» Entries tagged with "movie one hit wonder"
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
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
Da Butt – E.U. (Experience Unlimited)
A silly little late-1980s hip-hop one-hit wonder for you today. The backside (or booty or rump or whatever else you choose to call it) gets lots of attention in hip hop. Remember, this is the genre that unloaded such hits as “The Thong Song” by Sisqo. You’ve got the classic “Baby Got Back” by Sir Mix-a-Lot. And “Rump Shaker” by Wreckx n’ Effects. Serious highbrow stuff, this. Add today’s song to the pantheon of booty hits. … Read entire article »
I’m Easy – Keith Carradine
Academy Award-winning one-hit wonders are fairly rare. A look of Oscar-winning songs reveals the Academy clearly favors proven, conservative choices. But a few one-hit wonder pop songs have been either nominated or awarded the Academy Award for Best Original Song, including: “You Light Up My Life” by Debby Boone (a winner) “Gonna Fly Now” (Theme from Rocky) by Bill Contil (a loser) “Jai Ho” by I’m Easy by A.R. Rahman (a winner) Add today’s entry by … Read entire article »
Filed under: 1970s
Jai Ho – A.R. Rahman
There aren’t many one-hit wonders that have won both a Grammy Award and an Oscar. In fact, “Jai Ho” is pretty much it. In 2008, Slumdog Millionaire was packing movie theaters with its crazy compelling story of a poor, illiterate kid who wins the Indian version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire . As the movie ends in an exciting rush of requited love and joy, you see the cast in a train station … Read entire article »
Filed under: 2000s
Gonna Fly Now (Theme From Rocky) – Bill Conti
I still remember the first time I heard the theme from Rocky. I was riding in my parent’s Ford Country Squire station wagon when the song came on the AM radio. I suddenly wanted to leap from my seat and bash through the window so I could run alongside the station wagon. With “Gonna Fly Now” playing in my head, I was going to conquer my fear of snakes. I was going to eat four … Read entire article »
Filed under: 1970s
Stand By Me – Mickey Gilley
Mickey Gilley is a country music legend. But he’s a pop music one-hit wonder for his 1980 crossover hit from the Urban Cowboy movie that starred John Travolta. The definitive version of “Stand By Me” is performed by Ben E. King. It’s a classic that features one of the most famous bass lines in all of rock music. Gilley’s version is a bit more sleepy, a bit more somber, a bit more boring. But that didn’t matter … Read entire article »
You Light Up My Life – Debby Boone
Ten weeks. Ten long weeks. That’s how many weeks “You Light Up My Life” by Debby Boone spent at the #1 position on the Billboard Hot 100. At the time, that was the longest-lasting #1 hit of all time. Better than Elvis. Better than The Beatles. Better than everyone, in fact, until Boyz II Men landed at #1 for 13 weeks with “End of the Road” in 1991. That’s 70 days. That’s 2.5 months. That’s a really … Read entire article »
Filed under: 1970s