A Small Victory: let's play a game: one hit wonders

I'm tired and feeling sort of brainless, so in lieu of real content tonight I'll resort to a game, which we all seem to be fond of anyhow.

Tonight, it's a guess song by lyrics game, with a theme. All of the songs are considered one hit wonders. You're on the honor system here, I'm asking you kindly to not Google(tm) your answers. You know the Little Dead Girl up there? Well think of her as a sinister Santa. She knows when you are sleeping, she knows when you're awake, she knows if you've been Googling(tm), and she'll smack you with a rake.

No prizes, just glory. Lyrics below. Answer in comments. Feel free to add your own lyrics for us to guess while you're down there. Oh, artist and song title, please.

Yea, I went a little heavy on the 80's songs.

1. Think I would die, If you were to ignore me. A fool could see just how much I adore you.

2. They sat on the stony ground and he took a cigarette out and everyone else came down to listen

3. Modern medicine falls short of your complaints

4. And the judge said "Guilty" in a make-believe trial and slapped the sheriff on the back with a smile

5. 'Cause the spirit of Jah, you know he leads you on.

6. she blocked her eyes and drew the curtainswith knots I've got yet to untie

7. She said, "I'm worryin' outta mind" (Bam-ba-Lam) the damn thing gone blind

8. So much for all your highbrow Marxist ways, just use me up and then you walk away.

9. But every dark tunnel has a lighter hopeSo don't hang yourself with a celibate rope

10. Everything you think, do, and say is in the pill you took today.

11. I'm a model, you know what I mean and I do my little turn on the catwalk

12. All across the nation, such a strange vibration

13. Pull up your head off the floor�come up screaming

14. I'm floating in a beam of light with you

15. then one day he was cracking off a marleyalong came the wolf on his big bad harley

Comments

9. Young MC, "Bust a Move"
11. Right Said Fred, "I'm Too Sexy".

And I am not admitting to having listened to either of those.

Just for that, I'm inflicting these lyrics on you:

I want to reach out and pull you to me
Who says I should let a wild one go free

Posted by: Dave | July 2, 2003 07:41 PM

2. "Life in a Northern Town" Dream Academy
4. "The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia", Vicki Lawrence
7. "Black Betty", Ram Jam
10. "In the Year 2525", Zager & Evans
12. "San Francisco", (sh*t! forgot the singer's name!)
14. "I Ran", A Flock of Seagulls

Posted by: Ravin' Dave | July 2, 2003 07:51 PM

7. Black Betty, Ram Jam

Posted by: Michael Wagner | July 2, 2003 07:53 PM

Ok. I'm embarassed to play and I'm totally aging myself but I think I know a few of these. My musical taste HAS improved with age!!!!

#1 Divinyls - I touch myself
#2Dream Academy - Life in a Northern town
#3 Kajagoogo - Too Shy
#6 (I can't remember) - No Myth
#7 I think it's Ram Jam - Black Betty
#8 White Town - Your Woman
#11 Right Said Fred - I'm Too Sexy
#13 Big Country - In a Big Country
#14 A Flock of Seagulls - I Ran
#15 Green Jelly -Three Little Pigs

Posted by: Rosemary Esmay | July 2, 2003 08:14 PM

Dave--"Waiting for a Star to Fall" by Boy Meets Girl.

Posted by: NC | July 2, 2003 08:31 PM

1. Divinyls - I touch myself
2. Dream Academy - Life in a northern town
3. Kajagoogo - Too Shy
4. The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia - Vicki Lawrence
5. Musical Youth - Pass The Dutchie
6. Michael Penn - No Myth
7. Ram Jam - Black Betty
8. White Town - Your Woman
9. Young MC - Bust a Move
10. No friggin' clue
11. Right Said Fred - I'm Too Sexy
12. Scott Mckenzie - San Francisco
13. Big Country - In a Big Country
14. A Flock of Seagulls - I Ran
15. Green Jello - Three Little Pigs

DAMN YOU #10!!! DAMN YOU TO HELLLLLLLL!!!

Yes I have too much free time. :)

Posted by: Captain Rooba | July 2, 2003 08:42 PM

1. I Touch Myself, the Divinyls
5. Pass the Dutchie, Musical Youth
11. Too Sexy, Right Said Fred
12. San Francisco, Scott McKenzie (one of my favorite 60s songs)
14. Melt With You, Modern English

Posted by: Lesley | July 2, 2003 08:44 PM

Oh damn, that's right, #14 was that Flock of Seagulls song. Oh well.

Posted by: Lesley | July 2, 2003 08:45 PM

Without looking at anyone else's answers:

2. "Life in a Northern Town", I believe.

4. "The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia." Please! That's like asking about "Rosebud" in Citizen Kane!

12. "Dancing in the Streets"

13. "In a Big Country"

Posted by: McGehee | July 2, 2003 08:55 PM

After looking at other answers:

If anyone needs me, I'll be out back drinking another beer.

Posted by: McGehee | July 2, 2003 08:57 PM

A minor quibble- #15 should be "Then one day he was crankin up Bob Marley". Great game, though.

Here's a couple more from the Decade that Taste Forgot:

A. "But shoot it in the right direction Make makin it your intention"

B. "Tell me not to play, well all I gotta say when you tell me not to play I say No! (No!) No no, no no, no"

C. "Let me take you on a trip around the world and back and you won't have to move you just sit still"

D. "Take your baby by the ears and play upon her darkest fears"

E. "This is the springtime of my lovin' The second season I'm to know"

Extra Credit: "They don't want to upset the apple cart, and they don't want to cause any harm But if you don't like what they're trying to do Better not stop em cause they're comin through"

(Hope I got all those right after quibbling ;)

Posted by: Kevin | July 2, 2003 09:57 PM

D. "Dance Hall Days" Wang Chung
E. "Rain Song" Led Zeppelin

Posted by: Michele | July 2, 2003 10:03 PM

Troll King knew none, but did recognize some after seeing the answers.

Back to the books for me, I suppose.

Posted by: Troll King | July 2, 2003 10:18 PM

A Relax - Franki goes to Hollywood
B I Wanna Rock - Twisted Sister

Posted by: AimeeC | July 2, 2003 10:21 PM

"Neon on my naked skin, passing silhouettes of strange, illuminated mannequins..."

Posted by: AimeeC | July 2, 2003 10:23 PM

Son of a b.... I only got 1, 4, 7 and 11. The only one that jumped out at me was 7 and that's 'cus of the parenthetical. BUT

Michele,

You neglected my favorite OHW, how 'bout this:
"gotta keep cool now, gotta keep take care"

Y'all over- 40 gotta remember this one (was this too easy of a line? I'm new at this)

Posted by: JFH | July 2, 2003 10:27 PM

That last one was Golden Earring's Radar Love

Posted by: Anonymous | July 2, 2003 10:32 PM

Led Zeppelin a "one hit wonder"?

Posted by: Alisa | July 2, 2003 10:41 PM

Sorry about that- I forgot about the "one hit wonder" rule. Technically only A and the Extra Credit from my post qualify.

Posted by: Kevin | July 2, 2003 10:47 PM

did no myth actually chart? ehhe... michael penn has put out some great and largely ignored albums. ditto his talented bride aimee mann,

z-.

Posted by: z. | July 2, 2003 11:59 PM

Hey. How can "The Night the lights went out in Georgia" be a one-hit wonder when it was a hit in the 70s by Vicki Lawrence and a hit in the 90s by Reba McIntyre?

Posted by: Meryl Yourish | July 3, 2003 12:00 AM

#10 - Zager Evans In The Year 2525

Posted by: Mike | July 3, 2003 12:14 AM

The "Extra Credit" lyrics ("They don't want to upset the apple cart" etc.) come from The KLF, "All Bound for Mumu Land" AKA "Stand By the Jams" ...AKA "Justified and Ancient"? Damn, there were a lot of mixes of that tune, and a couple of them even featured Tammy Wynette (!!) on lead vocals!

Posted by: Ravin' Dave | July 3, 2003 12:52 AM

4. The night the lights went out in georgia
10. In the year 2525

And I thought I was good, Michele. You've taken ME down a buncha pegs. That's all I recognized!

Posted by: Seth | July 3, 2003 01:19 AM

Too late to try to guess the original list, but I did get about half

Okay, here are some:

A)"I tried my immagination,
but I was discouraged"

"B)You wrote "I love you" I love you too
I sit there staring and there's nothing else to do"

c) "These people round here wear beaten down eyes
Sunk in smoke dried faces
They're so resigned to what their fate is"

Posted by: dmadman | July 3, 2003 01:30 AM

B Turning Japanese- The Vapors
C. Come on Elieen- Dexy's Midnight Runners

Posted by: Sean | July 3, 2003 01:49 AM

How 'bout-

A) I play along while rushing cross the forest monkey business on a sunny afternoon

B)just lying smiling in the dark shooting stars around your heart

C)Just plug in and go go go I'll be your human dynamo

Posted by: Sean | July 3, 2003 02:08 AM

A) Baltimora - Tarzan Boy!

Posted by: pom | July 3, 2003 04:37 AM

B) Pure and Simple , Lightening seeds

Posted by: Rich | July 3, 2003 05:13 AM

MY favorite one-hit wonder is conspicuously absent:

"I love you, though you hurt me so, now I've got to pack my things and go"

Anyone who was breathing in the 80's should know this one.

Posted by: dana michelle | July 3, 2003 07:41 AM

Sorry, Alisa...
Led Zep was a NO-HIT wonder
I don't believe ANY of their songs made it to the top 10, tho "All of My Love" might have made the top 20.
That's why they were AOR.

Here's one:
"I stroked & stroked 'til my wrist got numb"
(ya have to go back to the 70s for this one)

Posted by: Rob | July 3, 2003 08:13 AM

Another 80's one-hit wonder (though one of my favorite bands....)

"Do you remember chalk hearts melting on a playground wall
Do you remember dawn escapes from moon washed college hall"

Posted by: Mike | July 3, 2003 08:15 AM

"tainted Love" -- which melded into "Where Did Our Love Go?"

And I really suck at remembering who did these tunes...

Posted by: McGehee | July 3, 2003 08:31 AM

I'll give this a shot. I didn't look at anyone else's answers.

2. Life in a Northern Town--Dream Academy
4. The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia--Vicki Lawrence
5. Pass the Duchie--Musical Youth
7. Black Betty--I don't remember the name of the band.
8. I Could Never Be Your Woman--I don't remember who sings it, I only remember that it was a man.
9. Bust a Move--Young MC
11. I'm Too Sexy--Right Said Fred
12. If You're Going to San Francisco--Scott Mackenzie

Posted by: Kathy | July 3, 2003 10:08 AM

Sean

C) The Polecats - Make a circuit with me.

Posted by: Keith | July 3, 2003 11:05 AM

Mike (a couple of comments up):

Kayleigh, by Marillion. Though I'm not sure if it ever made the top 40 here. But I sure did spend lots of nights listening to Misplaced Childhood and Fugazi.

Posted by: Bob SF | July 3, 2003 11:22 AM

#9 is from "Bust a Move" by... Young MC?

#11 is "I'm too sexy" by Right Said Fred

#15 is "Three Little Pigs" by Green Jello

#12 sounds really familiar, but I can't place it.

Posted by: Dan | July 3, 2003 01:49 PM

I remember way back then when everything was true
And when we would have such a very good time
Such a fine time
Such a happy time

Posted by: Dave | July 3, 2003 03:03 PM

According to this, "Whole Lotta Love" peaked at #4 on the Billboard chart, and I think they had another song or two to break the Top 40.

Posted by: Kevin | July 3, 2003 05:54 PM

Dave-

Madness - Our House