One-Hit Wonders You Forgot You Loved

Some one-hit wonders get noticed again and again, and some have been rejuvenated by new movies or social media. How Bizarre by OMC was made popular again by Tik Tok. Brandy by Looking Glass got revived by the Guardians of the Galaxy movie. Others got new life in fresh new TV shows or series. Here we look at the forgotten one-hit wonders, those we forgot we loved and haven't heard in a long while. To be clear, these are not the top, best or most-successful one-hit wonders, but they are the best ones that we lost, the hits never picked up by TV, movies or TikTok... and maybe we just forgot them. 

1 - Cars by Gary Numan. A monster hit but... we've all but forgotten it. It was a new style of music at the time. It was all anyone could talk about, but now it's all but gone.

1/tie - The Hustle by Van McCoy.  The only instrumental on the list. A HUGE 70s hit, but... when was the last time you heard it?

2 - Ship of Fools by World Party. Cool bridge swell over the chorus, and what a hook! Its lyrics are very prophetic and so pertinent today. How could we have lost this one in the shuffle?

3 - A Girl Like You by Edwyn Collins. Great beat, deserves another play for sure.

4 - Save Tonight by Eagle-Eye Cherry (1997) The smoothest hit. Play it one more time before the break of dawn.

5 - It Never Rains in Southern California by Albert Hammond. Oh yeah. 70s gold. Man, it pours.

6 - Bend Me, Shape Me by the American Breed. A nice upbeat tune. Spin it one more time.

7 - Word Up! by Cameo, with the oddest music video featuring Lavar Burton. The song has great tempo. Play it once more, and put your hands in the air like you don't care!

8 - Stacy's Mom by Fountains of Wayne. A great hip tune with a nice beat. 

9 - Come on Eileen by Dexy's Midnight Runners. Some say "best buried and forgotten" but... come on. It ain't bad, right?

10 - The Lord's Prayer by Sister Janet Mead. Long forgotten, but it was a cool hit, and the lyrics are straight from the Bible. Didn't see that one, did you? It stayed at #1 for weeks in 1974.

11 - St. Elmo's Fire (Man in Motion) by John Parr, for a brat-pack movie that topped the box office. The Song was also a #1 hit, and yet, we bet you don't remember this song.

12 - Flashdance.... What a Feeling! by Irene Cara. A big deal in the 80s but... seems to have been forgotten. She also sang Fame! so maybe it's a two-hit wonder, but both are sadly forgotten.

13 - Rico Suave by Gerardo. Remember that? Ricooo... suaveee....

14 -  Let's Go All the Way by Sly Fox. A groove that hasn't been heard in 30 years.

15 - Wouldn't It Be Good  ... uh, Nik Kershaw. Yeah, now I remember it.

16 - 96 Tears by ? (Question) and the Mysterians. Yes, that was their band name."?"

17 - Groove is in the Heart by Deee-lite. What ever happened to them? Cool tune. It was an MTV staple for a year.

18 - She's so High by Tal Bachman. Gone in 60 seconds, but it was a nice song while it was here.

19 - Turning Japanese by The Vapors. A wild weird dance hit. Where are they now?

20 - Unbelievable by EMF.  We couldn't get enough of it but now we can't remember it. 

21 - Caribbean Queen (No More Love on the Run) by Billy Ocean. Should be on constant rotation.

Bonus mix: 

Does anyone remember MMMbop by Hanson? It lasted a whole summer and it was fun, but I bet you haven't heard it since.

Somebody's Watching Me by Rockwell. Synth magic.

Bittersweet Symphony by The Verve. They disappeared as fast as they came, but their 1 song isn't bad.

Nothing Compares 2 U by Sinead O'Connor. The most second successful song on the list and we've forgotten it. She was a big deal back in the day (and technically had a second hit, almost a third - so we can't officially include it) but now it has faded.

Sugar, Sugar by the Archies got some nods from The Simpsons.

Seasons in the Sun by Terry Jacks was remade by One Directions. So, we didn't forget it but maybe forgot its true roots.

Both Sides Now by Judy Collins. Poetic and memorable, but... did we? We should, it's an incredible song from an underappreciated singer. It was written by Joni Mitchell who had many hits, so this one doesn't really count, but it deserves a fresh listen.

Afternoon Delight by Starland Vocal Band. It's the dirtiest song on the list but was featured in Arrested Development, so... not really forgotten. Or is it?

So there you have it: some very radical one hit wonders you forgot you loved! You can dust them off and play them one more time. Remember the good old days once more.