One Hit Wonders Home Page

This is the home page for one hit wonders (OHWs) from 1960 through 2000. One Hit Wonders in Tune Timeline order by years and by top OHWs for each year.

Top OHWs By The Decade:    1960s   1970s   1980s   1990s  

Top 100 One Hit Wonders of the entire period.

What is a one hit wonder?

An artist with exactly one top 20 hit, strictly speaking. Also, an artist with no top 20 songs but with one song far more famous than any other. Click years for one hit wonder lists and top one hit wonders by year.

Dominique was the only big hit for The Singing Nun, and a huge 1963 number one song even though she refused to promote the record. Nun Jeannine Deckers wanted to remain anonymous. In 1974, Sister Janet Mead also had a one hit wonder with a Christian song -- The Lord's Prayer itself, set to music.

Merrilee Rush And The Turnabouts made a 1968 one hit wonder and number 6 hit with Angel Of The Morning. In 1981, Juice Newton took the song to number 2. Reggae star Shaggy later restyled the song, renaming it 'Angel,' and it reached number one.

Vicki Lawrence was a performer on the variety TV series The Carol Burnett Show. She burst onto the music scene with number one song The Night The Lights Went Out In Georgia. The song was written by her husband, Bobby Russell.

The First Class song Beach Baby quickly made it to number 2. In fact, this one hit wonder group was led by singer Tony Burrows who made it a career to sing many one hit wonders in various groups. The album cover above was released on the heels of the success.
All other covers here are original single records or album covers.

Lipps, Inc. burst onto the dance scene with number one song Funkytown. Years later in 1987, Pseudo Echo took the same song to number 4. Neither group had another top 20, making the song Funkytown a two-time one hit wonder.

Marcy Playground reached number one rock then crossed-over to make number one pop with Sex And Candy. The band made the Rock Top 20 again, but had no more Pop Top 20 songs.

One Hit Wonders 1957 to 1959

One Hit Wonders 2000