Wednesday’s song of the day is now known as one hit wonder Wednesday! Before I get to the music, I think it is important to define a one hit wonder. A technical definition would be any singer or group who has had only one song in the Billboard top 40 chart. This though would put some big names into the category, as Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin and Phish have all only had on hit in the top 40. So I am going to be more loose and say that a one hit wonder is any singer or group who is known for only one song. This could fall under the technical definition and will very often, but it allows me to open it up a bit.
These songs can sometimes be great, silly or stupid, but always fun.
Since I was on a folk music kick yesterday, I am going to choose a one hit wonder folk song. This is actually hard, as folk music rarely made it to the charts and most of the major folk singers sang each others songs. But there is one that stands out.
“One Tin Soldier” was first recorded in 1969 and did make it to the charts for a shot spell in 1970. The song has been covered a number of times, but became a hit in 1971 when it was included in the film “Billy Jack.” Billy Jack is a very interesting film. It is a sequel to “The Born Losers” from 1967 and had two more sequels. These movies are often thought of as the first “blockbusters.”
The song was recorded by Jinx Dawson of the band Coven and later released as a single by the band. The lyrics of this song will probably (and unfortunately) always be relevant.
This video is homemade and shows scenes from the Billy Jack movie set to the song.
Enjoy!
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AM4ADoVc6TU&hl=en]