Artists best known for one unrepresentative song

[Barking Spiders]

Golden Brown is The Stranglers biggest  selling hit so anyone trying out Rattus on the strength of that could be in for a bit of a shock

[Jus Lukin]

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Edited March 12, 2022 by Jus Lukin

[Woodinblack]

10 hours ago, Dood said:

Disturbed.

 

awwww wah ah ah ah!

I would have thought now Disturbed for Sound of silence. People might be surprised that all their songs aren't that terrible!

7 hours ago, paul_5 said:

Stevie Wonder's 'I just called to say I love you'

The Cure's 'Friday I'm in love'

Wouldn't have thought that either of those are hugely unrepresentative of their other output.

[Nicko]

Bjork, It's Oh So Quiet is only representative of an eclectic style and great voice.

Van Halen's Jump is on the poppy side of their output and apart from the solo isn't a guitar based song

 

[Leonard Smalls]

Faith No More and "Easy"!

[Jus Lukin]

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Edited March 12, 2022 by Jus Lukin

[ezbass]

3 hours ago, Bolo said:

Not sure if that's accurate to the topic, as Don't Speak was preceded by 'I'm Just A Girl' ?

That’s a new one on me. Thanks for the info.

[wateroftyne]

Yes and Owner of a Lonely Heart might qualify, but it could be argued that it was representative of their output at the time.

[PaulWarning]

1 hour ago, Barking Spiders said:

Golden Brown is The Stranglers biggest  selling hit so anyone trying out Rattus on the strength of that could be in for a bit of a shock

Always The Sun was another one one from their 'pop' period, and a totally pointless cover of All Day and All of the Night

[Britsie]

"Take My Breath Away" by Berlin. From the film Top Gun with Tom Cruise but not written by them.

The single is a cheesy ballad but the album is full of modern rock-songs. I love the album but always skip the single.

[Maude]

I started discovering music from the very late 70s onwards, so was really finding my feet in the eighties. Whilst not any one band, or song in particular, I dismissed a lot of, mainly American, soft rock, synthy rubbish that was huge in the 80s, only to find later that those bands were a hard rocking outfit in the 70s, Boston, Cars, etc. In the same vein, solo artists that released the same type of material but had fronted much heavier rock bands earlier. 

 

[Daz39]

4 hours ago, Bolo said:

Not sure if that's accurate to the topic, as Don't Speak was preceded by 'I'm Just A Girl' ?

And the entire album is basically a feminist manifesto: smart, and musical to boot. The other tracks aren’t that different, just not as ballady.

[TheGreek]

Has anybody mentioned Captain Sensible and "Happy Talk"? 

[Mykesbass]

Frankie Miller 'Darlin'. He is so much better than his one big hit.

[EBS_freak]

1 hour ago, TheGreek said:

Has anybody mentioned Captain Sensible and "Happy Talk"? 

yes. 😛

[Barking Spiders]

3 hours ago, Woodinblack said:

I would have thought now Disturbed for Sound of silence. People might be surprised that all their songs aren't that terrible!

Wouldn't have thought that either of those are hugely unrepresentative of their other output.

Yep, I'd say I Just Called is typical of SW's ballady stuff. As for The Cure, have they made any songs that are well known and which get regular airtime on major radio stations? 

[Maude]

11 minutes ago, Barking Spiders said:

As for The Cure, have they made any songs that are well known and which get regular airtime on major radio stations? 

Friday I'm In Love is probably the most played, followed by Love Cats, Inbetween Days, Just Like Heaven and Lullaby I reckon. 

[bass_dinger]

4 hours ago, MrCrane said:

Ralph McTell - Streets of London

yes - Ralph McTell is a country blues player, having taken his stage name from Blind Willie McTell.

[Cat Burrito]

18 minutes ago, Barking Spiders said:

As for The Cure, have they made any songs that are well known and which get regular airtime on major radio stations? 

I think 2019's inclusion in the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame has put them very much back in the public eye. @Maude picked four good examples but with the 80s radio station at work we regularly hear Boys Don't Cry, Close to Me and Pictures of You as well. Plus songs like A Forest and Charlotte Sometimes get regular airplay on alternative radio stations. I can't imagine Robert Smith worries too much about paying his next electricity bill!

[Rich]

11 hours ago, paul_5 said:

Stevie Wonder's 'I just called to say I love you'
 

 

4 hours ago, Woodinblack said:

Wouldn't have thought that either of those are hugely unrepresentative of their other output.
 

To my mind it is. Stevie Wonder's songbook is chock full of absolutely superb songs, whereas IJCTSILY is syrupy throwaway bollócks.
 

[bass_dinger]

Pachelbel. 

He was an organ and fugue composer of note, and his Canon and Gigue (jig) in D was lost and forgotten until the 1920s, when a single manuscript of the piece was discovered.   As far as the public are concerned, it is his only hit, and was for 3 violins and "continuo" (bass) rather than organ.

Tarrega was a virtuoso guitarists and composer, but is best known for two bars of music on a mobile phone - the Nokia ringtone, which forms part of his Grand Waltz.     

[Maude]

17 minutes ago, Cat Burrito said:

I think 2019's inclusion in the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame has put them very much back in the public eye. 

Which surely mean this has to get posted.

Love it. 😄

 

[EBS_freak]

24 minutes ago, Maude said:

Which surely mean this has to get posted.

Love it. 😄

 

So good isn't it?!

[Woodinblack]

1 hour ago, Barking Spiders said:

 As for The Cure, have they made any songs that are well known and which get regular airtime on major radio stations? 

They have had 4 top tens and 23 top 30s, so I guess so!

Lullaby and love cats were both higher placed than Friday Im in love.

[davepb24]

All About Eve are probably unfortunately best known for that TOTP appearance, while they did come up with the odd similar type of thing they could also rock with the best of them when they put their minds to it, especially on stage