Whatever happened to...?
Illustration by Austin Gilmore
"Take On Me"
by A-Ha
Kyle Garrison
Kansas City, KS sophomore
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People usually don't remember one-hit wonders, but they remember their songs. Kevin Smith, a disc jockey at KBZI in Pittsburg, sees this all the time. Smith says one time he asked a friend if he liked the band Deep Blue Something, best-known for its song "Breakfast at Tiffany's," and his friend seemed confused. Smith then told him about the band's hit song, and his friend immediately expressed his love for it. Every weekday at noon Smith hosts an all-request lunch hour at KBZI. Smith says the station wasn't getting many requests on
The one-hit wonder is proof that all you need is one popular song on the radio to be remembered – at least for 15 minutes. From VH1 to Rolling Stone to the average music fan, everyone seems to be fascinated with one-hit wonders. "When are you gonna play 'That Thing You Do'?" That line is from That Thing You Do, a film that accurately displays the mania of one-hit-wonder stardom. The film, directed by Tom Hanks tells the story of The Wonders, an ordinary band that hit it big in the '60s with a ridiculously catchy hit song.
"Ice Ice Baby"
by Vanilla Ice
Joe McGuire
Kansas City, Mo senior
It's no wonder that one-hit wonders are an important part of pop culture
"I Saw the Sign"
by Ace of Base
Amber Hall
Wichita junior
By Matt Beat, Jayplaywriter
It's a phenomenon that has been occurring since the '50s. Everyone knows what it is – at least they think they do – yet experts find it difficult to pinpoint exactly how to classify it. It can be a blessing or a curse to be labeled it. It can dramatically change lives and then abruptly change them again.
"Achy Breaky Heart" by Billy Ray Cyrus Jeanette Hershbarger St. Louis freshman
11.18.04 Jayplay
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