Shake You Down – Gregory Abbott
“Shake You Down” by Gregory Abbott is a complete mystery to me. It’s a number one hit. It’s soulful. It’s smooth. It evokes the spirit of Marvin Gaye and Al Green, two of my favorite soul singers. In fact, one of my favorite albums is What’s Goin’ On by Marvin Gaye. Yet in the 1980s and today, “Shake You Down” leaves me cold. I’m simply indifferent about the song. I don’t like it. I don’t hate it. I could care less … Read entire article »
Filed under: 1980s
Cruel To Be Kind – Nick Lowe
“Cruel to be Kind” is one of my favorite songs of the 1970s. It doesn’t have a perfect hook. It’s rarely heard these days. Nic Lowe’s voice doesn’t soar or span multiple octaves or anything particularly spectacular. But “Cruel to be Kind” remains spectacular, more than 30 years after it was released. It lives in the same zip code as late 1970s or early ’80s songs from Joe Jackson, Elvis Costello, Graham Parker and many other guitar-driven … Read entire article »
Tired of Toein’ the Line – Rocky Burnette
For a brief time in the late 1970s and early 1980s, rockabilly was cool in the United States. The brilliant “Cruel to be Kind” by Nic Lowe hit #12 on the Billboard Top 40 in 1979, making Lowe a one-hit wonder. The Stray Cats had a buncha hits in 1983 that ultimately led to fame and fortune for guitarist and lead singer Brian Setzer who became a one-hit wonder himself when “Jump, Jive and Wail” reached … Read entire article »
Theme from Mission: Impossible – Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen
U2 is the biggest band in the world. Their 360-degree tour of 2010-2011 is the most expensive tour ever staged. It’s also the highest grossing. When most people think about U2, it’s Bono and The Edge. They’re the face and in many ways the spirit of the band. But Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen have served as the backbone and rhythm section of the band since the lads formed back in the late 1970s. And although Bono … Read entire article »
Filed under: 1990s
24 Number One Songs That Are 1970s One-Hit Wonders
The 1970s were huge for one-hit wonders. But like all decades, only a tiny percentage of songs released during the 10 years between 1970 and 1980 reached #1 on the Billboard Top 40. It’s these elite few that became the top songs of the 70s. Eight of the ten years in the 1970s saw one-hit wonders hit #1 on the Billboard Top 40. There were two songs in 1970, two in 1973, five in … Read entire article »
Almost Summer – Celebration featuring Mike Love
Going completely obscure here in honor of school’s end and summer’s beginning. Today’s one-hit wonder is “Almost Summer” by Celebration. Not ringing a bell? I’m not surprised. But if you listen closely, you’ll hear what sounds pretty much like nearly every 1970s-era Beach Boys song. The connection between Celebration and The Beach Boys is lead singer, Mike Love, who composed the song and fronted a studio band called Celebration. “Almost Summer” is the title song to … Read entire article »
Filed under: 1970s
Dynomite Part 1 – Tony Camillo’s Bazuka
Disco started in the gay night clubs of New York City in the mid-1970s. It became mainstream following Saturday Night Fever’s success in 1977 and was a cursed and hated genre by 1979 when “Disco Sucks” slogans appeared on everything from t-shirts to bumper stickers. One of the biggest complaints is that disco was produced by studio groups who didn’t tour, didn’t perform but merely churned out records that all sounded the same. If you were … Read entire article »
Filed under: 1970s
You Don’t Know – Scarlett and Black
Here is another forgotten one-hit wonder. A song that was mildly popular in the late 1980s and completely obscure today. It features Scarlett and Black, two singers whose real names are Robin Hild and Sue West and whose claim to fame prior to “You Don’t Know” hitting the Billboard Top 40 was that West was a backing singer for Doctor and the Medics who are widely considered one-hit wonders for their 1986 cover of “Spirit … Read entire article »
Filed under: 1980s