One hit, wonderful catalog.
artwork by Asher Stone.
Devo, Dexys Midnight Runners, and The Cardigans are just a few of the many acts largely known for only one song, but they have so much more amazing music to offer.
Devo — Best Known for “Whip It” (1980)
photo retrieved from Britannica website.
Probably my favorite act on this list, Debo burst onto the burgeoning American post-punk scene, which included the likes of Blondie and Talking Heads, with their debut album Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! (1978). This debut project, in no small part thanks to production from Brian Eno, found moderate success in the US, but has since achieved cult classic status and widespread acclaim, and is ranked at 252 on Rolling Stones list of the 500 Greatest Albums. “Uncontrollable Urge” kicks off the album frantically, with lightly distorted guitar and primal drums at a high tempo (you may also recognize this song as the theme to MTV’s Ridiculousness). Here, lead singer Mark Mothersbaugh’s voice is confident and commanding, but more high energy songs like “Uncontrollable Urge” and “Gut Feeling / (Slap Your Mammy)'' sit in stark contrast to tracks like “Jocko Homo'' and “Shrivel-Up," which have instrumentals that sound clunky, stiff, and robotic, while Mothersbaugh’s vocal performances are awkward, warbly, and maybe even alien sounding. On their 1979 album Duty Now for the Future, Devo retained their off-kilter style while incorporating more synths. Its tracklist includes the song “Smart Patrol / Mr. DNA," my favorite Devo song. “Smart Patrol'' sports a foreboding guitar chord progression and jarring, angular synths reminiscent of Brian Eno’s work with Roxy Music. The latter half of the track picks up the pace and could fit in perfectly on their first album if not for the continued use of those odd synth tones. Their 1980 effort Freedom of Choice features their famous song “Whip It.” The synths throughout this album are more similar to those associated with 80s synth pop, but they stick to their post-punk roots on more guitar-heavy songs like “Gates of Steel'' and “That’s Pep!” On Oh, No! It’s Devo (1982), they dove head first into synthpop, completely forgoing live instrumentation for synthetic drums, bass, chords, everything. I’m a big sucker for synth pop, and this album includes some of my all time favorites. “What I Must Do” is a bouncy, energetic song with pulsating synths and driving drums. “Explosions” features primal toms, rapid hi-hats, and some of their most out-there synth work yet, including some that sound like a laser gun from a sci-fi movie. Even when Devo changed their style, they still retained the qualities that made them great from the start, making them one of the most bizarre but incredible bands I have ever heard.
Dexys Midnight Runners — Best Known for “Come On Eileen” (1982)
photo retrieved from The UK Number Ones Blog.
Despite being one of the most famous one-hit wonders, with their legendary #1 hit “Come On Eileen," Dexys Midnight Runners actually had another massive hit across the pond. Their song “Geno," off their 1980 debut album Searching For the Young Soul Rebels, reached #1 on the charts in their native UK. “Geno” is a great introduction to the band. It displays frontman Kevin Rowland’s signature unintelligible yelp. Although I never really know what he’s saying, he is a very soulful and expressive vocalist with a distinctly recognizable sound. The song, like the album as a whole, makes heavy use of horns, resulting in a very uplifting and anthemic sound. Their 1982 project Too-Rye-Ay opens with “The Celtics Soul Brothers," featuring jaunty piano chords, a steady bassline, and a folksy fiddle melody following the chorus. The song has a real joyful sound, the kind that makes you want to get up on a table and dance with your friends. “Let’s Make This Precious” again makes use of a prominent horn section, as well as soaring violin melodies, combined with Rowland’s passionate vocals to make another jolly sounding tune. This album also features the classic “Come On Eileen," one of the greatest one-hit wonder songs of all time. Don’t Stand Me Down (1985), the band’s final effort before a lengthy hiatus, is one that I’m personally not as fond of compared to their first two projects. That’s not to say it’s not good, by any means.”Knowledge of Beauty” is a lovely, slow-burning ballad featuring soft piano chords and a dreamy slide guitar. The song eventually builds and picks up speed towards the end, incorporating saxophone and violin as Rowland’s singing increases in volume and energy. “The Waltz” follows a similar formula to “Knowledge of Beauty," despite being more centered on acoustic guitar instead of piano. It’s a lengthy ballad that provides room for Rowland’s vocals to shine, before building up to a more upbeat finish with a memorable saxophone melody and staccato violin notes as the instrumental plays out for the final two minutes. However, this album as a whole follows traditional rock & roll conventions more so than the previous two, and the songs are very lengthy. But at their best, Dexys Midnight Runners made some of the most catchy, vibrant, and joyous music of the 80s, and deserve to be remembered for much more than one song.
The Cardigans — Best Known for “Lovefool” (1996)
photo retrieved from Medium website.
While The Cardigans are most well-known for their infectious, bubbly expression of unrequited love, “Lovefool," they have a very solid discography and put out some of the best pop albums of the 90s. Their debut project, Emmerdale (1994), opens with “Sick & Tired," a vibrant track with bright acoustic guitar strumming, clean electric guitar chords, keys, and an incredibly catchy chorus. Lead singer Nina Persson has a one of a kind voice. Her vocals are soft, sweet, delicate, and incredibly beautiful—really easy on the ears. “In the Afternoon” is an easygoing, summery song with a simple chord progression on acoustic guitar, pretty keys, and glockenspiel, which is always a welcome addition to a song. The album also features a cover of Black Sabbath’s “Sabbath Bloody Sabbath," a weird choice considering the vastly different sound of The Cardigans, but they manage to pull it off surprisingly well. The dark, metal lyrics juxtapose in a very interesting way with Persson’s gentle voice, and the instrumental gives off a somewhat mysterious vibe, as if it could be the theme to a spy movie, before changing into a four-on-the-floor dance song in the outro. They would later go on to cover “Iron Man” and “Mr. Crowley," but I don’t think they succeeded like they did with “Sabbath Bloody Sabbath.” Their 1996 album First band on the Moon, features the iconic “Lovefool," and the rest of the album is similarly saccharine. “Your New Cuckoo” is a wonderful dance track with groovy drums and base, enveloping strings, and an unusually expressive vocal performance from Persson including a blissful chorus. “Been It” is a rock song in the verses, with heavy drums and a sticky guitar riff, but the chorus sounds more typical of a Cardigans song. “Great Divide” is a lovely ballad, with pretty key arpeggios, beautiful strings staying constant in the background, and yet another wonderful vocal performance from Persson. Gran Turismo (1998) is a detour from their previous work. It’s louder, colder, and more cinematic. The band makes greater use of electronic instrumentation and distortion. “Paralyzed” introduces the album with a mechanical drum loop, and sharp distortion every measure. “Erase/Rewind” is probably their second most popular song, and speaks to the cinematic feel that I mentioned earlier. The track feels very spacious, featuring pleasant synthetic strings, a simple drum part, heavily distorted bass, and a very confident vocal performance from Persson. “My Favourite Game” brings back the distorted bass into a more uptempo song as Persson sings about the fear of losing the person she loves. “Lovefool” is indeed a great song, but The Cardigans’ 90s catalog as a whole is very worthwhile.
edited by Anant Dhingra.
cover art by Asher Stone.
photos retrieved from Britannica, The UK Number Ones Blog, & Medium.