In the UK a one-hit wonder usually means a group or artist who had a song reach the top 75 on a major UK Chart ( unlike the US ranking system which requires a song reach the top 40 to be considered a hit )…

these one-hit wonders may ( and likely will ) include groups and artists from the US ( and possibly other places ) who had a single song make it into the top 75 on a major UK Chart…

Top 20 One-Hit Wonders in the UK: 1960-1999

The Crazy World of Arthur Brown – Fire

Zager And Evans – In The Year 2525

Lemon Pipers – Green Tambourine

Jane Birkin & Serge Gainsbourg – Je t’aime moi non plus

Scott McKenzie – San Francisco (Be Sure To Wear Flowers In Your Hair)

Airport – The Motors

The Lone Ranger – Quantum Jump

Video Killed The Radio Star-The Buggles

Ashton, Gardner & Dyke – Resurrection Shuffle

Spirit In The Sky – Norman Greenbaum

Telephone man – Meri Wilson

Matthews Southern Comfort – Woodstock

Tommy Tutone – 867 5309 (Jenny)

Weather Girls — I’ts Raining Men

Take My Breath Away –  Berlin

Aneka – Japanese Boy

Nick Kamen – I Promised Myself

Enjoy Yourself – A+

Joan Osborne – One of Us

Edwyn Collins – A Girl Like You

You might want to check out our other one-hit wonder collection lists:

One-Hit Wonders: Popular and Rare

One-Hit Wonders of the 60’s: Popular and Rare

Top Ten One-Hit Wonders of the 90’s

Top Ten One-Hit Wonders of the 80’s

Top Ten One-Hit Wonders of the 70’s

Top Ten One-Hit Wonders of the 60’s

also our number-one hit collections:

Number One Hits in the UK: 1960s

Number One Hits in the UK: 1970s

Number One Hits in the UK: 1980s

Number One Hits in the UK: 1990s

also our hit collections:

Canadian Rock Classics

100 Greatest Rock Classics: 1960-1999

Rock Classics: Remembering the Classics…songs that never made our other lists

Rock Classics: Remembering the Classics…songs that never made our other lists : Part Two

Rock Classics: that almost never get played anymore

Rock Classics: that almost never get played anymore: Part Two

Rock Classics: that almost never get played anymore: Part Three

Weird and Wacky Rock Classics: sometimes NSFW

( image courtesy of the nytimes.com )