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10 Artists That Deserved To Be More Than A One Hit Wonder
Most of the time, when an artist only has one hit and then disappears, it's not exactly surprising. However, sometimes we're absolutely positive that, thanks to the success of a massive song, a group will be around forever and become the next big thing... which doesn't happen. In the case of these 10 artists, they really deserved better.
a-ha
While they had other songs that were definitely popular with fans and were moderately successful (especially in Europe), the band never managed to make the "Take On Me" lightning strike twice. It's a shame because they were legitimately talented, and could write some very catchy tunes.
Blur
While Blur were absolutely massive in their native England (setting the stage for lead singer Damon Albarn to move on to his even bigger, better-known project: Gorillaz), the only song of theirs that ever seemed to catch on in North America was "Song #2" (the one whose chorus goes "WOO-HOO!").
House of Pain
Known for the absolutely inescapable and catchy club-banger "Jump Around," the Irish rap group seemed to fizzle out in terms of popularity soon after, despite continuing to put out pretty solid work. Give their other stuff a listen sometime!
Chamillionaire
It's impossible to overstate how massive "Ridin' " was in 2006 (for those not into rap, it's the song Weird Al based "White and Nerdy" on). Between that untouchable chorus and thumping beat, it was a hit that promised great things from Chamillionaire, but ultimately he never had anything else land. However, he invested in several media companies (including Youtube giant Maker Studios) and is now a legitimate millionaire, so I doubt he cares too much.
These next few artists really deserved to stick around longer...
Alien Ant Farm
They were a really solid band that by all accounts should have taken off during the whole nu-metal craze (I mean, just listen to the basslines they put down), but ultimately people didn't seem to care about anything that wasn't their "Smooth Criminal" cover, and the band faded into obscurity.
Monster Magnet
While the stoner-rock band has maintained a solid career over the years thanks to singer Dave Wyndorf's relentless touring and release cycle, "Space Lord" was the only song of theirs that came close to topping the charts. Their modern stuff is still great, and is absolutely worth your attention.
Blind Melon
The band always seemed like they were going to be big, but between not being able to make the "No Rain" lightning (see what I did there?) strike twice and the death of vocalist Shannon Hoon, the band just fizzled out. They're still around, but I'll be damned if I can tell you anything they've done.
Skee-Lo
"I Wish" was an underdog anthem that captured the hearts of audiences everywhere, but thanks to a dispute with his label, he basically followed it up by leaving music entirely. Too bad, because he probably had a few more hits in him.
Sinead O'Connor
We all know the story: "Nothing Compares 2 U" was huge, then she ripped up a picture of the Pope on SNL, and her career was over. The sad thing about this is, she did it to bring attention to the horrific sex crimes being committed against children by the Catholic church, but people refused to believe her... until years later when the massive coverup by the church was uncovered. Whoops.
Blackstreet
It's seriously a shame that the group broke up after the massive hit that was "No Diggity," because that song has held up incredibly well. The beat, the samples, the Dr. Dre guest verse, it's all great, and they probably had a few more in them.