Published on December 30th, 2016 | by Gerry Galipault

Pause-and-Playlist: For the last time, they weren’t one-hit wonders, Part 2

Johnny Hates Jazz, but he probably hates one-hit wonders even more.

A one-hit wonder is “an individual or group with only one success, such as a hit song,” so says Dictionary.com. But so often people use the term incorrectly.

As we said in Part 1 of this series, you may think a-ha had only one hit in the United States (they had many elsewhere), but the follow-up single to its No. 1 debut “Take On Me,” in fact, cracked the Top 20. It was called “The Sun Always Shines On T.V.” Remember it? A-ha fans do.

Now it’s time to dispel these one-hit-wonder myths. These folks weren’t famous overnight and then never heard of again; they actually had one or more Top 40 hits, in addition to their one big hit:

(You can follow along with our playlist at Spotify, or click on the player at the bottom of the page.)

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INNER CIRCLE

The big hit – Bad Boys (1993)
The other hit – Sweat (A La La La La Long) (1993)

JESUS JONES

The big hit – Right Here, Right Now (1991)
The other hit – Real, Real, Real (1991)

JIGSAW

The big hit – Sky High (1975)
The other hit – Love Fire (1976)

JOHNNY HATES JAZZ

The big hit – Shattered Dreams (1988)
The other hit – I Don’t Want to Be a Hero (1988)

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“Ladies & Gentlemen: The Best of George Michael” »

TARA KEMP

The big hit – Hold You Tight (1991)
The other hit – Piece of My Heart (1991)

LONDONBEAT

The big hit – I’ve Been Thinking About You (1991)
The other hit – A Better Love (1991)

JIM LOWE

The big hit – The Green Door (1956)
The other hit – Four Walls (1957)

MEN WITHOUT HATS

The big hit – The Safety Dance (1983)
The other hit – Pop Goes the World (1987)

ALANNAH MYLES

The big hit – Black Velvet (1990)
The other hit – Love Is (1990)

KENNY NOLAN

The big hit – I Like Dreamin’ (1976)
The other hit – Love’s Grown Deep (1977)

JOHN PARR

The big hit – St. Elmo’s Fire (Man in Motion) (1985)
The other hit – Naughty Naughty (1984)

PAUL & PAULA

The big hit – Hey Paula (1963)
The other hit – Young Lovers (1963)

BOBBY “BORIS” PICKETT & THE CRYPT-KICKERS

The big hit – Monster Mash (1962)
The other hit – Monsters’ Holiday (1962)

PRETTY POISON

The big hit – Catch Me (I’m Falling) (1987)
The other hit – Nightime (1988)

DEBBIE REYNOLDS

The big hit – Tammy (1957)
The other hit – A Very Special Love (1958)

ROCKWELL

The big hit – Somebody’s Watching Me (1984)
The other hit – Obscene Phone Caller (1984)

“Ladies & Gentlemen: The Best of George Michael” »

“NOW That’s What I Call Funk” »

SNOW

The big hit – Informer (1993)
The other hit – Girl, I’ve Been Hurt (1993)

STRAWBERRY ALARM CLOCK

The big hit – Incense and Peppermints (1967)
The other hit – Tomorrow (1968)

TOMMY TUTONE

The big hit – 867-5309/Jenny (1982)
The other hit – Angel Say No (1980)

ANDREA TRUE CONNECTION

The big hit – More, More, More (1976)
The other hit – N.Y., You Got Me Dancing (1977)

MATTHEW WILDER

The big hit – Break My Stride (1983)
The other hit – The Kid’s American (1984)

WILL TO POWER

The big hit – Baby, I Love Your Way / Freebird Medley (1988)
The other hit – I’m Not in Love (1990)

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Tags: 1970s, 1980s, Andre True Connection, Jesus Jones, John Parr, Johnny Hates Jazz, Matthew Wilder, Playlist, playlists, Rockwell

About the Author

Gerry Galipault Gerry Galipault debuted Pause & Play online in October 1997. Since then, it has become the definitive place for CD-release dates — with a worldwide audience.