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Every decade has its very own one-hit wonders. Many ’70s one-hit wonders, however, seem to have been written for the ages. Even today some 70s Hits are regularly heard at parties or on the radio.
The pop music of the ’70s ranged from mellow to upbeat Soft rock to disco numbers to hard rock songs that have become classics.
Songs like Don McLean’s “American Pie,” Wild Cherry’s “Play That Funky Music,” and Norman Greenbaum’s “Spirit in the Sky” are familiar to anyone with a rudimentary interest in music. You may not know the artists, but you know the songs.
If you survived the quirky haircuts and the decade of exploded colors, both in fashion and home decor, the following one-hit wonders of the 1970s will make for great memories. If you’re younger, you missed the legendary disco era. But that doesn’t matter!
Finally, you can listen to the greatest one-hit-wonders of all times playlists of the 70s.
If you’ve never heard some of the songs before, listen carefully! Browse through our 70s playlist, and maybe you’ll find a special nostalgic song you haven’t heard in a long time.
What exactly is a one-hit-wonder?
A one-hit wonder is generally referred to as a single song placed at least in the top 40 singles chart. The singer did not have a bigger hit after that. But that doesn’t mean that the musician or band won’t have more successful songs z. B. in other countries had.
(You can find a Spotify playlist at the end of the article.)
The 100 most successful one-hit wonders of the 70s:
Each song is linked to its music video via its title.
| №: | Listen: | Artist: | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Black Betty | Ram Jam | |
| 2. | Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us Now | McFadden & Whitehead | |
| 3. | The Night the Lights Went Out In Georgia | Vicki Lawrence | |
| 4. | I Love the Nightlife (Disco ‘Round)” | Alicia Bridges | |
| 5. | American Pie | Don McLean | |
| 6. | Rapper’s Delight | Sugarhill Gang | |
| 7. | Play That Funky Music | Wild Cherry | |
| 8. | Spirit In The Sky | Norman Greenbaum | |
| 9. | The Rapper | The Jaggerz | |
| 10. | Seasons in the Sun | Terry Jacks, Norman Greenbaum | |
| 11. | You Light Up My Life | Debby Boone | |
| 12. | Rock the Boat | The Hues Corporation | |
| 13. | Layla | Derek and the Dominos | |
| 14. | In the Summertime | Mungo Jerry | |
| 15. | I Can’t Stand the Rain | Eruption | |
| 16. | Driver’s Seat | Sniff ‘n’ the Tears | |
| 17. | Hot Child in the City | Nick Gilder | |
| 18. | I Can’t Stand the Rain | Ann Peebles | |
| 19. | Beach Baby | The First Class | |
| 20. | Turn the Beat Around | Vicki Sue Robinson | |
| 21. | Cat’s in the Cradle | Harry Chapin | |
| 22. | The Boys Are Back in Town | Thin Lizzy | |
| 23. | Stuck in the Middle With You | Stealer’s Wheel | |
| 24. | Me and Mrs. Jones | Billy Paul | |
| 25. | Radar Love | Golden Earring | |
| 26. | Kiss an Angel Good Mornin’ | Charley Pride | |
| 27. | Mississippi Queen | Mountain | |
| 28. | If You Want It | Niteflyte | |
| 29. | My Sharona | The Knack | |
| 30. | Hot Rod Lincoln | Commander Cody And His Lost Planet Airmen | |
| 31. | Why Can’t We Live Together | Timmy Thomas | |
| 32. | Just When I Needed You Most | Randy VanWarmer | |
| 33. | Woman to Woman | Shirley Brown | |
| 34. | Ride Captain Ride | The Blues Image | |
| 35. | Here Comes the Sun | Richie Havens | |
| 36. | Bad Case Of Lovin’ You (Doctor, Doctor) | Robert Palmer | |
| 37. | Feelings | Morris Albert | |
| 38. | Magnet and Steel | Walter Egan | |
| 39. | Play That Funky Music | Wild Cherry | |
| 40. | What the World Needs Now Is Love (Abraham, Martin and John) | Tom Clay | |
| 41. | The Hustle | Van McCoy | |
| 42. | Boys Are Back in Town | Thin Lizzy | |
| 43. | City of New Orleans | Arlo Guthrie | |
| 44. | Still the One | Headpins | |
| 45. | (If Loving You Is Wrong) I Don’t Want to Be Right | Barbara Mandrell | |
| 46. | Knock On Wood | Amii Stewart | |
| 47. | I’m Not Lisa | Jessi Colter | |
| 48. | Playground in My Mind | Clint Holmes | |
| 49. | Greased Lightning | John Travolta | |
| 50. | All Right Now | Free | |
| 51. | Third Rate Romance | Amazing Rhythm Aces | |
| 52. | The Night Chicago Died | Paper Lace | |
| 53. | Lovin’ You | Minnie Riperton | |
| 54. | Cat Scratch Fever | Ted Nugent | |
| 55. | Rose Garden | Lynn Anderson | |
| 56. | Born to Be Alive | Patrick Hernandez | |
| 57. | Ariel | Dean Friedman | |
| 58. | Kung-Fu Fighting | Carl Douglas | |
| 59. | If I Can’t Have You | Yvonne Elliman | |
| 60. | Rock and Roll Hoochie Koo | Rick Derringer | |
| 61. | O o h Child | The Five Stairsteps | |
| 62. | Got to be Real | Cheryl Lynn | |
| 63. | Afternoon Delight | Starland Vocal Band | |
| 64. | Teddy Bear | Red Sovine | |
| 65. | Never Been Any Reason | Head East | |
| 66. | Jackie Blue | The Ozark Mountain Daredevils | |
| 67. | Hooked on a Feeling | Blue Swede | |
| 68. | How Long? | Ace | |
| 69. | Brother Louie | Stories | |
| 70. | Magic | Pilot | |
| 71. | Love Is in the Air | John Paul Young | |
| 72. | Don’t Give Up on Us | David Soul | |
| 73. | Baker Street | Gerry Rafferty | |
| 74. | In the Midnight Hour | Cross Country | |
| 75. | Love Hurts | Nazareth | |
| 76. | All the Young Dudes | Mott the Hoople | |
| 77. | Welcome Back | John Sebastian | |
| 78. | Werewolves of London | Warren Zevon | |
| 79. | She’s All I Got | Freddie North | |
| 80. | My Maria | B.W. Stevenson | |
| 81. | The House of the Rising Sun | Frijid Pink | |
| 82. | Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Grows) | Edison Lighthouse | |
| 83. | Fooled Around and Fell in Love | Elvin Bishop | |
| 84. | Amie | Pure Prairie League | |
| 85. | The Devil Went Down to Georgia | The Charlie Daniels Band | |
| 86. | Cover of ‘Rolling Stone’ | Dr. Hook & The Medicine Show | |
| 87. | Alone Again Naturally | Gilbert O’Sullivan | |
| 88. | Ring My Bell | Anita Ward | |
| 89. | Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl) | Looking Glass | |
| 90. | I’ve Got the Music in Me | The Kiki Dee Band | |
| 91. | Sometimes When We Touch | Dan Hill | |
| 92. | War | Edwin Starr | |
| 93. | One Toke Over the Line | Brewer & Shipley | |
| 94. | More, More, More | The Andrea True Connection | |
| 95. | Brand New Key | Melanie | |
| 96. | Cruel to Be Kind | Nick Lowe | |
| 97. | If We Make It Through December | Merle Haggard | |
| 98. | Knock Three Times | Tony Orlando and Dawn | |
| 99. | Dancing in the Moonlight | King Harvest | |
| 100. | Short People | Randy Newman |
70s One-Hit-Wonder Spotify Playlist:
Reading tips:
