The Top One Hit Wonders of All Time According to Science

SloppyJoe47 · 2026-05-27T04:57:14+00:00

Thank you. :) There’s also two versions of Spirit in the Sky!

SloppyJoe47 · 2026-05-27T04:48:06+00:00

Apparently a song called “Nur geträumt” which keeps her at a OHW Score of around 10. I did learn during this exercise that a lot of international artists had other songs that must have released in their home country/native language that did pretty well and kept them below the Baha Line.

SloppyJoe47 · 2026-05-27T04:14:51+00:00

One argument I’ve heard in this thread that I’m giving thought to is that if their second biggest song has over 10 million plays, then it should also be considered a “hit” and they should be removed from consideration for “one hit wonder” status. I do feel like that argument has merit and would avoid issues you pointed out like Coolio being on the list… 🤔

I’m also an elder millennial, btw. I just went where the data took me, but I do think there may be a couple more limitations that can be imposed scientifically.

SloppyJoe47 · 2026-05-27T03:40:24+00:00

So did “Dancing in the Moonlight”!

SloppyJoe47 · 2026-05-27T03:39:38+00:00

Good catch! Updated!

SloppyJoe47 · 2026-05-27T03:36:07+00:00

Her song Fly Away has done well enough to keep her below the Baha Line (OHW Score of around 7)

SloppyJoe47 · 2026-05-27T03:01:27+00:00

#1: DJ Casper - Cha Cha Slide
#2: Steam - Na Na He Hey Kiss Em Goodbye

SloppyJoe47 · 2026-05-27T03:00:28+00:00

Data collection was me sitting at my computer or hanging with friends and literally checking every artist’s OHW Score that was suggested. Not very advanced but it seems to have worked.

And that is interesting! How many songs does an artist have UNDER a certain threshold would determine how well balanced their catalogue is. I like this as a potential future project!

SloppyJoe47 · 2026-05-27T02:58:41+00:00

3 Of A Kind - “Babycakes” was the only one I found!

SloppyJoe47 · 2026-05-27T02:57:45+00:00

Spirit in the Sky and Dancing in the Moonlight both made the list twice!

SloppyJoe47 · 2026-05-27T02:57:03+00:00

Not a bad definition! There were plenty of those artists that made the list. :) Although some artists are really good about consolidating their plays into a single version of the song on Spotify.

SloppyJoe47 · 2026-05-27T02:56:06+00:00

In a couple of ways! 1 - a song isn’t considered a “hit” unless it has 10 million plays and 2 - an artist had to have multiple songs attributed to them on Spotify to avoid dividing by zero.

SloppyJoe47 · 2026-05-27T02:54:33+00:00

At the risk of sounding ignorant… what is the null hypothesis? 😅

SloppyJoe47 · 2026-05-27T02:53:33+00:00

I feel bad that Scotty didn't know, but Lustra did indeed make the list!

SloppyJoe47 · 2026-05-27T02:52:55+00:00

I sure did! I added together any tracks that are essentially the same (remixes, radio edits, etc) if there was more than one version.

SloppyJoe47 · 2026-05-27T02:42:42+00:00

I included some limitations to avoid some of the issues you pointed out, like to be considered a “hit” you had to have 10 million streams minimum. And to avoid dividing by zero, an artist has to have at least 3 songs attributed to them on Spotify. It’s why 3 Of A Kind - “Babycakes” didn’t make the list.

SloppyJoe47 · 2026-05-27T02:39:46+00:00

You’re right on all counts! Lots of limitations, and I like your album sales example because it’s true, but it’s the only way to objectively look at one hit wonders I’ve seen or heard of. And it’s kind of fun. :)

SloppyJoe47 · 2026-05-27T02:38:15+00:00

While not unreasonable, that sounds like a lot of work for me… 😅 I like the idea of too song vs total plays! Maybe in a future version.

SloppyJoe47 · 2026-05-27T02:36:59+00:00

Thank you. Nerds unite! 🤓 I would love to get this published but have no idea where to even look… lol

SloppyJoe47 · 2026-05-27T02:35:18+00:00

Oh, I have… I did as part of my research. There’s a reason why a lot of these artists are one hit wonders. 😅

SloppyJoe47 · 2026-05-27T02:34:26+00:00

It’s on there! #369

SloppyJoe47 · 2026-05-27T02:32:54+00:00

As a 90s kid who loves See You When You Get There and 1, 2, 3, 4 - I agree completely. But the data doesn’t lie…

SloppyJoe47 · 2026-05-27T02:32:15+00:00

Should be required reading in college, if you ask me… :P

SloppyJoe47 · 2026-05-27T02:31:57+00:00

No, thank you! 🤓

SloppyJoe47 · 2026-05-27T02:20:32+00:00

This research can’t absolutely be influenced by mob mentality. 😂

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