» Entries tagged with "disco one hit wonder"
Change – A Lover’s Holiday
The last dying breaths of disco are clearly heard in “A Lover’s Holiday” by Change. There is nothing wrong with the song. In fact, it’s a wonderfully produced disco gem that features all the disco trademarks including: Dual-tracked female singers A consistent disco beat Vocal references to roller skates Soaring strings at all the right moments “A Lover’s Holiday” should have been a hit. Instead it only reached number 40 on the Billboard Top 40 in 1980. Here’s the problem: the song … Read entire article »
What is Love – Haddaway
If you were Haddaway, do you think you would be embarassed that your song became the centerpiece to a Saturday Night Live sketch that was so popular that it was expanded into a nearly unwatchable movie titled Night at the Roxbury? Or would you be proud? If I’m Haddaway, I’m completely content to have unleashed a pop song that is so relentless, it enters your brain, sits down on the couch, makes a ham sandwich, orders … Read entire article »
Movin’ – Brass Construction
Disco is the greatest form of music in really tiny doses. Or the most disposable. A song like “Movin’” by Brass Construction is exhibit A in that argument. When people first heard this song on the dance floors of disco clubs, they lapped it up like a starving kitten snarfs Meow Mix. Then they let it settle in, percolate a bit, and discovered they liked it. A lot. Movin’ by Brass Construction reached #14 on the … Read entire article »
Livin’ It Up (Friday Night) – Bell and James
Today’s hit is a completely forgotten one-hit wonder that should be resurrected in a movie soundtrack or remade by Lady Gaga or Black Eyed Peas. “Livin’ It Up (Friday Night)” by Bell and James is a quintessential party song. It’s about nothing more than busting out this Friday night. This song could have been recorded by The SOS Band who gave the world “Take Your Time (Do it Right).” It’s another song with unnecessary … Read entire article »
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 »
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
General Hospi-Tale – The Afternoon Delights
There is a certain charm in novelty songs, those quirky little musical nuggets that capture a moment in time with a popular song based on a pop cultural event. How else can you explain “Pac-Man Fever” by Buckner and Garcia or “Disco Duck” by Rick Dees? They’re silly, stupid, disposable but certainly charming in small doses. Very small doses. “General Hospi-Tale” by The Afternoon Delights is exceedingly stupid, anachronistic and disposable since it manages to name-check key … Read entire article »
Filed under: 1980s
Play That Funky Music – Wild Cherry
It’s time to honor one of the all-time classic one-hit wonders. “Play That Funky Music” by Wild Cherry sounded amazing when it was released in 1976 and still sounds amazing today. It’s white-boy funk at its finest and makes people shake their booties, even if they detest 1970s music. Ask any songwriter and it’s likely they’ll tell you that one or two of their best songs were written in a fit of inspiration. While it’s … Read entire article »