The ‘70s One Hit Wonders That Truly Stood the Test of Time

The ‘70s brought us bellbottoms and the rise of disco. Unfortunately, those days are long gone, but there’s one thing that continues to resonate with every generation that came afterwards and that’s music.

But this isn’t necessarily about a music band or a solo music artist that went on to produce dozens of albums.

We’re talking about the one-hit wonders that have withstood the test of time and continue to play on, even if they never had such a huge hit again.

Venus by Shocking Blue

In 1970, Shocking Blue released a single called “Venus,” which sang an ode to a Roman goddess. The irony isn’t lost on the fact that the band is Dutch, hence why the way some of the words are enunciated are a little weird in the original version.

Some younger people will remember the song from the cover version done by the band Bananarama.

Afternoon Delight by Starland Vocal Band

Starland Vocal Band disguised the lyrics of “Afternoon Delight” just enough that it was okay to play on the radio but it still resonated its naughty message to make listeners laugh and blush.

And by 1976, it was on the top of the Billboard Hot 100 and the band won two Grammies.

All Right Now by Free

20 million copies of “All Right Now” sold around the world, which is pretty ironic given that the British blues rock group, Free, wrote the song at Durham University in Northern England, and that they broke up not long after the single’s initial release.

Rapper’s Delight by Sugarhill Gang

One fateful night in 1978, Disco gurus Chic were onstage in New York alongside Blondie and The Clash. Halfway through Chic’s song “Good Times,” a rapper named Fab Five Freddy and his friends jumped on stage and started singing.

This led to “Rapper’s Delight” which first introduced rap music to the music industry.