Member-only story
One-Hit Wonders that Reached #1 in the 1970s
A followup to “One-hit Wonders that Reached #1 in the 1960s”
In my Rock On article, One-Hit Wonders that Reached #1 in the 1960s, I mentioned it was not uncommon for a one-hit wonder — a single hit typically by a lesser-known artist — to become a #1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S. in that era.
In the 1970s, there were also numerous one-hit wonders that reached #1, but musically, it was a very different decade. This was a time when rock music was diverse and innovative. The first wave of British Invasion music had already peaked and the psychedelic sound was evolving from the late 1960s.
In the 1970s, everything from disco to progressive rock to hard rock were emerging as forms of popular music. Arguably, hit singles were becoming less significant than hit albums. As a result, one-hit wonders were released largely by performing artists who were not always album-oriented. Below are some of those “flash in the pan” #1 hits — one for each year of the decade.
1970: “Venus” by Shocking Blue
The British Invasion of the 1960s opened the door for other European acts to achieve success in the U.S. rock music market. This single, by Dutch band Shocking Blue, was first released in the Netherlands in 1969 and…
