Friday, August 07, 2026

La Fin de La Semaine Essay Question: Special "Better Than Being a Never Was" Edition

From 1997, please enjoy the mostly obscure White Town and his insinuating claim to fame "Your Woman."

From Wiki:

White Town auteur Mishra has said, "I'm a mediocre singer, I'm a terrible guitarist, I'm a pretty good keyboardist, I'm a good producer, not amazing, but good."Noting his status as a one-hit wonder, he said it is "better than a no-hit wonder" and elaborated, "To be a professional musician and to be entertaining people twenty years after my biggest hit, I feel like I'm the luckiest person alive. Just to have one song that connects with people—most musicians dream their entire lives of having that."

Which leads us, inevitably and inexorably, to the subject of today's business. To wit:

...and your favorite (or least favorite, however unlikely that may be) post Elvis-20th century pop/rock/soul/folk/or whatever one hit wonder song (and artist) is...???

Discuss.

No arbitrary rules whatsoever, but I've included the 20th century proviso because commercial music in the current era is so built-in forgettable that it just seems unfair to compare to it to an earlier time. White Town being an almost exception that proves the rule.

Oh, and BTW, in case you're wondering, my fave is pretty much this.

I mean, that's so freaking good it kind of boggles the mind they never had another hit.

Alrighty then -- what would YOUR choices be?

And have a great weekend, everybody!!!

40 comments:

  1. Lemon Pipers- Green Tambourine (My brother on bass.)
    J.J. Jackson- But It's Alright
    Music Explosion- Little Bit O' Soul
    Gosh there's so many.

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    Replies
    1. Your brother was a Lemon Piper? How freaking cool is that???? 😎

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    2. Steve Walmsley on bass. I saw them in 1968 in Cleveland with my mom and dad, Rotary Connection opening. My brother's favorite gig was Moby Grape, Traffic, Lemon Pipers, Spirit at the Fillmore two nights and Winterland two nights. There's a poster on his wall for the gig, next to the gold record. We golfed together last month..

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    3. Purple Mushroom, Westbrook,CT
      circa 1968 ish

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  2. First off, great video. All that was missing was a sliced eyeball.

    Not really paying attention to the charts, I don't have a mind full of one hit wonders - or what qualifies as a hit. Top Ten? Top 100? Number 1? Only on US charts?
    So I went to wikipedia to take a look (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_one-hit_wonders_in_the_United_States) and, good God, how do you choose? Even better, how is it Bo Diddley is a one hit wonder and so is Lorne Greene? The McCoys, Unit 4+2, the Castaways?
    Which is worse Barry Sadler or Everett Dirksen? Do the Wonder Who? even count?
    You get the point.
    So that being said, I guess I have to go with Louie, Louie by the Kingsmen just for long lasting influence and serving as the ultimate rock and roll proof that you don't have to be good to be great.

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    Replies
    1. The Kingsmen had three Top 40 USA hits, and two of them were Top 10.

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  3. I can't say it better than edward did, so my unapologetic vote goes to Crazy Elephant's 'Gimme Gimme Good Lovin.'

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  4. "All Right Now" - Free
    "Wipe Out" - The Surfaris
    "Hey! Baby" - Bruce Channel
    "Expressway To Your Heart" - The Soul Survivors
    "I Can Help" - Billy Swan
    "Keep Your Hands To Yourself" - The Georgia Satellites

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  5. You Were On My Mind- We Five
    Red Rubber Ball- The Cyrkle
    Interesting that both of these songs were not written by the groups that had a hit with them.
    rs

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    Replies
    1. The Cyrkle are actually two-hit wonders. Their follow-up "Turn Down Day" is a big fave at Casa Simels.

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  6. Let’s go with that pre-nugget 96 Tears by ? and the Mysterians.

    - Paul in DK

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  7. The La's - There she goes

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  8. Brandy - You're a fine girl - Looking Glass - at wikipedia i learned that Barry Manilow's "Mandy" was originally Brandy but the name was changed after Brandy was a hit - and the song is important in Guardians of the Galaxy 2 - but before I knew these things I was impressed with the milieu, the atmosphere, the feelings, the dimensions of life choices represented in this song

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    Replies
    1. Met their singer at The George Washington Bar in Camden Maine, mid 80's - he wasn't drinking Brandy 😉

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  9. Fountains of Wayne is one of my favorite bands, ever... is Stacy's Mom their only hit? Hard to call that band a one hit wonder, but if we do, then I'll go with them and that song

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  10. and who doesn't remember Hello It's Me by Ted Nugent?

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  11. “Walking in Sunshine” - Katrina and the Waves
    Jai Guru Dave

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    Replies
    1. Didnt they have a sort of other hit? “Goin Down to Liverpool” maybe?

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    2. Pretty sure Liverpool was the Bangles

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  12. “on” Sunshine.

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  13. "She's So High" by Tal Bachman (son of Randy).
    "Wicked Game" by Chris Isaak

    Bob in IL

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  14. Dave Leonatti8/07/2026 2:06 PM

    "Go Back' = Crabby Appleton

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  15. "Ca plane pour moi" - Plastic Bertrand 😁

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    Replies
    1. Mon deu! I've got 30 covers of it (Richard Thompson's is v good) and there are likely more out there. Of course, I'm including the Garmin song.

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  16. Can't shout out 96 Tears loud enough. As soon as I hear that organ intro I'm transported to a teen dance at an amusement park in Erie, Pennsylvania, with the girls all wearing flat shoes so they wouldn't be taller than their partners.

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  17. "Touch of Grey" Grateful Dead

    :-)

    Captain Al

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  18. Thunderclap Newman
    "Something in the air " Pete Townshend 😉

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  19. She Can Do It All by Kurt Baker. Just kidding but it too me this long to remember that Kurt wrote and originally did the song featured in the July 30 post here. I'm old.
    Seriously...I Fought The Law by The Bobby Fuller Four and Talk Talk by The Music Machine.

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  20. On this side of the pond -
    All The Young Dudes
    Mott the Hoople

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    Replies
    1. Same as Status Quo. 'Pictures of Matchstick Men' over here but literally scores of hits in Blighty.

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  21. Sally Go Round The Roses - The Jaynetts

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  22. Thel Rountree8/08/2026 11:30 AM

    Talk Talk - The Music Machine and Vehicle - Ides of March

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  23. Actually, the Music Machine were two hit wonders, Their follow up “The People in Me” is a masterpiece.

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  24. Late 60's, got my Neil Young patched jeans and I have WOR-fm on my Sony radio.
    Here goes - Music Machine, Talk Talk
    Standells, Dirty Water
    Brewer/Shipley - One Toke Over The Line.
    Jonathon Edwards - Sunshine
    Edwin Hawkins Singers - Oh Happy Day
    Status Quo - Pictures of Matchstick Men
    (another chart maker there, not here)
    Unit 4 + 2 - Concrete and Clay

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    Replies
    1. I am embarrassed to mention this but Michael Franks, Popsicle Toes 🥴

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  25. Favourite: In a way I hate to mention this, because this artist has made a lot of fine music over 40-plus years, but Marshall Crenshaw's "Someday, Someway" (from 1982), his only Top 40 hit.

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  26. Macarthur's Park Richard Harris

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