3 One-Hit Wonders From the 1970s That Hit No. 1 (And Blew Everyone Away)

One-hit wonders have existed since the Billboard charts began, and they’ll continue as long as those charts exist. In the 1970s, a few noteworthy one-hit wonders topped at least one of those coveted mainstream charts. They shocked everyone… including their more well-known and established contemporaries. Let’s take a look at a few one-hit wonders from the 1970s that surprised everyone by hitting No. 1 on at least one Billboard chart!

“Kung Fu Fighting” by Carl Douglas (1974)

Is there a more memorable disco song from the 70s out there? So much top-notch disco came out that decade. However, few have stood the test of time (and remain super catchy) quite like “Kung Fu Fighting” by Carl Douglas from 1974. Not only did this song top the Billboard Hot 100 chart, but it topped over a dozen other international charts. Ahead of this song’s success, Douglas had never even made it to the charts, sans a minor hit in the UK from 1964. After “Kung Fu Fighting”, Douglas never scored another major hit. Still, he was happy to lean into this jam’s success for the rest of his career. And what a fine song to be known for!

“Play That Funky Music” by Wild Cherry (1976)

A little bit R&B, a whole lot of funk rock. “Play That Funky Music” by Wild Cherry was a massive hit when it first dropped in 1976. This song, which has been sampled and used consistently through the years, topped the Hot 100 among other charts in the US that year. Wild Cherry were strangers to the mainstream charts before this hit. They (sadly) never managed another Top 40 hit in the US again.

“Video Killed The Radio Star” by The Buggles (1979)

This new wave jam dropped at the very end of the 1970s, and The Buggles are more than deserving of a spot on our list of successful one-hit wonders. The catchy synth-pop tune “Video Killed The Radio Star” was one of the biggest hits of 1979, bolstered in part by being the first music video ever shown on MTV in the United States. While the song wasn’t the biggest hit on our side of the pond (it only made it to No. 40 on the US Hot 100), this song was a No. 1 hit on charts in Australia, the UK, Sweden, Spain, Switzerland, Japan, and many more. It was also a No. 1 hit on the Eurochart Hot 100.

Photo by David Redfern/Redferns