Walking in a One-Hit Wonderland: 5 Songs We Can't Stop Singing

There’s nothing more fun than a trip down memory lane—and this month, the Houston Symphony has the perfect soundtrack to fire your nostalgia-fest when we salute artists whose one shining moment left an indelible mark on the charts and in our hearts. Learn more about some of the unforgettable songs by the one-hit wonders featured on the program. Don’t miss your chance to hear these classic songs performed live when the sensational Storm Large and Broadway’s Matt Doyle join Steven Reineke and the Houston Symphony May 25–27.

1) Video Killed The Radio Star / The Buggles / 1979

“They took the credit for your second symphony
Rewritten by machine on new technology
And now I understand the problems you can see
Oh a oh…”

Which video ushered in the MTV era when the cable network launched on August 1, 1981? None other than “Video Killed the Radio Star” by British new wave band The Buggles. With its robotic sounds and infectious synth-pop style, the song laments the passing of a simpler time while casting an apprehensive eye towards an increasingly mechanized future, underscoring the technological catch-22 that would define the 20th century and beyond.

2) Take On Me / a-ha / 1985

“We’re talking away
I don’t know what—I’m to say
I’ll say it anyway”

Soaring vocals, a catchy, upbeat chorus and one of the most creative music videos of all time powered a-ha’s “Take On Me” to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 in 1985. With the success, the trio became the first Norwegian band to have a #1 hit in the United States.

3) The Hustle / Van McCoy and The Soul City Symphony / 1975

“Do the Hustle!”

This irresistibly cheery disco tune put pep in the step of dancers across the nation in 1975, and won the Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Performance the following year. Composed by Van McCoy, he song was inspired by a burgeoning dance trend called “The Hustle,” and helped turn the dance—and disco itself—into a mainstream craze.

4) The Girl from Ipanema / Antônio Carlos Jobim, Vinicius de Moraes / 1962

“Tall and tan and young and lovely
The girl from Ipanema goes walking,
And when she passes, each one she passes goes…ahhh…”

Carefree as a cool ocean breeze, this Brazilian bossa nova classic by composer Antônio Carlos Jobim and poet Vinicius de Moraes won the Grammy for record of the year in 1964. It is believed to be the second most covered pop song of all time (behind only “Yesterday” by The Beatles), having been re-imagined by everyone from Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald to Amy Winehouse and Diana Krall.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJkxFhFRFDA

5) Chariots of Fire / Vangelis / 1981

Before becoming ubiquitous as the oh-so-epic music backing every slow-mo runner from Clark Griswold to these puppies, “Chariots of Fire” galvanized moviegoers in the 1981 film of the same name. The theme, which was part of an Academy Award-winning score by Greek composer Vangelis, hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1982, and remains the only song by a Greek artist to top the US charts. —Katy Judd