In our final post about UK One Hit Wonders, I have choosen some songs for an honourable mention.
“Fire” is a 1968 song written by Arthur Brown, Vincent Crane, Mike Finesilver and Peter Ker. Performed by Thhe Crazy World of Arthur Brown, it was released as a single and on the band’s epoonymously named debut album. During live performances and in the black and white promotional television clip, Brown performed the song wearing a burning helmet. The helmet was improvised with a leather skull cap onto which was bolted a metal dish that held lighter fluid or petrol. As the cap was not insulated, the heat from the burning fuel quickly conducted through the fixing bolt to the top of Brown’s head, causing him considerable pain. The single became a transatlantic hit, reaching number one in the UK and Canada and number two in the United States, while hitting the top 10 in markets across Europe.
“Venus” is a song by Dutch rock band Shocking Blue, initially released as a single in the Netherlands in the summer of 1969. Written by Robbie van Leeuwen, the song topped the charts in nine countries. In 1981. In the Shocking Blue version, the song’s lead vocals are performed by Mariska Veres. In 1986, English girl group Bananarama covered “Venus” for their third studio album, True Confessions, reaching number one in six countries. The composition has been featured in numerous films, television shows and commercials, and covered dozens of times by artists around the world.
“Float On” is a 1977 song by The Floaters. The spoken verses combine two popular trends from the time, star signs and video and phone dating, in lines such as Aquarius and my name is Ralph / Now I like a woman who loves her freedom. The song was co-written by James Mitchell Released from their debut album, it became one of the biggest singles of the year, peaking at number two on the Billboard but with no other Hot 100 hits, The Floaters became a one hit wonder on that chart. “Float On” also reached number one in the UK, and number five in the Ireland.
“Suicide Is Painless” is a song written by Johnny Mandel (music) and Michael Altman (lyrics) for the 1970 film M*A*S*H. In addition to being performed by characters in the film, it plays during the title sequence as sung by The Ron Hicklin Singers, and an instrumental version is likewise the theme music for the TV series based on the film, playing over the opening and closing credits. It became a number-one hit in the UK in May 1980. The song was ranked No. 66 on AFI’s 100 Years…100 Songs.
“I’m the Urban Spaceman” was the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band’s most successful single, released in 1968. It reached Number 5 in the UK charts. The song was written by Neil Innes—who won an Ivoor Novello Award in 1968 for the song—and produced by Paul McCartney and Gus Dudgeoon under the pseudonym “Apollo C. Vermouth”. The B-side was written by Vivian Stanshall. A well-known staging of the song involves Innes performing solo while a female tap dancer performs an enthusiastic but apparently under-rehearsed routine around him. This skit originally appeared in a 1975 edition of Rutland Weekend Television, with Lyn Ashley as the dancer.
