One-hit wonders usually get their shot at fame for putting out jam-worthy tunes. Some one-hit wonders, however, make it big with protest songs or songs of a political nature. These three old-school hits are just a few great examples. Let’s take a look!
1. “Billy Don’t Be A Hero” by Bo Donaldson And The Heywoods
This 1974 classic hit no. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart back in the day. Originally written by Mitch Murray and Peter Callander, this song became quite a career hit for Bo Donaldson And The Heywoods.
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“Billy Don’t Be A Hero” boasts strong anti-war themes, which some listeners might not clock from the start due to its unbelievably catchy melody. The rhythm and instrumentation of the song are distracting, but the song itself resonated with Americans at the time. It was the band’s only high-charting hit.
2. “99 Luftballons” by Nena
“99 Luftballons” by Nena was released in 1983 and is considered one of the most memorable Cold War hits to come out of a very tense era of politics and culture. A standout hit on our list of political one-hit wonders, the story behind the song is kind of heartbreaking.
Nena guitarist Carlo Karges attended a Rolling Stones concert in West Berlin before the song was written, and watched as a ton of balloons were released into the air from the stage. He wondered to himself what would happen if the balloons crossed the Berlin Wall. Would they be shot down by the military? There’s a lot of symbolism here, packed neatly into a beautiful new wave track.
“99 Luftballons” peaked at no. 2 on the US Hot 100 chart and ranked even higher elsewhere. Sadly, Nena never charted as high again and didn’t chart in the US at all after “99 Luftballons” was released.
3. “Eve Of Destruction” by Barry McGuire
Remember this 1965 folk rock protest song? The song itself was originally written by P.F. Sloan, but it was Barry McGuire’s recording that is by far the most famous version of “Eve Of Destruction”. Sloan himself plays the guitar on the track as well.
A noteworthy addition to our list of political one-hit wonders, “Eve Of Destruction” tackled many issues at the time: The Vietnam War, the threat of nuclear warfare, Civil Rights, the space race, and problems with youth culture as a whole. “Eve Of Destruction” was even banned by some US radio stations because of its controversial lyrics. Despite that, the song was a no. 1 hit in the US and abroad. McGuire, though, never released as big of a charting hit again.
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