The Vancouver-born Skylark was a known pop/rock band that hit it big with their 1972 single, “Wildflower”. The soft rock, southern boogie sounding tune reached number one in Canada and number 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and Skylark sold over a million copies.
Even though the band stopped recording in 1973, “Wildflower” lived on, being sampled by hip hop legends like Tupac and Kanye West decades later.
"Stuck in the Middle With You" by Stealers Wheel
Most people know "Stuck in the Middle With You" from that brilliant, albeit overly violent scene from Tarantino's classic film, 'Reservoir Dogs'. The extremely cheery and catchy tune was recorded by Stealers Wheel in 1973, and it became the Scottish band's ticket to fame. The song topped BBC's 'Top of the Pops' when it was released.
The band's Gerry Rafferty and Joe Egan recorded the song, but they enlisted the help of songwriters Mike Stoller and Jerry Leiber. The pair had helped the king of rock 'n roll himself, Elvis Presley, reach star status back in the day.
"Also Sprach Zarathustra (2001)" by Deodato
A funky fusion instrumental arranged by Brazilian pianist, Eumir Deodato, "Also Sprach Zarathustra (2001)" reached number 2 on the US Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in 1973. The first single on Deodato's 'Prelude' album, the hit song was a rendition of the classical piece by Richard Strauss that was featured in the famous film, '2001: A Space Odyssey'.
The jazz-funk rendition was a perfect combination of jazz and disco and made Deodato known around the world. The song also reached number 7 on the UK Singles Chart. On another, completely random note, Eumir Deodato is Stephen Baldwin's father-in-law.
"Video Killed The Radio Star" by The Buggles
The Buggles were a quirky British New Wave band that covered the popular hit "Video Killed the Radio Star", which you probably remember very well, even though it was released in 1979. The single topped the music charts around the world, in sixteen different countries, to be exact. However, it wasn't just the song that made The Buggles wildly popular, it was its music video.
The very odd, trippy video was actually the first ever music video shown on MTV. What's ironic is that it got its fair share of criticism from viewers that deemed the video way too violent because it featured a TV blowing up in the end scene. It's safe to say that people's definition of violence has dramatically changed over the last 30 years.
And now that you're thoroughly caught up on the one-hit-wonder obscurities, here are some 70s' actual hits by actual hitmakers to add to your playlist.
"Get Up (I Feel Like Being A) Sex Machine" by James Brown
Most love songs, and it doesn't matter if they are from the 1970s or not, fail to make any couple feel close and intimate, however, when James Brown delivers ‘Get Up (I Feel Like Being A) Sex Machine,’ whoever is around is in the mood for love. Bobby Byrd is responsible for the backup vocals, and with Brown, they created one of the best songs of the era.
After its release in 1970, it became number two on the R&B hit list and number 15 on the Hot 100 Billboard. Today, the song is considered one of the best songs ever and ranked 196, and although Brown himself is considered one of the greatest lyric writers, this performance is what he is remembered for most.