Many One-Hit-Wonders Have Multiple Hits and Successful Music Careers

Some one-hit-wonders are successful artists who have sold millions of albums

When you hear the term one-hit-wonder, you likely think of someone who had one big hit on the charts and then disappeared into oblivion. It turns out that a one-hit-wonder is not so easy to define. In the Village Voice, Chris Molanphy developed Three Rules To Define The Term "One-Hit Wonder." The article points out some interesting facts.

Many One Hit Wonders Have a Successful Follow-Up Single

When music channel VH1 compiled their list of Top 100 one-hit wonders, most acts on the list had more than one hit. According to Chris Molanphy, seventy-five acts on VH1's Top 100 list had a successful follow-up single. You read that right. Three-quarters of the one-hit wonders on the list had more than one hit. As an example, Vanilla Ice made the list with Ice Ice Baby which spent three weeks in the number one spot. But his follow-up Play That Funky Music peaked at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100. Vanilla Ice continues to release albums and tour. 

A second hit sometimes happens because new artists who have had a #1 song often enjoy what Molanphy calls a "honeymoon period" on pop radio. However, that doesn't always guarantee a big hit. Take Robin Thicke as an example. Blurred Lines was his first mainstream hit. Radio initially embraced his follow-up single titled Give It 2 U, but the song never clicked with listeners causing radio programmers to lose interest. The song peaked at #25 on the Billboard Hot 100.

One-Hit-Wonders Who Are Big Album Sellers

Some one-hit-wonders have huge music careers. Examples given by Molanphy are Radiohead, The Grateful Dead, and Jimi Hendrix. They are "acts whose popularity is reflected on the album chart more than the Hot 100." An artist may be a one-hit-wonder on the Billboard Hot 100 but have success on genre charts like rock, country, and R&B. Some one-hit-wonders have successful careers and dedicated followers. Some are influential in music, inspiring the generation that comes after them. Other notable one-hit wonders are Janis Joplin, Public Enemy, Iggy Pop, Norah Jones, Garth Brooks, Ben Folds Five, Merle Haggard, Snow Patrol, Arlo Guthrie, and Fountains of Wayne. 

And it's not just artists outside the mainstream who have more album than single success. Justin Bieber and One Direction are examples of successful album sellers who didn't always have a huge presence on American Top 40 radio.

New Zealand native Lorde is another recent example. Her song Royals spent nine weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot 100. Her follow-up Team was also a Top 40 hit. Her second album Melodrama was a critical and commercial success despite not spawning any major hits. The album debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200. Lorde may never be a successful singles artist again, but she will likely continue to be an album seller.

Perceived One Hit Wonders

Some singers are thought to be one-hit wonders even though they actually have multiple Top 40 hits. This is often because they have one massive hit that overshadows everything else they've done. The Village Voice uses the example of Rick Springfield who is best known for the song Jessie's Girl. When NPR mistakenly referred to him as a one-hit-wonder, angry fans pointed out that he's had 21 Billboard Hot 100 hits. Seventeen of those hits peaked inside the Top 40. Five were Top 10 hits. Needless to say, Springfield has had a very impressive career.

MC Hammer is also considered a one-hit-wonder. He had a number one hit with U Can’t Touch This but he actually had a total of five Top 10 hits including Pray and Have You Seen Her?

Which Charts Matter?

Many one-hit wonders have hits that don't chart well worldwide but reach the Top 10 in some countries. Carly Rae Jepsen's Call Me Maybe spent nine consecutive weeks in the #1 spot. She went on to have a successful Top 10 follow-up with Good Time, a collaboration with Owl City. Her song I Really Like You peaked at #3 on the UK Singles Charts. Can I Really Like You reasonably be called a Top 10 hit even though it only reached the Top 10 in a handful of countries? How you define 'Top 10 hit' determines how many Top 10 hits artists like Carly Rae Jepsen have? Like Vanilla Ice, Jepsen continues to release albums and go on tour. She has sold over 25 million albums worldwide.