One Hit Wonders

[Crybaby Bunting]

Surely the most played Van Halen song would be his collaberation with Michael Jackson?

Beat It FTW

[Liam]

Van Halen the man, maybe.

Van Halen the group, no.

Fail'd.

[Farmer Reil]

The problem there goes with when Nirvana were popular, which was later than Van Halen, so they haven't been condensed down like Van Halen seemingly have...yet.

I mean, you could make arguments for 'Come As You Are' and 'Heart Shaped Box', which although not as big a hit as 'Smells Like Teen Spirit', are still generally well known.

I think that's pretty much the crux of the issue.

A large portion of people on the board, and thus people arguing in this thread, are around 18-24ish. Therefore we just missed the 80's (the first time around) as far as music goes. So bands like Van Halen and Bon Jovi most of us (I'm generalising horribly here, I know) only know of via the radio we heard growing up (which for most of us probably means "since we were about 12"), and the radio only usually play one or two songs by bands like that - bands that were popular, but aren't 'current'. Especially if we don't live in the country where they were biggest (the US, for VH, the UK for TL). So for 'us', Van Halen are associated with Jump more than anything else, because for a guy in his early 20's who listens to commercial radio and doesn't own any Van Halen albums, Jump is possibly the only Van Halen song he's ever heard, or at least the only one he can identify as a Van Halen song.

Nirvana, on the other hand, were popular quite a bit later on than Van Halen (and were MORE popular), so even though you might not have been a Nirvana fan, you'd probably heard a lot more than just SLTS. Especially as You Know You're Right was released in about 2000ish, IIRC, so you'd have heard it at college or late-on in high school, which might've sparked an interest in Nirvana if you'd never heard of them before, etc etc etc (can you tell I'm talking from experience here? ).

So, while Van Halen might not be one hit wonders in the literal sense of the word (they're clearly not. You can't be a popular rock band and tour for thirty years and only have one hit), they are one hit wonders in the sense Benji created the thread for; they're known, by the majority of people, for one particular song above all others. Regardless of how many of GhostMachine's friends might know other songs too, the number of people arguing with him clearly proves the point. The majority of people within our demographic know Van Halen solely for 'Jump'. Whereas the same majority could name many other Nirvana songs. Thin Lizzy also demonstrates the geographic divide; someone from the US would only know 'The Boys...', since that's the only one that ever made it big(ish) over there, whereas someone from the UK will know several more, and will probably identify WITJ as a Thin Lizzy song too.

The 'answer' to this thread pretty much depends on how old the people replying to it are and where they're from. So can we stop arguing about Van Halen now?

Edited April 4, 2008 by Farmer Reil

[Future-Shock]

Seriously, just because some people associate "Jump" as the only Van Halen song it does not make them fit this criteria. Since about half the people are up in arm saying they have other major hits (even bigger ones) I say that pretty much destroys any chance they could be a one hit wonder/band associated with one song.

Where-as something like "Bittersweet Symphony" by The Verve, 99% of people will only be able to name the one song.

[GhostMachine]

I was half asleep (as in needing to go to bed, not as in just got up) when I made my previous post, because I meant to list Frankie Goes To Hollywood as a one-hit wonder in the U.S.; I know they had a few more hits in the U.K., but "Two Tribes" was the only song of theirs other than "Relax" that I even remember getting much airplay here. "Relax" still gets played a lot, incidentally. I even heard it on the car radio yesterday, in fact.

I'm not even sure "The Power Of Love" was released as a single in the U.S., and if it was I don't think it did well. When most people think of a song called "The Power Of Love", its either by Huey Lewis and the News or (unfortunately) Celine Dion.

Would Frankie Goes To Hollywood pass as a one-album wonder?

Speaking of Huey Lewis and the News, I think someone mentioned them in this thread. And....nope. They don't qualify, because they had:

I Want A New Drug

The Power Of Love

The Heart of Rock & Roll

Heart & Soul

Hip To Be Square

*maybe* Workin' For A Livin'

The Power Of Love may be their best known song internationally due to being used in Back To The Future, but I Want A New Drug was already a fairly big hit in the U.S. before that, and Heart & Soul was, too, I think. Weird Al even did a parody of I Want A New Drug called "I Want A New Duck".

Seriously, just because some people associate "Jump" as the only Van Halen song it does not make them fit this criteria. Since about half the people are up in arm saying they have other major hits (even bigger ones) I say that pretty much destroys any chance they could be a one hit wonder/band associated with one song.

Where-as something like "Bittersweet Symphony" by The Verve, 99% of people will only be able to name the one song.

EXACTLY the point I was trying to make. Thank you, FS.

[Pesci]

99% is a bit strong for the Verve thing, especially on this forum where there seems to be more of a British influence. Like somebody said earlier, "Drugs Don't Work" was/is pretty big here.

[Liam]

Seriously, just because some people associate "Jump" as the only Van Halen song it does not make them fit this criteria. Since about half the people are up in arm saying they have other major hits (even bigger ones) I say that pretty much destroys any chance they could be a one hit wonder/band associated with one song.

Where-as something like "Bittersweet Symphony" by The Verve, 99% of people will only be able to name the one song.

Pesci is right. But as Reily said, its about context. Van Halen, for people of a certain age in the UK, would be 'that band who did Jump'.....for the US commerical music fan, the Verve would be 'that band that did Bittersweet Symphony', but in the other country they are bigger. Verve aren't known really based purely on 'Bittersweet Symphony' in the UK, but I guess they would probably have that in the US.

And because people do associate them with one song is exactly why they fit this criteria.

EDIT: Pesci, wasn't 'Drugs Don't Work' thier only number 1?

According to wiki, yes it was. And according to a Channel 4 documentary, its release around the time of the Diana death 'captured the imagination of the public', so yeah, it was a pretty big song for them.

Edited April 7, 2008 by rvdwannabe

[9 to 5]

Phants and Small - "Turn Around.

[Liam]

Phants and Small - "Turn Around.

It was Phats and Small, and didn't they do 'Sweet Like Chocolate Boy', which was pretty big?

[9 to 5]

Phants and Small - "Turn Around.

It was Phats and Small, and didn't they do 'Sweet Like Chocolate Boy', which was pretty big?

Nah, that was some other guff. Can't remember who it was, but it wasnt them.

[Liam]

Shanks & Bigfoot.

Thats who did it. And there's another one.

[Mike Widdows]

Almost everyone from Fame Academy, Pop Idol and X-Factor

[Guest Ricc]

2 Unlimited - No Limits.

[Clawson]

Really no bands show the continental divide more than The Verve and Oasis. Pretty much everybody on this side of the world know them for Bittersweet Symphony and Wonderwall. Both songs get an insane amount of airtime for being over 10 years old but it's all everybody here knows from them.

I'm sure there is an American or Canadian band doing that in Britain but I don't live there so I wouldn't know.

And No Limits....haha, they brings me back to my minor hockey days.

Edited April 10, 2008 by Clawson

[GhostMachine]

Really no bands show the continental divide more than The Verve and Oasis. Pretty much everybody on this side of the world know them for Bittersweet Symphony and Wonderwall. Both songs get an insane amount of airtime for being over 10 years old but it's all everybody here knows from them.

I'm sure there is an American or Canadian band doing that in Britain but I don't live there so I wouldn't know.

And No Limits....haha, they brings me back to my minor hockey days.

The Verve, most definitely. But I'd say Oasis is probably known over here for Champagne Supernova, as well as Wonderwall. Wonderwall is probably just more well known - but I do hear Champagne Supernova occasionally. (Personally, I detest Wonderwall, and prefer Champagne Supernova, so I'm glad it does get some airplay still on occasion) Live Forever was the first song by them I ever heard, and I wish it had been more successful.

[JStarr]

Personally, I detest Wonderwall, and prefer Champagne Supernova.

Amen. Wonderwall is one of the most annoying songs I've ever heard.

[New Damage]

Oooo-la-la-la-la-l-la-la

Oooo-la-la-la-la-l-la-la

Oooo-la-la-la-la-l-la-la

Oooo...EL CAPITAN!!

I found memories of that song... with my friend dancing around with a hat over his eyes before going crashing into the TV.

These if they ahven't been said in the 2 or so pages I've skipped ...

Phantom Planet - California

House Of Pain - Jump Around

Journey - a toss up between Anyway You Want It and Don't Stop Believin'

[GhostMachine]

Oooo-la-la-la-la-l-la-la

Oooo-la-la-la-la-l-la-la

Oooo-la-la-la-la-l-la-la

Oooo...EL CAPITAN!!

I found memories of that song... with my friend dancing around with a hat over his eyes before going crashing into the TV.

These if they ahven't been said in the 2 or so pages I've skipped ...

Phantom Planet - California

House Of Pain - Jump Around

Journey - a toss up between Anyway You Want It and Don't Stop Believin'

Never heard whatever that EL CAPITAN!! song is....

House of Pain also did Who's The Man and Shamrocks and Shananigans, and its a damn shame neither one came close to being a big success like Jump Around.

Journey, though? Ummm....

Wheel In The Sky

Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)

The Girl Can't Help It

Who's Crying Now

Open Arms

Go track those songs down if you've never heard them. Seriously. (And I listed them in order of how much I like them)

Were the Human League any more successful in the U.K. than they were in the U.S.? The only hits they had over here (that I can think of) were Don't You Want Me Baby and Human. (And Human is a damn fine song, in my opinion)