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Song of the Day #5,171: ‘Wishing (If I Had a Photograph of You)’ – Flock of Seagulls

Why do so many one-hit wonders come from the 80s new wave scene? Is it just that there were so many of these acts recording at the same time, so individual songs had a better chance of finding success than whole bands?

It’s debatable whether Flock of Seagulls should be considered a one-hit wonder. They placed four songs on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, though only ‘I Ran (So Far Away)’ reached the top ten. And ‘I Ran (So Far Away)’ is actually the fifth highest-charting song in their native UK, suggesting it might not even be the one hit.

But from my thoroughly American perspective, they fit the bill.

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Song of the Day #5,170: ‘Torch’ – Soft Cell

English new wave band Soft Cell is a one-hit wonder based on the success of somebody else’s song. Their ‘Tainted Love’ was written by Ed Cobb and first recorded by Gloria Jones in 1984.

Soft Cell made it a hit, though, adding a synth-pop sheen to an otherwise faithful recreation of the original.

I wonder if it bothered them that the only breakout from their debut album was also the only song they didn’t write.

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Song of the Day #5,169: ‘The Sun Always Shines On T.V.’ – A-Ha

I’ve always been fascinated by one-hit wonders. How can the same artists behind a song to which millions of people respond never manage to make it happen again?

Did they have just enough talent to squeeze out one good song? Or did they have tons of good material in them but, through a combination of bad luck and bad timing, never managed to find an audience for most of it?

Over the next two weeks, I’ll feature the second biggest hit of ten one-hit wonders, and see if I can unearth any gems.

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Song of the Day #5,168: ‘The Man in the Looking Glass’ – Frank Sinatra

The Random iTunes Fairy is looking ahead to my 50th birthday this December and serving up a track from Frank Sinatra’s 1965 album September of My Years. Sinatra released this album in August of that year, ahead of his own 50th birthday that December. A nifty coincidence.

Turning 50 in 1965 isn’t the same as turning 50 in 2022, so I like to think I’m not entering the September of my years, exactly, but more like the early July.

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Song of the Day #5,167: ‘Holding On’ – Save Ferris

Often when the Random iTunes Fairy unearths a track from a decades-old album, I hit Wikipedia and discover the band responsible has released a dozen more albums in the time since.

That is not the case with today’s SOTD.

Save Ferris, a ska punk/pop band that built a decent following in the late 90s, released its sophomore album, Modified, in 1999. That’s the album featuring today’s song, and the only album of theirs I own.

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