Bands with the most material, known only for one song

[TMC]

Are there any bands or solo artists that have put out so much material that are primarily known for one song?

Black Sheep Hit


"At first I didn't even want to play it for the guys. I thought that Metallica could only be the four of us. These are songs about destroying things, head banging, bleeding for the crowd, whatever it is, as long as it wasn't about chicks and fast cars, even though that's what we liked. The song was about a girlfriend at the time. It turned out to be a pretty big song."
— James Hetfield, lead singer of Metallica, about "Nothing Else Matters".

Sometimes, a musician has a huge hit with a song that is at right angles to their usual style. For some reason, this happens very often with hard rock/metal bands who hit it big with a slow ballad. Or alternatively a hardcore rapper/rap group with a crossover party anthem. For bands with a very niche appeal, the Black Sheep Hit is usually one of the songs "mainstream" enough to receive play on the radio stations.
While having a hit is something most bands strive for, this type of hit can develop into a millstone around their neck because they only wanted to play rock (or metal, or whatever), and now they will forever be associated with this song. Often results in Creator Backlash.
While such tracks may well be the one hit of the One-Hit Wonder, it need not be — a band with other well-known tracks may still have a Black Sheep Hit if the general public mostly thinks of the misfit song when they hear the band's name. If someone does not like the hit song, they may have no desire to check out the band's other works — and, when finally exposed to it, might be pleasantly surprised to discover that they do like the other songs. Conversely, those who do like the hit song may feel disappointed upon finding out that the rest of the band's songs sound quite different.
A Black Sheep Hit will be a result of Genre Adultery for many musicians. Often related to Chart Displacement.


One-Hit Wonder

"So many lovely melodies...
So many messages to convey...
But they don't care about any of these...
Play that one damn song
is what they all say."
— Reel Big Fish, "One Hit Wonderful"

A one-hit wonder is an artist primarily known for one hit song. If they're lucky, their next single may chart as well, but despite the ubiquitous fame of their first hit, they never really take off.
It is not uncommon for a group to be a one-hit wonder then break up, allowing one or more members to become (more) successful solo acts. It is also not uncommon for the one hit to be atypical of their oeuvre. Also compare Tough Act to Follow and One-Book Author. And, of course, if sufficient backlash is applied, they will Never Live It Down. Note that a one-hit wonder on the American charts may be a different story in other countries; many popular European artists, like Gary Numan and Frankie Goes to Hollywood charted only once in America. For that matter, many American artists like Queensrÿche have only charted once in their homeland but are popular in foreign markets such as Europe, Asia and Australia. Likewise, there are many artists who only once reached the mainstream Top 40, but are respected figures and even trendsetting within their genre; several such examples are listed below.
But usually, a "one-hit wonder" is defined by cultural impact rather than chart placements. For example, if an artist has a massive #1 hit, getting a #40 will technically disqualify them as per Billboard's definition of a one-hit wonder, but it's highly unlikely that the #40 will continue to be remembered over time and they will likely become a textbook example of such an artist (well-known examples of this situation include the cases of Chamillionaire, Tommy Tutone, Rockwell, and Vanessa Carlton). And their "second hit" doesn't have to only scrape the bottom of the top 40 to ensure they be remembered as such. In fact, there are a handful of artists who were massive in their prime, and even though they still had clearly defined Signature Songs, nobody would ever consider labelling them as one-hit wonders. however, as time goes on, the artists fall so hard into obscurity or the signature song's memetic status and ubiquity so overshadows their other work that their discographies are almost completely forgotten outside of the signature song. Thus, they are looked back upon as a one-hit wonder — acts like Vanilla Ice, Soulja Boy, Rick Astley, and even MC Hammer are commonly thought of as one-hit wonders for this very reason.
There are other artists, like Jimi Hendrix, The Grateful Dead and Rush, who are well-regarded legends with plenty of classics under their belts, but through some fluke or stroke of luck, ended up with just one Top 40 hit a piece. Technically under Billboard's definition, these artists are one-hit wonders — The Other Wiki lists all of them in their meticulously sourced one-hit wonder lists. Some observers and music writers believe these acts don't count as one-hit wonders, merely artists that had one Top 40 hit and more of a piece of chart trivia than a specific label.
For further reading, and a good definition of who may and may not be a one-hit wonder, check out this 2012 article for The Village Voice. It largely focuses on the specific cases of Owl City and Carly Rae Jepsen, both of whom are generally considered one-hit wonders despite the fact that their collaboration "Good Time" became a top 10 hit, but also looks at the term "one-hit wonder" from a broader aspect (for example, Rick Springfield, who had five top 10 hits but is still primarily known for his only #1 hit, "Jessie's Girl").
There are countless examples, so this article will only list a handful of representative samples. Compare No-Hit Wonder, wherein an artist manages long-term success without even so much as one big hit, and Two-Hit Wonder, where an artist is lucky enough to score a second hit. Also see Hitless Hit Album, where an artist has a hit album with no hit songs. Contrast Breakthrough Hit, where one hit leads to a string of later hits. Also compare Signature Song which is the biggest hit. May overlap with Small Reference Pools, especially non-music examples. Many of the artists listed here are mislabeled because they have a signature song but still had lesser hits. There have been rare instances where the band had a Top 40 hit, but it is not their most popular song and the signature song the band is known for didn't chart well or at all. Often, this is due to a chart technicality affecting the signature song, as Arlo Guthrie, the Rembrandts, and Fastball have seen.
Has nothing to do with One-Hit-Point Wonder and usually has little to do with a One-Scene Wonder, which is a small but very memorable role in a large work that may actually be by an A-list star (possibly because he or she is one).

[Edward216]

I think a good example to start with would be Bobby McFerrin who's most well known for his acapella feel good pop hit Don't Worry Be Happy. I didn't know it at the time the song was a hit in the 80s but he'd already put out several albums and had already won some Grammies too. And then I found out he wasn't even Jamaican but American LOL. For some reason which I've never heard explained, McFerrin did his vocals for the well known hit with a Jamaican accent. He eventually got tired of the song and didn't perform it in concert for a long time.

Ed.

[MA]

Damn Yankees

[ABlairican Pie]

The article claims that Rush had a large body of work but only one Top 40 hit, as if that was supposed to "validate" their existence. Rush was never a band trying to court mainstream success with the hopes that they would score a song that topped the charts. They worked hard at trying to achieve success on their own terms and creating that they and their fans would enjoy, while remaining true to their own musical vision. They became very leery in 1980 when their new popular song "The Spirit Of Radio" drew a ton of music industry types who would most likely force them into a certain mold. They wanted to remain progressive as they had before on their previous albums. The album which featured that song, 'Permanent Wave', criticized New Wave that the music scene was undergoing to be hip and trendy. Rush were about having a bit more longevity in their style.

However, for the next few albums, there WAS a sort of capitulation to those same current trends in the early 80's. After their huge success on their groundbreaking 'Moving Pictures' album in 1981, there was a tendency for the band to dabble in synth-rock and ska. Perhaps this was due to their lacking some ability to duplicate that album's success toward the mid-80's, before they were able to reinvent themselves for their 1985 album 'Power Windows'.

[Babalu]

Gilbert O'Sullivan - Alone Again, Naturally

Bellamy Brothers - Let Your Love Flow. They are much better known in country music

Oliver - Good Morning, Starshine

Ben E. King - Stand By Me

[JO Sweet Heart]

"Elvira" was the only song from the Oak Ridge Boys to crack the AC top ten.

God bless you and them always!!!

Holly

P.S. And may my late beautiful precious Steve Sanders be with the Lord, I love him so much. Steve is the one at the top of this picture.

[MrCleveland]

All I can think of is Procol Harum...they have great material and a kick-ass live album with an orchestra...but all you hear from them is...