99 Red Balloons...and 100 Other All-Time Great One-Hit Wonders Paperback - 2003

From the publisher

A unique history and ranking of the most fascinating Top 40 one-hit wonders from 1960 to 2000 Did you know that Marc Cohn ("Walking in Memphis") fronted the band that performed at Caroline Kennedy's wedding reception? And did you realize that the Spiral Starecase's 1969 classic "More Today Than Yesterday" was featured in an episode of Ally McBeal? Here is the ultimate book for anyone who loves pop music and one-hit wonders. From the 60s to the 90s, 99 Red Balloons profiles and ranks all the best and only the best one-hitters. Dream Academy ("Life in a Northern Town"), Mott the Hoople ("All the Young Dudes"), Deee-Lite ("Groove is in the Heart"), Right Said Fred ("I'm Too Sexy"), Doris Troy ("Just One Look"), and Devo ("Whip It"), here are all the best-loved greats from the era of JFK to the Bill Clinton years. Each chapter spotlights, a specific one-hit wonder, including sample lyrics and chart position. Following, the popular radio countdown format, 99 Red Balloons starts with the 101st all-time best one hitter (Katrina & the Waves' "Walking on Sunshine") and counts all the way down to #1 (Marc Cohn's "Walking in Memphis"). Sidebars such as "Roll Over, Jerry Garcia, and Tell Janis Joplin the News" point out that even revered artists such as the Grateful Dead ("Touch of Grey"), Janis Joplin ("Me and Bobby McGee"), Jimi Hendrix ("All Along the Watchtower"), and Sinead O'Connor ("Nothing Compares 2 U") are "technically" one-hit wonders, since they've only charted with one song. Music fans will discover some of the most bizarre trivia about pop music: Tony Burrows was the front man for five bands (Edison Lighthouse, White Plains, Brotherhood of Man, The Pipkins, the First Class), all ofwhich were one-hit wonders. Controversial, informative, and entertaining, 99 Red Balloons is the book that no music lover can afford to be without.