Tuesday, 4 June 2013

Great Rock One Hit Wonders of 1978

I thought I'd take a break in the action and make a post of some of the great rock songs of 1978 which were done by one hit wonders. There are probably many others than the three I am going to mention here, especially with all the disco that was going around at the time. So without further ado:
Exile- Kiss You All Over
"Kiss You All Over" was a number one for the band Exile. They did get another song to number 40 in the charts but nothing else barely broke the top 100. This was one of those songs which successfully made the rock/disco crossover that year. Having refamiliarized myself with the song, I can definitely hear the disco sound with the keyboard with the intermitent sound of the rock guitar. It was the lyrics that made this song. I mean how many men have said to a lady:
"I want to kiss you all over, all over again,
I want to kiss you all over, til the night closes in."
It was a cool amusing song, now we head to the next song, "King Tut" by comedian/actor Steve Martin.
Back in 1978, before "The Jerk," Steve Martin was topping the world of stand up comedy. He was a constant host on the old Saturday Night Live show. It was on this show that he premiered his song, "King Tut." The song made into the top 20 and was constantly played on the radio and making the number one on the Dr Demento show. It was my favourite song that summer as well, where I was amused by the line, "Got a condo made of stona."
 This leads perfectly to my favourite song by a one hit wonder in 1978, "Thunder Island" by Jay Ferguson.
"Thunder Island" was a brilliant rock song, it still is. That is why it made it to my alternative compilation CD. It has all the trademarks of a good rock song and some very suggestive lyrics. As a naive teenager brought up in a religious environment, I found the lyrics, "With your dress undone" very amusing. So, of the three songs mention here, this one is definitely my favourite.
So, if you're feeling nostalgic, have a listen to these songs. They're readily available on YouTube, I'm sure you'll love them.
Next post: Great Party Films of 1978: Cheech and Chong's Up In Smoke
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