A Few Notes About One-Hit Wonders
Last night I watched Dancing with the Stars. The evening’s musical theme was “One Hit Wonders.” Some of the songs from the evening included Los del Rio’s “Macarena,” Toni Basil’s “Hey Mickey,” and a-ha’s “Take On Me.” DWTS’s theme was right on time for today’s celebration: National One-Hit Wonder Day.
For me, “Macarena” brings about flashbacks to junior high gym class. In my part of the country, the apparent appropriate thing to do to eighth graders was subject them to learning and performing the Macarena dance on Friday afternoons. To this day I remember the awkward bodily movements that constitute this dance. And I regret every bit of that knowledge.
Anyway, not all one-hit wonders are indeed bands with only one hit. A-ha, for example, had only one hit in the States, but released a total of ten albums, sold over 55 million copies, and reguarly sold out concerts across the globe. Moreover, the Cardigan’s “Lovefool” was featured on DWTS’s last night, but if you ask me, the Cardigan’s “My Favorite Game” far outpaces the song for which they’re most known. In my view, the Cardigan’s one-hit wonder isn’t even their one hit.
But other things can be one-hit wonders as well: directors, playwrights, or authors.
The first literary one-hit wonder that comes to mind is The Catcher in the Rye. As the story goes, J.D. Salinger intentionally distanced himself from society at large after Catcher’s release, perhaps purposefully becoming a one-hit wonder by doing so. His self-imposed reclusiveness created an aurora about him, one that lead to local students stealthily seeking out his residence.
On a fun note, J.D. Salinger’s son, Matt Salinger, was somewhat of a one-hit wonder himself, having stared in the titular role of the 1990’s movie Captain America. Having seen that movie before reading Catcher, I was weirdly in the position of knowing about Matt Salinger prior to knowing anything about J.D. Salinger. And this is something I’m proud of.
Well, that’s my one thought for today. Was it a hit or a wonder? Probably not.
Happy One-Hit Wonder Day!