The 20 best Classic Rock one hit wonders

17 January 2025, 17:58

Radio X looks at the rock artists who only managed to trouble the British charts just the once... some familiar, some not so familiar.

• What makes a "one hit wonder"?
• While some rock artists have had successful and length careers in the album charts, the hustle and bustle of the "hit parade" has not always been as kind. Look at Led Zeppelin for example: over 200 million albums sold worldwide and not one hit on the singles chart during their lifetime, mainly down to manager Peter Grant's policy of keeping them a "serious" band and focusing on the LP market.
• Some rock acts did well in the US, but their success failed to translate to the notoriously fickle Great Britain - KISS, for example, were huge in America during the 70s, but didn't break the UK Top 10 until 1987's Crazy Crazy Nights.
• So here are some ground rules for this list. The artist in question has to have one sole entry on the UK chart - any further entries which sneak into the bottom end of the Top 100 will discount the act.
• This means you won't find a number of famous "one-hit" would-bes like Men Without Hats and Spin Doctors, who saw follow-up singles sneaking onto the bottom end of the chart...

Read more

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1. ? And The Mysterians - 96 Tears: released October 1966

   The mysterious Michigan garage rock band had their single British hit when this organ-fuelled favourite made it to Number 37 in November 1966. Despite the cryptic name of the group, ? himself was actually one Rudy Martinez. Brit punks The Stranglers took a cover version of 96 Tears to Number 17 in 1990 and Manchester's own Inspiral Carpets gave us their version on their 1988 Plane Crash EP.

   

   Question Mark & The Mysterians - 96 Tears

2. Vanilla Fudge - You Keep Me Hanging On: release date 28th July 1967

   The Long Island rock pioneers comprised vocalist and organist Mark Stein, bassist Tim Bogert, guitarist and vocalist Vince Martell and drummer/vocalist Carmine Appice. Their heavy, heavy version of the Supremes classic peaked at Number 17 in September 1967 and while their version of Eleanor Rigby was listed at #53 on something called the "Breakers List", You Keep Me Hanging On is their only official British hit.

   

   Vanilla Fudge "Keep Me Hangin' On" on The Ed Sullivan Show

3. Crazy World Of Arthur Brown - Fire: release date 14th June 1968

   Brown was a memorable, anarchic figure in the charts in August 1968 when he'd appear on TV wearing an elaborate flaming metal headpiece. These hijinks sent his one and only British hit to the top for a week. The UK charts weren't formalised until 1969, so some music papers had Brown's follow-up single Nightmare listed as making Number 56 - but Fire is the only tune that officially counts.

   

   Fire - The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown @ TOTP 1968

4. Love Sculpture - Sabre Dance: release date 22nd November 1968

   This fantastically skilled guitar cover of Khachaturian's classical piece took the Cardiff band to Number 5 for a week in December 1968. Despite releasing two albums, Love Sculpture split up in early 1970 and frontman Dave Edmunds went solo, ending the year with the Christmas Number 1 in the shape of his cover of I Hear You Knocking.

   

   Sabre Dance - Love Sculpture

5. Steam - Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye: release date 31st October 1969

   This funky pop-rock song was the only British hit from the side project of New York singer-songwriters Gary DeCarlo (aka Garrett Scott) and Dale Frashuer, who teamed up with producer Paul Leka. Although a follow-up, I've Gotta Make You Love Me, nudged the bottom end of the US chart, there was no further success this side of the Atlantic. While Steam's original made Number 9, Bananarama's 1983 cover bettered it by peaking at Number 5.

   

   NEW * Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye - Steam {Stereo}

6. Norman Greenbaum – Spirit in the Sky: release date 6th February 1970

   The American singer-songwriter's fuzz-laden spiritual rocker was Number 1 in Canada, Ireland, Australia, the US Cash Box chart and the UK, where it knocked Dana's 1970 Eurovision winner All Kinds Of Everything off the top spot for two weeks. Doctor & The Medics took the same song back to Number 1 in 1986.

   

   Norman Greenbaum - Spirit In The Sky (1970)

7. Frijid Pink - House Of The Rising Sun: release date 20th February 1970

   A scorching fuzz-toned version of the blues standard (taken to the top in 1964 by The Animals), this Detroit rock band made it to Number 4 in Britain the same week that the England World Cup Squad topped the charts with Back Home. After Frijid Pink released their fourth album, Pink Inside, in 1974, there was a hiatus of 37 years before the follow-up arrived!

   

   Frijid Pink - House Of The Rising Sun (1970)

8. Matthews Southern Comfort – Woodstock: release date 24th July 1970

   Based around ex-Fairport Convention vocalist Ian Matthews, this hit single was issued between his second and third albums under the MSC name. Originally written and recorded by Joni Mitchell and successfully covered by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Matthews' version of Woodstock took the top spot in Britain for three weeks in November 1970 - just as the feature film documentary about the legendary festival was making its way around UK cinemas.

   

   Matthews Southern Comfort - Woodstock (1970)

9. The Rattles - The Witch: release date 24th July 1970

   Spooky psychedelic prog rock from this German band who were contemporaries of The Beatles during their Hamburg period in the early 60s. Featuring vocals from Edna Bejarano, The Witch was their biggest hit at home making Number 4, but found itself trapped at Number 8 in the UK for three weeks in November 1970.

   

   The Rattles - The Witch (1970)

10. Derek & The Dominos – Layla: release date 28th July 1971

    This one is included on a technicality. Of course, Eric Clapton has enjoyed chart success as a solo artist and as a member of the Yardbirds and Cream, but this is the only hit under the "Derek And The Dominos" name, which also included Bobby Whitlock, Carl Radle and Jim Gordon.

    Initially released in early 1971, it wasn't until a Clapton "Best Of" alerted the general public to the fact that Layla was in fact recorded by "God" himself and the single peaked at Number 7 in August 1972. The single was reissued again in March 1982 as a plug for another Clapton compilation, Time Pieces, which saw the track do even better, reaching Number 4.

    

    Layla

11. Brownsville Station – Smokin' In The Boys Room: release date 1st February 1974

    No-nonsense boogie from Ann Arbor, Michigan, taken from the band's excellently-titled third album, Yeah! The single peaked at Number 27 in March 1974.

    

    BROWNSVILLE STATION SMOKIN' IN THE BOYS ROOM

12. Emerson, Lake & Palmer – Fanfare For The Common Man: release date 27th May 1977

    Keith Emerson (former keyboardist with The Nice), Greg Lake (ex-King Crimson bassist) and Carl Palmer (one time Atomic Rooster drummer) had five Top 10 albums between 1970 and 1977, but this was their only attack on the singles chart in Britain. A prog version of Aaron Copland's 1942 classical piece, an edit made number 2 in the UK during the summer of the Silver Jubilee in and while some sources claim ELP's version of Jerusalem troubled the charts in 1973, we can't find any official trace of it.

    

    Emerson, Lake & Palmer - Fanfare For The Common Man (Live at Olympic Stadium, Montreal, 1977)

13. Ram Jam – Black Betty: release date 19th August 1977

    New York boogie rock par excellence based on a Lead Belly blues riff and originally released by frontman Bill Bartlett's previous band Starstruck. The Ram Jam version was a re-edited version and peaked at Number 7 in October 1977. The band has a second entry on the UK charts in February 1990, but this is a Ben Liebrand remix of Black Betty, so we'd like that stricken from the record, please.

    

    Ram Jam - Black Betty

14. Ironhorse - Sweet Lui-Louise: release date 30th March 1979

    Former Bachman Turner Overdrive man Randy Bachman's next project had a minor hit in 1979 with this driving classic. Bachman Turner Overdrive themselves made Number 22 with Roll On Down The Highway, the follow-up to You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet, so they don't qualify for this list, sorry.

    

    Ironhorse - Sweet Lui-Louise (1979)

15. Sniff 'N' The Tears - Driver's Seat: release date 23rd October 1978

    While only making Number 42 in July 1979, this moody tune from the London band fronted by Paul Roberts remains a rock radio classic. Sniff 'N' The Tears broke up in 1983 with no further hits, but the use of Driver's Seat in a TV ad put the song back in the Dutch charts, prompting the band to get back together!

    

    Sniff 'n' The Tears - "Driver's Seat" (Official Video)

16. Quarterflash - Harden My Heart: release date 5th February 1982

    A smooth, smooth rock sound from the Portland outfit with a vocal from Rindy Ross. The track spent five weeks on the UK chart in February and March 1982, peaking at Number 49. It fared better in the US, making 3 on the Billboard Hot 100.

    

    Quarterflash - Harden My Heart

17. Wall Of Voodoo - Mexican Radio: released January 1983

    Frontman Stan Ridgway is better known for his ghostly 1986 hit Camouflage, but his band Wall Of Voodoo had modest success with this angular new wave tune. Mexican Radio was a favourite in the early days of MTV and broke the Top 20 in Canada.

    

    Wall Of Voodoo - Mexican Radio

18. Opus - Live Is Life: released June 1985

    Anthemic rock from this Austrian band, which went to the top in their home country, plus France and Germany, while peaking at Number 6 in Britain. Opus called it a day in 2021, after issuing 11 albums!

    

    OPUS - Live Is Life - Original Video 1985

19. Timbuk 3 - The Future's So Bright I Gotta Wear Shades: released January 1987

    The husband and wife duo of Pat MacDonald and Barbara Kooyman released six albums between 1986 and 1995, but this was the only single to break into the British charts, peaking at 21 in February 1987.

    

    Timbuk 3 - The Future's So Bright

20. Divinyls - I Touch Myself: release date 29th April 1991

    This raunchy song caused some blushes among radio programmers, but the public sent Aussie duo Christine Amphlett and Mark McEntee to Number 10; they topped the charts in their home country. Sadly, Amphlett died in 2013, aged 53 and this was their only British hit - although they had four Top 10 albums in Australia.

    

    Divinyls - I Touch Myself (Official Music Video)