There has never been a one-hit wonder with a more relevant and appropriate name than The Beginning of the End. This band from the Bahamas consisted of three brothers, a bassist and a guitarist, and their 1971 hit single, “Funky Nassau”, topped charts across the country.
The song reached number 15 on the Billboard Hot 100 and had people sweating on the dance floor in clubs across the world. The Caribbean groove was impossible not to dance to, and it certainly saw its share of fame, even if it was for a very short time.
"Lovin’ You" by Minnie Riperton
American singer-songwriter Minnie Riperton was one of a kind, and audiences knew that right away. She had a stunning voice and an unparalleled five-octave coloratura soprano range that made her sound like an angel. Her biggest hit, the 1975 "Lovin' You," is an incredibly sweet song where she gave adoring fans a taste of her astounding vocal talent.
Minnie wrote "Lovin' You" to soothe her daughter when she was a little girl. Her daughter, as it turns out, is 'Saturday Night Live's' brilliant Maya Rudolph. The song, filled with lovely, calming sounds, was a perfect way for Minnie to show off her beautiful voice. Sadly, Minnie passed away from cancer just 4 years after her song became a timeless hit.
"Third Rate Romance" by Amazing Rhythm Aces
The Amazing Rhythm Aces had a pretty cool name, and in 1975, they released a pretty cool country rock song titled "Third Rate Romance." As you probably guessed by the title, the song was about a cheap one-night stand that happens after a man and a woman meet at a restaurant and go straight to business.
This no-frills song reached number 14 on the Billboard Hot 100, and Amazing Rhythm Aces had a brief taste of fame with their one-hit single that reminded everyone what true country music was about - straight talk, no bells, and whistles.
"Rapper’s Delight" by Sugarhill Gang
Sugarhill Gang might have been the band that created "Rapper's Delight," but the mastermind that made it happen and go big was their talented producer Sylvia Robinson. "Rapper's Delight" is more than just an extremely good piece of music; it was rap music's debut into the mainstream, all the way from the hard 1970s streets of New York's Bronx borough.
One night in 1978, the famous disco band Chic was performing with The Clash and Blondie in a New York venue when, all of a sudden and completely spontaneously, rapper Fab Five Freddy and his friends got on stage with Chic and started freestyling. And so, the hit tune came along and stayed for good.
"Feelings" by Morris Albert
Some song titles have hidden meanings, secret stories, and inside jokes. But this hit by Morris Albert is as straightforward as they come. "Feelings" is exactly about that - feelings. Sad feelings, to be more exact. Brazilian-born Albert took creative liberty and improvised on an already existing song written by Loulou Gasté, a known French composer. And despite the fact that Albert faced a lot of copyright lawsuits, his version of the song was a huge hit in 1975.
The very sad lyrics and soft tune turned "Feelings" into one of the most emotional ballads of the 1970s and has been covered by countless artists through the years. From the great Nina Simone to the legendary Ella Fitzgerald and even Julio Iglesias, the song definitely had its time in the spotlight.