In a recent interview with the Fleet Foxes, those young American musicians mentioned that they had been listening a lot to Duncan Browne and how they wished to sound like him. Duncan Browne….mmm yes, but that is a long time ago and I haven’t heard of him since the brilliant ‘Wild Places’ from 1978. I wondered WHY. Well here is one reason: I read on the internet that Duncan had died in 1993 of cancer. By that time he had already quit the music business. His music was commercially not the right thing at the right time. Duncan Browne, if remembered at all, will be remembered for that one song ‘The Wild Places’. He was what we call a One Hit Wonder, one of the many.
In one of the next Domino programs I will honour some of these almost forgotten guys: bands who hit the target once and hit it right. But they disappeared from the public eye just as spectacularly as they had arrived. We remember them from that one brilliant track, their ultimate claim to fame. What is left is a vague memory from the distant past; maybe a gold plated record or some pictures on the wall.
Sad?? I don’t think so. They had their moment in the sunshine and still have that song. If they were lucky with their manager, they may still have a nice bag of royalties too. If not, you may see them one day in your local club trying to earn a few dollars on the retro tour.
Well, here are a few of my favourite one hit wonders (at least the ones that I can still remember) and you can hear some of them on the next Domino program.
Top 25
- McArthur Park – Richard Harris
- The Wild Places – Duncan Browne
- Something in the air – Thunderclap Newman
- Death of a Clown – Dave Davies
- My Sharona – The Knack
- Fire – Arthur Browne
- Year of the Cat – Al Sewart
- Friday on my Mind – Easybeats
- One of Us – Joan Osbourne
- Tainted Love – Soft Cell
- Summer Breeze – Seals and Croft
- Spirit in the Sky – Norman Greenbaum
- She Drives Me Crazy – Fine Young Cannibals
- Louie Louie – The Kingsmen
- Twist in my sobriety – Tanita Tikaram
- Summertime Blues – Blue Cheer
- The Days of Pearly Spencer David McWilliams
- This Wheel’s On Fire – Julee Driscoll & Brian Auger
- Venus – Shocking Blue
- Come On Eileen – Dexy’s Midnight Runners
- Lucky Man – Emmerson Lake and Palmer
- Loving You – Minnie Ripperton
- If you’re going to San Francisco – Scott McKenzie
- Midnight at the Oasis – Maria Muldaur
- My Belle Amie – Tee Set
Tags: community radio, domino, domino music, music, rock
