3 One-Hit Wonders From the 1970s No One Else on Earth Could Have Written

A song is like a signature. At its best, a song is completely unique to the artist who wrote it. It should exemplify who they are, at their core. In that way, some songs are unlike any others that have ever been penned.

And that’s just what we wanted to explore here below. We wanted to highlight three tracks from back in the day that stand on their own two feet. Indeed, these are three one-hit wonders from the 1970s no one else on Earth could have written.

“Convoy” by C. W. McCall from ‘Black Bear Road’ (1975)

Some songs are more than songs. They become movies made with melody, rhythm, and lyric. That’s the case on “Convoy” by C. W. McCall from the country artist’s 1975 LP, Black Bear Road. In fact, after the hit track’s success, Hollywood literally made a movie based on the work. But most music fans didn’t even need a picture on the silver screen to picture the story. McCall was vivid enough in his character and plot development. No wonder the track hit the Billboard charts. It was truly his signature.

“Autobahn” by Kraftwerk from ‘Autobahn’ (1974)

Kraftwerk, the German-born electronic band, essentially created a style of music. In the 1970s, most artists of the day played guitars. A few in New York City were rapping into microphones. But no one was making songs—let alone hit songs—with computers. That was Kraftwerk’s territory. So, of course, no band on Earth could have written their breakout “Autobahn”, which appeared on the band’s 1974 LP of the same name.

“My Sharona” by The Knack from ‘Get The Knack’ (1979)

This famous rock one-hit wonder from the end of the 1970s was inspired by real-life events. In fact, it was inspired by a hot and heavy relationship involving the lead singer and the object of his affection. Indeed, vocalist Doug Fieger was romantically involved with someone named Sharona, who lit a creative fire underneath him. She inspired a number of songs, including this one that shared her name. The tune, which appeared on The Knack’s 1979 LP, Get The Knack, hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. And no one else on Earth could have written it.

Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

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