Killed By The Video Star

5 One Hit Wonders You Need To Hear Once

by Dave Parrack on February 24th, 2008

It’s time for a list post again, and actually it’s the first one I’ve ever done here on Killed By The Video Star. If you’re not a regular reader of the b5 Music Channel, then you may have missed our regular top lists, which up to now I have posted on Brit Music Scene.

This time I thought Video Star was much better suited to the task, and so without further ado, here are my top five One Hit Wonders You Need To Hear Once!…

Carl Douglas - Kung Fu Fighting

Yeah it’s cheesy as hell, but man is it a catchy song. He may have been as bald as a coot, and not done anything else of note, but Carl Douglas is a legend in his own bathtub for this song, and rightly so. I couldn’t actually find the original video, but this one, using footage from the brilliant Kung Fu Hustle is better anyway.

House Of Pain - Jump Around

I still love this song, even 15 years after it was released. It never fails to get me moving, and yeah, jumping, when at an indie club or house party. Lead singer/rapper Everlast went on to pursue a solo career but in my opinion, this unique slice of Irish American hip hop was the pinnacle.

The Vapors - Turning Japanese

This is song which I know is full of racial sterotypes and not exactly politically correct in this day and age, but man, is it a good pop song! The video is even worse, with men committing Hari Kiri, and the only Japanese women on display being geishas. It’s just the right side of punk to be cool, and its recent inclusion on Guitar Hero has helped cement its legacy.

Deee-Lite - Groove Is In The Heart

This song seemed to emerge from nowhere to become a hit, and a song which, to my mind, sums up the deviation between the 1980s and 1990s. It was funky, and excellent to dance to, and set the tone for fun and frivolous pop songs. I even used to have a crush on Lady Miss Kier, although I’m sure these days she looks like a dried up prune.

Buggles - Video Killed The Radio Star

The whole reason this blog exists is because music videos started taking prominence, and the promos for singles started getting a bigger budget spent on them. This song sums up the change perfectly, and is a brilliant slice of pop heaven to boot. The video is rather weird, but fantastic all the same. Famous for being the first video to be played on MTV when it started.

That’s an eclectic bunch if ever I saw it, and they all prove that just because an artist only manages to have one hit in their whole career, that doesn’t mean it, or they, are necessarily rubbish.

Be sure to check out the rest of the b5 Music Channel today for other writers takes on the subject of one hit wonders.

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