WLCY Radio Hits: '70s One-Hit Wonders

Showing posts with label '70s One-Hit Wonders. Show all posts

Aug 31, 2019

Vehicle by The Ides of March (1970)

"Vehicle" is a song recorded by American rock band The Ides of March for their debut studio album of the same name (1970). The song was released as the lead single from the album in March 1970 through Warner Bros. Records. "Vehicle" was a commercial success, and was purported to be the fastest-selling single in the history of Warner Bros. at that time. It peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 in the US, while reaching the top five in Canada and top 30 in the United Kingdom. Despite this, the Ides of March never had another hit single, leaving them one-hit wonders.

Run For Home - Lindisfarne (1978)

Back and Fourth is a 1978 album by English rock band Lindisfarne. Released in nine countries on three record labels, it reached position 22 on the UK album charts and contained the successful single "Run for Home".

Do You Wanna Make Love - Peter McCann (1977)

Do You Wanna Make Love by Peter McCann (1977)

"Do You Wanna Make Love" is a song written and performed by Peter McCann, an American songwriter. It reached #5 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and #22 on the adult contemporary chart in 1977. The song was featured on his 1977 album, Peter McCann. In Canada, the song failed to reach the Top 40, however, reached #10 on the Adult Contemporary chart.

Fool (If You Think It's Over) by Chris Rea (1978)

"Fool (If You Think It's Over)" is the title of a popular song originally publicly released in 1978 by the British singer-songwriter Chris Rea. Rea also wrote the lyrics and composed the music of the song, which appears on his 1978 debut album, Whatever Happened to Benny Santini? The single's charting success in the USA earned him a Grammy nomination as Best New Artist in 1979. Unsuccessful in its initial UK single release in March 1978, "Fool..." was afforded a June 1978 release in the US where it entered the Top 40 of the Hot 100 singles chart in Billboard magazine in July 1978 to reach a #12 peak on the Hot 100 dated 16 September 1978, then being in the second week of a three-week tenure at #1 on the Billboard Easy Listening chart.

"If You Don't Know Me by Now" is a song written by Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, and recorded by the Philly soul musical group Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes. It became their first hit after being released as a single in September 1972, topping the US R&B chart and peaking at number 3 on the US Billboard Hot 100.

"If You Don't Know Me by Now" has since been covered by a number of other artists.

Come And Get Your Love by Redbone (1974)

"Come and Get Your Love" is a song by Native American rock band Redbone. The song was originally released as a promo track under the name "Hell" and was later featured on the album Wovoka (1973), under its current name. The song was released as the album’s first single the following year. The song peaked at number 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart on April 13, 1974. It spent 18 weeks in the Top 40 and landed as the fourth-most popular song on the Hot 100 for 1974. The single was certified gold by the RIAA on April 22, 1974, which indicates that it had shipped over a half-million copies in North America. The song is Redbone's highest charting single and one of two Top 40 hits by the band. (An earlier recording, "The Witch Queen of New Orleans," peaked at number 21 in 1972.)

"Show and Tell" is a popular song written by Jerry Fuller and first recorded by Johnny Mathis in 1972. This original version made it to #36 on the Easy Listening chart.

A 1973 recording of the song by Al Wilson reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for one week on January 19, 1974; it sold over two million copies and was named a Cash Box Number One Single of the Year. Billboard ranked it as the No. 15 song for 1974. Wilson's version also made No. 10 on the Hot Soul Singles chart.

Sweet Mary - Wadsworth Mansion (1971)

In November 1970, Wadsworth Mansion released their first single, a non-album version of "Sweet Mary", backed by another non-album track, "What's On Tonight". "Sweet Mary" would prove to be the band's only hit song peaking at #7 on the US Billboard Hot 100 singles chart for the week ending 27 February 1971. It peaked at number five on Cash Box. It also reached #35 on the Easy Listening chart.

Mouth & MacNeal - How Do You Do? from the album Hey You Love / How Do You Do (1971)

"How Do You Do" released in 1971 was an international hit single for Dutch duo Mouth & MacNeal. It was #1 in the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, Switzerland and New Zealand. It also spent 19 weeks in the Billboard Hot 100 a year later, and a cover version by Scots-German duo Die Windows (later Windows) reached #1 in Germany. The single earned Mouth & MacNeal, and its composers Hans van Hemert and Harry van Hoof, the 1972 Buma Export Award for the most records sold abroad by a Dutch musical act in that year.

Ann Peebles - I Can't Stand The Rain - On I Can't Stand The Rain Album (1973)

"I Can't Stand the Rain" is a song originally recorded by Ann Peebles in 1973, and written by Peebles, Don Bryant, and Bernard "Bernie" Miller. Other hit versions were later recorded by Eruption and Tina Turner.

In 1978 Eruption released a disco-oriented remake, which peaked at number six on the disco chart and became the group's biggest hit (number 18 on the Billboard Hot 100).

Exile - Kiss You All Over (1978)

"Kiss You All Over" is a 1978 song performed by the group Exile. It was written by Mike Chapman and Nicky Chinn. It was included on the band's album Mixed Emotions, and it featured Jimmy Stokley and guitarist JP Pennington on lead vocals. It was a number one single in the United States, but proved to be Exile's only big hit in the pop rock market. Billboard ranked it as the No. 5 song for 1978. In the United Kingdom, the song was released on Mickie Most's RAK Records, and there it peaked at number 6. In this song, a string synthesizer is used.

Lead vocals on the song Stokley was ousted from the band in 1979, his health declining thereafter until he died at the tragically young age of 41 in 1985. The band moved into Country music following the synth-pop success of "Kiss You All Over" and the 1979 follow-on hit "You Thrill Me" (reaching #40 (UK no. 67)) and "How Could This Go Wrong", #88 on the charts. "Take Me Down" peaked at #3 on the Euro Hit 40 in the mid-'80s.

Randy Newman - Short People (1977)

"Short People" is a song by Randy Newman from his 1977 album, Little Criminals. The verses and chorus are lyrically constructed as a prejudiced attack on short people. In contrast, the bridge states that "short people are just the same as you and I." Newman interprets the song to be about "prejudice" as was widely thought, but added that it was "about a lunatic". As with many of his songs such as "Rednecks", Newman wrote the song from the point of view of a biased narrator. Like Dire Straits' 1985 hit single, "Money for Nothing", which used the same lyrical technique, the song was misunderstood by many listeners who wrongly assumed that it reflected Newman's personal viewpoint.

Newman would later grow to dislike the song and its success, eventually calling it a "bad break", a "novelty record like The Chipmunks", and said it caused him to receive several threats regarding its misinterpreted message. However, it ended up being included on almost every one of his greatest hits albums.

Although Newman had never charted a single before, and his previous album, Good Old Boys, had been his first to reach the Billboard 200, "Short People" soon gained attention as a novelty song. The song consequently became a major hit on radio peaking at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100; it was kept from reaching No. 1 by Player's "Baby Come Back" and the Bee Gees' "Stayin' Alive". It became a Gold record.

The song follows a basic musical formula with bass and drums centering on Newman's catchy pop piano line in the key of A major. A small brass section and an electric guitar occasionally rise into the mix and conga drums (played by Los Angeles-based session musician Milt Holland) also feature prominently in the song.

In 1978, legislation was introduced in the state of Maryland to make it illegal to play "Short People" on the radio. Contrary to urban legend, the bill did not obtain enough votes to pass.

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