Description
Book SynopsisThe one-hit wonder has a long and storied history in popular music, exhorting listeners to dance, to teach the world to sing in perfect harmony, to ponder mortality, to get a job, to bask in the sunshine, or just to get up and dance again. Catchy, memorable, irritating, or simply ubiquitous, one-hit wonders capture something of the mood of a time. This collection provides a series of short, sharp chapters focusing on one-hit wonders from the 1950s to the present day, with a view toward understanding both the mechanics of success and the socio-musical contexts within which such songs became hits. Some artists included here might have aspired to success but only managed one hit, while others enjoyed lengthy, if unremarkable, careers after their initial chart success. Put together, these chapters provide not only a capsule history of popular music tastes, but also ruminations on the changing nature of the music industry and the mechanics of fame.
Trade ReviewOne-hit wonders are pop’s overachieving underachievers, winners-but-losers that stretch categories – up to a point. In this big book of small fries, academics and musicians reckon with the results, from bubblegum to global pop – every musical identity ersatz, every twist and turn a chance to marvel, yet again: “How Bizarre.” -- Eric Weisbard, Professor of American Studies, University of Alabama, author of Top 40 Democracy: The Rival Mainstreams of American Popular Music (2014)
A fascinating look at the cultural and personal context around one-hit wonders, this collection deftly explains why some of these songs escaped obscurity — and makes excellent cases why others might be best left in the past. -- Annie Zaleski, editor, music journalist, and author of Duran Duran’s Rio (2021) in Bloomsbury's 33 1/3 series
One-Hit Wonders is a treasure trove of analysis into why particular songs resonate at specific moments in history and how quickly they can date. Hill’s collection is full of insight into the vagaries of taste, the nature of audiences and why certain musical moments remains timeless. It poses fascinating questions about what happens to those whose careers are defined by that one hit song. -- Kirsty Fairclough, Reader in Screen Studies, School of Digital Arts (SODA), Manchester Metropolitan University, UK, co-editor of Prince and Popular Music: Critical Perspectives on an Interdisciplinary Life (Bloomsbury, 2020)
One-Hit Wonders unveils the many layers behind those familiar, catchy, (and sometimes grating) hit songs that all too often evade the pop music history textbooks. Covering a wide variety of songs, as though you are turning a radio dial that traverses a Top 40 format across decades, this engaging collection emphasizes that these songs are not standalone entities but are deeply embedded in larger cultural movements and moments. -- Brian Fauteux, Associate Professor of Popular Music and Media Studies, University of Alberta, Canada, author of Music in Range: The Culture of Canadian Campus Radio (2015)
Table of ContentsList of Figures Acknowledgements The Chart of the Book:
One-Hit Wonders' Top Hits Introduction
Sarah Hill, St Peter's College, University of Oxford, UK 1. Buchanan & Goodman, "The Flying Saucer" Parts 1 & 2 (1956)
Paul Carr, University of South Wales, UK 2. The Kingsmen, "Louie Louie" (1963)
Samuel Murray, Middlesex University, UK 3. ? and the Mysterians, "96 Tears"
Adam Behr, Newcastle University, UK 4. The Easybeats, "Friday on My Mind" (1966)
Dai Griffiths, Independent Scholar, Oxford, UK 5. Norman Greenbaum, "Spirit in the Sky" (1969)
Philip Auslander, Georgia Institute of Technology, USA 6. The Archies, "Sugar Sugar" (1969)
Jon Stewart, BIMM Institute, Brighton, UK 7. Serge Gainsbourg, "Je t’aime(moi non plus" (1969)
Philippe Gonin, University of Burgundy Franche-Comté, France; trans. Jackie Ortiz 8. Blue Swede, "Hooked On a Feeling" (1974)
Sarah Hill, St. Peter's College, Oxford, UK; with Bengt Palmers 9. Wild Cherry, "Play That Funky Music" (1976)
Robert Fink, UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music, USA 10. Althea and Donna, "Uptown Top Ranking" (1977)
Paul Long, Monash University, Australia 11. Plastic Bertrand, "Ça Plane Pour Moi" (1977)
Patrick McGuinness, St. Anne's College, Oxford, UK 12. Nick Gilder, "Hot Child in the City" (1978)
Richard Parfitt, Independent Scholar, Wales, UK 13. The Vapors, "Turning Japanese" (1980)
Abigail Gardner, University of Gloucestershire, UK 14. Aneka, "Japanese Boy" (1981)
Richard Elliott, Newcastle University, UK 15. Toni Basil, "Mickey" (1981)
Tim J. Anderson, Old Dominion University, USA 16. Trio, "Da Da Da" (1981)
Tim Quirk, Singer and Lyricist, USA 17. Nena, "99 Luftballons/99 Red Balloons" (1983)
Melanie Schiller, University of Groningen, Netherlands 18. The Grateful Dead, "Touch of Grey" (1987)
Tom Irvine, University of Southampton, UK 19. A View from the Ground: Latin Quarter, "Radio Africa" (1986)
Michael Jones, Senior Lecturer in Music, University of Liverpool, UK 20. A View from the Desk: Product Management
Sarah Hill, St. Peter's College, Oxford, UK 21. Shakespear’s Sister, "Stay"(1992)
Áine Mangaoang, University of Oslo, Norway 22. OMC, "How Bizarre" (1996)
Geoff Stahl, Victoria University of Wellington, Aotearoa/New Zealand 23. The Butthole Surfers, "Pepper" (1996)
Gina Arnold, University of San Francisco, USA 24. Chumbawamba, "Tubthumping" (1997)
Matt Grimes, Birmingham City University, UK 25. Meredith Brooks, "Bitch" (1997)
Asya Draganova, Birmingham City University, UK 26. New Radicals, "You Get What You Give" (1998)
Jon Gower, Independent Scholar, UK 27. Las Ketchup, "Aserejé" (2002)
Eulalia Febrer Coll, Conservatori Superior de Música de les Illes Balears and Universidad Internacional de La Rioja, Spain 28. Gotye ft. Kimbra, "Somebody That I Used to Know" (2011)
Ellis Jones, University of Leeds, UK List of Contributors Index
