30 Best One-Hit Wonders of the ’70s (Favorite Picks)

Midder ^ | 5/30/23 | Will Fenton

[DallasBiff]

20. “(I Never Promised You A) Rose Garden” by Lynn Anderson

[kawhill]

Loved that song. “Those cats were fast as lighting. In fact it was a little bit frightening, those dudes with that expert timing.” Aw yes, the ‘70s.

[cweese]

The Equals “Funky Like A Train”.

[PLMerite]

[“Hooked on a Feeling” by Blue Swede was pure garbage.]

That’s one of my favorite songs. Gotta have them “Ooga chakas.”

[cyclotic]

I bought BJ Thomas greatest hits album at a thrift store once. I was a lot younger and less wise and didn’t know the Blue Swede version existed.

I put the album on the turntable and listened, wondering where the unkachakas went. Thus began my quest for the other version of the song.

[Robert DeLong]

"Video Killed the Radio Star" is a song written by Trevor Horn, Geoff Downes and Bruce Woolley in 1979. It was recorded concurrently by Bruce Woolley and the Camera Club (with Thomas Dolby on keyboards) for their album English Garden and by British new wave/synth-pop group the Buggles, which consisted of Horn and Downes (and initially Woolley).

Bruce Woolley - Video Killed The Radio Star

[kawhill]

I still listen to that song. As relevant now as when it was written in 1965, I believe.

[dfwgator]

Then Horn and Downes joined “Yes” for the Drama album. Which is actually quite good.

[Albion Wilde]

I don’t consider performers like Randy Newman and Charlie Pride to be “one hit wonders.”

I went to a Randy Newman concert at the Philadelphia Academy of Music sometime in the 70s. Mainly him and a grand piano onstage. I very much enjoyed a lot of his hits—"Short People", "Sail Away", "Mama Told Me Not to Come," "You Can Leave Your Hat On."

When he started to sing "I Think It's Going to Rain Today," he suddenly looked stricken, got up from the piano and went backstage. Somebody in the audience said he had just lost a friend, another rocker had died—wish I could remember who. It was a touching moment. He came back after a few minutes and finished the song (audience sang along with the chorus) and the rest of the concert.

[Red Badger]

I can. It was one of my teenage years songs, 1968, IIRC, and reminds me of my first girlfriend in HS...................

[dfwgator]

The Equals “Funky Like A Train”.

Eddy Grant's former band.

[Migraine]

My 70s 1-hit wonders are:

“Yellow River” by Christie (a lot of the players on the record were from the Tremoloes). That song is a real toe-tapper.

“Late December” by Gypsy — a Minneapolis band w/ superb sound but lousy marketing. My favorite rock group of them all.

[smokingfrog]

He’s in the Rock & Roll Hall of fame.
Maybe he only had one really big hit of his own, but I bet he performed on many others.

[dfwgator]

I like “Rednecks”, because what most people don’t realize when they hear it, is that it’s not the South he’s putting down.

[Fungi]

Great tune.

[Albion Wilde]

[cweese]

Ooh interesting! I had no idea (but I love that song!).

[RoadieFan]

Exactly. The Buggles were truly a one hit wonder. But Ted Nugent?

[RoadieFan]

Bands in the 70’ could sing. Bands today auto-tune.

[smokingfrog]

For one, Charley Pride had many songs that hit the top 10 & he won a few Grammys as well.

[coalminersson]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_one-hit_wonders_in_the_United_States