The 10 Best Classic Rock One-Hit Wonders, Ranked

Published Sep 29, 2026, 1:21 PM EDT

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When talking about one-hit wonders, you do have to kick things off with a slightly boring definition, just because you'll otherwise have people going “Why didn’t you include this song?” Even with a definition, you might still have people asking that. Oh well. Anything to make that number of people a little smaller. So, a one-hit wonder… basically, an artist who’s only had a single song make it into the Billboard Top 40.

If a musician had only one hit while in a band, but then left the band – or went solo – and had other hits, then that band they were in can still be counted as a one-hit wonder. Also, there’s going to be a narrower focus on songs here, only looking over those that can be potentially classified as classic rock… so, another definition: rock music released somewhere between the second half of the 1960s and until about the mid-point of the 1980s. These are the best classic rock one-hit wonders, essentially, now that the definitions are nice and out of the way.

10 "Werewolves of London" (1978)

Warren Zevon

The sentiment that it’s tempting to bring up again and again, when talking about singers or bands that classify as one-hit wonders, is “More of their songs should’ve been hits.” It can be said about most artists here, and can definitely be said about Warren Zevon. He has very much achieved cult popularity, as a singer-songwriter, and sure, his music is a little out-there, so maybe any song of his becoming a hit is surprising, but if “Werewolves of London” could do it, then others deserved to, too.

It’s got broader comedy than most of Zevon’s other satire-heavy songs (“Excitable Boy,” the title track from the album “Werewolves in London,” is kind of insane on that front), and then there’s also the dangerously catchy riff, so if any song of Zevon’s could've become a breakout hit, then sure, this is the least surprising one to do it. You're depriving yourself of some other – perhaps even better – music if you assume this is the only song of his worth knowing, though (Excitable Boy, as in the album, did chart fairly high, it should be acknowledged).

9 "Love Is the Drug" (1975)

Roxy Music

Roxy Music probably exceeds the bounds of “cult artist,” and the music they put out throughout the 1970s and ‘80s does feel a bit more of those eras than Warren Zevon’s most popular stuff, but in good ways. Roxy Music put a weird spin on glam rock for a good chunk of the 1970s, and then the band’s output in their final years was a bit poppier and kind of new wave.

Bryan Ferry had a solo career post-Roxy Music, and is technically a one-hit wonder on his own, because “Kiss and Tell” was also a modest one-off hit. That song’s not as good as “Love Is the Drug,” though, nor is it as easy to classify as rock. Anyway, Ferry had better songs as a solo artist, and honestly, for as good as “Love Is the Drug” is, there are probably a dozen or more Roxy Music songs that are even better, so this being the band’s only U.S. hit is a bit sad to learn.

8 "Dancing in the Moonlight" (1972)

King Harvest

“Dancing in the Moonlight,” by King Harvest, is just a nice song. This version, which was the hit, is also a cover, with the original version, by a band called Boffalongo, being overshadowed by the King Harvest version. Though a few decades later, Toploader did another cover, and that band’s version has now probably overshadowed the King Harvest version. Turns out everybody really has been dancing in the moonlight.

As far as rock goes, the King Harvest version of “Dancing in the Moonlight” is extremely mellow, and right on the edge of not even really being “rock” in the traditional sense, but it’s soft rock, and it came out during that whole classic rock era, so it’s going here. It’s the same logic that would make Fleetwood Mac worth including here if that band had only ever had one hit (of course, they had plenty more hits in real life than just one).

7 "Hooked on a Feeling" (1973)

Blue Swede

Even if it had never been included in the soundtracks for both Reservoir Dogs and the first Guardians of the Galaxy, you'd still probably be familiar with Blue Swede’s “Hooked on a Feeling.” It’s not an easy song to forget, once heard, largely because of the “ooga chaka” chanting. Maybe it’s silly, but it is infectious, and it’s not something heard in the original version of the song.

The Blue Swede version is also a little punchier and maybe a little more worthy of being called a rock song… plus it went all the way to #1.

Like with “Dancing in the Moonlight,” the version of “Hooked on a Feeling” that made an artist a one-hit wonder was not the original version, since it was first recorded by B.J. Thomas. Thomas’ version was also popular, but he had other hits, so Blue Swede is the one-hit wonder being singled out here. The Blue Swede version is also a little punchier and maybe a little more worthy of being called a rock song… plus it went all the way to #1, so calling it a hit is an understatement.

6 "I.G.Y. (What a Beautiful World)" (1982)

Donald Fagen

As a solo artist, Donald Fagen is technically a one-hit wonder, but he’s best known for being one of the two main members of Steely Dan (alongside Walter Becker), and whether you want to call them a duo, or a band, or whatever, one thing Steely Dan cannot be called is a one-hit wonder. Also, regarding Fagen’s solo albums, all four charted within the Billboard 200, though only one single from his solo career, “I.G.Y. (What a Beautiful World),” ever charted decently high.

It’s a deserving one, because it might well be the best song Fagen’s ever recorded, and it’s the definite highlight of an overall quite strong album: 1982’s The Nightfly. Also, The Nightfly does venture into non-rock territory more so than most Steely Dan albums, and those albums already weren’t particularly intense/energetic as far as rock albums go, but it would be a shame to leave this song off for present purposes, even if it’s only a little rock-y.

5 "All the Young Dudes" (1972)

Mott the Hoople

It sounds almost 100% like a David Bowie song, but in reality, the version of “All the Young Dudes” that was a U.S. hit (just sneaking into the top 40) is only, like, 85% a David Bowie song? In the sense that he only does backing vocals, and wasn’t credited with playing any instruments, but he did write and produce the song. Also, lead vocalist Ian Hunter does sound a bit like he could be doing a full-on David Bowie impression while singing.

That’s all okay, though. This sounds pretty much like a David Bowie song and can pretty much be called one. Officially, though, this version that was a modest hit is Mott the Hoople’s, and that might be an all-time bad band name, because wow. Still, good song. It’s very satisfying and hard-to-forget glam rock, and it’s understandable why it’s endured – and remained memorable – for more than half a century now.

4 "Come On Eileen" (1982)

Dexys Midnight Runners

“Come on Eileen” went to #1, so it’s a definite hit and all, and then it also makes Dexys Midnight Runners one of the most prominent examples of a one-hit wonder. They can only be considered such in the U.S., though, because “Geno” was a song of theirs that performed well in other territories. But we’re here to talk about the U.S., and one-hit wonders by Billboard standards.

It’s like, sure, “Come on Eileen” is the band’s best song, but Dexys Midnight Runners have some other great tracks, too. Something like “Come on Eileen” hitting #1 is surprising in the first place, but if it could happen to that song, it could've happened to some others, you know? In any event, it is one of the best songs of its decade, and a real interesting blending of genres (including pop/Celtic rock).

3 "Walk on the Wild Side" (1972)

Lou Reed

Lou Reed didn’t need to have any hits to be a rock legend critically, and probably didn’t even need a solo career, either, just because he was in The Velvet Underground, and that band proved massively groundbreaking and influential. The Velvet Underground is practically worshiped now, yet had not even one hit, while Lou Reed technically fared a little better, if you're looking at singles, thanks to “Walk on the Wild Side.”

It’s necessary to sneak this on, to some extent, though, because “Walk on the Wild Side” was a double-A side single alongside the also remarkable “Perfect Day,” so if you want to call “Perfect Day” a hit as well, maybe you could. Still, it’s the one release, and it was somehow the only Lou Reed song (either Velvet Underground-related or as a solo artist) to hit the top 40 in America. But again, Lou Reed’s legacy is undeniable, and as strong as it is because of other things not related to high-charting songs and/or albums.

2 "Because the Night" (1978)

Patti Smith Group

Like with David Bowie and the one hit Mott the Hoople had, Patti Smith’s biggest hit was co-written by a massively popular figure within the classic rock sphere: Bruce Springsteen. The song in question is “Because the Night,” but you're unlikely to mistake it for a Springsteen song, given Smith and Springsteen (obviously) sound very different vocally, but the bombast and catchiness found in the song do sound reminiscent of some Bruce Springsteen tracks for sure. And also, Smith was the other co-writer, so it’s not like this is “just” a Bruce Springsteen song.

Patti Smith really does deserve to have had more traditional hits, with “Because the Night” being only one of numerous great tracks she’s released, though it’s almost another Lou Reed situation in that she’s a legend within her genre/scene for reasons other than having released numerous super popular songs. It’s a song that sees Patti Smith going a little poppier than the majority of her other tracks, but she does it well, and does it without sounding like she’s running the risk of selling out.

Patti Smith: Dream of Life

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  Jay Dee Daugherty

  Self

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• Philip Glass

1 "Layla" (1970)

Derek and the Dominos

“Layla” appeared on the 1970 album Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs, charted outside the top 40 in the U.S. in 1971, but then entered the top 40 in 1972, so it qualifies as a hit. It’s the only true hit by the short-lived Derek and the Dominoes, but their status as a one-hit wonder isn't as surprising when you consider the band only ever released that one album.

Eric Clapton was the song’s co-writer, and a member of Derek and the Dominoes, and he’s had a good many hits as a solo artist, it should be acknowledged. One of those hits was another version of “Layla,” slowed down and made acoustic, and thereby kind of boring, honestly. The Derek and the Dominoes version of “Layla” is where it’s at, with it being an epic classic rock song made up of two very different – but complementary and compelling in their own ways – halves.