Two songs that I have heard on tv this week have made me ponder the phenomenon of the 'one hit wonder'. The first song is featuring on some ad at the moment - a tourism ad I think, couldn't find it on Google - Taxiride's 'Get Set'. Very catchy song. I keep singing it in that way you do when they are flogging an ad like a dead horse - and I didn't even really care for the song when it was released back in the day. But I will concede it's a catchy song. The second song I heard was on the closing credits on the first night of the Tour de France - J is a die hard cycling fan - and it was the hit 80s song 'Counting The Beat' by The Swingers. You may know it from the Kmart (??) ad a few years ago - great song. Another one hit wonder. And it made me think that these songs are really quite superior to say, many of the songs of stalwarts like Madonna and U2, but fascinatingly these types of bands are never heard of again. Just one massively popular song and then pffft! Disappear forever, only to dredged up for commercials, movie soundtracks and weddings, school reunions and bar mitzvahs where everyone says 'God, I loved this song, who was this again?'. So how do these songs come about? Does the band have one magical moment, but then become overwhelmed by the instant fame, and struggle to make something as big again? Or is it that that particular song strikes a chord with the community at that very moment, and it was a matter of being at the right place, at the right time? Or is it more cosmic - that we can't all be megastars but fate will let as many people as it can have their fifteen minutes of fame to spread the joy around...
Anyway, what happened to these bands and other famous one hit wonders? I turned to my friend Google:
- Taxiride 'Get Set'- Taxiride's official website talk of their 'newest' release from 2006, and has the 'latest news' of a tour supporting Noiseworks in 2009. Hhhmmm - looks like the royalties from the ad will be coming in handy.
- The Swingers 'Counting The Beat' - According to Wikipedia, the band broke up in 1982 after a few changes to the line up. Someone has done a very dodgy looking fan page for them but I didn't dare probe any further into Google with the search term 'swingers'...
- New Radicals 'You Get What You Give' - Another ad favourite, this song was huge in the late 90s - remember it? And, have to say, despite its saturation on the airwaves even now - catchy tune. The guy behind the song, Gregg Alexander only had one other unsuccessful song but ended up writing and producing for other artists like Sophie Ellis Bexter and Ronan Keating. So he's made a bit of coin over the years, lucky soul.
- Vanilla Ice 'Ice Ice Baby' - no need to explain how awesome this song was - and you may have seen what Vanilla is doing these days. Naturally, his own home renovation show. Stop. Renovate and listen...
- Dee Lite 'Groove Is In The Heart' - This one has been used in a few hundred soundtracks... Where are they now? They all became djs, but the girl in the band (Lady Kier) sued Sega for allegedly creating an animation that resembled her Dee Lite persona. According to Wikipedia, she lost.
So, a bit of a trip down memory lane. They were all great songs - followed by silence, or at very worst, a stinker of a second song. Thank god for advertising royalties...
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