Who are some one-hit wonders whose only hit was a cover of someone else's hi!
Question: I heard "Funkytown" by Pseudo Echo today on the radio, and it dawned on me that their only chart hit was a remake of an already horrible song by Lipps, Inc (also a one-hit wonder, ironically enough).
Anyone else?
Answers: I heard "Funkytown" by Pseudo Echo today on the radio, and it dawned on me that their only chart hit was a remake of an already horrible song by Lipps, Inc (also a one-hit wonder, ironically enough).
Anyone else?
I was about to type "Norman Greenbaum, Spirit In The Sky" and then saw that h b (above) already had : )
There are dozens of these, generally proving the power of the original song more than any interpretative skill. Off the top my head:
Marmalade, with The Beatles' "Obla-Di-Obla-Da"
Club Nouveau, with "Lean On Me' by The Temptations, etc.
"Baby, I Love Your Way" by Big Mountain (it's a Peter Frampton song)
"Mickey" by Toni Basil (first recorded by UK group Racey in 1979)
"Top Of The World" by Shonen Knife, covering The Carpenters
"Don't Leave Me This Way" by The Communards is a double whammy - the original by Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes (1975) and its cover by Thelma Houston (1977) were both hits!
"Mad World" by Gary Jules (TFF song). Guess the jury (Jules-ry?) is still out on whether Gary will have another hit...
EDIT: Hey, I think I've just been unfair to Marmalade. Wasn't "Reflections Of My Life" a hit? So, not a one-off then!
Deke, I hated the Pseudo Echo version..At least the original was a campy disco sensation.
I would nominate Club Nouveau - Lean on Me....not nearly as good as Bill Withers!
spirit in the sky (orginally by peter greenbaum) covered by Dr and the medics
I would say "Locomotion" by Kylie Minogue but I guess she's had more than just that hit.
Great question though. Got me thinking this morning.
How about Naked Eyes - "(There's) Always Something There to Remind Me" a cover of the Burt Bacharach / Hal David standard.
Taco - "Puttin' on the Ritz"
Blue Monday- Orgy is the first one to come to mind
Tainted Love- Soft Cell
Always Something There to Remind me- Naked Eyes
Black Betty- Ram Jam
Venus- Bananarama
Alien Ant Farm. Their only hit that I know of is a cover of Michael Jackson's "Smooth Criminal".
I'd say Manfred Mann... They did Blinded by the Light... that song was orginaly by Bruce Springstein and I think they did it better. They had other hits but not quite as good as that one.
The Ataries - Boys of summer
Soft Cell
Baby I Love Your Way...Will To Power (Originally by Peter Frampton)
Everlasting Love...Carl Carlton, (originally by Robert Knight), also a one hit wonder
DHT - "Listen to Your Heart" (original by Roxette)
Doctor and the Medics - "Spirit in the Sky" (original by Norman Greenbaum)
Joan Jett - "I Love Rock and Roll" (original by The Arrows)
After the Fire - "Der Kommisar" (original by Flaco)
As you found with "Funkytown", many one-hit wonders who do covers are actually covering songs of other one-hit wonders.
Orgy - Blue Monday
Lou Bega - Mambo nr 5 was big in europe. He used a sample of Perez Prado's Mambo nr 5