Top 10 Most Underrated One Hit Wonders

#10: “Obsession”

Animotion

On first listen, you might think that “Obsession” by Animotion is just another slice of 80s synth-pop - indistinguishable from its contemporaries. However, there is quite a lot of effective songwriting going on here and its catchiness has not been dulled by the decades that have passed since its release. Originally released by Michael Des Barres & Holly Knight, for our money, the Animotion cover really sealed its greatness. Factor in the visual treat that is its music video, and it’s no wonder that it went on to be a big hit - reaching the top-ten in the Billboard charts. Sure, later single “Room To Move” was also a solid seller, but “Obsession” is truly the song they’re remembered for.

#9: “Ça Plane Pour Moi”

Plastic Bertrand

Even if you put the mysteries and controversies over who actually sang this song to one side, there’s no denying just how fun Plastic Bertrand’s “Ça Plane Pour Moi” is. Some do see it as a novelty song, but at its core, it’s a remarkably well-written and melodic punk classic. Even listeners who did not understand French could feel the momentum and attitude instantly, making it a surprise crossover hit. For years, Bertrand has been pressed by journalists about whether or not he even sang on the recording. For the most part, he maintains that it was him. Either way, chart success has eluded him in the time since this debut single came out.

#8: “How Do You Talk To An Angel”

The Heights

When your entire band has been created by a television show, for the purposes of the show itself, it’s going to be hard to escape being labelled. For The Heights, the fact that they’re a fictional band shouldn’t distract you from the fact that “How Do You Talk To An Angel” is a masterful piece of pop songwriting. The general public seemed to agree, too, with it soaring to the top of the charts. Sure, there’s a certain novelty to a fictional band from a TV show using that platform to launch a hit single, but that doesn’t take anything away from the quality of the music.

#7: “How Bizarre”

OMC

The instant catchiness of this OMC classic is too great to ignore. When it came on the airwaves back in the 1990s, it had an incredibly fresh sound, taking influence from Polynesian music and hip-hop, with some unique instrumentation added in. It’s a truly atmospheric song - one that sets a vibe within its opening bars and continues to build on it all the way through. The track was a big seller across the globe, landing OMC a platinum record with their very first release. However, despite some decent commercial success in the Oceanic region, they were never again able to find another hit single.

#6: “Pop Muzik”

M

Some might be quick to dismiss Robin Scott’s “Pop Muzik” as little more than a simplistic novelty song, but buried beneath its incredibly fun exterior is a track that was way ahead of its time. The lyrics aren’t trying to do anything crazy, but they function as a strong commentary on pop music generally - sometimes it’s ok to embrace a fun and nonsensical edge. Though rooted in new wave sounds, the song is a lot more of a genre-blender than it might initially seem, and it’s a surefire way to fill a dancefloor. It was Scott and the band M’s only hit, but it did reach the very top of the Billboard Hot 100 upon its release.

#5: “Under the Milky Way”

The Church

Sometimes a band with a consistently solid catalogue just needs a bit of fine-tuning to make their music more widely accessible. Australian psychedelic rockers The Church have had a career worth being proud of, and a devoted fanbase to go with it. Their biggest hit, “Under the Milky Way”, took their formula and tweaked it just enough to make it a breakout song internationally. The essence of what the band does best is not lost either. The single ended up charting well abroad, earning them some well-deserved new fans in the process. However, it remains their only truly notable dent on the global market.

#4: “Steal My Sunshine”

Len

If there’s one thing that Len’s classic hit “Steal My Sunshine” does perfectly, it is its skilful establishment of a mood and vibe. Its brilliance lies in how effortlessly it captures a specific tone, that carefree suburban youthfulness mixed with hazy melancholy. Even if people were initially quick to call it a lightweight slice of sunshine pop, it’s pretty fair to say that it has aged remarkably well. Despite its top-10 status in several major countries, Len weren’t able to follow up their momentum with further success. Over the course of their career, they never made it back onto the Billboard Hot 100.

#3: “Another Girl, Another Planet”

The Only Ones

This one was more of a slow-burning success than an instant chart hit. The Only Ones’ “Another Girl, Another Planet” is one of the defining songs of post-punk-era guitar rock, even though it barely charted initially. Its reputation grew because musicians and critics recognised how extraordinary its songwriting was. Peter Perrett combined poetic ambiguity, vulnerability, and romantic obsession in lyrics that could be interpreted as either a love song or a drug allegory. When you have artists as acclaimed as blink-182, The Libertines, The Replacements, and Michael Stipe covering your biggest song, you know you’ve done something right.

#2: “Mexican Radio”

Wall of Voodoo

Oddball music rarely sounded as accessible as the new wave classic “Mexican Radio” from Wall of Voodoo. There’s so much going on with this track that it might even be hard to fully grasp on your first listen. However, this 1982 track really predicted a lot of interesting trends that would eventually envelop alternative rock in the 90s. It’s a truly eccentric song that at once sounds like it's drawing from cowboy westerns and science-fiction. The fact that it made it to the 58th spot on the Billboard charts probably even surprised the band itself to some degree. It was the only charting single they ever released.

#1: “A Million Miles Away”

The Plimsouls

There are many songs that bridged the gap between punk music and classic power-pop. 1983’s “A Million Miles Away” from The Plimsouls is an example that often gets forgotten about in that discussion. It has all of the punchiness that would define the alt-rock of the next ten years, with the aggression and urgency of the punk movement that was in the process of evolving. It’s intentional songwriting mixed with an undeniably raw energy - which is a tougher balancing act to pull off than many realise. The band’s short shelf life saw them put out two albums during their initial run, but they never cracked the charts again.

But what’s your personal favourite one-hit wonder of all-time? Be sure to let us know in the comments below.