Top Ten Artists Often Incorrectly Labelled As One Hit Wonders

Austrian musician Falco had a huge international hit with "Rock Me Amadeus", which is likely tied to the success of the Oscar winning biopic "Amadeus" (although it wasn't related in any way).

At that time, he was already a superstar in German language Europe and had one hit in a few other European countries with "Der Kommissar". In Austria, his status only grew from then on, although he wasn't uncontroversial, especially regarding his drug consume. After his death, he became legendary and was seen as a musical genius, and posthumous songs became very popular as well.

Internationally, "Rock Me Amadeus" remained by far his hugest success and with only a few minor exceptions, people weren't that interested in his other (even better) music.

Presumed only hit:
"Rock Me Amadeus" (1985) (number 1 in Austria, Canada, Germany, Ireland, New Zealand, Sweden, UK and US, top ten hit in the Netherlands, Norway and Switzerland)

Other hits:
"Der Kommissar" (1981) (number 1 in Austria and Germany, top ten hit in New Zealand, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland)
"Maschine brennt" (1982) (top ten hit in Austria and Germany)
"Junge Römer" (1984) (top ten hit in Austria)
"Vienna Calling" (1985) (top ten hit in Austria, Germany, Ireland, New Zealand, Switzerland and UK)
"Jeanny" (1985) (number 1 in Austria, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway and Switzerland, top ten hit in Sweden)
"The Sound of Musik" (1986) (top ten hit in Austria and Germany)
"Coming Home" (1986) (number 1 in Germany, top ten hit in Austria, Norway and Switzerland)
"Body Next To Body" (1987) (top ten hit in Austria)
"Wiener Blut" (1988) (top ten hit in Austria and Germany)
"Titanic" (1992) (top ten hit in Austria)
"Mutter, der Mann ...more

What Germany and the rest of the world have in common regarding Nena is that they don't really know (or care) about the meaning of her big hit "99 Luftballons" about being a commentary on the political paranoia of the cold war. People chant along it without actively knowing the words.

The difference is that Nena, much like Madonna, had a very long lasting career in German language territory and the Netherlands by having adapted new styles and setting new trends. In the 80s, she was the leading figure of the Neue Deutsche Welle genre, the most important musical movement of German music. After disappointing sales in the 90s, she had a glorious renaissance in the 21st century, with a new, more modern outfit and a more casual singing style. She's been an essential part of pop culture since with numerous well known songs.

However, she's still seen as a pne hit wonder internationally.

Often, it's European artists who have success on their continent without making it big in America, but this time it's the other way around.

While the Eagles are among the best known bands in the USA and Canada (their greatest hits album surpassed Michaek Jackson's "Thriller" as the best selling album of all time in the US), they never really broke through in Europe, except for one song: "Hotel California". In Austria for example, said track is their only charting song, peaking at number 13. Over the years, it became a radio favorite with tons of airplay, but none of their other tunes were noticed. Of course, they aren't one hit wonders either as they had quite some other hits in America, including a couple of chart toppers, but still, several Europeans would incorrectly call them just that.

I agree it is absurd to label one of the most successful bands of all time as a one hit wonder however do you think that a music artist can be considered a one hit wonder in a particular context for example saying that the Eagles are "a one hit wonder In Europe"? Another point of interest is whether it matters how big the hit is for example Carly Rae Jepsen is frequently called a one hit wonder in the US although her second most popular song reached number 8 on the charts there I suspect if Call Me Maybe had been say a number 4 hit rather than one of the biggest hits of the decade in the US she would not be called this.

I have seen this band on lists about one hit wonders more often than any other on here. At the same time, they arguably had the most and biggest hits of all. In their home country Norway, the UK and Ireland, their songs regularly reached very high chart positions including top spots, and individual tracks were also major hits in other markets.

"Take on Me" of course is a standout track, not only being the best selling song of all and having topped the US charts, but also having had an impact on pop culture with its legendary music video. But it is far from being their only hit.

Ironically the whole top 3 on the list top ten one hit wonders are not really one hit wonders.

Presumed only hit:
"Take On Me" (1985) (number 1 in Norway, Australia, Austria, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland and US, top ten hit in France, Ireland and UK)

Other hits:
"The Sun Always Shines on Me" (1985) (number 1 in Ireland and UK, top ten hit in Norway, Austria, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden and Switzerland)
"Train of Thought" (1986) (number 1 in Norway, top ten hit in Ireland and UK)
"Hunting High and Low" (1986) (top ten hit in Norway, France, Ireland, the Netherlands and UK)
"I've Been Losing You" (1986) (number 1 in Norway, top ten hit in Ireland and UK)
"Cry Wolf" (1986) (top ten hit in Norway, Ireland and UK)
"Manhattan Skyline" (1987) (top ten hit in Norway and Ireland)
"The Living Daylights" (1987) (number 1 in Norway, top ten hit in Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland and UK)
"Stay on These Roads" (1988) (number 1 in Norway, top ten hit in France, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, Switzerland ...more

The Swedish country dance band Rednex were a huge thing in the 90s. Having combined banjos, fiddles and stomping rhythms, they were a major pop sensation from the 90s to early 2000s. Their signature song was "Cotton Eye Joe", which was a number one hit in many European nations, and was a moderate success in the US, peaking at number 25. However, after that, they still had considerable success in individual other European countries. In Austria, for example, "Cotton Eye Joe" wasn't even their biggest hit, the dramatic ballad "Wish You Were Here" and the uptempo country novelty song "Old Pop in an Oak" were both even more popular (and that's an understatement, they were the two best selling songs of 1995 over here), and the Native American inspired "The Spirit of the Hawk" that even has a certain anti-war message and a spectacular music video was a best seller too. In Sweden, their career was even longer, and they had a number one hit far in the late 2000s with "Football is Our Religion".

Everyone knows "Tainted Love". Originally sung by Gloria Jones in 1964, Soft Cell's 80s rendition became the definitive version of the track that is first associated with it, which also provided the basis for a successful Marilyn Manson cover and a sample for Rihanna's famous hit "SOS".

However, that's not all the duo has to offer. In the UK and Ireland, they had a selection of other highly charting songs, and they even had a major success and spectacular comeback in 2018 with "Northern Lights".

Presumed only hit:
"Tainted Love" (1981) (number 1 in UK, Australia, Belgium, France and Germany, top ten hit in Austria, Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Switzerland and US)

Other hits:
"Bedsitter" (1981) (top ten hit in UK, France and Ireland)
"Say Hello, Wave Goodbye" (1982) (top ten hit in UK)
"Torch" (1982) (top ten hit in UK, Belgium and Ireland)
"What! " (1982) (top ten hit in UK, France and Ireland)
"Tainted Love '91" (1991) (top ten hit in UK and Ireland)
"Northern Lights (2018) (top ten hit in UK)

Quite a few of their songs have reached the top 5 in the UK.

Admittedly, the Bloodhound Gang never had the amount of hit singles any of the other artists on this list has. But there was a certain time span when they were household names, which was for more than one song. "The Bad Touch" was undeniably the biggest hit of the decidedly tasteless group, and is still a huge radio favorite, but apart from that, they had at least four big hits that at that time everyone knew in the countries there were successful in.

The British crooner James Blunt had a massive hit in 2005 when "You're Beautiful" was released, a song that was everywhere. Literally. It was inescapable, and that all around the globe. It was also a chart topper in the US. After that, Blunt vanished from the American charts, and that of some other countries as well. Nevertheless, in a bunch of European countries, he became an A-list celebrity and one of the flremost popstars of his generation - next to UK, that is the entire German language territory, where he had other number one hits, some of which were much bigger than "You're Beautiful".

Oddly enough his Twitter description kind of implies he is one.

"Blue (Da Ba Dee)" by the Italian pop group Eiffel 65 infamously was one of the first very successful songs to make notable use of the autotune effect. It was used far more excessively than on Cher's "Believe", making the vocals very artificial. Which made it so appealing, because it brought in something new.

In the USA, that was it. But afterwards, they had another blockbuster with "Move Your Body", which was almost as huge in many countries. The immense success of this song alone would be enough to disqualify them as one hit wonders, but they also had a handful of other tracks that sold really well, especially in their home country of Italy.

Psy's "Gangnam Style" not only went viral in 2012 (several songs did that before and after), it was a cultural phenomenon all around the globe like there hasn't been one in forever. It also announced a time in which everyone even from parts of the world that aren't known for landing international hits now have the chance to do so. Love it or hate it, its impact can't be played down.

But behold! That's not all Psy has to offer. Right afterwards, he had another internationally recognized hit with "Gentleman", which was a worldwide top ten success, too. It however didn't leave such a legacy and then vanished into obscurity. But even without that song, Psy's career in his home country of South Korea couldn't look more impressive: a large number of top ten hits even multiple chart toppers over a time span of more than 15 years is quite astounding.

Pop Goes the World was actually a bigger hit in their native Canada than The Safety Dance and so was Hey Men (they reached no 2 and no 8 the safety dance only no 11)..

He had another hit with a cover of Play That Funky Music.

They had a number of hits other than Eye Of The Tiger. High On You, The Search Is Over, Burning Heart, Is This Love. Sigh people acting like if you have never heard another song from them they must be a one hit wonder no need to research.

Another musician whose one hit is not even their highest charting in the US. Fly away peaked at number 12 while It Ain't Over til It's Over made it to number 2.

In the UK they had a number of top 10 hits including a number one with The Drugs Don't Work which is one place higher than Bitter Sweet Symphony.

Good Girls's Don't was also a hit. I am starting to think that the top ten one hit wonders list is one of the most inaccurate lists on the top tens.

Besides What is Love they had 3 top 10 hits in the UK.

Dr Jones and Turn Back Time were both number one in the UK.

He had several top ten hits in the UK.

She had another hit with Good Time which reached the top 20 in most countries and also I really like you reached the top 20 in some major countries Canada, Japan and Germany.

Mostly only remembered for "Never Gonna Give You Up" but he had a number of other songs that reached number the top ten in the US and the UK including another US number one hit with "Together Forever".