'70s One-Hit Wonders

If the '70s gave us a fine helping of pop music's most legendary artists, it's also responsible for serving up more one-hit wonders than perhaps any other era: bands that came and went in the blink of an eye, leaving us with a pop-perfect pearl by which to remember them. Top of the list is "Video Killed the Radio Star" by the Buggles.

OK, so they never birthed the triumphant nervous breakdown that was Rumours or transported our collective mind to The Dark Side of the Moon, but this next batch flew high with their vinyl 45s. There's no reggae track sexier than Susan Cadogan's "Hurt So Good", no movie song finer than "Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head".

The best thing about one-hit wonders? There's always a stash of jewels you forgot all about. We've buffed up a bunch of them for your "Oh, yeah! I totally forgot about that one!" pleasure. The Saints gave us the groundbreaking punk classic "I'm Stranded" before returning to Australia, and Lalo Schifrin funked up the theme from Jaws.

Some of these '70s one-hit wonders are novelty products of their time (yes, we're talking to you, Carl Douglas, and your Bruce Lee exploitation single, "Kung Fu Fighting"); others burned brightly only to fade, before reigniting somewhere down the line ("Stuck in the Middle with You" had a second life thanks to Quentin Tarantino, who used it as "shaving" music in Reservoir Dogs); others still are among the greatest singles ever released — like "Another Girl, Another Planet" by the Only Ones and Magazine's "Shot by Both Sides".