The Second Biggest Hit by 5 “One-Hit Wonders” From 70s Rock

Ah, the 1970s. It was a killer decade for rock music. It gave us some of the greatest bands of the 20th century and countless albums to follow. However, a few poorly-labeled one-hit wonders of the time delivered some additional hits outside of their breakthrough. And we don’t think those bands get enough credit for those successful second hits. Let’s look at the second biggest hit by five “one-hit wonders” from 1970s rock music!

1. “Keep Your Hands On The Wheel” by Ram Jam

Ram Jam’s cover of Lead Belly’s “Black Betty” from their 1977 self-titled album was the only song in their discography to plow through the charts. The rest of their music didn’t slip through the cracks, though. Their follow-up single “Keep Your Hands On The Wheel” did fairly well and is pretty recognizable by those who were around when “Black Betty” first came out. However, it wasn’t a chart-topper on its own.

2. “Good Girls Don’t” by The Knack

The 1979 single “My Sharona” was everywhere when it first came out. Radios, shopping malls, movies… it was probably the biggest hit of the year. It quickly hit the top of the Hot 100 upon its release, and it makes sense why. “My Sharona” has one of the most addictive beats of any 1970s rock song.

The Knack have been labeled as “one-hit wonders”, but their second hit “Good Girls Don’t” also did quite well in the shadow of their breakthrough. It was released shortly after “My Sharona” and barely missed making the Top 10. There has been some criticism of the song and its notably misogynistic lyrics, which had to be edited for radio play.

3. “Easy Rider (Let The Wind Pay The Way)” by Iron Butterfly

Fun fact: Iron Butterfly’s “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida” had to be cut down from 17 minutes to three minutes in order to be released as a radio-friendly single. It was a hit and reached no. 30 in the United States in 1968.

One could say that song was massively influential on rock music that followed in the 1970s. Unfortunately, Iron Butterfly never saw that much success again. However, the 1970 release “Easy Rider (Let The Wind Pay The Way)” reached no. 66 on the charts.

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4. “Star” by Stealers Wheel

“Stuck In The Middle With You” was a big hit in 1973. It saw a resurgence in popularity through the years, namely through its use in film and television shows like Reservoir Dogs and Malcolm In The Middle. Stealers Wheel never saw as much success from a single again, but their folk-rock song “Star” did manage to hit no. 25 upon its release that same year.

5. “Never In My Life” by Mountain

A lot of great music came out in 1971, particularly “Mississippi Queen” by Mountain. It’s a classic rock song with easy-to-identify guitar riffs and Leslie West’s iconic vocals. That song reached no. 21 on the Hot 100.

Another song from Climbing!, “Never In My Life” did quite well too, despite not actually being released as a single. It’s currently Mountain’s second-most-streamed song on Spotify, too. That alone should pull the band out of “one-hit wonder” status.

Photo by GAB Archive/Redferns

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