3 One-Hit Wonders That Should Have Been Bigger
In honor of one-hit wonder artists who we think deserved more attention, Audio Ink Radio presents one-hit wonders that should have been bigger. – Author: Anne Erickson, “So Far: Best of Sinead O’Connor” album artwork via Chrysalis
While saying an artist or band is a one-hit wonder is usually seen as a negative thing, it can really be a positive. There’s something to be said for an artist who gets known on one big hit but then leverages that success to build a fanbase. Even if that artist never reaches that level of mainstream success again, at least they gained a lot of listeners through it, and those die-hard fans will stick with them through thick and thin. In honor of some one-hit wonder artists who we think deserve more attention, Audio Ink Radio presents its tally of one-hit wonders that should have been bigger.
One-Hit Wonders Artists Who Should Have Been Huge
Fastball
Alternative rock isn’t really a genre known for their one-hit wonders, because that genre is about going against the mainstream, but Fastball sure got one in their hit “The Way.” The 1998 song has a cool, upbeat vibe and sound like a fun summer song, but it’s really about an elderly couple who went missing in their van. According to Songfacts, the track was written about a real-life story of Lela and Raymond Howard, an elderly couple from Salado, Texas, who made their way to the annual Pioneer Day festival but didn’t come back. that’s pretty dark, right? Either way, the song made Fastball a popular band in the late-1990s. They had other alternative rock success, but nothing topped “The Way.”
Sinead O’Connor
All of the musicians on are very talented, and Sinead O’Connor is certainly one of them. The singer, songwriter and activist, who passed away in July of 2023, was simply a magical talent and brought so much emotion and feeling to her music. O’Conner hit it big with her acclaimed over of the Prince classic “Nothing Compares 2 U,” and for that, she’ll also be known. Her follow-up single, “The Emperor’s New Clothes,” didn’t have nearly that success.
But, it’s too bad that her other fantastic songs didn’t get quite as well known as the Prince cover. O’Connor’s 1990 album, “I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got,” was by far her biggest commercial success and sol more than seven million copies around the world.
The Verve
The Verve, not to be confused with the Verve Pipe, had a massive hit with their 1997 opus “Bittersweet Symphony,” and the track became one of the most popular for the decade. The guys got into a bit of a pickle with the hit, because they sampled a symphonic version of The Rolling Stones song “The Last Time.” In the end, they had to pay the price for using it, but perhaps it was worth it, because it was really their only big hit. These guys had so much talent left in them, that it’s really a shame that none of their other songs rose to the level of “Bittersweet Symphony,” but at least they delivered this beautiful song to the world.
For more one-hit wonder fun, check out Audio Ink Radio’s tally of the best one-hit wonders that were actually cover songs.
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