Over 2000 One Hit Wonder Songs!!
Last Update 05/09/16
Medley One Hit Wonders
Medley is a musical composition made up of a series of whole or short pieces of songs. Since it is the modification of the existing music, it lacks the sense of originality and very unlikely to become a hit. Medley is usually a club favourite or party choice - not the mainstream hit. However, sometimes when the mixture of songs is right, medley can even crack the chart to become a worldwide hit. The following lists are the artists who could make only one hit 'mixture' in their entire career.
- Artist
- Johnny Maddox & the Rhythmasters
- Year
- 1955
- Song
- The Crazy Otto
- Chart
- 2
Johnny Maddox was the ragtime pianoist from 1950s. Despite having as many as 50 albums and more than 80 singles, only one of his singles became a chart hit. In 1955, he pieced together several works of Fritz Schulz-Reichel, a German pianist, to create a medley singles entitled as "The Crazy Otto". It almost topped the chart and became the first million-selling ragtime record ever.
- Artist
- Buchanan & Goodman
- Year
- 1956
- Song
- The Flying Saucer (Part 1 & 2)
- Chart
- 3
The granddaddy of "break-in" record, Dickie Goodman, started his legend with this out-of-this-world records in the mid 1950s. This news report of the fictional UFO sighting was created by piecing parts of several hit songs of the era. It became a surprise Top5 hit in 1956 and a subject of lawsuit by Records companies. However, all his following works only yielded in another small hit and they split in the early 1960s.
- Artist
- The Trashmen
- Year
- 1964
- Song
- Surfin' Bird
- Chart
- 4
The Trashmen was a rock & roll band from Minneapolis in 1960s. Their huge fame cames from the novelty tune when "Surfin' Bird" became top5 hit in 1964. The song was actually the fusion of two of the Rivingtons' best songs, "The Bird's the Word" and "Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow", from early 1960s. They never been able to duplicate the success of their lone hit and disbanded in late 1960s.
- Artist
- Tom Clay
- Year
- 1971
- Song
- What the World Needs Now Is Love/Abraham, Martin and John
- Chart
- 8
Tom Clay was a popular disc jocky during the 1950s and 1960s, who was also nortorious from 1959 payola scandal. In 1971, Clay created a social commentary record by mixing 2 songs along with a piece of speeches by JFK, RFK, and Martin Luther King, Jr. The singles became a runaway smash that year, and probably the only Clay's known work today.
- Artist
- The Delegates
- Year
- 1972
- Song
- Convention '72
- Chart
- 8
In 1972, this short-live novelty group came up with an idea on making a novelty record about an fictional joint national convention between Democrat and Republican party for that year's presidential election. "Convention '72" was an unimaginable smash which climbed to no.8 on Billboard chart that year.
- Artist
- John & Ernest
- Year
- 1973
- Song
- Super Fly Meets Shaft
- Chart
- 31
John Free and Ernest Smith were an American duo comical musician in the early 70s. In 1973, they made a brief moment of fame when their break-in style novelty singles "Super Fly Meet Shaft" became no.31 on Billboard chart that spring. The duo could not catch up with this unexpected success, and disappeared into oblivion.
- Artist
- Dickie Goodman
- Year
- 1975
- Song
- Mr. Jaws
- Chart
- 4
After left his group to pursue solo career in the early 1960s, the break-in records master Dickie Goodman still focus entirely on novelty records. His most successful work was a parody of Spielberg's 1975 horror classic "Mr. Jaws". This cut-and-paste of hit tunes of the 70s became a Top5 hit in 1975. It was his only real success until his death in 1989.
- Artist
- Stars on 45
- Year
- 1981
- Song
- Stars on 45
- Chart
- 1
In 1981, this Dutch pop novelty group released its first singles "Star on 45", made of songs from the Archies and Beatles. It became the international smash, which hit no.1 in US and no.2 in UK and gained them a brief moment of fortune. Their following singles were not as success and the band quietly vanish from the scene.
- Artist
- Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
- Year
- 1982
- Song
- Hooked On Classics
- Chart
- 10
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra is regarded as one of London's five world-class orchestras. In 1981, a former arranger of ELO, Louis Clark, conducted the band for the classical music medley album. Its main titled "Hooked On Classics" became top10 hit and brought classical music to the new generations of audiences.
- Artist
- Larry Elgart & His Manhattan Swing Orchestra
- Year
- 1982
- Song
- Hooked On Swing
- Chart
- 31
Larry Elgart is an American jazz musician and bandleader who has been in the big band business since the mid 1940s. His biggest commercial succes came with the released of the album "Hooked On Swing" in 1982. The title track, which was a medley of popular swing jazz hits, became a top40 on Billboard chart. It was Elgart's only national hit.
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