Sure, you know the guitar riffs and that fabulous drum solo on “Wipe Out”. But did you know that The Surfaris had six albums between 1963 and 1965? As a band mainly of teens, they were churning out some songs. Their number-two hit, “Point Panic," was off of their second album The Surfaris Play.
Best known for the song “For What Its Worth”, the group was formed at LA’s Troubadour with Stephen Stills, Neil Young, Richie Furay, Bruce Palmer, and Dewey Martin. However, it’s the groups and solo acts that came later that made the members of Buffalo Springfield famous. Their second most famous song was “Sit Down, I Think I Love You”, but The Mojo Men covered it in 1967 with much more success.
It's hard to compare ANY song to "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" by Iron Butterfly because of the sheer genius that went into the 17-minute song. “Easy Rider” is notable for the earliest uses of the talk box (popularized by Peter Frampton), but it just didn't compare to their original hit.
Yes, seriously--The Archies. Although they were a fictional cartoon band, they still hit number one with “Sugar Sugar” in 1969. Their second hit, "Jingle Jangle" is not as well remembered, but honestly, that's probably for the best.
If you’re a Guardians of the Galaxy fan, then you know the importance of “Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl)”, which hit number one in 1972 and stayed in the Billboard Hot 100 for 16 weeks. The 1st song off Looking Glass's second album, Subway Serenade, was “Jimmy Loves Mary-Anne." It hit the charts but never had the critical success of the first.
The band best known for encouraging a little mid-day hanky-panky actually won 2 Grammys for “Afternoon Delight”. However, members of the band couldn't recreate the magic. Their next-biggest hit, "California Day," entered the Top 100 at number 66 but didn’t go far.
Greenbaum’s most famous work ,"Spirit in the Sky," with such deep Christian themes, was notably written by a Jewish man. His second hit, “Canned Ham” is a silly song about the golden-brown delight of cooked canned ham; a play on the obviousness that pork isn’t consumed by observant Jews.
While you may croon “Fooled Around and Fell in Love” with ease, you might be surprised to hear that Elvin Bishop sat in with some of the biggest names in the industry, including The Grateful Dead, The Allman Brothers Band, Jimi Hendrix, and Eric Clapton. Known as a Blues Hall of Famer, he’s been playing his rowdy guitar and still entertains today. "Travelin' Shoes" was his first charted hit.
Wild Cherry’s founder Rob Parissi discovered the titular line of their first hit while waiting for a drink at the bar in 1975. And as you might have guessed, “Play That Funky Music” found a large following in the disco era--winning Single of the Year and Best Pop Group of the year. Subsequent song “Hot to Trot” hit in some non-U.S. markets, but none of their remaining albums or songs were viable for Wild Cherry.
One of the post popular songs of the disco era was Alicia Bridge's “I Love the Nightlife”, originally featured in the film Love at First Bite. As serious R & B soul artist, her second single was “Body Heat”, which also featured a rock and disco flavor.
You may have been running around singing “Undercover Angel” in 1977, but Alan O’Day also wrote other songs for other artists that you sang as well, including "Angie Baby" by Helen Reddy and the Righteous Brothers “Rock and Roll Heaven”. However, his follow-up, "Started Out Dancing, Ended Up Making Love," stalled on the charts at 73.
Color me shocked to find that The Knack is considered a one-hit wonder! The overwhelming success of “My Sharona” propelled them to stardom, and they produced a beat that is still sampled today by artists all over the world. Their second song “Good Girls Don’t” included lyrics that were controversial and had to be edited for radio.
Another late 70’s hit, “Hot Child in the City,” burned up the charts in 1978. But before that, “Roxy Roller” took the top spot in Canada in 1976. Nick Gilder became a huge 80’s songwriting contributor for famous acts like Pat Benatar, Bette Midler, Scandal, and Joe Cocker. Releasing eight albums total, its still the song about the wild child that makes all of us stand up and sing.
In 1977, Debby Boone struck music gold with “You Light Up My Life”, earning her a Grammy for Best New Artist. Boone then had crossover success as a solo country artist with her next single, "Are You on the Road to Lovin' Me?"
Everyone remembers the Buggles' first hit--"Video Killed the Radio Star." It was the first music video ever shown on MTV way back in 1981. However, the band had a second, less popular single on the same album--"Living in the Plastic Age."
It’s hard to explain the importance of early rap/hip hop artists like Sugarhill Gang. The group peaked at number 36 with “Rapper’s Delight” with their iconic spoken lyrics. Sugarhill Gang then covered “Apache” by Jerry Lordan in 1981, which was then covered by Sir Mix-A-Lot.
Lipps Inc's big break came thanks to their first hit, "Funkytown." The group then covered the 1975 song “How Long” by Ace, which worked its way into the top 10 on the dance charts. The song, thought to be about adultery, was actually about a musician working with another band.
This synth-pop British duo hit it big with their single "Tainted Love"--which was actually a cover of an obscure 1965 track by Gloria Jones. “Torch” was from their second album and proved to be a pretty popular love song.
This British band found stardom with their hit, “I Melt With You." Their third album, Ricochet, provided the single “Hands Across the Sea” but Modern English never found the success that they had with their original hit.
Tommy Tutone caused numerous problems for phone companies with their big hit "867-5309/Jenny." However, this single was actually from their second album. They found mild success on their first album with "Angel Say No," but it was nowhere near as big their most memorable hit.
Rock icon and power ballad king John Waite has had over 10 solo albums as well as frontman status with bands such as The Babys, Bad English, and Journey. However, his song “Missing You” seemed to cement his status as a writer. Fast forward one solo album to Mask of Smiles and you’ll catch similar lyrics in “Every Step of the Way”.
That’s right, John McClane had an album in the 80s called The Return of Bruno. And his single “Respect Yourself” found its way to the top of the charts assisted by those lovely Pointer Sisters. His second most popular song was a cover of “Under the Boardwalk” from the Drifters. While his subsequent albums were ho-hum, he did okay in the movies.
Quarterflash signed with Geffen Records after two popular Oregon bands merged. The record Harden My Heart was originally released under the name Seafood Mama. Their second most popular song came from the album Take Another Picture. "Take Me to Heart" debuted on the Top 100 at 14 and is easily recognizable by the music video, which featured mannequins in a glass storefront.
Simple Minds is best known for their single "Don't You (Forget About Me)"--featured prominently in The Breakfast Club. People often consider them a one-hit wonder, but they were HUGE in Britain and could sell out stadiums. Their next most popular hit was “Alive and Kicking,” and it reached #3 in America.
While Miley Cyrus dominates the music world today, it was her pop Billy Ray that got audiences scootin around the dance floor with “Achy Breaky Heart”. His second album, It Won’t Be the Last, offered up his next-best single, “In the Heart of a Woman”.
One of the most iconic, pure hits to be heard in the 90s was Sinead’s searing rendition of the Prince's song, “Nothing Compares 2 U”. Her next hit, "You Made Me the Thief of Your Heart," was linked to the movie In the Name of the Father and was written by Bono.
Brothers Fred and Richard Fairbrass found fame with their debut single that was everywhere for a hot minute. Their third single “Deeply Dippy” reached number nine in the U.S. and hit number one in the UK, but it's definitely not as memorable as their first big break.
American Trio House of Pain released 3 albums in the U.S. before breaking up. Their best-known single “Jump Around” reached the top of the charts in both the UK and US. Their second most popular song is featured in the video game Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 as a video called “I’m a Swing It’. The clean version entered the Top 100 but didn’t go far.
The Australian British songwriter actually started on the Aussie soap opera Neighbours before beginning a singing career with her cover of “Torn”. However, because of rules around the Hot 100, the song didn’t get the chance to peak higher than 42. Imbruglia’s second most popular song, "Big Mistake," came from her second album and debuted at number two, cementing her in the vocal company of Alanis Morrissette, Fiona Apple, and Meredith Brooks.
This rapper hit the charts in 1990 with his best-known hit “Ice Ice Baby”. What started as a B-side record and having sampled the track from heavily from “Under Pressure” by Queen became the first Hip Hop song to reach #1. His second most popular song is, oddly enough, a cover of Wild Cherry’s “Play that Funky Music”.
The band began in 1986 but hit their stride in 1990 with the song “Groove is in the Heart”, featuring vocals from A Tribe Called Quest and sampled Herbie Hancock. They hit the airwaves again with "Power of Love," and while it was a solid dance track, people found it disappointing by comparison.
