According to Wikipedia, a one-hit wonder is any entity that achieves mainstream popularity, often for only one piece of work, and becomes known among the general public solely for that momentary success. I've translated this to my own preferences as any act that scores exactly one hit in my list of 200+ favourite songs (in Artrockometer terms 6/6, "hors concours") and does not have even one song in the next tier (in Artrockometer terms 5/6, "essential"). Here is a third helping. The image above was made with Photofunia.
Zhi shao hai you ni (Sandy Lam)
About the singer: Sandy Lam (1966) is a Hong Kong singer, actress and album producer. She released more than 30 stylistically diverse albums in Cantonese, Mandarin, English and Japanese.
About the song: this is one of those unknown gems that I have my wife to thank for. Together with Faye Wong, Sandy Lam is one of the best-loved mandarin pop singers. Overall, Faye Wong is more adventurous in her choice of repertoire, but this beautiful love song (the title's translation is At least I still have you) from her 2000 album Sandy's is better than anything Faye produced. The almost too sweet lyrics (sample in translation: "I'm afraid that there's not enough time, I wanna hold you until I feel that your wrinkles show signs of aging , until I'm sure that you're real, until I've lost all my energy - I'm willing to, because of you") are encompassed in a beautiful melody with great piano playing and a well-judged guitar solo gives some beef to the song as well.
Wind of change (Scorpions with Berlin Philharmonic)
About the band: Scorpions are a German heavy rock band formed in 1965. They released 18 studio albums and sold over 110 million records in total. The Berlin Philharmonic is one of the most famous symphony orchestras in the world. In 2000 they cooperated for the album Moments of glory, mainly featuring re-arranged songs from the Scorpions repertoire, as well as classical interludes.
About the song: German metalheads Scorpions have often skated along the thin line between great and cheesy. Sometimes they went completely overboard, both in their music and in their notorious album covers. Sometimes they came close to greatness, especially in their 1990 anthem Wind of change, inspired by the impending fall of communism. Even better than the well-known original is their remake of ten years later. The combination of hard rock and symphony orchestra has been tried more often, but the Scorpions cooperation with the world renowned Berlin Philharmonic is probably the best of all. It is not surprising that especially Wind of change gets a tremendous boost by the symphonic support. A beautiful version.
Kites (Simon Dupree and the Big Sound)
About the band: Simon Dupree and the Big Sound were a British psychedelic band formed in 1966, and dissolved in 1969, after which the core members formed the prog band Gentle Giant. They released only one studio album, and their only big hit Kites was not included on it.
About the song: Kites is the only sixties' one-hit-wonder that has stood the test of time. The band hated it, but their manager loved it, as its psychedelic sound was exactly right for the time. The colourful tones of the mellotron create a distinctly Asian atmosphere, enhanced by the images of the lyrics (the white kite flying in the sun, with a message of love on it), and topped off by the recitation of an Asian sounding poem by actress Jacqui Chan, who apparently reproduced phonetics taught to her by her grandmother with the result that no-one knows what she is saying or even what language it is in.
Wildflower (Skylark)
About the band: Skylark were a Canadian pop/rock band, active from 1971–1973. They released two studio albums, then disbanded.
About the song: Wildflower is a track from the 1972 album Skylark. It is one of those songs that I loved when I was a 16-year old discovering pop music in 1973, and still do. This single by a little-known Canadian band caused some controversy in America in its days when it hit the US top ten: was this a white group trying to do a black song or a black group trying to do a white song? It turned out to be the latter.
Through the barricades (Spandau Ballet)
About the band: Spandau Ballet were a British pop band formed in 1979. They quickly became popular as one of the leaders of the New Romantics movement. They released seven studio albums and scored eight top 10 hits in the UK.
About the song: this song is the title track of the 1986 album Through the barricades. An immensely moving acoustic ballad, inspired by the tragic situation in Northern Ireland - a bewildering choice of subject if you know them only from simple love songs like Gold and True.
Do it again (Steely Dan)
About the band: Steely Dan is an American jazz fusion band founded in 1972 by core members Becker and Fagen. The band enjoyed critical and commercial success until breaking up in 1981. They reunited in 1993, and released in total nine studio albums.
About the song: I love many of Steely Dan's albums, but if we talk about individual songs, there is one that really sticks out: Do it again. This track from the 1972 debut album Can't buy a thrill shows Steely Dan at their strongest. Their high quality jazz influenced rock is combined on this US hit single with a strong text about a gambler who simply cannot give up. Donald Fagen has never sounded better than on this recording.
An island in the darkness (Strictly Inc./Tony Banks)
About the band/artist: a bit of a conundrum here, as the song is sometimes ascribed to the band Strictly Inc., and sometimes to Tony Banks. Strictly Inc. was a short lived 'band' formed by Tony Banks with Wang Chung lead vocalist Jack Hues. Tony Banks (1950) is a Brittish musician, songwriter and film composer, primarily known as the keyboardist and founding member of the rock band Genesis. Banks is also a prolific solo artist, releasing six solo albums that range through progressive rock, pop, and especially classical music.
About the song: in 1995, almost 20 years after the last progressive masterpiece by Genesis (One for the vine from the Wind and wuthering album), Tony Banks came up with this 17 minutes gem on the otherwise rather mediocre self-titled Strictly Inc. album. The singer is more than adequate, but the real strength of the song is the plethora of gorgeous instrumental passages, not only the pianowork from Banks himself, but also the guitar play of Daryl Stuermer. In many ways, this anachronistic and nostalgic epic reminds me of one of the best Genesis songs, Firth of Fifth.
Tian Tang (Tengger)
About the artist: Tengger (1960) is a Chinese singer and movie star from Inner Mongolia, whose name is also transcribed as Tenger, Tengeer, Tenggeer or Tengri, to complicate searches. He is immensely popular in China and South East Asia, but it is difficult to find information about him on non-Chinese sites.
About the song: the first time I heard the song Tian Tang (Paradise), in a CD shop in Shanghai, it blew me away. When I asked my wife whether she knew the singer, I found out it is actually one of her favourite songs as well. Repeated listening has only strengthened my appreciation. This is music that deserves a far wider listening than it unfortunately will get. He recorded it many times in the course of his career; my favourite version is the one from 1997.
Song to the siren (This Mortal Coil)
About the band: This Mortal Coil were a British music collective formed in 1984 that was made up of a large rotating cast of artists, including members of Cocteau Twins, Pixies, and Dead Can Dance. The project became known for its gothic, dream pop sound, and released three studio albums between 1984 and 1991.
About the song: Song to the siren is a track from the 1984 debut album It'll end in tears. It is a cover of a Tim Buckley composition, which takes on a totally new dimension in the version of the members of the Cocteau Twins. Liz Frasers peculiar voice set over a fascinatingly strange instrumental arrangement makes for a unique experience. There is no song I know that even comes close to sounding like this one.
Vienna (Ultravox)
About the band: Ultravox (earlier stylized as Ultravox!) were a British new wave band, formed in 1974. Between 1980 and 1986, they scored seven Top Ten albums and seventeen Top 40 singles in the UK. In total they released eleven studio albums.
About the song: Vienna is a track from the 1980 album of the same name (their fourth). In the early eighties, a new kind of pop music burst on the scene as reaction on the seemingly unstoppable rise of punk in the late seventies: the New Romantics. Helped by synthesizer sounds and often very mysterious video clips, bands like Spandau Ballet, Depeche Mode, Duran Duran, Eurythmics, China Crisis, Visage and Human League were quite successful for a few years. One of the best and most successful efforts from this period is this haunting song with its distorted violins and a highly romantic video.
L'adolescente (Yves Duteil & Jeanne Moreau)
About the duo: Yves Duteil (1949) is a French singer-songwriter; Jeanne Moreau (1928 - 2017) was a French actress, singer, screenwriter and director. They collaborated for one song only.
About the song: Yves Duteil is one of France's most loved singers. In 1979 he recorded the song L'adolescente for the movie of the same name. Jeanne Moreau, one of the best-known French actresses of that time, starred in the movie and joined Duteil in a tender love song, introduced and finalised by a haunting piano tune, which sounds like it has been recorded in an empty cinema.
Time of the season (Zombies)
About the band: The Zombies are a British rock band formed in 1961, led by keyboardist and vocalist Rod Argent and vocalist Colin Blunstone. The band fell apart in 1967 after two studio albums, but several reunions and five more albums followed over the years.
About the song: Time of the season, a track from the 1968 album Odessey and Oracle, is the masterpiece of this still underrated band. This song has some quite unusual influences (certainly for that time), with a dominating African beat and instrumentation, and great jazzy organ sounds. Also the lyrics are special in their cynical way: "What's your name, who's your daddy - is he rich like me?"
Copyright statement: screen shots from videos is deemed fair use.
