Gilbert O'Sullivan's song "Alone Again, Naturally" was a smash hit in the summer of 1972, spending six weeks at the number one spot. It is only top-40 hit record I am aware of that attempted to tackle the subject of theodicy. Nonetheless, there are many people who think that it was a terrible record, possibly because its dark subject matter makes the listener uncomfortable or because the melancholy tone of the song is interpreted as being whiny.

What one-hit-wonders do you like that other people seem to hate? There is no need to feel shame!

Chevy Van - Sammy Johns '75
Into The Night - Benny Mardones '80
Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes)- Edison Lighthouse '70
Under The Milky Way - The Church '88
Reflections of My Life - Marmalade '70
Ohh Child - Five Stairsteps '70

How about

"Bitterweet Sympathy" by The Verve/Rolling Stones?

> Ohh Child - Five Stairsteps '70

I think the optimistic lyrics of this song really seem comforting in these dark, gloomy days. I second this song nomination.

Ooh-oo child, things are gonna get easier
Ooh-oo child, things'll get brighter....

Some day, yeah
We'll walk in the rays of a beautiful sun
Some day
When the world is much brighter

Alfredo, you have just proven my point from the other thread. Gilbert O'Sullivan was NOT a "one hit wonder"! His second biggest HIT, "Clair", was #2 for 2 weeks and #1 on the AC chart for 3 weeks. "Get Down" made it to #7. He had 2 more songs in the top 25.

Well, this cats name was-a Alley-Oop......

I stand corrected. I am a bit surprised that Sullivan's follow-up records had that kind of chart success, yet it seems that "Alone Again, Naturally" is the only O'Sullivan record that got airplay or was generally talked about after the 70s. We need The Stoner and his "Forgotten Hits" show.

Bermuda, by the Bell Sisters.

Rubber Duckie - Jim Henson
(Columbia 45rpm - 1970)

Napolean the XIV...They're coming to take me away'( Ha Ha )....1965.

Bobby Boris Pickett...Monster Mash..

Ocean....Put your hand in the hand'..1970

Norman Greenbaum....Spirit in the sky...1970

Doctor and the Medics...Spirit in the sky...1986

Debbie Boone...You light up my life...1977 ( Ya, I know, most of us hated this thing soooo much, it was like drinking real Maple syrup straight from the bottle, you can only handle so much of it ) But you know, she made herself a millionaire on this one record, to match her parent's millions made by Father Pat Boone. And every format under God's creation was playing this song. About the only one that didnt was AOR ! Even country stations were playing this song !

The Knack...My Sharona...1979 ( One of dubayahs favorite IPOD hits )

Carla Bonoff....Personally...1982.

J.Frank Wilson and the Cavaliers...Last Kiss..1964

Norman Greenbaum followed up with "California Earthquake". Dunno if it was a top 40 hit but it played on KISN.

I don't think Debby Boone really counts because she had some success on the Country charts.

Shortly after I started at KGW in '77 - I got a call from the Seattle Warner Brothers rep. Sue (lastname?) said, and I paraphrrase:

"I'm going to drop off 3 or 4 copies of the new Debby Boone single this afternoon. It is a saccharine piece of ____, and I wouldn't lower myself to asking you guys for an add. But we are starting to run commercials for the movie on KGW and the song runs throughout the spot. So, it will be #1 in requests within a few days, and you'll probably be forced to add it. Just give me a call when you do, so I can report it to Joe Brooks and Warners."

WB later took out a full page ad in the trades thanking her for her tireless work on behalf of the song.

Radio hated the song -- but the listeners absolutely demanded it.

In later years, no PD would ever include it in an AC music test -- because it would inevitably come back #1.... and they really really didn't want to play it.

Other songs I was ordered not to test (due to various PDs not wanting to play them after they tested well...

Dust in the Wind (too much of a downer - anti god)
Michelle (we want to play uptempo Beatles)
In My Rooom (we want to play uptempo Beach Boys)
Only the Good Die Young (wrong message to send)
Wreck of the Edmund Fitz (too long and boring)
A couple PDs refused to test/play any country crossovers
Lay Lady Lay (I hate Dylan - he ruined pop music)
Leavin' on a Jet Plane (too folky - doesn't sound right)

Songs I wound up testing over and over and over for individual PDs despite bottom 20 (of 700 or 1000) test scores every single time...

Old Brown Shoe - Beatles
Low Spark of High Heeled Boys
Cowboys to Girls
Kicks
Simply Irrisistable
Secret Agent Man
Lucille
Chantilly Lace
Crossfire (Stevie Ray)
Hot Hot Hot
Old Flame (Alabama)

And no matter who tested it, somehow "Afternoon Delight" managed to never make it onto the final printouts. Somehow, all information on the song dissapeared from my computer between receiving the list from the PD, and returning the results. I never figured out this computer "glitch" and no PD ever noticed that the final results were 699 or 999 songs long.

Cowboys to girls !

"Shoot em up bang bang baby "

This song was in the same category as those like , I forget who did it now , entitled something like " Love Jones "...all about this guy fixated on his erection and subsequent orgasms.

Terry, I think you are referring to Sue Brett. She was a real pro!

California Earthquake is not listed as charting on top 40.

Cowboys To Girls by the Intruders
1968 Solid Gold

Great song!

"This was written by Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, a songwriting team that helped create the Philadelpia Soul sound of the '60s and '70s. The Intruders were the first band Gamble and Huff recorded on their own label, and the success of this helped them launch the Philadelphia International label, where they wrote and produced songs for Billy Paul, The O'Jays, and Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes."

From 1981: Stevie Woods "Steal the night"...he also had very minor hits with "Just can't win em all" and "Fly away".

> Other songs I was ordered not to test (due to various PDs not wanting to play them after they
> tested well...

Don't do the research because we know the results will be something we don't like??? I see something very wrong with this picture!

Why would somebody consider Kanas's "Dust In The Wind" to be "anti-God?" (The lyrics can be found here.)

That KANSAS classic has the lyrics:

"..Nothing lasts forever than the Earth and Sky..
..and all your money, won't another minute buy.."

Seemed to 'ring true' in many minds when it came out...

..however 'Carry On Wayward Son' is still their biggest hit

Sue Brett it was indeed. Total pro, a hoot to be around, and an easygoing manner that allowed all the Pdx PD/MDs to hang out together when record company plastic was in town.

Dust in the Wind remained one of the strongest testing records for as long as I was doing research. But I had a couple PDs who just hated the danged thing and refused to play it. And since occasionally GMs were smart enough to ask why a record testing top 10 wasn't being played, they just refused to test it.

I had PDs who refused to ask questions about music rotation because they "knew the audience would say the songs were played too often, but it wasn't true," wouldn't allow questions about contests because it would show most listeners either mentally or physically tune out during them, wouldn't ask about certain personalities because they liked them far more than the audience did.

I've also seen consultants stack the deck so completely on format changes that there was really no point in doing the research. One consultant defined 5 possible varieties of country radio -- 4 of the varieties contained only songs that had tested in the bottom 10% of songs we'd ever checked, while one of the variations contained every power tune that fit the direction the consultant wanted to take the station. When I pointed this out to the GM, he said to do it exactly as the consultant wanted, or they'd find another researcher.

Eventually, I realized that life was WAY too short, left the biz behind, and opened a radio soup kitchen. And "I'm much better now."

>>>>GM, he said to do it exactly as the consultant wanted, or they'd find another researcher.

I hate it when the guy with the tie drops the ball. The rest of the group can't get together and fire the problem.....

Hope this particular GM eventually had to clean out his office.

What possible reason could there be for not playing the core audience's favorite songs?

The GM's 10-year-old daughter's input?

I worked at one station where, every time the PD went on vacation, the GM would call me in and order me to add CDs that he had brought in from his girlfriend/salesperson's personal collection.

He'd say.... I know that (PD) will pull 'em off the moment he gets back... but we think they should be on the air, and with (PD)gone, I'm your boss.

"Telstar" by The Tornados. Few other songs have captured a moment in history or embodied the promise of the space age quite as well as this one. Joe Meek was a revolutionary composer, producer and engineer.

The Knack had a follow-up to "My Sharona." Summer of '79, it was "Good Girls Don't."

One of my guilty pleasure one-hitters: "Living In A Box" by Living in a Box, 1986.