One-hit wonders
Morton Harket, from the Norwegian pop group A-Ha, once described the songs in the Eurovision Song Contest as 'Songs that are designed to be forgotten tomorrow'. I think he was right. Apart from a few winning entries, I can't remember tunes or words to most of the songs. The artists themselves often disappear from the public eye soon afterwards. Where, for example, are Gemini now? No, I hadn't heard of them either before Eurovision 2005. Maybe there is a pizza delivery firm giving them work now.
The groups who we call 'one-hit wonders' are the ones which have one big hit and then nobody hears from them again. This gives them a greater legacy than Eurovision could, because at least people recognise something they have done, even if they don't like it.
My personal least favourite in this category was the Christmas number one record 'Grandma we love you' by the St. Winifred's School Choir. Listening to a group of primary school children singing about an elderly relative (again and again because they play the number one record so often) is something I compare with dental surgery, or being stuck in a lift with a creationist.
Nena, on the other hand, made a more enjoyable song (all about 'Ninety-nine red balloons') which she even released in two languages. It's probably the second most catchy song about the destruction of all civilisation in a nuclear war. Then there was 'Party fears two' by The Associates, whose lyrics didn't mean much but whose tune was bought by the BBC to use for their Friday-night political satire programme.
Morris Minor and the Majors got into the top ten with 'The Stutter Rap', a song about how difficult it is to be a rap artist if you have problems speaking. There were some complaints about it (making jokes about the handicapped is not politically correct) but not much in the way of protests. The songwriter, Tony Hawks, is giving the song away on his website so you can decide how offensive it is. By the way, don't confuse Hawks with Hawke. There is a section on the singer's website with all the emails he gets from people who think he is a famous skateboarder.
So what's the best one-hit wonder? Opinions vary but it's easy for me to choose the winner. The Weathergirls sang 'It's raining men' back in the mid nineteen eighties, a song that was so silly that the only thing funnier than it was the video that went with it. It's hard to find the video now but the song appears on a few compilations. It's such a pity Geri Halliwell ruined it fifteen years later.
Glossary
an entry zgłoszenie
a legacy dziedzictwo
catchy wpadający w ucho
a stutter jąkanie się
offensive obraźliwy
to ruin zepsuć
See how many musical instruments you can find in the wordsearch.
R G E T U L F X K N J L N P T
Z E Y N H E J I E R C E K T E
O W S O O K F R Y A Z T E K P
B J L I G B A Y B T K P N Z W
O E D D S R M D O I M Z O T R
E Y N R W E I O A U P O E J D
T O M O U T H O R G A N D S Q
N P V C H M H T D T I F B V S
Y H I C E P K B N R H O Q U H
C N U A M L O I A Y D W T Y G
J V C X N H L L T R S D K H L
N C U J W O C O Y B H E Y Q D
B D Q M I Y X P M X R O C T W
N U Y V P P G Z Q J H Y X I K
T Z S T U C W V V G A C G M V
KEY
synthesiser
keyboard
drum kit
flute
violin
accordion
trombone
trumpet
xylophone
guitar
mouth organ
piano
cello
clarinet
Match the definitions to the correct words and phrases.
- People who provide music in recording studios.
- A person who sings.
- A person who plays several instruments at the same time, often in the street.
- An artist who doesn't perform as part of a band.
a) solo artist
b) session musicians
c) vocalist
d) one-man band
KEY
1b 2c 3d 4a
Tip: If you want to find the words to a song you have heard, the internet is the best place to look. Either type the song title and the word 'lyrics' into a search engine or type a phrase from the song instead. Remember that not everything you read on the internet is accurate, and it is a good idea to compare different sites. Of course, they might all be copying from the same website.