» Entries tagged with "Billboard number one hit"
Monster Mash – Bobby Boris Pickett
Halloween is one of the greatest American holidays. “Monster Mash” is one of the greatest one-hit wonders. Except it’s not. “Monster Mash” actually charted on the Billboard Top 40 two separate times in two separate years. With eleven years between the hits. The first time is 1962 when the novelty song was first released and “Monster Mash” reached #1 on the Billboard Top 40. Listeners lapped up the Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi references and the song became … Read entire article »
1 Million Bucks to Create a Hit Song
I read a fascinating article this weekend by Zoe Chace from NPR about the costs behind crafting a hit single. She digs into the background of one of Rihanna’s singles (“Man Down”) from her latest record titled, Loud. One of the most intriguing points she makes in an article full of intriguing points is the estimated costs for all the behind-the-scenes players who turn songs into records into money. I’ve included a graphic from the article … Read entire article »
Laffy Taffy – D4L
Some songs burst onto the music scene, make a huge impact, reach #1 on the Billboard Top 40, and forever afterwards are considered some of the worst songs ever. That seems to be the story of “Laffy Taffy” by D4L that reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2006 and was fueled by big online sales and a video that featured bikini beauties in a water fight. High art here, folks. The lyrics are, well, simple and … Read entire article »
Fireflies – Owl City
The first time I heard “Fireflies,” I told my friends: “That’s the best song The Postal Service or Death Cab for Cutie never wrote.” In fact, I had to listen closely to be sure it wasn’t a new song by The Postal Service. It wasn’t. “Fireflies” was and is a synthpop hit in the same spirit as great synthpop one-hit wonders from artists as diverse Thomas Dolby’s “She Blinded Me with Science” or “Perfect Way” by Scritti … Read entire article »
A Whole New World – Regina Belle and Peabo Bryson
If you have young kids in the house. If you have young kids in the neighborhood. If you were a young kid in the 1990s, you know this song. That’s because “A Whole New World” is the title track to Disney’s animated 1992 film, Aladdin, that has earned more than $500 million dollars worldwide. That’s half-a-billion dollars for an animated movie. That’s simply astounding. It’s also the kind of broad reach and wide appeal that can transform … Read entire article »
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
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 »
Do I Make You Proud – Taylor Hicks
Scotty McCreery, the 17-year-old from Garner, N.C., won American Idol tonight. That’s 10 seasons of Idol and 10 winners who have gone on to fame (Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood and Jordin Sparks) and relative obscurity (Ruben Studdard and Taylor Hicks). Taylor Hicks is an interesting study since he is one of only two American Idol winners to place a single song in the Billboard Top 40 (the other is 2010 winner, Lee DeWyze). But Hicks single … Read entire article »