Two-hit wonders are not uncommon in the music industry. Artists in this category represent a middle ground: more successful than one-hit wonders but not as enduring as multi-hit or legacy artists. If we set the criteria as an artist or group that had two Top Ten hits and no other songs in the Top 40, we have:
The U.S. pop duo Paul & Paula had hits in 1963 with Hey Paula (No 8) and Young Lovers (No 9). Them were a 1960s band from Northern Ireland whose lead singer, Van Morrison, went on to solo superstardom, yet they were two-hit wonders with Baby Please Don’t Go (No 10) and Here Comes The Night (No 2).
Crispian St. Peters had jangly hits in 1966 with You Were On My Mind (No 2) and Pied Piper (No 5). The Cuff Links were a group featuring Ron Dante, lead singer of the cartoon band The Archies, of Sugar, Sugar fame. They had hits with Tracy (1969, No 4) and its follow-up When Julie Comes Around (No 10).
In 1969, British balladeer Peter Sarstedt had a big hit with Where Do You Go To (My Lovely) (No 1) and a lesser one with Frozen Orange Juice (No 10).
Five years later, Canada’s Terry Jacks had a big hit with Seasons In The Sun (No 1) and a minor one with If You Go Away (No 8).
Johnny Wakelin was a novelty artist who cashed in on The Rumble In The Jungle, Muhammad Ali’s legendary defeat of George Foreman in 1974, with Black Superman (No 7) and In Zaire (No 4).
Disco acts that were two-hit wonders in the 1970s include 5000 Volts, featuring Tina Charles, with I’m On Fire (1975, No 4) and Dr Kiss Kiss (1976, No 8), and Eruption: I Can’t Stand The Rain (1978, No 5) and One Way Ticket (1979, No 9).
The double act of John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John had two No 1s in 1978 with You’re The One That I Want and Summer Nights, although Newton-John had lots of chart hits on her own.
Johnny Logan, the n-born Irish singer, had the remarkable achievement of winning the Eurovision Song Contest twice, scoring two Top 10 hits into the bargain with What’s Another Year (No 1, 1980) and Hold Me Now (No 2, 1987).
Other 1980s two-hit wonders were Jan Hammer with Miami Vice Theme (1985, No 5) and Crockett’s Theme (1987, No 2), and Fairground Attraction in 1988 with Perfect (No 1) and Find My Love (No 7).
The 1990s gave us Scatman John with Scatman (Ski-Ba-Bop-Ba-Dop-Bop) (No 3) and Scatman’s World (No 10), both in 1995, while the noughties had Alien Ant Farm with Smooth Criminal (2001, No 3) and Movies (2002, No 5).
Jess Stapleton, Taunton, Somerset
QUESTION Was James Cagney in any Shakespearean productions?
James Cagney, although known for his earlier gangster roles, did make a foray into Shakespeare when he starred as Bottom the Weaver in the 1935 film A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
Made by Warner Bros, it was directed by Max Reinhardt and William Dieterle and had an all-star cast which included Dick Powell, Joe E. Brown, Ian Hunter and Olivia de Havilland.
The film also featured a young Mickey Rooney, giving a somewhat over-the-top performance as an exuberant Puck. Cagney, playing against type, proved to be a very talented and amusing Bottom, receiving generally good notices. It would prove to be his only
Shakespearean role. The film also benefited from the use of Felix Mendelssohn’s music.
Chris Boxall, King’s Lynn, Norfolk
QUESTION Why is Formula One so-called?
Formula One (F1) was created in 1947 as a standardised set of rules, or a ‘formula’, for Grand Prix motor racing, formalising an emerging sport that had begun in the early 20th century.
The Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) established F1 to crown the world’s best drivers and teams, with the first World Championship held in 1950.
The ‘One’ simply denotes that it is the premier formula with the fastest and most technologically advanced cars, while ‘Formula’ refers to regulations governing the design, size, weight and performance of the cars, as well as safety and competition standards.
This includes engine size, aerodynamics and fuel usage restrictions, to ensure fair competition and promote innovation within boundaries. The formula ensures that
Formula One races are not just battles of speed but of strategy, with teams and drivers using manoeuvring, pit-stop and driving tactics, which include track positioning, overtaking and defensive driving.
F2 and F3 feature a more technologically controlled environment to ensure younger drivers can learn their craft on the way to F1.
Simon Holmes, Nantwich, Cheshire
Q: Who invented Pilates?
Sarah Westwood, Birmingham
Q: Did the big tobacco companies form a scientific body to try to counter all the data harming their business?
Adrian Smith, Lyneham, Wilts
Q: What was the purpose of dos-a-dos bookbinding?
Paul Hunter, Sherborne, Dorset