Pop Triple Plays: A Tribute to Three-Hit Wonders

It’s an elite club with three iconic acts, two families, and a flock of seagulls.

Jeremy Helligar
The Riff

--

The Cure’s Robert Smith in the “Lovesong” video. (Photo: Vevo)

Although I wouldn’t wish the chart fate on any ascendant act, being, ultimately, a one-hit wonder isn’t all bad. Artists with just a single successful Top 40 single on Billboard’s Hot 100 are often celebrated in hindsight as chart curios. Kajagoogoo never came close to matching the №5 U.S. success of 1983’s “Too Shy,” but more than 40 years later, their name remains unforgettable, and no one-hit-wonder compilation would be complete without it.

Also, fans fondly and forever remember one-hit wonders through immortal songs like “Afternoon Delight,” “99 Luftballons,” “Puttin’ on the Ritz,” and “Pumped Up Kicks,” even when those same fans can’t immediately recall who performed them (Starland Vocal Band, Nena and Taco, and Foster the People, respectively, by the way).

“Two-hit wonder” doesn’t have the same cachet, but they’re often mistaken for one-hit wonders, so they might inadvertently reap the same benefits. And…

--

--

Jeremy Helligar
The Riff

Brother Son Husband Friend Loner Minimalist World Traveler. Author of “Is It True What They Say About Black Men?” and “Storms in Africa” https://rb.gy/3mthoj