Not every music act can be a hit-making machine like Taylor Swift. From a '60s
rock group that claimed Neil Young as a member to a Scottish band that
made the bagpipes popular, these one hit wonders deserve a second look.
If you're familiar with 1979's chart-topping hit "Cars," you may
have figured that a computer brought Gary Numan into existence for the sole purpose
of creating that song. But this diminishes the legacy of the man
who invented industrial music — even if Numan himself is too shy to ever make that claim.
"I felt lucky from the very beginning. I never
felt talented. I never felt special in any way at all."
So whatever happened to Gary Numan? Well, the singer says that his nerves
and intense stage fright are probably one reason why his career stunted. Rather than
follow up "Cars" with more hits, he chose to go small. For the last three decades,
Numan has recorded and performed for his tiny but devoted fanbase,
who call themselves "Numanoids". During that time, however, he's been invited to collaborate
with the likes of Kanye West, Queens of the Stone Age, and Prince — all of which he turned down.
By the way, that thing about inventing industrial music? We didn't say it — Trent
Reznor did. This comment even led to a friendship, brief collaboration,
and several performances together.
The monster hit "Rock Me Amadeus" is so catchy that you probably forgot that the
majority of the lyrics are in German. Recorded by the Austrian rapper Falco,
the song was also the first by a male rap artist to hit number 1 in the U.S.
As for Falco himself, he began his career in the early '80s when American rap was
still considered a fringe fad. He penned the original version
of the international hit "Der Kommissar", before dropping "Rock Me Amadeus" in 1986.
Despite dying tragically in a car accident in 1998, Falco is still well-remembered in
his native Austria. After all, he's still the country's best-selling artist ever,
with ridiculous sales of around 60 million. However, his more impressive legacy is that
future rap powerhouses like Eminem and Drake were all forced to follow
a trail blazed by a European dude rapping about Mozart while wearing a powdered wig.
You probably remember Biz Markie's hit song "Just a Friend." The tune is about a guy whose
lady companions all run around with other guys while insisting they're just friends.
"It's just a song that you can sing along with no matter how bad you can sing."
But the Biz transcends this borderline-novelty tune for one simple reason — he's a founding
member of the Juice Crew. The Juice Crew is most famous for being involved in one of the
first-ever beefs, known as the Bridge Wars, with Bronx crew Boogie Down Production. But they also
bred legends like producer Marley Marl, as well as rappers Big Daddy Kane and Craig G.
"Just a Friend" may have been the only time Biz Markie came within shouting distance of
chart success, but his late '80s and early '90s albums are considered classics by fans.
One of them undeniably changed rap forever, for better or worse. 1991's "I Need a Haircut" was
at the center of the court case which forced artists to clear all their samples. Sadly,
Biz Markie passed away on July 16, 2021 at his home in Baltimore. He was 57.
In the Spring of 1983, Thomas Dolby's hit single "She Blinded Me With Science" peaked
at number 5 on the U.S. charts. His musical mad scientist persona may have seemed like
a good fit for the golden age of New Wave. However, it's not a persona. Dolby really
is some kind of mad scientist, and he's been finding ways to get into your ears for decades.
For starters, his work has appeared in a truckload of films, TV episodes, and video
games. Then there's his side career as a Silicon Valley entrepreneur. While working in Valley,
Dolby founded a company that created part of the technology that led to the ringtone
explosion of the early 2000s. Moreover, he also served as musical director of the TED
Conference for nearly two decades. Dolby retired from that job in 2012 to become
a professor at Johns Hopkins University. On occasion, however, he'll still manage to
pull out an awesome live rendition of the tune that everyone makes fun of him for.
In 1990, practically every musical legend alive gathered for a tribute to Roy Orbison,
the revered rocker behind '60s hits like "Only the Lonely" and "Crying." Onstage were heavyweights
like George Harrison, Jeff Lynne, B.B. King, Bob Dylan — and a guy named Benny Mardones.
During the show, Mardones took the spotlight for a solo rendition of
Orbison's 1962 hit "Running Scared." Nobody in the crowd might have known
who Benny was or what he was doing there, but everyone on stage sure did.
Mardones was the guy behind the monster 1980 single "Into the Night," a power ballad that's
been called one of the best rock love songs of all time. The song was so good that when Mardones
threw it on his little-heard 1989 self-titled album, it charted again. Unfortunately, Mardones'
career was derailed by the same thing that sank many promising music careers in the '80s:
lots of cocaine. He credited the birth of his child and a move to Syracuse with saving his
life. In his later life Mardones retained a dedicated fan base in Central New York.
In 2000, he was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease.
Sadly, Benny Mardones died from complications of the disease on June 29, 2020. He was 73.
Casual fans of Outkast have heard them refer to the Dungeon Family, but you may not know
what this means. It refers to a collective of Atlanta-area artists who were all attempting to
make national waves in the 1990s, and Outkast was one of their premier acts. The other was Goodie
Mob. For a while, it was a toss-up as to which of the groups would attain superstardom first.
Goodie Mob's idiosyncratic rapping debuted on the 1996 single "Cell Therapy," a surprise hit
that prompted one producer to proclaim them the next Public Enemy. But although their 1997
sophomore album sold reasonably well, Outkast began crushing it the following year with the
release of "Aquemini". Goodie Mob's label was disappointed when they were unable to follow
suit and subsequently dropped the group after the release of their third album, 1999's "World
Party." The group got back together briefly in 2013, but their reunion went mostly unnoticed.
In the early '80s, when synths were beginning to rule pop music, Harold Faltermeyer was responsible
for a piece of music that we guarantee is etched deep into your brain. Faltermeyer is the composer
of the catchy synth-pop instrument "Axel F," which was also the theme to "Beverly Hills Cop."
"We're not going to fall for a banana in the tailpipe."
"You're not going to fall for the banana in the tailpipe?"
He began his career by helping electronic music pioneer Giorgio Moroder with his arrangements.
Faltermeyer was then recruited for the Hollywood machine by mega-producers Don
Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer, after they heard his keyboard-playing on
Donna Summer's hit album "Bad Girls." "Axel F" was one of his first efforts for film,
and it shocked everybody involved by becoming a massive pop hit.
He would go on to contribute similarly catchy tunes to a number of '80s movies,
including "Fletch," "The Running Man," and "Tango and Cash." However, further chart
toppers failed to materialize. Even "Top Gun Anthem" failed to make a dent in the charts.
Faltermeyer ultimately took a two-decade break from Hollywood to be a family man,
but returned to score Kevin Smith's 2010 film "Cop Out." Harold Faltermeyer may not
have the name recognition he deserves, but he can always take solace in the
deep discography of awesome artists he's worked with — as well as his two Grammys.
Imagine if U2 was Australian and ten times more political. You are now picturing Australia's
own Midnight Oil, one of the most awesome, politically charged rock bands of all time.
With their aggressive pub-rock-meets-hardcore-punk sound, and the borderline-terrifying presence of
lead singer Peter Garrett, the band quickly became known for its fierce live performances
and firebrand politics. Even their sole U.S. hit, 1987's "Beds Are Burning," was a protest song,
decrying the theft of lands from native Australian peoples. "The Oils," as they're
known in Aussieland, kept up touring and recording until their breakup in
2002. But they've recently found a purpose to reunite: Donald Trump.
"Thank you."
As a result, the band launched a world tour in 2017. And if you're skeptical of the ability
of an aging political rock band to enact any change, you may want to think twice
before dismissing the Oils. During the band's hiatus, Garrett put his money where his mouth
is. He ran for elected office in Australia and won, serving for a total of nine years.
If you're a fan of '80s music, then there is an insanely catchy bass and synth line that pops
into your head upon hearing the words "Crack that whip!" This is thanks to Devo, whose 1980 single
"Whip It" became a number 14 U.S. hit in 1980 and garnered even more attention thanks to its
jaw-droppingly weird music video. It was the band's only significant hit. But this is only
because Devo, the very definition of "art rock," was not exactly designed for the mainstream.
Formed by Mark Mothersbaugh and Gerald Casale while still in college,
the band's motif of "de-evolution" was expressed through their complete
deconstruction of every element of pop music.
"The idea of de-evolution and talking about that
they just thought we were cynical and had bad, uh… bad attitude."
Their robotic vocals and insane visual aesthetic confounded casual fans and
critics. However, the band's artsy, technology-driven approach to their
craft was also at the bleeding edge of the New Wave movement.
"Whip It" was among the first hit songs to feature a synthesizer lead. Moreover,
Devo proved to be a massive influence on future critical darlings like Radiohead and LCD
Soundsystem. Mothersbaugh went on to a sterling career as a composer for film and television,
and a few lineup changes notwithstanding, Devo is still playing music to this day.
The name Little Peggy March might not immediately ring any bells. However,
the name of her chart-topping hit song, 1963's "I Will Follow Him," certainly should. Born Margaret
Battavio, the English vocalist was only 14 years old when she was signed to a recording
contract with RCA. At 15, her debut album "I Wish I Were a Princess" and its smash single
became all the rage among her high school-age peers. However, March's would-be rise to fame
came at an inopportune time. In 1964, a bunch of mop-topped Brits calling themselves The Beatles
led a takeover of the U.S. airwaves. In the process, they ushered in a new age of innovation
and creativity in rock that left comparatively traditional singers like March in the dust.
March never had another hit record after that year — at least not in the states. As her fellow
Brits invaded the country, she in turn staged an invasion of Europe, going on to record a number
of successful albums in German, Spanish, Italian, and even Japanese. She even represented Germany in
the legendary Eurovision Song Contest in 1969 and 1975. In 1985, she finally achieved another U.S.
hit — as the co-writer of "When the Rain Begins to Fall" by Jermaine Jackson and Pia Zadora.
The descriptors "One-Hit Wonder" and "Rock and Roll Hall of Famer" don't often intersect,
but then, Elvin Bishop has not had the most conventional career path. As a member of the
Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Bishop helped to inspire generations of rock artists to embrace
the genre's bluesy roots. While the outfit didn't make the biggest impact on the Billboard charts,
their impact on their fellow artists was far greater. Bishop recorded four albums
with the band before relocating to the Bay Area to embark upon
a solo career. It was a career that went relatively unnoticed but for one hit song.
This would be the 1976 single "Fooled Around and Fell in Love," a soulful number featuring a
stellar lead vocal from singer Mickey Thomas. The tune spent a whopping 17 weeks on the Billboard
chart, peaking at number 3. It also became a staple of classic rock radio, and gained even more
exposure when it was featured on the soundtrack to Marvel's "Guardians of the Galaxy" in 2014.
Bishop has continued to record blues records ever since but has never again had that kind
of chart success. The same, however, cannot be said for Thomas. Owing partially to the success of
Bishop's lone hit, he was later invited to join Jefferson Starship. That band,
which later became Starship, was responsible for some of the most universally despised
massive hits of all time in "We Built This City" and "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now."
It would be tough to find a band name more evocative of a mystifying enigma than ? and the
Mysterians — nor a band more suited to the moniker than the one who took it on. From its outset,
the Michigan outfit seemed determined to labor in obscurity. They took their name
from an obscure Japanese sci-fi movie, and many of the fans who jammed out to their one major hit,
"96 Tears," could have been forgiven for not knowing that the band was uniformly
Mexican-American, an extreme rarity on the '60s rock scene. With that one song, though,
the band advanced a singularly unique lo-fi, fuzzy sound that would prove to have a lot of legs.
Speaking of which, famed music journalist Legs McNeil has credited the 1966 tune with being
the first garage punk song. That said, it would indeed be a challenge to find an earlier example
of a song fitting that description. While they continued to bang their heads against
the pop charts into the '70s, mainstream success stubbornly eluded them. However,
the band has continued to be a steady live presence to this very day.
Citing the band's status as pioneers, lead singer Question Mark even lobbied for a Rock
and Roll Hall of Fame induction in a 2019 interview with MLive. He told the outlet:
"Iggy Pop and the Stooges are already in there, and Bob Seger,
but they're not looking at who influenced those bands."
Released during the Summer of Love in 1967, Buffalo Springfield's "For What It's Worth" is
instantly evocative of '60s counterculture. You may not know the song by its title,
which isn't featured in the lyrics. However, you certainly know it by the chorus, which goes:
"Stop, hey, what's that sound / Everybody look what's going down."
The tune came smack in the middle of the band's extremely short run.
"We're new at recording."
They only released three albums in two years between 1966 and 1968,
with its members going on to other things after its demise. But aside from that one
iconic top 10 hit, it's those other things that make Buffalo Springfield noteworthy. After all,
the band was nothing short of a breeding ground for amazing artists.
For starters, Buffalo Springfield's guitarist and pianist was Neil Young, whom you may have
heard of. When he wasn't dropping classic albums with his band Crazy Horse, Young was
teaming up with fellow former Buffalo Springfield members Stephen Stills of Crosby Stills and Nash.
Stills' folk-rock outfit even occasionally tacked Young onto the end of their band name.
Guitarist Richie Furay and bassist Jim Messina would go on to form Poco,
who scored three top 20 hits. Messina would later form a partnership with singer-songwriter
Kenny Loggins, who inexplicably dominated movie soundtracks in the '80s. Due to their
influence on '70s album rock and the fact that pretty much all of them are legends,
Buffalo Springfield was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997.
Singer Nick Lowe has a quirky way with words. In the U.K., Lowe scored a top 10
hit with the amazingly titled tune "I Love the Sound of Breaking Glass." In the U.S.,
his only top hit came from his third album, 1979's "Labour of Lust," which followed a
pair of 1978 efforts titled "Jesus of Cool" and "Pure Pop for Now People." That lone hit in the
U.S. was "Cruel to Be Kind." The song, about a guy whose girlfriend insists that her harsh
treatment of him is a sign of her undying love, peaked at number 12 on the charts.
Aside from his incredible sense of humor, Lowe deserves a ton of credit for his stellar work
as a composer and producer. He's notched credits for the likes of Dave Edmunds, Johnny Cash, Elvis
Costello, The Pretenders, and The Damned. It may not surprise you to learn that his lone brush with
pop stardom came very close to not even happening. In an interview with The Guardian, Lowe remembered
his response when Columbia Records executive Gregg Geller expressed interest in releasing
"Cruel to Be Kind" as a single. According to The Guardian, Lowe recalled telling Geller,
"Oh yeah, you like that, Gregg? Great. But I've got a better song
here about a woman who was eaten by her dog." Big Country formed in 1981 after the demise of the
Skids, a new wave-y punk outfit that had some success in the U.K. in the late '70s. Frontman
Stuart Adamson gave the new band a familiar face and voice, but Big Country's sound was
unlike much of anything that came before it. It was genius, really. Being from Scotland,
the band thought it might be interesting to take traditional instruments like fiddles and bagpipes,
and stick them where most of the electric guitars should be. As it turned out, they were right.
Legendary producer Steve Lillywhite polished this sound to a fine luster on Big Country's
debut record, 1983's "The Crossing." The lead U.S. single "Fields of Fire" got some airplay and
did well on MTV. However, it was the follow-up song, "In a Big Country," that scored the band
their only top 40 U.S. hit. Big Country's seven subsequent albums performed decently in the U.K.,
but the band was all but forgotten in America until Adamson sadly died by suicide in 2001.
If you or anyone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please dial or text 988 to speak with
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. You can also seek help by visiting 988lifeline.org.