The One-Hit Wonder Band That Should Have Been Bigger
This one-hit wonder band had a plethora of other songs that could have also topped the Billboard 100 chart, if they had the chance. – Author: Cat Badra, Hinder promo image from Hinder and Webster Public Relations
There’s no shame in being a one-hit wonder band. Hardly any bands or musicians ever release a song that touches so many hearts around the world that it becomes the song for which they’re known. So, while having a one-hit wonder may sound like a band thing, it’s really not.
But, many one-hit wonder bands had countless other songs that could have been just as huge as their main hit. Everyone can think of at least one band whose biggest hit isn’t even as good as their other, lesser-known songs. So, there a really a lot of one-hit wonder bands who could have had more chart-toppers.
According to Merriam-Webster, a one-hit wonder band is “a musical group that has achieved recognition on the basis of only one widely popular song.” The Cambridge Dictionary adds that it’s “a performer of popular music who makes one successful recording but then no others.”
In this feature, Audio Ink Radio highlights a particular one-hit wonder band that has plenty of other songs that could have been smash hits.
A One-Hit Wonder Band That Needs More Attention
When it comes to mainstream hits that went to top 40 radio, the guys of Hinder are one of the few hard rock bands in the mid-2000s that was really able to break into that space. While Hinder had already broken out into the rock world with their hit “Get Stoned,” they surprisingly ended up on top 40 and mainstream radio with their follow-up single, the heartfelt “Lips of an Angel.”
“Lips of an Angel” and “Get Stoned” both arrived on Hinder’s blockbuster 2005 debut album, “Extreme Behavior.” “Lips of an Angel,” a power ballad, became the band’s breakout hit and even reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, which includes all genres.
Speaking with Songfacts, drummer Cody Hanson said the lyrics were written about an experience then singer Austin John Winkler had, explaining, “He came over to the house and we were writing, and I had the slow guitar progression. He had just finished telling me the story about what happened and then we sat down to write. He just kind of belted out, ‘Honey, why you calling me so late?’ and we just kind of stopped and had this moment.” So, the song was born.
He added, “We’re like ‘Oh, my God, that’s what we have to write the song about.’ And so we just sort of whipped it out real quick. We didn’t work on it very long. It took maybe 20 or 30 minutes and the song was done.” How incredible it is to have a song like that, which was written in only 20 to 30 minutes, get so big?
Hinder had other hits, too, but nothing took off like “Lips of an Angel.” It’s too bad, because their 2007 hit “Better Than Me” is another heartfelt ballad, and this one is just as beautiful as “Lips of an Angel.”
“Better Than Me” reached No. 31 on the Billboard Hot 100, which isn’t bad at all, but it really has the emotion and solid songwriter that could have gotten it into the top five. “Without You” is another Hinder gem that could have been much bigger. So, Hinder is one of the many one-hit wonder bands out there that we think should have had more mega hits.
Also check out Audio Ink Radio’s feature on the catchiest one-hit wonders of all time.
- The One-Hit Wonder Band That Should Have Been Bigger - August 1, 2025
- The Most Underrated Black Sabbath Songs of All Time - July 28, 2025
- Ozzy Osbourne Sent an Important Message Before He Died - July 22, 2025
