WAYNE’S WORDS
Volume 4 Number 06
One Hit Wonders
Volume 4 Number 06
One Hit Wonders
The other night, at dinner, my son and I were discussing music. At the onset, this is already a mind-numbing conversation, because (to him) my music is crap and (to me) his music is crap. LOL. These conversations usually end up being a circular argument about what is and is not good.
Nonetheless, The Boy mentioned Vanilla-Ice (of all people) when talking about “old-school” hip-hop/rap. I made mention that I have actually seen Robert Van Winkle twice in my life and I thought that he was quite ungracious and a whiner.
The first instance was at the height of his “Ice-Ice, Baby” popularity. He opened for (drum roll, please) MC Hammer. I did not buy the second row tickets – they were a “perk” of my job. Incidentally, the group that preceded both Vanilla Ice and MC Hammer that night was a little-known, all-girl singing group called En Vogue. They stole the show with harmonies as rich as freshly churned butter. But, I digest…. That night, Mr. Van Winkle was on top of the world and beamed with pride as the crowd roared when his signature track started.
The second time I saw him was… I dunno… sometime in the last decade with some friends. We decided to go to some (insert holiday here) fest and he was the headliner. It sounded retro-fun and funny. Much to our dismay, when he was onstage and people started chanting “Ice-Ice, Baby,” he got super pissed. He started screaming the fact that he was a “legitimate” rapper and star and that song was just one and… blah, blah, blah! What a baby!
This brings me to the “discussion.” We were both right, but I think neither one of us wanted to see the other’s point. So here it is… all spelled out.
First off, the definition of “one-hit wonder” is a confused one. The Billboard Book of One-Hit Wonders (Billboard Books, 1998) defines a one-hit wonder rather strictly, as "an act that has won a position on Billboard's national, pop, Top 40 just once. That definition does minimalize many artists whom NO ONE would consider “one-hit wonders” (i.e. Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix). Looser definitions state that a “one-hit wonder” is someone who is remembered for one specific song – whether that song even made the charts and regardless of their body of work if it was overshadowed by said song. I would also add that I think it has to be a song so ubiquitous during its time (or since) that the majority of people, regardless of musical taste, would recognize it OR the artist. For example, the perky Katrina and the Waves song “Walking on Sunshine.”
Vanilla Ice had The Boy on his side. He said that it must be quite irritating and frustrating to write truckloads of music and find out that everyone wants to hear that one song. They don’t appreciate your other music. They don’t even want to hear your other music. You work so hard at your profession and all anyone remembers is that one stupid instance – that one song that you probably get sick and tired of playing.
Son, that’s a very good point. Imagine being a doctor all your life and only being remembered for the time you delivered that baby in the cab during gridlock traffic in 100 degree heat with only a shoestring and a bottle opener – regardless of the countless lives you saved with a career full of proper diagnoses and such. However, that cab-baby was still quite a feat and was even named after you!
In fact, many “one-hit wonders,” whether they hate the title or embrace it, often feel that was NOT even their best song. Also, many of them have a huge body of work before or after the “one hit” that is remarkable and often times much better and even more critically acclaimed. The other music, for whatever reason – whether it is moon-wobble or lack of harmonic convergence – just does not make it on the GRAND scale that the “one hit” did.
My side of the argument was that any “one-hit wonder” should get down on their knees to thank the public for embracing and recognizing the song to such a magnitude that it made them, if even for just a few minutes, a household name. In a sea of thousands of signed artists and millions of people with a penned song in their guitar case, to have your “one” recognized the world over is statistically amazing. You should be grateful.
Although many “one-hit wonders” disappear after their “15 minutes of fame” many more do not evaporate into oblivion. The smart “one-hitters” or even perceived “one-hitters” parlay the success of that one song into a loyal fan base that eats up every tune they write and they continue making music for the love of it, regardless of any subsequent commercial success or lack thereof.
You cannot tell true fans of Madness that “Our House” was the only good song that band released. In fact in the 80s, they had 15 Top-Ten hits in 4 years in the U.K. In reality (at least in the U.S.) that one song was their defining moment. Then there are acts like Toni Basil. She landed in the annals of music history (whether you like it or not) with “Hey, Mickey.” She had a couple of other insignificant hits and one more album, but that was it she was finished. She went back to her choreography.
So, I guess it is all in how you look at it as an artist. Are you going to belly ache that “no one” appreciated anything except for your one hit? Or are you going to embrace the fact that, even for a just few minutes, you were the biggest thing and will always be remembered for it and go on your merry way making music or whatever you want to do?
Have a good trip, son.
Enjoy the Midwest.
See you in August.
I Love You!
Nonetheless, The Boy mentioned Vanilla-Ice (of all people) when talking about “old-school” hip-hop/rap. I made mention that I have actually seen Robert Van Winkle twice in my life and I thought that he was quite ungracious and a whiner.
The first instance was at the height of his “Ice-Ice, Baby” popularity. He opened for (drum roll, please) MC Hammer. I did not buy the second row tickets – they were a “perk” of my job. Incidentally, the group that preceded both Vanilla Ice and MC Hammer that night was a little-known, all-girl singing group called En Vogue. They stole the show with harmonies as rich as freshly churned butter. But, I digest…. That night, Mr. Van Winkle was on top of the world and beamed with pride as the crowd roared when his signature track started.
The second time I saw him was… I dunno… sometime in the last decade with some friends. We decided to go to some (insert holiday here) fest and he was the headliner. It sounded retro-fun and funny. Much to our dismay, when he was onstage and people started chanting “Ice-Ice, Baby,” he got super pissed. He started screaming the fact that he was a “legitimate” rapper and star and that song was just one and… blah, blah, blah! What a baby!
This brings me to the “discussion.” We were both right, but I think neither one of us wanted to see the other’s point. So here it is… all spelled out.
First off, the definition of “one-hit wonder” is a confused one. The Billboard Book of One-Hit Wonders (Billboard Books, 1998) defines a one-hit wonder rather strictly, as "an act that has won a position on Billboard's national, pop, Top 40 just once. That definition does minimalize many artists whom NO ONE would consider “one-hit wonders” (i.e. Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix). Looser definitions state that a “one-hit wonder” is someone who is remembered for one specific song – whether that song even made the charts and regardless of their body of work if it was overshadowed by said song. I would also add that I think it has to be a song so ubiquitous during its time (or since) that the majority of people, regardless of musical taste, would recognize it OR the artist. For example, the perky Katrina and the Waves song “Walking on Sunshine.”
Vanilla Ice had The Boy on his side. He said that it must be quite irritating and frustrating to write truckloads of music and find out that everyone wants to hear that one song. They don’t appreciate your other music. They don’t even want to hear your other music. You work so hard at your profession and all anyone remembers is that one stupid instance – that one song that you probably get sick and tired of playing.
Son, that’s a very good point. Imagine being a doctor all your life and only being remembered for the time you delivered that baby in the cab during gridlock traffic in 100 degree heat with only a shoestring and a bottle opener – regardless of the countless lives you saved with a career full of proper diagnoses and such. However, that cab-baby was still quite a feat and was even named after you!
In fact, many “one-hit wonders,” whether they hate the title or embrace it, often feel that was NOT even their best song. Also, many of them have a huge body of work before or after the “one hit” that is remarkable and often times much better and even more critically acclaimed. The other music, for whatever reason – whether it is moon-wobble or lack of harmonic convergence – just does not make it on the GRAND scale that the “one hit” did.
My side of the argument was that any “one-hit wonder” should get down on their knees to thank the public for embracing and recognizing the song to such a magnitude that it made them, if even for just a few minutes, a household name. In a sea of thousands of signed artists and millions of people with a penned song in their guitar case, to have your “one” recognized the world over is statistically amazing. You should be grateful.
Although many “one-hit wonders” disappear after their “15 minutes of fame” many more do not evaporate into oblivion. The smart “one-hitters” or even perceived “one-hitters” parlay the success of that one song into a loyal fan base that eats up every tune they write and they continue making music for the love of it, regardless of any subsequent commercial success or lack thereof.
You cannot tell true fans of Madness that “Our House” was the only good song that band released. In fact in the 80s, they had 15 Top-Ten hits in 4 years in the U.K. In reality (at least in the U.S.) that one song was their defining moment. Then there are acts like Toni Basil. She landed in the annals of music history (whether you like it or not) with “Hey, Mickey.” She had a couple of other insignificant hits and one more album, but that was it she was finished. She went back to her choreography.
So, I guess it is all in how you look at it as an artist. Are you going to belly ache that “no one” appreciated anything except for your one hit? Or are you going to embrace the fact that, even for a just few minutes, you were the biggest thing and will always be remembered for it and go on your merry way making music or whatever you want to do?
Have a good trip, son.
Enjoy the Midwest.
See you in August.
I Love You!
Until Next Time,
Wayne
