Top 10 Two Hit Wonders in Rock Music

WatchMojo

They burst onto the charts, struck gold twice, then faded away... Join us as we count down our picks for the bands who just managed to avoid one-hit wonder status! Our countdown includes The Rembrandts, Fastball, Quiet Riot, Men Without Hats, and more! Which double-hitter rocks your playlist?

Transcript

00:00Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the bands and artists who

00:12manage to narrowly avoid being a one-hit wonder by having a grand total of… two hits.

00:1710. The Rembrandts

00:37You'll probably know the Rembrandts best for their song I'll Be There For You and its use on the TV

00:42show Friends, but that wasn't the only chart success they carved out. In fact,

00:46it wasn't even their highest-charting single on the Billboard Hot 100.

00:55A few years prior to that commercial boost, the band managed to reach the number 14 spot

01:00with Just The Way It Is Baby, three places higher than their next hit.

01:05Oh, baby, that's just the way it is, baby By the time their original run had concluded,

01:14these would be the only top 50 singles that the band would ever manage.

01:19That's just the way it is, baby Baby

01:249. Fastball

01:35Though their window of success was brief, Fastball pulled off a pretty respectable run of success in

01:40the late 90s. It was their second album that saw them break into the mainstream with their two biggest

01:45hits. The Way shot them to the top of the U.S. alt charts, becoming a gold record in the process.

01:51Then, they earned another slice of commercial success with Out of My Head, the following year.

02:03Was I out of my head? Was I out of my mind? How could I have ever been so blind?

02:10This time, they made it to the 20th spot on the Billboard charts. As it would turn out,

02:15these two songs would be the final major splashes they would make,

02:19even though they would go on to consistently release music for the next 25 years.

02:30Number 8. Ugly Kid Joe

02:32Those of you who were around in the 90s will no doubt remember Ugly Kid Joe and their rendition of

02:44Harry Chapin's Cats in the Cradle. That wasn't their only big hit, though.

02:54The band's debut single, Everything About You, was actually a top 10 success,

02:59catapulting them to fame in 1991. It's a far more cynical record than their second hit,

03:11giving no indication of what would eventually follow. Two years later, the band reached an

03:16entirely new level of fame, breathing new life into a song from a bygone era.

03:21I hate everything about you. Everything about you.

03:30Unfortunately, this would be the last time they ever charted on the Billboard Hot 100.

03:35Number 7. Blues Traveler

03:44No list of to-it wonders would be complete without a mention of Blues Traveler, though they still have

03:49a devoted fanbase who can't get enough of their sound. Their true commercial peak came in 1995.

04:01In that one year, the band scored a top 10 hit in the US with Runaround, which would go on to be

04:07known as their signature song. Then, their follow-up single, Hook, managed to hit number 23, earning

04:13acclaim for its satirical commentary on the entire pop music machine.

04:22Despite following these tracks up with a few modest commercial performances,

04:26Blues Traveler would never match the heights they reached in 1995.

04:30The heart brings you time!

04:37Number 6. Tesla

04:49Hard rockers Tesla were a mainstay on the US mainstream rock charts for pretty much the entirety of their

04:54careers. However, the only true crossover hits they had came during a two-year period between 1989 and 1991.

05:02The first track, Love Song, was a hopeful power ballad that went on to become a gold record.

05:14Then, a second smash hit came in the form of a cover of five-man electrical bands, Signs.

05:18Signs, Signs, everywhere signs, walking up is here and breaking my mind.

05:25Both songs made it into the top 10 on the Billboard charts, but despite consistent sales of their

05:29follow-up albums, their singles would never chart in the top 50 again.

05:40Number 5. Golden Earring

05:42Dutch icons Golden Earring are best known for charting in the US in 1973 with the infectious

05:53rocker Radar Love.

05:59They were superstars in their home country and by no means two hit wonders there after five number

06:04one hit singles. However, their career followed a peculiar trajectory when they somehow climbed

06:09even higher on the US charts a decade later.

06:20In 1982, their track Twilight Zone came out of nowhere to reach number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100.

06:26To this day, both singles are staples of classic rock radio, where they continue to remain in heavy

06:32rotation.

06:40Number 4. The Romantics

06:49For new wave band The Romantics, their signature song What I Like About You only grew in its appeal

06:55years after it was released. Sure, it initially cracked the top 50 at number 49, but it eventually

07:00proved its enduring quality with its cult status.

07:12The band's actual highest-charting single was Talking In Your Sleep, which rose all the way to

07:17number 3.

07:18Even though the track was unsuccessful in the United Kingdom, it hit number 15 when it was covered by

07:30Buck's Fizz in 1984.

07:32I hear the secrets that you keep

07:38When you're talking in your sleep

07:40Those two tracks aside, they didn't exactly make the biggest impact, but remain popular to those

07:46in the know to this very day.

07:48I hear the secrets that you keep

07:53When you're talking in your sleep

07:55Number 3. Falco

07:57Despite being a huge star in his home of Austria and in many other parts of Europe, it took a little

08:11longer for Falco to crack the US market. When he did, though, he became truly unavoidable in 1985.

08:18Who can forget the jarring synths and chants of Rock Me Amadeus,

08:22by far his most famous release.

08:32What some people forget is that he also followed up that song with Vienna Calling,

08:37which charted in the top 20 in multiple countries.

08:40The novelty wore off quickly, it seemed, and despite continuing success abroad,

08:52he never managed to replicate that success.

09:02Number 2. Men Without Hats

09:04The upbeat, synth-driven pop music of Men Without Hats was truly welcome when they entered the

09:18musical field in 1982. Their song, The Safety Dance, was the perfect introduction to the band,

09:24hitting the top 15 of a number of countries, while peaking at number 3 in the US.

09:29But we can dance, but we can dance, everything's out of control. But we can dance, but we can dance,

09:36we're doing it from all to all.

09:37For many groups, that brief flicker of success would have been it. But Men Without Hats once

09:44again achieved a gold record with Pop Goes the World in 1987.

09:48It was carefree music for a simpler time, and their quirkiness was always an absolute treat.

10:03Before we continue, be sure to subscribe to our channel and ring the bell to get notified

10:11about our latest videos. You have the option to be notified for occasional videos, or all of them.

10:16If you're on your phone, make sure you go into your settings and switch on notifications.

10:23Number 1. Quiet Riot

10:25Glam metal heroes Quiet Riot struggled to make an impact with their first two albums,

10:36albums that featured legendary guitarist Randy Rhoades. When Rhoades left in 1979, oddly enough,

10:43the band took off. Their third album opens with the one-two attack of Come On Feel The Noise

10:48and Bang Your Head Metal Health. As it turned out, the group would take the idea of putting your best

11:02foot forward very literally. These two songs would be by far and away their biggest charting singles,

11:08the only tracks to crack the top 50 of the Billboard Hot 100. To this day, they have a special place

11:21in our hearts for that major splash they initially made. The quintessential Two-Hit Wonder.

11:27But which Two-Hit Wonder sticks out in your memory? Be sure to let us know in the comments below.

Category

Transcript

Be the first to comment

Recommended