Most common causes of one hit wonder

[tekkenguy]

Which of the following characteristics of an artist's first hit are the most likely to lead to one-hit wonderdom?

-The song came completely out of left field and sounds out-of-place in the pop world.
-The song was a "black sheep hit" - it sounds nothing like the artist's other songs.
-The song was a generic hit that didn't make the artist stand out in any way.
-The song has a novelty that makes it hard for the artist to be taken seriously afterwards
-The artist behind the song has a novelty that wears off after one usage.
-The song had a featured artist who was the driving force behind its success, and the public saw it as the guest's song rather than the lead.
-The song wasn't that huge a hit so the artist's post-hit momentum was relatively small.

Rank the criteria from the most to least likely to cause the artist to be a one-hit wonder.

[mkarns]

Sept 29, 2015 15:18:01 GMT -5 tekkenguy said:

Which of the following characteristics of an artist's first hit are the most likely to lead to one-hit wonderdom?

-The song came completely out of left field and sounds out-of-place in the pop world.
-The song was a "black sheep hit" - it sounds nothing like the artist's other songs.
-The song was a generic hit that didn't make the artist stand out in any way.
-The song has a novelty that makes it hard for the artist to be taken seriously afterwards
-The artist behind the song has a novelty that wears off after one usage.
-The song had a featured artist who was the driving force behind its success, and the public saw it as the guest's song rather than the lead.
-The song wasn't that huge a hit so the artist's post-hit momentum was relatively small.

Rank the criteria from the most to least likely to cause the artist to be a one-hit wonder.

My ranking of them, from most to least likely to be a one-hit wonder:

--Novelty single (the artist is often unimportant even when the song is a hit)
--Novelty artist (maybe can ride the gimmick to a second hit)
--Left field hit (sometimes these can start trends, but often songs that sound strikingly different from anything else out are de facto novelties)
--Unrepresentative "black sheep" hit
--Not a big hit to start with
--Generic hit (if the song fits radio/public taste well enough then they can easily have more, even without really becoming stars)
--Song is a hit mostly due to the featured artist (this might be happening to Mark Ronson, for example, but Calvin Harris, David Guetta, and Gym Class Heroes are counterexamples whose first major US hits had well known collaborators but who went on to have more hits as lead artists)


A few other potential causes:
--Artists who benefited from a big initial media splash (such as winning/doing well on "American Idol" or a similar show, or some other high-profile appearance), but who couldn't sustain the momentum once that buzz petered out.
--Artists whose only hits were from TV/film/stage soundtracks and appearances, in which the show/movie is likely to be better remembered than the song, let alone who sang/played on it.
--Self-immolation; occasionally an artist will say or do something stupid or offensive to many that instantly turns off enough people (or radio programmers) to prevent any more hits.
--Record company issues: lack of or misdirected promotion, labels folding or merging, getting dropped (radio/viral/streaming hits of course don't always translate into big selling singles, let alone album or tour success.)

[tekkenguy]

Also, if you can think of some examples, post them here. You can have more than one criteria per artist.

For example, Gotye - Left field, novelty/fad song; MKTO - Not big enough, generic; Naughty Boy - Featured artist, not big enough, self-immolation.

[Luckie Starchild]

It doesn't help if the artist is not that attractive and/or oldish. Also, I don't this it helps if it's a hit in the U.S. and they're signed to a label outside the U.S.

[mkarns]

-Mark Ronson: Likely never returning to the Hot 100 as an artist.
-Natalie La Rose: Nope. She's done.
-Hozier: Very unlikely to ever have another pop hit.
-Walk The Moon: Ditto.
-Charlie Puth: As a lead, probably. But people will probably remember SYA as his "one hit" rather than MG.
-LillyWood: They're finished all over the world
-Ella Henderson: In the U.S., she's likely done.
-Alesso: All future hits will likely only be production.
-James Newton Howard: Yeah....no.
-Jennifer Lawrence: Ditto.
-Jack U: They're done without Bieber. I don't see Skrillex ever getting another pop hit anyway.
-Andy Grammer: Certainly not on Hot AC, but likely going to be one on pop. If he gets another hit he'll have to wait for his next era.
-OMI: No. He's finished.
-Rachel Platten: May have more success on Hot AC but she's done on pop.
-TWayne: Nope.
-Silento: More likely to have another hit than T-Wayne but still very unlikely.
-Vance Joy: He's done.
-George Ezra: Ditto.
-Milky Chance: Not getting another hit anywhere in the world.
-R. City: They're finished without Adam.
-Major Lazer: They'll be fine on a global scale.
-IHeartMemphis: See T-Wayne.
-Descendants: They're actors, so no.
-Elle King: She'll need to get another hit on Alt first.
-X Ambassadors: See Elle.
-Hailee Steinfeld: No. The "actor with a hit" novelty usually only works once.
-Jidenna: IDK.

If these predictions prove true, and I'm not sure that all of them will, then here's what I think some of the causes will be:

Mark Ronson: Featured artist (UF more associated with Bruno Mars)
Natalie LaRose: Generic; hit relied on a featured artist (Jeremih) and a chorus retread from another song ("I Wanna Dance With Somebody")
Hozier: Left-field for pop
Walk the Moon: Left-field; SUAD is slightly unrepresentative as it's poppier than their usual stuff (though I think that they could hit at pop again with something fairly similar)
James Newton Howard & Jennifer Lawrence: Soundtrack song (from a film composer and actress who aren't even usually recording artists); left-field
Ella Henderson: Generic; TV show winner overseas
Silento: Faddish "viral" hit
Milky Chance: Left-field, and hit was not that big outside of Alternative?
Hailee Steinfeld; Descendents: Novelty quality (actors/actresses with hits)
Vance Joy; George Ezra: Left-field
OMI: Left-field; slightly novelty-ish, or at least ephemeral, hit
Rachel Platten: Kind of generic, though FS was memorably anthemic
Lillywood: Left field hit that didn't chart until four years after it was first released
Charlie Puth: Featured artist: if SYA is remembered as his only hit, then it might be be better remembered for Wiz Khalifa, who after all was the lead artist (plus MG had Meghan Trainor helping.)
R. City: Featured artist (would "Locked Away" be a hit without Adam Levine?)

[Landmarx]

- Nuclear radiation (I heard Rachel Platten's parents requested her baby formula be tossed around by nuns in Chernobyl before she ate it, that way she'd be sure to only have one hit song).
- Asbestos (Hozier's manager sprinkles asbestos on his face every night while he's asleep while reciting an incantation he thinks he heard in the movie The Princess and the Frog).
- Carbohydrates (Meghan Trainor *insists* that Charlie Puth go with her to Olive Garden when they hang out because of the unlimited breadsticks. Sorry, Charlie. Instant One-Hit Wonder).
- Microwaving food in styrofoam containers (The members of Marcy Playground were not very careful when heating up their leftovers).
- Smoking (Macy Gray probably).
- Being dropped on your head as a baby (Afroman probably).
- Living above an Indian burial ground (Donna Lewis was warned, but she said, and I quote, "I don't give a fuck about Native American heritage." True story).

[mkarns]

Carbohydrates (Meghan Trainor *insists* that Charlie Puth go with her to Olive Garden when they hang out because of the unlimited breadsticks. Sorry, Charlie. Instant One-Hit Wonder).

Charlie was OK with that so long as they could Marvin Gaye afterwards.

Being dropped on your head as a baby (Afroman probably).

No, that's not why. He was going to have a second hit, but then he got high.

[JOJO SIWA DERANGEMENT SYNDROME]

How about that the public was just not here for single(s) released after their initial hit?

[Deleted]

Oct 1, 2015 0:06:06 GMT -5 mkarns said:

Carbohydrates (Meghan Trainor *insists* that Charlie Puth go with her to Olive Garden when they hang out because of the unlimited breadsticks. Sorry, Charlie. Instant One-Hit Wonder).

Charlie was OK with that so long as they could Marvin Gaye afterwards.

Being dropped on your head as a baby (Afroman probably).

No, that's not why. He was going to have a second hit, but then he got high.

haha

[Rocky]

Not having a second hit is one of the main causes.

[Future Captain]

Collaborating with Miss Aguilera (Sorry, A Great Big World)

[redrooster]

Oct 7, 2015 9:57:11 GMT -5 Future Captain said:

Collaborating with Miss Aguilera (Sorry, A Great Big World)

They would fall under "The song had a featured artist who was the driving force behind its success, and the public saw it as the guest's song rather than the lead."

[tekkenguy]

Oct 7, 2015 20:35:53 GMT -5 redrooster said:

Oct 7, 2015 9:57:11 GMT -5 Future Captain said:

Collaborating with Miss Aguilera (Sorry, A Great Big World)

They would fall under "The song had a featured artist who was the driving force behind its success, and the public saw it as the guest's song rather than the lead."

Actually Christina was a co-lead. I'd say they're like R. City where the guest helped but didn't completely disassociate it from the lead a la Mark Ronson.

[thisdudetroyj]

They end up like Static Major or Soulja Slim.