People have been sharing their ‘favourite one hit wonders’ – 21 stone cold bangers from artists who were never heard from again

No musical artist with ambitions of long-lasting fame wants to be a one hit wonder. They want to have the longevity of The Rolling Stones.

But is sinking without a trace all bad? If you have a big enough hit you can probably quietly retire on the royalties and not have to put up with the the stress of a difficult second album, musical differences and rehab which seems to befall more successful bands.

Over on the AskUK subreddit they’ve been chatting about musicians who apparently vanished after having a single huge smash after user Workshymassiv posted this…

What is your favourite ‘One Hit Wonder’?

Kriss Kross – Jump was my favourite. If we were to make an album, Now That’s What I Call One Hit Wonders, what would be your included song?

A fine song and an excellent question, which prompted lots of other people to chip in with their own cherished singles, like these…

1.

‘Bran Van 3000 – Drinking in L.A.’
–Exotic_Progress_3973

2.

‘Meredith Brookes – Bitch… Always a great track but never really heard more from her.’
–asphytotalxtc

3.

‘Spaceman – Babylon Zoo. I personally loved the full version, not the sped up dance version.’
–CalligrapherExtreme8

4.

‘Breakfast At Tiffany’s by Deep Blue Something, just because it strikes me as the ‘perfect’ one-hit wonder. They appeared out of nowhere with a massive, stone-cold classic, then vanished back into oblivion. They don’t seem to have had any sort of loyal fanbase; no-one saying, “actually, the rest of the album is pretty good, too”; it’s almost like they were a hallucination.’

5.

‘Tamsin Archer – Sleeping Satellite. This song doesn’t get anywhere near the appreciation it deserves!! Such a banger than brings me back to being a kid in the 90s playing at a neighbour’s house.’
–iwasborntodestroyu

6.

”Stay’ by Lisa Loeb.’
–mypostisbad

7.

‘Stardust – Music Sounds Better With You.

I know it was intentional, but the restraint to turn down an album and leave it with one all-timer and their legacy intact is to be admired.’
–neondrifter76

8.

‘There She Goes – The La’s.’
–justameercat

9.

‘Return of the Mack – Mark Morrison.

Absolutely class track.’
–Zak_Rahman

10.

‘McAlmont & Butler – Yes.’
–Ordinary-Average-913

11.

‘ABSOLUTELY this. What a song for the ages. Still blast it out in the car to this day. The vocals and arrangement, its perfect, just…wow. Can still bring me to tears on the right day.’
–Affectionate-Tap-692

12.

‘She probably isn’t a one-hit wonder in the US, but was here in the UK. Kim Carnes – Betty Davis’ Eyes.’
–Sir_Gerald_Nosehairs