"One Hit Wonders" Daily Trivia

But I get a Tin Star for #58 with hints.

 

Yes...The first record in this thread is Sonny Bono's solo hit. Sonny & Cher had many hits, but Sonny had only one.

 

Yes, I'll post it with the answer.

 

Thanks, I completely forgot!

 

R.I.P. Roy Clark. One of the great guitarist.

 

ANSWER TO YESTERDAY'S QUESTION........


#58


11/15/18


This artist suggested and produced this song for The Beach Boys. They decided not to release it so he changed it a little and released it himself. It sold over 11 million copies.


"Seasons In The Sun" / Terry Jacks
Bell Records #1 1974




As a member of the Chessmen, Terry met Susan Pesklevits formed a group, got married and became The Poppy Family and had a hit with "Which Way You Goin' Billy", recorded for only $125.00, and reached #2. They soon split up but while they were touring, Terry met Al Jardine of the Beach Boys who later called him to L.A. to produce some tunes. Terry brought a song by Belgian poet/composer Jacques Brel called "Le Moribond (The Dying Man)". Thinking it was a hit he persuaded the Beach Boys to record it but they nixed the idea of releasing it. Terry returned to Canada, re-wrote the last verse and released it as "Seasons In The Sun". It, at the time, became the biggest selling single in Canadian history and sold about 11,500,000 copies worldwide. Here's the Beach Boys version also......

The Beach Boys Seasons in the Sun


What I found recently after starting this thread was that if someone correctly answers the question soon after it's posting, it takes away the incentive for others to participate. I don't want that to happen since this is a forum. So, let me describe how I think this can work successfully. You have five choices for initial answers...

1. If you absolutely know the answer, simply post "GOLD STAR", and leave a comment, if you like, about the song that doesn't hint or giveaway the answer. Please come back and post your full comments and memories about the song after the answer has been posted. This is what I want to encourage the most since this is a forum.

2. If you want to confirm your initial thought and look it up, post a SILVER STAR , with the same criteria as in #1.

3. If you want to take the time to research the answer, post a TIN STAR. Same criteria as #1.

4. Post your guesses. But let us know it's a guess, meaning it may or may not be correct. Comments would be welcomed.

5. Simply post "I don't know" and leave any comments you might have.

With these choices, it gives everyone a chance to correctly answer the question early and still leave room for everyone to participate until the official answer is posted. Again, I really want to hear your comments and memories about the song/artist. So let's start again........

It has always puzzled me how an artist or group could sometimes have a megahit and we never hear from them again. Especially if they wrote it. As a final authority I'll use the Billboard Top 40 charts because that should narrow the field to songs most everyone is familiar with. In some cases, an artist could have had another minor regional hit that no one ever heard of. I know of a One Hit Wonder where the group had two other hits in the South but people on the west coast would have never heard them. I will try to make the questions somewhat difficult to attract multiple answers or guesses. Each day I will update this thread with the previous day's answer and a new question. Correct answers should contain the correct title and artist as it appeared on the record or chart. Give yourself a gold star if you know it and a silver star if you want to take the time to research it. Good luck and have fun!


NEW QUESTION.....

#59

11/16/18


This group was formerly called the Thunderbirds, took their new name from another current hit of the day and another future group took their name from part of this song.


Please choose from the answer options above........

 

Gold Star for #59. The hit song is an absolute classic in its genre.

 

Terry Jacks may have been a one hit wonder in the U. S. but he had several songs on the charts in his native Canada. They were quite ubiquitous in the early '70s. I don't think this was the biggest but I quite liked it, I'm Gonna Capture You:

 

Another example of the mystery of the One Hit Wonder. Nothing separates the U.S.and Canada except for an imaginary line. After "Seasons" was so big here, it makes no sense that follow-ups didn't hit also.

 

Thanks for posting the Beachboys version, which I've never heard before. The hit version is more polished, and I understand why it was such a hit with so many, like Honey, but I've always found it mewling and a bit irritating.

Anyways, I went on to listen to the French original (for the first time), and found it much more acceptable - Brel doesn't sound like he is raging against the dying of the light, but he doesn't seem so childish. His treatment reminds me of that declaratory style that Edith Piaf often used.

For anyone interested here are two You tube versions by Brel, one seems to be live? And one has lyrics displayed..



Jacques Brel - "Le Moribond"

 

On to Susan Pesklevits.

"As a member of the Chessmen, Terry met Susan Pesklevits formed a group, got married and became The Poppy Family and had a hit with "Which Way You Goin' Billy", recorded for only $125.00, and reached #2. They soon split up but while they were touring, Terry met Al Jardine of the Beach Boys who later called him to L.A. to produce some tunes. "

Within the last couple of years, probably here, I heard that she (as Susan Jacks I believe) was going to release an album. But every attempt I have made to see if it ever happened, was unsuccessful. Just posting this in case anyone in the thread has any info on that.

 

Have not heard about Susan's album. Thanks for posting the originals. I've never heard them before. (very French)

Only one post on the current question? I'm happy it's a Gold Star.

 

ANSWER TO YESTERDAY'S QUESTION.....


#59

11/16/18


This group was formerly called the Thunderbirds, took their new name from another current hit of the day and another future group took their name from part of this song.

"Get A Job" / Silhouttes
Ember Records #1 1958





Congrats to tim_neely for not only being the only Gold Star, but the only answer to this question. I thought this one would produce a lot of Gold Stars and answers. Member Rick Lewis wrote this song while in the Army and stationed in Germany. Eventually joining the Thunderbirds, they were performing this tune at Philly's Uptown Theatre where they were spotted by Kae Williams, a DJ, producer and owner of Junior Records. They were sent into the studio to record "I'm Lonely" and included "Get A Job" as the "B" side. They came up with their name from the recent hit by The Rays. The group continued to take many forms and later an oldies tribute band took their name from the opening vocals of the song....Sha Na Na.


What I found recently after starting this thread was that if someone correctly answers the question soon after it's posting, it takes away the incentive for others to participate. I don't want that to happen since this is a forum. So, let me describe how I think this can work successfully. You have five choices for initial answers...

1. If you absolutely know the answer, simply post "GOLD STAR", and leave a comment, if you like, about the song that doesn't hint or giveaway the answer. Please come back and post your full comments and memories about the song after the answer has been posted. This is what I want to encourage the most since this is a forum.

2. If you want to confirm your initial thought and look it up, post a SILVER STAR , with the same criteria as in #1.

3. If you want to take the time to research the answer, post a TIN STAR. Same criteria as #1.

4. Post your guesses. But let us know it's a guess, meaning it may or may not be correct. Comments would be welcomed.

5. Simply post "I don't know" and leave any comments you might have.

With these choices, it gives everyone a chance to correctly answer the question early and still leave room for everyone to participate until the official answer is posted. Again, I really want to hear your comments and memories about the song/artist. So let's start again........

It has always puzzled me how an artist or group could sometimes have a megahit and we never hear from them again. Especially if they wrote it. As a final authority I'll use the Billboard Top 40 charts because that should narrow the field to songs most everyone is familiar with. In some cases, an artist could have had another minor regional hit that no one ever heard of. I know of a One Hit Wonder where the group had two other hits in the South but people on the west coast would have never heard them. I will try to make the questions somewhat difficult to attract multiple answers or guesses. Each day I will update this thread with the previous day's answer and a new question. Correct answers should contain the correct title and artist as it appeared on the record or chart. Give yourself a gold star if you know it and a silver star if you want to take the time to research it. Good luck and have fun!


NEW QUESTION.......


#60

11/17/18


A Dixieland jazz band from New York who once recorded as Frank Hubble & the Hubcaps.


Please choose from the answer options above........

 

Had to search a little so Tin for me. Several different spellings pop up so this could cause some search problems. I got nowhere with the last question and Thunderbirds so I gave up. In case you didn't notice, patience is not my virtue.

 

"Get a Job" is one of the great fast doo-wop songs ever. There is much debate over whether the Silhouettes were singing "Sha da da da da, sha da da da da" or "Sha na na na, sha na na na na," but whichever it was, Sha Na Na, as a 50s throwback group that somehow was able to perform at the Woodstock festival, used a great song from which to take its name.

For a long time, most of the appearances of "Get a Job" on compilations faded way early, but this has been rectified over the years.

The Silhouettes are among the rarest kind of one-hit wonder: Their only charted Billboard hit was a #1.

 

Can you imagine how frustrating it would be to be a part of a group or artist who goes all the way to #1 with your first release and never break the Top 40 again?

 

I did a little research on the subject and came up with some surprising results. I used the Hot 100 which begins with the chart that features Rick Nelson's Poor Little Fool at #1 and went to the end of the 80s. In that times-pan there were 59 recording acts that had a #1 song but no other Top 40 songs. Here are the stats:

There are 6 years where no acts had a #1 and never hit the Top 40 again. 1959, 1967, 1972, 1981, 1984 and 1986.
3 years are tied for most with such an occurrence - 1968, 1974 and 1976.
9 acts had a #1 and no other Hot 100 hits.

Guess it's not as rare as you'd think.

 

I first heard Get a Job in the early 60s, and it has remained one of my favorites from the era where it originated, along with Come Go With Me.

I came across the Mills Brothers recording of Get a Job in the cd era.

 

Still only one answer to the current question? OK here's a hint...Greenwich Village.

 

That clue gave it away. Silver Star on this one, because I confirmed my hypothesis on the Internet.

 

OK, that clue gave it away. I should have got #60 without it, and I'm ashamed I didn't. So, Silver Star.

 

Tin star

 

Tin Star #60 would have been easier if Hubble were spelled correctly. Not a track that I ever heard before. We had our own Trad Jazz bands in the UK with their own hits.

Edit - I see to my astonishment that this was a one hit wonder all its own in the US.

 

Now I'm getting somewhere. I loved that's song (if I'm right) as a young teenager, and eventually went looking for the version with lyrics.