Hard to believe these artists had just one big hit. Lots of talent in this segment!
You may be surprised at the list of songs this talented artist has written:
#60: Martin Page--"In The House Of Stone And Light"
Martin Page was born in Southampton, Hampshire, England and moved from military base to military base as his father was an aviation engineer. Page was an apprentice to the Southampton Saints, a professional soccer team. While playing, Martin devoted a good deal of time to learning how to play the bass guitar. Eventually, Page's love of soccer gave way to his desire to become a professional musician.
Page toured with several British bands as a session musician before forming the group Q-Feel with Brian Fairweather, who eventually became his songwriting partner. The pair moved to Los Angeles, where they met Diane Poncher, who became their manager. Page was soon working with superstars such as Earth, Wind, and Fire and the Commodores, and co-wrote songs with famous songwriter Bernie Taupin such as "We Built This City" for Starship and "These Dreams" for Heart. Page also wrote the hits "King of Wishful Thinking" and "Faithful" for Go West, as well as songs for Josh Groban, Tom Jones and Robbie Robertson. Martin also played keyboards on the Ray Parker, Jr. smash "Ghostbusters".
In 1994, Page recorded his debut album In the House of Stone and Light. The title track, which Page wrote while visiting the Grand Canyon in Arizona. "In The House Of Stone And Light" showcased Page's amazing songwriting ability and although Billboard only ranked the song at #14, it is without question one of The Top Unknown/Underrated Songs of the Rock Era*.
After that success, Page suffered huge blows when both his parents and some dear friends died. Martin took some time off for mourning and reflection, and didn't return to the studio until 2008 for the album In the Temple of the Muse. The album was released on the independent label Ironing Board Records, which Page and Poncher started to give Page greater control of his music. Page released his third album A Tempter of Peace in 2012.
#59: Vanessa Carlton--"A Thousand Miles"
Carlton was born in Milford, Pennsylvania. She became interested in music and one day after returning from Disneyland at the age of two, she sat down and played "It's a Small World" on the piano. Vanessa began playing classical music, but by the age of 9, she became passionate about ballet. After graduating from the School of American Ballet, however, Carlton decided to pursue a singing career instead, performing in bars and clubs in New York City. Three months after recording a demo tape, Vanessa signed a recording contract with A&M Records.
Carlton released the single "A Thousand Miles" in 2002. The song became a worldwide smash, reaching #1 in Australia, #2 on the Adult Contemporary chart and #5 overall in the United States, #4 in New Zealand, #6 in the U.K. and #8 in Switzerland and France. "A Thousand Miles" finished the year as the sixth-most-played song of 2002, and it was nominated for Grammy Awards for Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist, and received nominations for the Billboard Music Award for New Artist of the Year and for an American Music Award for Favorite Adult Contemporary Artist. Clearly, the potential for Carlton was limitless.
The album Be Not Nobody followed and achieved Platinum status. Carlton released the singles "Ordinary Day" (#30) and "Pretty Baby", and opened for the Goo Goo Dolls and Third Eye Blind on tour. She provided backing vocals for the Counting Crows and played piano for Italian singer Zucchero. Vanessa was doing all the things necessary for success. However, the albums Harmonium in 2004 and Heroes & Thieves in 2007 did not continue the momentum. Carlton released the album Rabbits on the Run.
"A Thousand Miles" is one of the newest entries into the One Hit Wonders*, having just passed the minimum ten years without another mass appeal Top 20 song. Carlton has released four albums and nine singles in her career. Vanessa's uncle is the jazz artist Larry Carlton.
Up next, the Record of the Year in 2012 from an artist we never heard of again.
#58: Gotye--"Somebody That I Used To Know"
The story of Gotye is another oddity. Gotye (real name Wouter "Wally" DeBeacker) graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Melbourne in Australia and then pursued a music career. He released two albums prior to his breakthrough, the 2011 release Making Mirrors.
The first single, "Eyes Wide Open", got some airplay in Australia but little anywhere else. Then Gotye released a song he'd recorded with Kimbra, a singer from New Zealand. This one spread like wildfire, first topping the U.K. charts for five weeks. After an appearance on Saturday Night Live, "Somebody That I Used To Know" springboarded up the U.S. charts, latching onto the #1 position for 8 weeks. It was either #1 or #2 in 27 countries and finished 2012 as the top-selling song in the world. The single also broke a 47-year-old record by becoming the biggest hit of all-time in the Netherlands. It has sold over 14 million copies in the United States and over 21 million worldwide. The song earned Grammys for Record of the Year and Best Pop Duo/Group Vocal Performance.
Gotye then took a hiatus, performing with his band the Basics and starting an independent record label. But he released no new material until 2024, when he tried to recreate the magic of 13 years before with Kimbra with the single "Somebody". But that went nowhere, leaving Gotye as one of the only artists in history to reach #1 and never score another Hot 100 song again!
#57: Donnie Iris--"Ah! Leah!"
Donnie Iris (real name Dominic Ierace) was encouraged by his mother (herself a singer) at an early age, singing along to artists such as Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett. He began singing at weddings at the age of five and performed on television when he was eight.
Iris wrote the #2 smash "The Rapper" in 1970 while he was with Jaggerz (featured above) and was a member of Wild Cherry after their big hit "Play That Funky Music".
Donnie released his debut album, Back on the Streets in 1980, which contained the great song "Ah! Leah!". The single hit #6 in Canada but only #29 in the United States.
Iris was able to reach #37 with "Love Is Like A Rock" the following year, but despite 10 more studio albums, couldn't top "Ah! Leah!".
#56: Five Man Electrical Band--"Signs"
This Canadian Rock band (known as the Staccatos from 1963 to 1968) is from Ottawa. Lead singer Les Emmerson wrote this song while traveling back to Canada from Los Angeles. He noticed all the huge signs and billboards blocking the view of the natural scenery. Canada doesn't have such signs and many of the major cities are several miles from the freeway.
The group ventured to Los Angeles and recorded an album called Good-Byes and Butterflies on MGM Records. But MGM dumped them and the group headed back to Ottawa. Meanwhile, Clive Fox, who had connections to Lionel, makers of the famous model railroading equipment which was forming Lionel Records, helped the band sign with Lionel.
"Signs" was originally the B-side to the unsuccessful "Hello Melinda Goodbye", but when re-released the following year on Lionel as the single, "Signs" shot up to #3 in the United States and #4 in Canada.
"Absolutely Right" stalled at #26, and the Five Man Electrical Band was never able to reach the Top 20 again.
Here's another artist who barely qualified for this special:
#55: John Parr--"St. Elmo's Fire"
John Parr has written and recorded 10 theme songs from motion pictures, including songs for Three Men and a Baby and The Running Man. None have come close to this song at #55*.
"St. Elmo's Fire" hit #1 in the U.S. and Canada, #3 in Norway, #4 in Australia, Sweden and Switzerland and #6 in the U.K. Members of Toto, REO Speedwagon and Mr. Mister helped on the song.
John almost didn't qualify for the special as his "Naughty, Naughty" reached #23. But Parr never hit the Top 40 again after "St. Elmo's Fire" and it was his only career Top 20 song.
The #54 artist wrote down these prophetic words in 1967:
#54: Barry McGuire--"Eve Of Destruction"
McGuire was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, but moved to California soon afterwards. He joined the United States Navy, but was discharged ten months later after it was discovered that he was only 16 years old. Barry became a commercial fisherman, then was a journeyman pipe fitter. At age 25, McGuire got a job singing in a bar.
In 1961, Barry released the single "The Tree", then formed a duo with Barry Kane called Barry & Barry. The pair performed folk songs at The Ice House in Pasadena, California, then got a boost when the famous Troubadour in Hollywood signed them in 1962. Barry & Barry joined the New Christy Minstrels, which were performing at the club, but also maintained their separate act, releasing the album Here and Now.
McGuire co-wrote and sang lead vocal on the Christy's hit "Green, Green", but left the group in 1965 after the group recorded the album Cowboys and Indians.
Barry began a solo career with a bang with the single "Eve of Destruction", written by P.F. Sloan. The song was originally written for the Byrds, but that great group rejected it. Sloan was also an accomplished guitarist, and top session men Hal Blaine on drums and Larry Knechtel on bass accompanied Barry on the recording. The song went all the way to #1 and became one of The Most Important Songs of the Rock Era*. "Eve Of Destruction" was also recorded by the Turtles and the Grass Roots, among others, and was referenced in the Temptations' smash "Ball Of Confusion".
McGuire released the album This Precious Time in 1966, which included a version of "California Dream'" with the Mamas & the Papas singing backing vocals. McGuire was mentioned several times in the Mamas & the Papas hit "Creeque Alley". McGuire appeared in the movie The President's Analyst with James Coburn in 1967 and also starred for a year in the Broadway production of the musical Hair.
McGuire became a born-again Christian in 1971 and has released several albums of Christian music. In 1978, Barry toured England, Scotland and Wales with the musical The Witness, in which he played the part of the apostle Peter.
McGuire has released 23 albums in his career, but was never able to match the brilliance of "Eve Of Destruction". The next-best song he did was "Cloudy Summer Afternoon (Raindrops)" in 1966, which reached #62.
Our #53 artist turned in a performance for the ages on her #1 song:
#53: Thelma Houston--"Don't Leave Me This Way"
Houston grew up in Long Beach, California and joined the Art Reynolds Singers gospel group. Thelma signed a recording contract with Dunhill Records and released her debut album Sunshower in 1969. She switched to Motown in 1971 but did not enjoy much initial success. In all, Houston had released 13 singles at this point in her career.
Then in 1977, a song that Kenny Gamble, Leon Huff and Cary Gilbert wrote was given to Houston. She recorded "Don't Leave Me This Way" and released it as a single. It became a massive worldwide hit, topping the chart in the United States and South Africa and reaching #4 in Canada, Sweden and the Netherlands, #5 in Germany, #6 in Australia, #11 in Spain, #13 in the U.K. and France, #15 in Italy, #17 in New Zealand and #18 in Austria The song earned Houston a Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance. Later in the year, the song was included on the soundtrack album for the movie Looking for Mr. Goodbar. It is widely regarded as one of the top disco songs of all-time as well as one of the top dance songs of all-time and one of the top vocal performances of the Rock Era.
"Don't Leave Me This Way" was also recorded by the Temptations, Sheena Easton, Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes and the Communards.
Houston has released 17 albums and 49 singles in her career. She has enjoyed some success on the Dance chart, but could never come close to her amazing performance on "Don't Leave Me This Way".
At #52, The Top One-Hit Wonder of the 90's*:
#52: the Calling--"Wherever You Will Go"
Vocalist Alex Band and guitarist Aaron Kamin began jamming and writing songs in 1996 and began performing under the name Generation Gap with a drummer that was twice their age. They began recording demo tapes and finally in 1999, the group switched their name to the Calling and signed a recording contract with RCA Records.
The Calling recorded their debut album Camino Palmero in 2001 largely with studio musicians. Later in the year, guitarist Sean Woolstenhulme, bassist Billy Mohler and drummer Nate Wood joined the group. The Calling released the single "Wherever You Will Go", which was featured in the television show Smallville and the movie Coyote Ugly. The song reached #5, helping the album sell over five million copies.
But the next year, Woolstenhulme left the group, replaced by Dino Meneghin. Mohler and Wood left in the fall and legal problems resulted. In 2004, the group returned with new musicians and the album Two. Three singles were released but none did well. In 2005, the Calling split for good.
#51: Gnarls Barkley--"Crazy"
Cee-Lo Green left the group Goodie Mob after their third album in 1999 and started his solo career. That year he sang on "Do You Like The Way" with Lauryn Hill. Brian Burton, better known as Danger Mouse, produced for several artists and achieved fame with his mixing of The Grey Album for Jay-Z, which blended the a cappella voices of Jay-Z's The Black Album with instrumentation from the Beatles' The White Album.
Green and Mouse met while Green was performing at the University of Georgia. The two paired up and worked on songs that would be released on their debut album St. Elsewhere. The duo chose their name while in a cafe in Silver Lake, California. Burton and some friends began playing a game of creating fake celebrity names such as Prince Gnarls and Bob Gnarly. When the name Gnarls Barkley was invented, Burton wrote it down.
The duo released the single "Crazy" in 2006, which went to #1 in the U.K., Canada, New Zealand and Ireland and #2 in the U.S. "Crazy" was the top-selling song of the year in the U.K. and was nominated for Record of the Year while St. Elsewhere earned a nomination for Album of the Year at the Grammy Awards and "Crazy" won the Grammy for Best Urban/Alternative Performance.
Six subsequent singles failed to chart and the duo broke up after their next album.
That leaves us just five installments and 50 artists away from the conclusion of this special. Be sure to look for our "checklists" that help you enjoy the One-Hit Wonders* in their entirety!
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