#OneHitWondered

#OneHitHistory Sometimes a post will trigger a memory of a song. UK synthpop group Living In A Box earned US #OneHitWonder honors in 1987 with… “Living In A Box.” The single spent 7 weeks on the US #Billboard #Top40, peaking at #17. #LivingInABox #OneHitWondered

The Statler Brothers

#Interestingly Once they were just four guys singing behind Johnny Cash… Then the Statler Brothers stepped out of the shadows and turned harmony into history books, small-town stories into country anthems. They didn’t just sing about America’s heartland… they were its soundtrack. #OneHitWondered

YouTube video by James Potter Pulp Fiction — "Flowers on the wall" scene

#Interestingly In Quentin Tarantino’s 1994 film Pulp Fiction, Butch Coolidge is singing along to “Flowers on the Wall” right before he spots Marcellus Wallace crossing the street... #QuentinTarantino #PulpFiction #TheStatlerBrothers #OneHitWondered

YouTube video by alexandrabee The Statler Brothers - Bed of Rose's (Live on The Johnny Cash Show, 1970-12-02)

#Interestingly From 1964 to 1972, the Statler Brothers were fixtures on the Johnny Cash touring show, as well as on television… both as an opening act & backing vocals. Their time with Cash definitely helped launch their career. #JohnnyCash #TheStatlerBrothers #OneHitWondered

YouTube video by OneHitWondered The Statler Brothers - Flowers On The Wall

#OneHitHistory Country legends, The Statler Brothers, crossed over onto the US #Billboard #Top40 at #34 the week ending December 11, 1965, with “Flowers On The Wall.” It spent 9 weeks on the chart, peaking at #4… and earned them their US #OneHitWonder honors. #StatlerBrothers #OneHitWondered

YouTube video by Dr. Hofmann's Electric Kool-Aid Party! The Clique - Superman

#QuickSidenote I’d be remiss if I didn’t include the Clique version of “Superman,” right? #TheClique #GaryZekley #OneHitWondered

YouTube video by R.E.M. - Topic Superman (2011 Remaster)

#QuickSidenote The flipside was “Superman,” co-written & produced by Gary Zekley… R.E.M. decided to cover the track on their 1986 album, Life’s Rich Pageant. #REM #TheClique #GaryZekley #OneHitWondered

YouTube video by OneHitWondered The Clique - Sugar On Sunday

#OneHitHistory In 1969, Texas sunshine pop group The Clique earned US #OneHitWonder honors when the Gary Zekley-produced “Sugar On Sunday” spent 7 weeks on the US #Billboard #Top40, peaking at #22. #TheClique #SugarOnSunday #OneHitWondered

Don Grady

#QuickSidenote The Yellow Balloon might be most known for drummer/vocalist Don Grady… former Mouseketeer, and big brother ‘Robbie Douglas’ on TV’s My Three Sons. #DonGrady #YellowBalloon #OneHitWondered

YouTube video by OneHitWondered The Yellow Balloon - Yellow Balloon

#OneHitHistory The week ending April 29, 1967, the LA sunshine pop group The Yellow Balloon earned US #OneHitWonder honors when “Yellow Balloon” entered the US #Billboard Top 40 at #37. It spent 5 weeks on the chart, peaking at #25. #TheYellowBalloon #GaryZekley #OneHitWondered

YouTube video by The45Prof 1967 Jan & Dean - Yellow Balloon (mono 45)

#QuickSidenote Gary Zekley was the architect behind the LA sunshine pop group The Yellow Balloon. He formed ‘em, co-wrote their 1967 single “Yellow Balloon,” & produced (using the alias Yodar Critch)... Zekley had originally written the song for Dean Torrance... #GaryZekley #OneHitWondered

Producer/songwriter Gary Zekley

#Interestingly By 1973, the band had splintered, leaving “Hallelujah” as their lone US #Top40 calling card… but our story doesn’t exactly end there. “Hallelujah” was co-written by Gary Zekley… Gary Who? Well, some of you might remember the name, as we’ve mentioned him a time or two. #OneHitWondered

Rear cover of Sweathog's Hallelujah album

#Interestingly Sweathog was a short-lived West Coast rock group from the early ’70s, mixing Southern rock, soul, funk, & some blues into a loud, Hammond-driven sound. Signed to Columbia under Clive Davis, Sweathog released two albums, the self-titled Sweathog ('71) & Hallelujah ('72) #OneHitWondered

YouTube video by OneHitWondered Sweathog - Hallelujah

#OneHitHistory The week ending December 11, 1971, West Coast rockers Sweathog earned US #OneHitWonder honors when their gospel-rock burner “Hallelujah” entered the US #Billboard #Top40 at #39. The single spent 4 weeks on the chart, peaking at #33. #Sweathog #OneHitWondered

Publicity photo of Nicolas Skorsky

#QuickSidenote On October 20, 2014, 62-year-old producer Nicolas Skorsky was found dead in his Paris apartment. His housekeeper found him naked in his kitchen, a deep wound to the throat. The murder weapon was found nearby… but the case remains unsolved. #NicolasSkorsky #OneHitWondered

Leroy Gómez & Akila ‘Tequila’ Bouchareb

#QuickSidenote Looking at those Santa Esmeralda covers… One of the dancers caught Leroy Gómez’s eye. By the time he marries Akila ‘Tequila’ Bouchareb, she’s already his co-star, the recurring visual hook you don’t skip past. #LeroyGomez #SantaEsmeralda

YouTube video by TopPop Santa Esmeralda - Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood (1977) • TopPop

#Interestingly When a studio project unexpectedly has a huge hit on their hands, they need to put together a touring ‘group.’ Leroy Gómez wanted to tour, so they assembled a lineup around Gómez, plus a troupe of dancers to match the whole flamenco-meets-disco drama of the hit record. #OneHitWondered

Casablanca Records founder Neil Bogart

#Interestingly “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood” takes off in Europe way beyond what the tiny label can handle... Enter Neil Bogart’s label Casablanca, the disco mothership. They’d been successful in licensing European disco tracks already proven in clubs. #NeilBogart #OneHitWondered

YouTube video by The Ed Sullivan Show The Animals "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" on The Ed Sullivan Show

#QuickSidenote The next year, in ‘65, we see “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood” jumpin’ from Nina Simone’s confessional jazz plea to Eric Burdon’s snarl when The Animals covered the tune… a battle cry for every misfit with a chip on their shoulder. #EricBurdon #TheAnimals #OneHitWondered

YouTube video by TheMajestic0 Nina Simone-Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood

#QuickSidenote “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood” wasn’t born in a smoky British club, it was written for Nina Simone in 1964, a plea wrapped in jazz and Nina’s righteous fury. #NinaSimone #OneHitWondered

YouTube video by Chris Martin Santa Esmeralda & Leroy Gomez - Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood (Full Version)

#Interestingly “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood” was a remake of a song written for Nina Simone (and popularized by the Animals). Santa Esmeralda’s version was a 16-minute side-long suite on their 1977 debut, first issued on their own indie label Fauves Puma. #OneHitWondered

Publicity photo of Nicolas Skorsky

Publicity photo of Jean Manuel de Scarano

Publicity photo of Leroy Gómez

#Interestingly Santa Esmeralda was a French-American disco studio project put together in 1977 by producers Nicolas Skorsky & Jean Manuel de Scarano with singer/sax man Leroy Gómez. They fused four-on-the-floor disco with flamenco guitars, handclaps & a driving, dramatic vocal style. #OneHitWondered

YouTube video by OneHitWondered Santa Esmeralda - Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood

#OneHitHistory The week ending December 10, 1977, the 🇫🇷/🇺🇸 disco studio project Santa Esmeralda earned US #OneHitWonder honors when their disco version of “Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood” entered the US #Billboard #Top40 at #38. The single spent 12 weeks on the chart, peaking at #15. #OneHitWondered

B&W portrait of Japanese singer Kyu Sakamoto created using Dall-E

Kyu Sakamoto died on August 12, 1985, in the crash of Japan Air Lines Flight 123, along with 519 others on board… He was 43 years old.

Kyu Sakamoto
December 10, 1941 ~ August 12, 1985

YouTube video by The45Prof 1963 HITS ARCHIVE: Easier Said Than Done - Essex (a #1 record)

#Interestingly Kyu Sakamoto’s Japanese-language ballad “Sukiyaki” spent 3 weeks at #1 on the US #Billboard Top 40… The song that dethroned him? “Easier Said Than Done” by The Essex, of course! #TheEssex #EasierSaidThanDone #OneHitWondered

A young Japanese man looking up outside a Japanese Temple created using Dall-E

#QuickSidenote 'Sukiyaki' had nothing to do with the lyrics… "Ue o Muite Arukō" (I Look Up as I Walk) was written by lyricist Rokusuke Ei & composer Hachidai Nakamura, it’s a song of held-back sorrow… a man walking alone, looking up so his tears won’t fall. #KyuSakamoto #Sukiyaki #OneHitWondered

Kyu Sakamoto singing on stage

#Interestingly At that time, Asians were represented in Western media mostly as a caricature… or not at all. Kyu Sakamoto showed dignity, grace, and a look at a melancholy young man singing his sadness to the world (in his own language). #OneHitWondered

YouTube video by Hélio do Brasil Kyu Sakamoto Sukiyaki Stereo

#Interestingly Kyu Sakamoto became the first (and still only) Japanese artist to reach the #1 spot on the US #Billboard #Top40. It sold millions worldwide, and became a cultural milestone… #KyuSakamoto #Sukiaki #OneHitWondered

YouTube video by OneHitWondered Kyu Sakamoto - Sukiyaki

#OneHitHistory Remembering Japanese singer Kyu Sakamoto on what would’ve been his 84th birthday… #BOTD in 1941, Kyu Sakamoto earned US #OneHitWonder honors in 1963 when his Japanese-language ballad “Sukiyaki” spent 12 weeks on the US #Billboard #Top40, including 3 at #1! #KyuSakamoto #OneHitWondered