Talk:List of one-hit wonders in the United States

message: I think we should add:
Augustana - Boston,
Howie Day - Collide,
Crazy Town - Butterfly,
The Ting Tings - That's Not My Name,
The Ready Set - Love Like Woe,
Alexandra Stan - Mr. Saxobeat
Nintendoswitchfan (talk) 10:01, 24 November 2017 (UTC)
replies: text: Sources? - SummerPhDv2.0 16:41, 24 November 2017 (UTC)
replies: text:  They sound good to me. One criteria I use, is I've never heard of them. N1  — Preceding unsigned comment added by 184.69.174.194 (talk) 05:03, 12 March 2019 (UTC)

text: Yeah how come the media don't talk about one hit wonders from TV and Film very often DanTheMusicMan2 (talk) 20:11, 9 July 2023 (UTC)
thread_title:  Artists I Think Can Be Added 

message: I think that we should add True by Spandau Ballet to the list since we have Take On Me by a-ha where both artists have had two Billboard Top 40 hits but only one was siginificant. 112.205.215.42 (talk) 04:47, 17 May 2018 (UTC)
replies: text: The current inclusion criteria call for two independent reliable sources directly stating the act is a one-hit wonder. - SummerPhDv2.0 05:04, 17 May 2018 (UTC)
replies: text: Not only do we need two sources for each entry, but the sources should be portraying the US point of view. Britannica doesn't do that. Binksternet (talk) 05:16, 17 May 2018 (UTC)
replies: text:  But there is one source that does, and is far more accurate. Billboard. 50.111.24.195 (talk) 04:10, 22 June 2018 (UTC)
replies: text: That does not meet this article's current inclusion criteria. The discussion of your displeasure with the current criteria is at Talk:List_of_one-hit_wonders_in_the_United_States#Inclusion_Criteria. - SummerPhDv2.0 04:38, 22 June 2018 (UTC)

text: If the criteria of ONE Billboard Top 40 is the guideline, Spandau Ballet would not qualify, as "Gold" did make the Billboard Top 40. To be true to the criteria, it would have to be that A-ha should be removed from the list. 32.212.41.123 (talk) 22:50, 1 December 2023 (UTC)
replies: text: We are not using that criteria. Rather, we are citing the media who have made their assessments of "one-hit wonder" status based on whatever they think is important. Binksternet (talk) 01:39, 2 December 2023 (UTC)
thread_title:  True by Spandau Ballet 

message: While I agree that we shouldn’t use “number of songs that made top 40 on the Billboard Hot 100” as a hard and fast determiner of what constitutes a one hit wonder (Jimi Hendrix is not a one-hit-wonder, but Dead or Alive is a one hit wonder band), one issue I am seeing in the list is the number of British or regional one hit wonders which never broke the top 40 in the US: Toto Coelo, that Shiny Shiny song, to name just two 1980s examples which were only top 40 in the UK; here in the US they were either MTV hits or were mainly played on alternative music stations.  That in mind, would it be reasonable to remove songs from this list which never made the US Billboard top 40?  It can sometimes be hard to tell, without grabbing a lot of context, if a given reference is talking about the US or UK when they discuss a song being a 1-hit-wonder, so a number of UK-only hits are on the list. Samboy (talk) 01:00, 3 August 2019 (UTC)
replies: text: The inclusion criteria, based on two reliable sources per entry, should suffice. The sources must describe the song or the band in the context of American viewpoints. Binksternet (talk) 04:18, 3 August 2019 (UTC)
replies: text: Agreed, but we do need to remove entries for an unrelated reason: A lot of entries are relying on a forum posting, which is, as per Wikipedia policy, not a reliable source.  I agree to not remove entries just because they were never US top 40 hits and agree that would be original research, but we also must make sure we are using reliable sources when claiming a song is a “one hit wonder”.  A forum post does not cut it.  Samboy (talk) 02:26, 4 August 2019 (UTC)
replies: text: Agreed. Back to the Hot 100 we should go. 99.118.250.37 (talk) 19:14, 1 August 2023 (UTC)
thread_title:  Should we only list songs/bands who broke the top 40 of the Billboard hot 100 list? 

message: We need to have better criteria then just having 2 sources as many of the singers and bands mentioned are not truly one hit wonders as they have multiple hits Lunacats (talk) 16:03, 13 September 2021 (UTC)
replies: text: Agreed. Use the actual charts. 99.118.250.37 (talk) 19:05, 1 August 2023 (UTC)
thread_title:  Criteria 

message: Should Europe's 1986 hit, The Final Countdown be considered a "One hit wonder"? 92.9.101.53 (talk) 01:06, 27 August 2022 (UTC)
replies: text: No. According to Billboard, Europe had four Top 40 hits ("The Final Countdown" at #8 Billboard/#7 Radio & Records, "Rock the Night" at #30 BB/#28 R&R, "Carrie" at #3 BB/#1 R&R, and "Superstitious" at #31 BB/#30 R&R). 99.118.250.37 (talk) 19:01, 1 August 2023 (UTC)

text: There is a curious diachronic aspect to these matters. At the time, Carrie was "bigger." Since then, Countdown has become almost like a short-hand for 80s Euro-big-hair-metal pop. 2A01:CB0C:CD:D800:E08D:C862:D617:C42B (talk) 14:16, 15 November 2022 (UTC)
thread_title:  Europe - The Final Countdown 

message: Bloodrock - D.O.A. (song) (peaked at 36 on March 6, 1971)
Randy Newman - Short People (peaked at 2 on January 28, 1978)
Pink Lady (duo) - Kiss in the Dark (Pink Lady song) (peaked at 37 on August 4, 1979) 2601:8D:600:4CF0:48D2:44E8:5CA1:DD59 (talk) 22:28, 20 September 2022 (UTC)
replies: text: The inclusion criteria for this particular list article is that the media must name the song and artist as one-hit wonders, with the media representing an American viewpoint. We don't put songs in or take songs out based on chart performance. Binksternet (talk) 01:47, 21 September 2022 (UTC)
replies: text: One flaw with your criteria: *domestic* media are notorious for overlooking/underplaying/ignoring *foreign* influences (NB I'm not singling out America as this is true everywhere). Case in point: I suggest that "Hocus Pocus" (#9 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1973) is currently absen from this US list only because Focus is a *Dutch* band and had the misfortune to fall into the American media's 'blind spot' when listing one-hit wonders. (I say "misfortune" because I see "Venus" by the Dutch band Shocking Blue is on this list - so should "Hocus Pocus"!) Birdman euston (talk) 17:48, 5 November 2022 (UTC)
replies: text: Also, Lee Michaels - "Do You Know What I Mean" (1971) fulfils Chris Molanphy's criteria (as featured in the main article!) for a OHW because Michaels' only other top-40 hit, "Can I Get A Witness?", peaked at #39 on the Billboard Hot 100 ca. two months after "DYKWIM" peaked at #6 - and none of his nine albums went platinum. Birdman euston (talk) 11:24, 6 November 2022 (UTC)
replies: text: Our job is to represent the published media, not to fill the gaps left by the media. Binksternet (talk) 13:50, 6 November 2022 (UTC)
replies: text: "Our" job? Oh, I get it. Wikipedia is supposed to represent accuracy - but instead you merely pledge blind allegiance the "published media" (which, as I've just explained, is *not* always completely accurate and unbiased, especially about foreign sources). Kindly be less dogmatic/anal, take your blinkers off, use your brains (e.g., fill in for yourself the media's apparent blind spot over Hocus Pocus re U.S. One-Hit Wonders) and just be accurate! Birdman euston (talk) 21:33, 6 November 2022 (UTC)

text: The issue is that Hocus Pocus fulfils the once-this-high-in-Billboard criterion. If in addition, two or more US DJ's or Rock journo's have to have commented on the objective fact of the matter, than that is where we leave the realm of the encyclopaedic. 2A01:CB0C:CD:D800:E08D:C862:D617:C42B (talk) 2A01:CB0C:CD:D800:E08D:C862:D617:C42B (talk) 14:19, 15 November 2022 (UTC)

text: That's why we should use the Billboard charts (although you could use the Radio & Records charts as well if you want two sources). 99.118.250.37 (talk) 18:58, 1 August 2023 (UTC)
thread_title:  songs that are missing from the list 

message: I am encountering an issue with the Visual Editor that I used to always have. Recently, I was able to successfully add a number of entries to the 1960's and 1970's sections of the list because of this issue being absent. I was also able to order the entries correctly. The issue is when I click on the [edit] text next to where the decade is listed, the entire list is highlighted in a large blue square. You click on it, and it says, "Template Content" and a bunch of other jargon after "Generated from". When I wasn't getting this, I was able to just click on the [edit] text and simply add a bullet point at a certain part in the list. How do I fix this? Thank You ~ Alexander Ya Boy Alex! (talk) 04:02, 30 July 2023 (UTC)
thread_title:  Help with the Visual Editor 

message: not a fan of bands like simple red or Europe but we should use the criteria of BILLBOARD. 
simple minds had at least 3-4 Top 40 Hits. 
A one hit wonder is defined as artist who had just one Top 40 Hit in the US.
Worthless under-charts like Dance Charts etc. irrelevant !! 2A02:8071:67C1:5320:69BD:3358:F697:F6CD (talk) 20:50, 12 August 2023 (UTC)
replies: text: We have a clear consensus against Billboard chart stats as defining this topic. Instead, the media define the topic. See Talk:List_of_2010s_one-hit_wonders_in_the_United_States#Inclusion_criteria which was unanimous. Binksternet (talk) 03:40, 13 August 2023 (UTC)
thread_title:  The list was great once but now ridiculous 

message: JESUS JONES had 2 Top 40 hits on the billboard Charts
RIGHT HERE RIGHT NOW #2 
REAL REAL REAL #4
fact is that this band is not a one hit wonder
but there is one problem.
REAL REAL REAL became #4 on the hot 100 because of changes in Hot 100 criteria in 1991.
no one in The USA knows this song 2A02:8071:67C1:5320:69BD:3358:F697:F6CD (talk) 20:53, 12 August 2023 (UTC)
replies: text: We have a clear consensus against Billboard chart stats as defining this topic. Instead, the media define the topic. See Talk:List_of_2010s_one-hit_wonders_in_the_United_States#Inclusion_criteria which was unanimous. Binksternet (talk) 03:40, 13 August 2023 (UTC)
thread_title:  JESUS JONES problem 

message: So, I was recently looking through the list, and I noticed something. It seems that some people are citing (or at least are going to attempt to cite) the page "All One-Hit Wonders 1955-2016" from top40weekly.com
The cite lists all artists from 1955 to a certain point in 2016 (then it just cuts off for whatever reason) who have only had one song appear in the Top 40 of The Billboard Hot 100. The issue is that some people are citing this cite for artists that in reality, have had more than one song reach the Top 40 of The Billbaord Hot 100. They seem to think that because the list is long, no one is going to be bothered to click on the direct link, and actually look through the list for themselves and see if the artist in question is even on the list at all.
A similar thing goes for Wayne Jancik. I just removed an entry from the list (That being the group Club Nouveau with the song "Lean on Me" to be exact) because Wayne Jancik was falsely cited. He explicitly defines a One-Hit Wonder as "An act that has won a position on Billboard's national, pop, Top 40 just once." Club Nouveau however, had two Top 40 songs. I also just replaced a citation for Mungo Jerry's "In The Summertime". The citation was "Jancik (1998), p. 500."
One issue however, I don't think whoever used this citation (or most people on this Wiki page for that matter) have even READ Wayne Jancik's book at ALL. My Wayne Jancik book is from 2008. The bulk of the book tells the stories of artists who have had only one Top 40 song, who's songs have in turn peaked at positions #1 - #20. At the back of the book from Pages #498 - #509, are some pages not talking about in detail, but rather simply listing all of the artists (from 1955 - 1992) who have had only one Top 40 song, who's songs have in turn peaked at positions #21 - #40. The section is called "The Bottom 20". (Likely because of limitations) Mungo Jerry's song "In The Summertime" was cited to be Page #500 of Wayne Jancik's 1998 book, "The Billboard Book of One-Hit Wonders". (Which in all fairness, I do not own)
https://www.amazon.com/Billboard-One-Hit-Wonders-Wayne-Jancik/dp/0823076229
Here on Amazon, one of the reviewers is explaining the "Bottom 20" section of the book. So the book must also be structured like Wayne Jancik's 2008 book, "One-Hit Wonders". (The book that I happen to own) The song "In The Summertime" by Mungo Jerry peaked at #3, so the entry for Mungo Jerry in the book should not be anywhere NEAR Page #500. It should be at the begin of the 1970's chapter. (For me, the song is listed on Page #287)
Guys, what I am trying to say is this: When a new entry is put on the list, you MUST check the sources used. End of story. There might be an invalid source used, and you would never even notice it. So I am just trying to bring awareness to this issue on here.
Thank You for your time ~ Alex  Ya Boy Alex! (talk) 00:06, 29 September 2023 (UTC)
thread_title:  Warning about possible false citations 

message: Shoot, well now some citations like the first one for Polly Brown are messed up. They have an error, and I have literally absolutely NO idea how it got there. It's to the SPIN website. Ya Boy Alex! (talk) 06:55, 25 November 2023 (UTC)
thread_title:  sfn/sfnp error 

message: Hey, if anyone knows how to convert the Wayne Jancik 2008 book citations to sfnps, then please let me know! Cause I just tried to convert one, and an error came up. So of course, I didn't even try to go through with it. Ya Boy Alex! (talk) 05:45, 27 November 2023 (UTC)
thread_title:  Help with sfnps 

message: we should add collboration one hit wonders because there are many people who are one hit wonders for a song that they were featured in 
examples,
Kiki Dee,
Florence Welch,
Rozes,
chvrches,
freshlyground,
sabi,
leighton meester ( I dont know how to do this)24.184.10.164 (talk) 15:39, 2 December 2023 (UTC)
replies: text: Well, based on the page's vague criteria, none of these artists would be disqualified. Featured artists are just fine. Ya Boy Alex! (talk) 19:25, 2 December 2023 (UTC)
thread_title:  add a new topic 

message: Should there be a section about one hit wonders in the 2020s? There's plenty of those too. RockStarrMusicLover95 (talk) 01:48, 7 February 2024 (UTC)
replies: text: We can most definitely try to include a 2020s section. There have been several, mostly short-lived attempts to start a 2020s section in the past, but none have ever caught on or stuck. So as long as the entry has two reliable, US-based sources, then sure! Let's go add some entries! Ya Boy Alex! (talk) 05:06, 7 February 2024 (UTC)
replies: text: At the moment i'm not seeing enough sources i think it's because the acts are still active and have a chance to release something, i will keep the section on my sandbox for now :). DanTheMusicMan2 (talk) 15:44, 9 April 2024 (UTC)
thread_title:  One hit wonders of the 2020s  

message: Hlom10 keeps removing Thin Lizzy, including the reference that clearly states they were a one hit wonder (in those exact words).  Others, feel free to opine on this, one way or another.  Dennis Brown 2¢ 10:04, 14 February 2024 (UTC)
thread_title:  Thin Lizzy 

message: https://www.billboard.com/artist/hozier/ Ya Boy Alex! (talk) 01:53, 7 April 2024 (UTC)
replies: text: I thought He was already removed from this list because of "Northern Attitude" but congrats to him for getting two top 10 hits in the US.DanTheMusicMan2 (talk) 15:49, 9 April 2024 (UTC)
thread_title:  Hozier broke his One-Hit Wonder status today! YAAAAAAYYYY!!! :D :D :D 

message: I noticed their are several artist who had more than one hit. Nazareth besides their song Love Hurts had another hit with Hair of the Dog. A Flock Of Seagulls had Space Age Love song which was a hit and Wishing I had a Photograph of you and Randy Newman who had several more hits than just Short People. He had You've Got a Friend in Me, as well as several more successful songs that appeared in Pixar films. Joey (talk) 14:43, 12 April 2024 (UTC)
replies: text: @MrJoeytheMusicMan Yeah, I have a hard time classifying a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee with with seven Grammy awards (three of which were in a "Best Song" category), two Academy Awards for Best Original Song, and three Emmys for Music and Lyrics as a one-hit wonder. --Ahecht (TALKPAGE) 19:37, 29 April 2024 (UTC)
replies: text: I think they should be removed from the list, their are a few other artist here and their I have noticed as not being one hit wonders. Joey (talk) 19:49, 29 April 2024 (UTC)
thread_title:  Nazareth, A Flock of Seagulls and Randy Newman 

message: Pinging  who alerted me. 
Earlier today,  tagged a bunch of sources as unreliable. Here's a list of the base websites along with my off-the-cuff assessment:
*playback.fm – lacks a human author, probably automated web scraper
*mentalitch.com – lacks a human author, probably AI-generated text
*360degreesound.com – looks okay to me because the website has multiple editors and contributors.
*medium.com – generally unreliable source, depending on the author and the topic. See WP:MEDIUM.
*metv.com – lacks a named author, just "Staff". The "about" page does not name any editors or writers which is worrisome.
*www.musicgrotto.com – looks okay to me because the website has multiple editors and contributors.
*rtt80s.com – Wordpress blog, falls under WP:USERG. If someone can establish Paul Stroessner as a music critic or musicologist then this can be used.
*sporcle.com – looks like a blogging platform which allows anyone to contribute. Same as medium.com. If the author doesn't use their real name then the reliability goes waaay down.
*buzzfeed.com – possibly unreliable source, depending on the author and the topic. See WP:BUZZFEED.
*tidal.com – lacks a human author, probably automated web scraper
*reads-it.com – suspiciously automated appearance, with every article written by "Bobby McNeill" but no list of editors or contributors. The notional Bobby McNeill does not have a reputation as a music expert. Looks like AI-generated text.
*cracked.com – looks okay to me because the website has multiple editors and contributors.
*watchmojo.com – I'm baffled because I can't find a list of editors and contributors, but writer Andy Hammersmith might be a pop culture journalist from Ohio.
*whatculture.com – Maybe okay, maybe not. Writer Alexander Greensmith appears to be a real human, but the website does not list its editors and contributors. 
*hollywoodgossip.com – The named author is fake or a pseudonym: Tattle Taylor. Might be AI-generated text.
*whosampled.com – lacks a human author, probably automated web scraper.
;There are some other dodgy sources that were not tagged by Ahecht:
*junkee.com – The main problem here is that Junkee is based in Australia, so if they think a musical artist is a one-hit wonder, that has little relevance for the USA. The writer Nathan Jolly looks like a career music critic from Australia. 
*audacy.com – Questionable source, does not list its team of editors or contributors. The named author is Marni Zipper who works for Sony in Los Angeles as a digital marketer.
I think we need to establish which of these can be considered reliable, and which are not. Following that, some entries will probably fall away. Binksternet (talk) 01:57, 30 April 2024 (UTC)
replies: text: Thank You! I will try to work this out. :) Ya Boy Alex! (talk) 03:13, 30 April 2024 (UTC)

text: @Binksternet, Ya Boy Alex!: I didn't think I had tagged metv.com, just gave the references real names, but perhaps I should have. Not sure why I tagged 360degreesound -- I thought the site had looked a lot scammier when I visited it yesterday, but I might've done something like accidentally mistyped the URL or clicked on an ad. I'll remove those tags. --Ahecht (TALKPAGE) 13:21, 30 April 2024 (UTC)
replies: text: @Binksternet As for cracked.com and whatculture.com, they are listed at Wikipedia:Reliable sources/Perennial sources#Cracked.com and WP:WHATCULTURE as "generally unreliable". --Ahecht (TALKPAGE) 13:40, 30 April 2024 (UTC)
thread_title:  Extensive tagging of sources 

message: Check it out! 2016 is completed, as well as adding 2017, 2018 and 2019! Also, three new entries have been added prior to 2010:
Stone Poneys - Different Drum (January 27th, 1968) (#13)
Garbage - Stupid Girl (September 21st, 1996) (#24)
Weezer - Beverly Hills (October 8th, 2005) (#10)
Yaaaaay! :D
~ Alex :) Ya Boy Alex! (talk) 06:10, 8 May 2024 (UTC)
thread_title:  The One-Hit Wonders page on Top40Weekly has been updated!