Friday Mix Tape: ’70s One Hit Wonders

Like many things in this world, they sure don’t make one-hit wonders like they used to. For this week’s Friday Mix Tape, I’ve put together a compilation of nine songs from the ’70s that marked the only major hit for the acts that recorded them. We’re talking nine catchy tunes from the decade that brought us Watergate, VCRs, the good Godfather movies and lava lamps.

We start off with the catchy Brandy (You’re A Fine Girl), a 1972 hit by Looking Glass. From there, we turn to Blues Image for Ride Captain Ride and Carl Douglas for the disco hit Kung Fu Fighting. One-hit wonders from the ’70s also came from the folk-edged King Harvest (Dancing In The Moonlight) and Dutch prog-rockers Focus (Hocus Pocus).

The Disco era brought us many revamped versions of classical tunes, such as Walter Murphy’s A Fifth of Beethoven – a groovy adaption of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony. As I was putting this mix together I heard Ram Jam’s jock rock classic Black Betty play over the PA at a Bruins playoff game, so that tune had to make the cut. Next, we turn to KISS guitarist Ace Frehley whose cover of New York Groove by Hello scored him the #13 slot on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1978. Finally, from the decade’s final year, we’ve got Video Killed The Radio Star by The Buggles, a tune that kicked off the MTV era.

’70s One Hit Wonders by Scott Bernstein on Grooveshark

Looking Glass – Brandy (You’re A Fine Girl)
Blues Image – Ride Captain Ride
Carl Douglas – Kung Fu Fighting
King Harvest – Dancing In The Moonlight
Focus – Hocus Pocus
Walter Murphy – A Fifth of Beethoven
Ram Jam – Black Betty
Ace Frehley – New York Groove
Buggles – Video Killed The Radio Star

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