’70s One-Hit Wonders That Might Trigger Some Major Nostalgia

The ’70s were definitely an unforgettable time for music. Hits from this decade not only put new spins on rock and R&B, but the world was also propelled into disco, which whether you liked it or not, became a sensation in itself. But while some artists made songs that become quintessential ’70s hits, unfortunately, their success would barely last a year on the U.S. charts, let alone the decade. Read on to see if you remember these one-hit wonders of the ’70s — maybe your favorite made the list! “Spirit in the Sky” – Norman Greenbaum Norman Greenbaum’s “Spirit in the Sky” is featured on the 1969 album of the same name. By April 1970, it reached No. 3 on the BillboardHot 100, a list it lasted on for 15 weeks. The single went gold when it sold 2 million copies within a year of its release. Greenbaum told The New York Timesin 2006 that he was inspired to write the song after watching Porter Wagoner sing gospel on TV. “I thought, ‘Yeah, I could do that,’ knowing nothing about gospel music, so I sat down and wrote my own gospel song,” he said. “Kung Fu Fighting” – Carl Douglas Carl Douglas’ “Kung Fu Fighting” was a homage to the “chopsocky” film craze that swept the ’70s. Released in 1974 in the U.K., “Kung Fu Fighting” became an international hit that sold 11 million records worldwide. “Kung Fu Fighting” is remembered as one of the greatest one-hit wonders ever. The song largely overshadowed Douglas’s career and as a result, it became the only song he was known for. Though he had two more mild hits, including the follow up “Dance The Kung Fu,” they never saw success outside of the U.K. Coming up: Wild Cherry’s contribution to the soundtrack of the ’70s! “O-o-h Child” – Five Stairsteps “O-o-h Child” is a song whose title you probably sing in your head as you read it. Released as a 1970 single by Five Stairsteps, the song peaked at No. 8 on the BillboardHot 100 charts that summer. Chicago-based Five Stairsteps were considered the “First Family of Soul,” consisting of siblings Alohe, Clarence Jr., James, Dennis, and Keni Burke. Though they had a couple other minor hits on their discography, none matched the success of “O-o-h Child,” which was their only Top 40 hit. The song has retained its popularity throughout the years for its positive, uplifting message. Coming up, people loved a certain disco tune, but parents hated its innuendo. But would you believe it was originally written for an 11-year-old? “Magic” – Pilot Scottish rock group Pilot released their single “Magic” in 1974. Selling upwards of one million copies, it was certified Gold within a year, peaking at No. 5 on U.S. charts. It would be Pilot’s only U.S. success, as their next single “January” was only popular in the U.K. and Australia. Pilot subsequently faded out of the American music season almost as quickly as they emerged, but people began looking them up again at the turn of the century. Renewed interest in “Magic” generated after Pillsbury used the song in a 2007 commercial. Selena Gomez also sang a cover two years later while she was still on Disney Channel’s Wizards of Waverly Place. “Ring My Bell” – Anita Ward “Ring My Bell” was Anita Ward’s only hit song. Released in 1979, it hit No. 1 on both the BillboardHot 100 and Soul Singles charts and earned the artist a Grammy nomination. The song’s innuendo raised many eyebrows at the time, which is interesting because it was originally written for 11-year-old Stacy Lattisaw. R&B singer Frederick Knight originally wrote the song for teens about talking on the telephone, but when Lattisaw signed with a different label, he took the song to Ward. She originally didn’t like it, insisting it should capitalize on the disco trend, but even she didn’t want too many suggestive lyrics, since she started out as a gospel singer. There was another song that rocked the ’70s, but people called the band ‘Beatles rip-offs’ which didn’t help them stay very popular… “Afternoon Delight” – Starland Vocal Band Starland Vocal Band’s “Afternoon Delight” was commended for its harmonies, but it remained at the height of popularity because of its suggestive lyrics. Released in 1976, it topped theBillboardHot 100 and won two of its four Grammy nominations, including Best Arrangement for Voices and Best New Artist. Of the latter Grammy, founding member Bill Danoff has said, “[That] was basically the kiss of death and I feel sorry for everyone who’s gotten it since.” The following year, the band hosted a CBS variety show, The Starland Vocal Band Show, but were unable to match the success of “Afternoon Delight.” “In the Summertime” – Mungo Jerry “In the Summertime” by Mungo Jerry is one of the quintessential songs of summer. When people envision summer and its inherent carefree spirit, this is probably one of the songs that comes to mind, especially if you grew up in the ’70s.+ Released in 1970 under the Pyre imprint Dawn Records, the single became a worldwide hit. Charting at No. 3 on the BillboardHot 100, the British band sold 10 million copies and it has since been frequently used in television and movies. The song was released as a maxi single in a picture sleeve, which was unusual at the time, making it a rare collector’s item today. “My Sharona” – The Knack The Knack’s debut single “My Sharona” was topped the BillboardHot 100 for five consecutive weeks, and became the No. 1 song of 1979. The international hit was certified Gold. Though technically it wasn’t their only hit—their follow-up “Good Girls Don’t” peaked at No. 11—backlash against them prevented them from attaining the same success. People called them ‘Beatles rip-offs,’ also perceiving their songs to be about teenaged girls when the members of the band themselves were much older. Such accusations led San Francisco artist Hugh Brown to launch a “Knuke the Knack” campaign, which certainly hurt the band’s popularity. Coming up is a song that has a lot of disco-feeling to it, but surprisingly, the woman who sang it hates disco! “Me and Mrs. Jones” – Billy Paul Soul singer Billy Paul was looking for his big break when producers Gamble and Huff helped him create “Me and Mrs. Jones.” The single remained in the No. 1 spot on the charts for the last three weeks of 1972, becoming certified platinum upon selling two million copies. Billy Paul won a Grammy for the song, which has been covered throughout the years by the likes of the Dramatics, Freddie Jackson, and Michael Bublé. Unfortunately, Paul’s follow-up single, “Am I Black Enough for You?,” failed to match its predecessors’ success. The song evoked a Black Power message that didn’t bode well with mainstream radio. “You Light Up My Life” – Debby Boone Debby Boone’s “You Light Up My Life” spent an unprecedented ten consecutive weeks at No. 1 on the BillboardHot 100 in 1977. Boone won a Grammy for Best New Artist and an American Music Award for Favorite Pop Single. “You Light Up My Life” was originally written for the 1977 film of the same name and sung by Kasey Cisyk. Boone’s cover of the song is still considered to be in the top ten songs of all songs that have charted on the BillboardHot 100. She subsequently took on a country career, but never matched the success of the song that made her famous. “I Love The Nightlife” – Alicia Bridges Lovers of disco would remember Alicia Bridges’ “I Love the Nightlife” from 1978. The song peaked at No. 5 on the BillboardHot 100 and No. 2 for two consecutive weeks on the disco charts. The song is considered a crossover hit, as it was reportedly even played at country music radio. The song is widely regarded as a disco track, especially since it’s about a woman leaving a man to go to the disco. However, Bridges herself reportedly didn’t even like disco. She never matched the success of “I Love the Nightlife,” due in part to her refusal to do a full disco album. If you love Drake, then you should probably know who he samples his songs from. “Dancing In The Moonlight” – King Harvest “Dancing in the Moonlight” was the only major hit of French-American rock group King Harvest. The song was originally written by the brother of King Harvest drummer, Wells Kelly. King Harvest recorded the song and released the single, but disbanded after six months after it didn’t take off. That is, until Perception Records bought the song and re-released it worldwide. In 1972, “Dancing in the Moonlight” peaked at No. 13 on the BillboardHot 100. As a band, King Harvest didn’t do much after their initial success since their subsequent singles failed to take off. “Rapper’s Delight” – Sugarhill Gang Rap was in its earliest forms throughout the ’70s, but the niche was largely considered a fad outside of the Bronx, which is why big record companies weren’t producing any rap tracks. That began to change with 1979’s “Rapper’s Delight” by The Sugarhill Gang. Though the song was barely able to break the Top 40 on U.S. charts, it still introduced rap to mainstream audiences. After the success of “Rapper’s Delight,” The Sugarhill Gang never had another hit in the U.S., but they did have a glimmer of lasting success in Europe. “Play That Funky Music” – Wild Cherry “Play That Funky Music” was a No. 1 single on the BillboardHot 100 when it debuted in 1976. Before Wild Cherry came out with the song, they were a hard rock band who failed to impress at a club performance. This was because disco was popular at the time and one audience member shouted, “Play some funky music, white boy.” Frontman Rob Parissi took the heckler’s comment to heart, taking the band back to the drawing board to become a funk band. Despite the success of “Play That Funky Music,” it would turn out to be Wild Cherry’s only hit. “Why Can’t We Live Together” – Timmy Thomas When kids hear the bossa nova-style percussion and Lowrey organ at the start of Drake’s 2015 banger “Hotline Bling,” what they’re actually listening to is the 1979 track “Why Can’t We Live Together” by R&B musician Timmy Thomas. Performed completely solo by Thomas, “Why Can’t We Live Together” peaked at No. 3 on the U.S. charts during the early ’70s. Of Drake sampling his biggest hit, Thomas told Spin, “Can you believe, I had a top-three song in 1973, of this same music… and his is No. 4? That’s incredible! Think about how honored I should feel that I would have [such success with] the same song, twice in a lifetime…”