20 Of The Most Bizarre One Hit Wonders Of The 1970s
By | September 7, 2022
The 1970s were a wild time for music. No one really knew what the big sound of the decade was going to be so songwriters, producers, and musicians threw everything at the wall. This crazy decade saw everything from the rise of punk to disco nights, and incredibly heavy bands forming at the same time as people were singing about a little "afternoon delight."
Many of the one-hit wonders of the '70s were literally just giving something a shot and seeing what would happen. Songs about kung fu fights, junk food diets, and the disassociation of the human race from one another thanks to our reliance on technology all hit the top of the charts in the '70s, making for some very weird radio. Some of these artists dropped off the face of the Earth while others have continued to have fantastic (but hit free) careers to this day.
Gary Numan, "Cars"
Even though he's been a fixture on the electronic music scene since the late '70s, pop music pioneer is technically a one-hit wonder thanks to this ear worm of a single. Numan followed "Cars" with a series of great singles ("Complex" and "She's Got Claws" come to mind) but non of them packed the crowd pleasing power of his 1979 ode to automobiles. Numan is still performing today, and his 2021 album, "Intruders," came in at Number 2 on the UK charts.
Listen: Cars
Nick Lowe, "Cruel to Be Kind"
Nick Lowe is the kind of artist who doesn't really need hits. As a songwriter he crafts funny, acerbic pop tunes that work no matter the era, and as a producer he's helmed some of the most popular albums of the '70s and '80s. That doesn't mean he can't be a one hit wonder. With his sad sack single "Cruel to Be Kind," Lowe had his first and only solo foray into the U.S. singles charts while simultaneously racking up hits across the globe. Even though the chart success was never replicated Lowe managed to stay busy as touring troubadour and producer.
Listen: Cruel to Be Kind
Carl Douglas, "Kung Fu Fighting"
Was everyone Kung Fu fighting in the 1970s? According to Carl Douglas they were. This goof off novelty song was originally a B-side for the single "I Want to Give You My Everything," but that song didn't pop nearly as hard as Douglas' ode to getting windmill kicked in the face.
The single sold 11 million copies and became a staple of film and television but that was all she wrote for Douglas' career as a pop star.
Listen: Kung Fu Fighting
Rick Dees and His Cast of Idiots, "Disco Duck"
In 1976, DJ Rick Dees released "Disco Duck," a novelty track that told a very weird story about a duck that starts a dance craze. No joke, this is a seriously weird song that we don't understand how it became a hit. In this era anything with a perfectly fine beat and a fun melody could become a hit and this proves it.
Listen: Disco Duck
Junk Food Junkie
Is "Junk Food Junkie" the greatest novelty song of the 1970s? Maybe. We're not really ready to make that argument yet, but we do think it's pretty funny. This love letter to junk food and the then fad of a natural diet spent 15 weeks on the Billboard Charts, finally hitting Number 9 on the Hot 100. Groce left the world of pop music to co-found the two-hour live radio show Mountain Stage which he hosted from 1983 to 2021.
Listen: Junk Food Junkie
Ram Jam, "Black Betty"
First recorded by blues man Lead Belly, this 1977 hard rocking, groovy tune was rearranged by Bill Bartlett under the name "Starstruck" in 1973 before forming Ram Jam and releasing the single nationally four years later. The song is an absolute banger so it's no mystery why it's remained on playlists and in films since its release in 1977, but Bartlett was never able to follow up on the success of this strange blues cover and as far as anyone knows he hung up his guitar at the end of the decade,
Listen: Black Betty
Nazareth, "Love Hurts"
Who knew that Scottish cover of an Everly Brothers song would hit so hard. This song went platinum for Nazareth in the United States and the UK, leading the band to the biggest mainstream success that they'd ever have.
One hit wonder status hasn't destroyed this band in any way. In fact, the band still manages to tour with original bassist Peter Agnew to this day.
Listen: Love Hurts
The Knack, "My Sharona"
"My Sharona" may be the only hit that The Knack ever scored, but what a single. Released in 1979, this perfect piece of power pop has gone on to sell more than 10 million copies and inspire countless soundalikes. The single returned to the charts in 1994 after it was featured in Reality Bites, and again in 2005 thanks to George W. Bush. Mission Accomplished indeed.
Listen: My Sharona
Van McCoy, "The Hustle"
Written by Van McCoy, "The Hustle" is a truly inspired disco track that still gets dance parties going even if it's a serious relic of the disco era. The song may be the only "hit" of McCoy's career but he's also the writer by "I Started a Joke" by The Beegees and a follow up track "The Shuffle." Sadly, McCoy passed away in 1979 at the age of 39.
Listen: The Hustle
Wild Cherry, "Play That Funky Music"
If you thought this song was performed by KC and the Sunshine Band you're not alone. We too forgot about Wild Cherry, but that's okay because they're being forgotten about all the way to the bank. With their killer disco track, "Play That Funky Music" the band not only sold more than a million copies of their album and single but they released three more albums in the '70s. The band is totally done at this point but guitarist Bryan Bassett is still touring with Foghat to this day, so at least one of them is playing that funky music.
Listen: Play That Funky Music
Frijid Pink, "The House of the Rising Sun"
If you don't remember this cover of the Animal’s “House of the Rising Sun” that's okay. In 1970, the track went to number 11 on the charts in the United States and number 5 in Canada, but after that the band more or less disappeared four years later. Weirdly enough the band got back to gather in the 2010s to release a series of albums with no original members. What's that metaphor about an old boat with new beams?
Listen: The House of the Rising Sun
Alicia Bridges, "I Love the Nightlife"
This is easily one of the most memorable disco songs of the 1970s, and it showcases the stellar vocals of Alicia Bridges. Even though she never had another hit, "I Love the Nightlife" has been featured in pretty much every movie about the disco era or just dancing in general. If she has the publishing on this bad boy that's not a bad payday. Bridges is still out here producing and DJing so it sounds like she's still loving the night life.
Listen: I Love the Nightlife
Mountain, "Mississippi Queen"
"Mississippi Queen" may sound like the kind of song to come out of the Skynyrd influenced world of southern rock, but it's actually performed by Mountain, a group of Long Island natives. The band got together in 1969, just in time to perform at Woodstock (talk about good timing) before snagging this #21 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1970. The group broke up two years later proving the adage that it's best to get in and get out.
Listen: Mississippi Queen
Mungo Jerry, "In the Summertime"
In the early '70s no one really knew what kind of music would take hold of the public consciousness. Psychedelic rock was slowly morphing into heavy metal, and hippie inspired pop tunes were still hanging around like a bad headache. Mungo Jerry's "In the Summertime" is neither. It's a bombastic track about being happy no matter the time that sold more than 30 million copies, something that seemed to weigh on the group's constantly changing lineup. They never followed up on the success of this single, leaving them an oddity of the 1970s.
Listen: In the Summertime
Sugarhill Gang, "Rapper’s Delight"
As far as one hit wonders go, "Rapper's Delight" may be one of the most important. Released in 1979 by a trio of rappers who were put together kind of like a hip hop boy band, the single rips from Nile Rodgers and Chic while giving an insight into the world of New York hip hop to people who would never be introduced to this kind of flavor.
Listening back today, "Rapper's Delight" is incredibly dated, but it's clear that we'd never have acts like The Beastie Boys, Biggy, or Wu-Tang without it.
Listen: Rapper’s Delight
Starland Vocal Band, "Afternoon Delight"
Every few years "Afternoon Delight" comes back around in some form in film and television, which has to be nice for the husband and wife collective who make up the Starland Vocal Band. This incredibly sensual, folky tune made its way onto radios across the country before nabbing the group two Grammy Awards. Unfortunately, the band was never able to capture the eye raising magic of this song again and they faded away like the afternoon sun.
Listen: Afternoon Delight
Vicki Lawrence, "The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia"
What an absolutely wild song to become a hit single. Known more for her roles on The Carol Burnett Show and Mama's Family, in 1973 Vicki Lawrence scored a huge hit with this true crime monster about a murder in a small southern town. Lawrence continued recording music throughout the '70s but never scored another hit.
Listen: The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia
Anita Ward, "Ring My Bell"
What a great disco track! "Ring My Bell" was originally written for Stacy Lattisaw, an 11-year-old singer, with hopes of turning the song into a novelty hit about making telephone calls (seriously), but when it got into the hands of Anita Ward the song was turned into a searing and sensual dance track.
Listen: Ring My Bell
Free, "All Right Now"
Written in about 10 minutes, "All Right Now" was penned by the group as a response to the lackluster audiences at their shows. The band's attempt to write a crowd pleasing groove machine worked, and they scored a Top 30 hit in the U.S. and a Top 10 hit in the UK before gliding away to the farm where we keep all the one-hit wonders.
Listen: All Right Now
Elvin Bishop, "Fooled Around and Fell in Love"
Most one-hit wonders pop and fizzle faster than you can tune your car radio, but "Fooled Around and Fell in Love" has a surprising amount of longevity. Released in 1976, the song doesn't even feature Bishop on lead vocals. Instead, background singer Mickey Thomas took over to give the track a soulful ease. His performance earned him a spot as the lead singer for everyone's favorite '80s band Jefferson Starship. Bishop continues to perform to this day so he's clearly not worried about being pegged as a one-hit wonder.
Listen: Fooled Around and Fell in love
