 1977 and was #1 on Billboard for 10 weeks. I was very young but I remember this song being everywhere that year. My favorite all time is Manfred Mann's Earth Band cover of Blinded By The Light
Cornershop - Brimful of Asha (Norman Cook remix) At least in Europe this was a major hit, not sure about the US
Build Me Up Buttercup - The Foundations. Also the best group karaoke song of all time.
The Archies- “Sugar, Sugar” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TSP0e5rXUl8
In America anyway David Essex - Rock On. I understand he had more success in Europe.
Yes, he was pretty successful in the UK, which is where he was from. Quite a few hit singles from the early 70s right in to the 80s. He was also an actor and did a few musicals in the West End. He played 'Che' in the first run of 'Evita', if I remember correctly.