One Hit Wonders of Yesteryear Part Two

Another little series this one about one-hit wonders. It is surprising to note that all of these songs are memorable but just had their one shining moment for the artists and no other great hits followed. This is the second post in this series. I will add the links below as I go along.

Disco Duck

Let’s disco! How many of you remember the duck that discoed? In 1976 it was a satirical disco novelty song performed by Rick Dees and his Cast of Idiots. It quickly got everyone dancing and was at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The song received the 1977 People’s Choice Award for Favorite New Song. This song was inspired by a novelty dance song titled “The Duck” from the 1960s.

Do You Wanna Dance

“Do You Want to Dance” was written and recorded in 1958 by American singer Bobby Freeman. The song immediately charted on both the Billboard Top 100 and Billboard R&B charts. It was a catchy song that made you want to get up and dance. The song brought Freeman into the limelight but was also the only song he was known for. There are other versions but Freeman’s original was also in the film “American Graffiti”. Years later when I was ready to dance it was a popular favorite on the oldies stations and a dance hit favorite.

Earth Angel

“Earth Angel” was recorded by the American doo-wop group The Penguins in 1954. The song came from Southern California and spread across the US. It charted on the Billboard national pop charts and was within the Top 10. It became a hit among R&B charts. Unfortunately, for The Penguins this was their only hit but it was worth listening to. In my younger years even though I came into the world in the late 1950s I still remember the first beats of this song and can still remember the words “earth angel, earth angel will you be mine”. I got to know it well since I loved to listen to oldies radio stations and have seen movies about the 1950s in which teens dance to this song.

A popular song like this doesn’t get forgotten and what is interesting is that the British rock band Coldplay played it in a concert in New Jersey with actor Michael J. Fox on guitar as a tribute to his film “Back to the Future.”

The video is of this song and the scene from the film

Eve of Destruction

This is one song that even though its lyrics were meant about the things that went on in the 1960s I thought could also be applied to more modern events. I started thinking about this song again during many upsetting events as things progressed in the world.

“Eve of Destruction” is a protest song that was written by P.F. Sloan in 1965. The most popular version was recorded by Barry McGuire. Social issues in this song dealt with the Vietnam War, the draft, the threat of Nuclear War, the Civil Rights Movement, turmoil in the Middle East, and the American space program.

The song became so popular at the time it also became a one-hit-wonder for McGuire. The song went to number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and also charted on the UK Singles chart. With all that is going on today, I think new lyrics are called for and this song can easily be revived.

The pandemic came along, a disturbed man named Trump tried to topple the apple cart, problems in Ukraine with the crazed man in Russia, and many other things have begun to make me once again think we might be on the – eve of destruction.

Gimme Gimme Good Loving

Another lively song with great lyrics was recorded in the 1960s by a band that was named Crazy Elephant. The song was written by Joey Levine and Ritchie Cordell. It was recorded by American bubblegum pop band Crazy Elephant. The song quickly became popular and charted on both the Billboard Hot 100 and the UK Singles chart. It got a lot of attention when it was played on oldies radio stations. It was ranked at number 89 on the Billboard Year-End Hot 100 Singles of 1969.

Green Tambourine

This has long been a favorite song of mine particularly the original version by The Lemon Pipers. As soon as the song begins I start thinking and I love the verse with green tambourine.

“Green Tambourine” is a song that was written and composed by Paul Leka and Shelley Pinz. In the 1960s it became a huge hit for the rock group The Lemon Pipers and also my favorite version. It was on their album of the same name and became one of the first psychedelic pop chart-toppers. The song was at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and was certified Gold.

Happy Days

“Happy Day” is a song that was written by Norman Gimbel and Charles Fox. Most of you probably remember this song as the theme for the 1970s TV series of the same name. Jim Haas first recorded it in 1974. At this time the song was only played during the closing credits of the show’s Season 1 and 2.

Once the song was re-recorded by Pratt & McClain and His Comets the updated version was used as the opening theme. They included it on their album Pratt & McClain Featuring Happy Days and also released it as a single. Even though it was a theme song it charted on the Billboard Hot 100 and Easy Listening charts. Both the song and the show became big hits and of course, the song faded away once the show no longer aired.

How Do You Do

This is an upbeat song that I have always liked. Mouth and MacNeal might not have been overly popular but they had some great songs like this which is their best-known song.

In 1971 “How Do You Do” was recorded by Dutch duo Mouth & MacNeal. It quickly became an international hit and went to number one on many charts including the Billboard Top 100 chart. The composers of the song were Hans van Hemert and Harry van Hoof. The song won the Burma Export Award for the most records sold abroad by a Dutch musical act in 1972.

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