Musical Careers Built on One Song

flogen · 15-11-2003 11:27PM #1

Now this is bound to cause alot of argument, so I'll try and get this as clear cut as possible.
I want to compile a list of musical artists/bands that have a long and profitable career but only have one real hit or memorable song. I dont really mean one hit wonders, because they generally drop off the radar after their 1 hit, I mean lasting celebs that are really famous, but when you ask someone (except really committed fans) to name a song of theirs, there is only one that comes up....hopefully my two examples will help out.

Chris DeBurgh - Lady In Red
Don McLean - American Pie

now i know people will say 'no, don mclean/chris deburgh have loads of other songs like.....' but the point is that the general public only know them for ONE song

hope you all understand, and lets hear your suggestions

Flogen

Capt'n Midnight · 15-11-2003 11:51PM

Eh?
Crease the Burke sold about 50m records before he got his first No 1

Not exactly a one hit wonder..

secret_squirrel · 16-11-2003 12:17AM

flogen has a point - the only other CdB I know is that one about jesus being an alien that gets rolled out every xmas.

mike65 · 16-11-2003 12:51AM

Pogues - Fairytale of NewYork

Black Sabbath - Paranoid

Meat Loaf - Bat out of Hell

Lionel Richie - Hello

Kim Wilde - Kids in America

Mike Oldfield - Tubular Bells

Mike.

quank · 16-11-2003 01:10AM

please no one argue with me, but its true

Nirvana - Smell's Like Teen Spirit:)

quank · 16-11-2003 01:11AM

and shouldn't this be in a music forum?

ferdi · 16-11-2003 01:20AM

Green Day - Good Riddence (time of your life)

but just because this the only GD song the general public might now, it dont mean their carreer is built on it, they sold about 20million copys of dookie befoe this song came out.

lena · 16-11-2003 01:25AM

Sinead O'Connor - Nothing compares 2 u

(prince was ahead of his time when he wrote that title ála text eh?)

DMT · 16-11-2003 01:41AM

The Smashing Pumpkins
Bullet in Butterfly Wings (aka "That Rat in a Cage Song")

Makaveli · 16-11-2003 01:45AM

Originally posted by mike65

Lionel Richie - Hello

I would have thought All Night Long and Dancing on the Ceiling would be more well known. And that's 3 songs, so I guess he doesnt count.

sceptre · 16-11-2003 01:47AM

Originally posted by flogen
Don McLean - American Pie

Bah, Vincent. Comes with better lyrics too. Can remember hearing it years before I remember anyone singing American Pie while drunk

You're probably right though in that McLean and de Burgh probably made more money from those two songs than all the others put together (McLean even got money from the people who made American Pie the movie because he went and trademarked the title).

Töpher · 16-11-2003 01:56AM

2 Unlimited - No Limits

LOL
Aqua - Barbie Girl

Pink - all her stuffs the exact same song anyways.
Linkin Park - The one where it goes heavy and quiet and heavy and quiet. And repeats. if you dont know what I'm talking about sue me.

Thin Lizzy - Boys are back in town

LOL - JUST JOKING, JEEZ! =D

flogen · 16-11-2003 02:15AM

capt'n, im not saying cdb is a one hit wonder, im saying that his career is based on 1 song, or that he is only really known for one song,
sinead o connor is a great one, as is meat loaf, but the nirvana, lionel richie (you could say 3 times a lady is his song, or easy like sunday morning) and smashing pumpkins ones are debatable, what about tonight, tonight, or any single off melon colie for that matter?

but as i said, all the suggestions are going to be disputed by someone!!

Flogen

Johnny_the_fox · 16-11-2003 02:28AM

what about them evil women:

Whintey Houston - that bodyguard song
Céline Dion - that Titanic song

Ro: maaan! · 16-11-2003 02:30AM

Ooh, Nirvana! That's a good one. Probably is true, but I never would have thought of it...

Undertones - Teenage Kicks
Joy Division - Love Will Tear Us Apart
The Buzzcocks - Ever Fallen In Love
Dexy's Midnight Runners - Come On Eileen
The Specials - Ghost Town
The Stranglers - Golden Brown

Basicly anyone who names their greatest hits after a song...

And maybe The Clash - Should I Stay Or Should I Go (But only if they were asked to name a song. People would know a lot of their songs without knowing it was them)

16-11-2003 03:01AM

defo Thin Lizzy - the boys are back in town. When did they ever get close to matching that songs success?

Um...one or 2 more...

Faith No More - Epic

(possibly) Soundgarden - Black Hole Sun

POD - Alive

honru · 16-11-2003 03:55AM

Led Zeppelin - Stairway to Heaven

Hardly a career built on one song, but its the song that most people are likely to know.

technobob · 16-11-2003 04:31AM

underworld - born slippy

secret_squirrel · 16-11-2003 11:23AM

chumbawumba - tubthumping
Chris <someone> - Road to hell
Personally I would say Faith No More - Easy coz its still gets played now, unlike Epic. Same Song deffo rules Lionel out tho

Pearl Jam - Jeremy
Anything by the ****e House Family coz it all sounds the same

joseph brand · 16-11-2003 11:54AM

@ secret squirrel Chris Rea.

@ johnny_the_fox, you're right, those women are evil. Cant stand those b**ches.

Dont matter what tripe they release, it will sell cos of their name.

I hate Elton John for same reason, "are you ready for love?".

" Sissy, I'm not a sissy, I'm a gay!"

Raz · 16-11-2003 03:24PM

I would have thought 'Alive' would be Pearl Jams career maker.

Christy Moore - Ride On.

Blink 182 - All The Small Things.

That one that went 'You and me baby ain't nothin but mammals so lets do it like they do on the discovery channel.'

System of a Down - Toxicity.

The White Stripes - Seven Nation Army.

Queens of the Stone Age - the one with the deer in the video.

Fugees - Killing Me Softly

No Doubt - I'm Just A Girl

Pulp - Common People

Blur - Parklife

Nickleback - How you remind me (Great band imo. They should be better known)

Muse - New Born

Bush - Swallowed (Also a great band imo.)

Stephen · 16-11-2003 03:49PM

Originally posted by utility_
defo Thin Lizzy - the boys are back in town. When did they ever get close to matching that songs success?

What about songs like Whiskey in The Jar, Jailbreak, Don't Believe a Word, etc?

Creature · 16-11-2003 04:37PM

Originally posted by Raz
.

The White Stripes - Seven Nation Army.

Pulp - Common People

Blur - Parklife

I think this is turning into a "Name any song by any band" thread. Blur Pulp and The White Stripes have hardly built their careers on one song. what about Fell in love with a girl and Hotel Yorba for the White Stripes? And Disco 2000 for Pulp? And Blur! the list is almost endless; Country House, Boys and Girls, Coffie & TV?

secret_squirrel · 16-11-2003 05:53PM

Originally posted by Raz
I would have thought 'Alive' would be Pearl Jams career maker.

That one that went 'You and me baby ain't nothin but mammals so lets do it like they do on the discovery channel.'

The White Stripes - Seven Nation Army.

Pulp - Common People

Blur - Parklife

You're right I meant Alive not Jeremy

Bloodhound Gang - Bad Touch was the mammal song.

Blur & Pulp - get real most ppl could name 2 or 3 at least.

White Stripes are too new (to most ppl) to tell.

Creamy Goodness · 16-11-2003 06:01PM

Weezer - Buddy Holly

one of my favourite bands with lots of songs but people just know them for this buddy holly song.

maybe the fact it was on the windows 95 cd had something to do with it.

ChumpStain · 16-11-2003 06:06PM

Lou Bega - Mambo No. 5

Oh how the Grammys ever overlooked him I shall never know:(

Capt'n Midnight · 16-11-2003 08:10PM

Originally posted by flogen
capt'n, im not saying cdb is a one hit wonder, im saying that his career is based on 1 song, or that he is only really known for one song,

You could say that most musicians from previous decades are known for only one song by people who weren't listening to music during their heyday. Likewise many bands that did not release singles would not be known by "Top of the Pops" viewers.

Point is CDB did very well in Germany and sold shed loads of albums without having to appear on MTV or TOTP

How about Led Zeppelin and their "Stairway to Heaven" song..
Not to mention ACDC or Status Quo (does what is says on the tin musical development wise) who have been re-releasing the same one hit with minor changes for the last three decades...
Riki Martin...

secret_squirrel · 16-11-2003 10:23PM

Originally posted by Capt'n Midnight
Point is CDB did very well in Germany and sold shed loads of albums without having to appear on MTV or TOTP

Known forever more as the 'Hasselhoff Effect'

twirly sponge · 16-11-2003 10:28PM

Originally posted by Raz

Christy Moore - Ride On.

No Doubt - I'm Just A Girl

What about Lisdoonvarna by Christy Moore, EVERYONE knows that one. And Don't Speak by No Doubt.

deco · 16-11-2003 10:31PM

I think this thread could have been called name a bands most prominant song. Very few of the bands mentioned built there career on one song. I mean Led Zepplin built there career on ablums more than individual songs.

However in the spirit of the thread:

Right Said Fred - I'm Too Sexy

Töpher · 16-11-2003 10:32PM

If White Stripes are too new (to people) then so are QOTSA (to most people), particularily those who think Songs for the Deaf is the best debut album ever, lol, muppets! Whenever I think of Queens I think of Regular John off their self-titled album, tho I do tend to think of some Kyuss tracks first, but thats just me!

As much as people are gonna hate me for this one, U2 (one of the worst bands EVER) I think are mainly known for With or Without you, again, just my opinion!

Musical Careers Built on One Song

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