3 One-Hit Wonders From 1978 That I Still Want to Listen to Today
Three songs that became American one-hit wonders in 1978 remain appealing listens: Nick Gilder’s “Hot Child in the City”, Amii Stewart’s “Knock on Wood” and Walter Egan’s “Magnet and Steel”. The article revisits their success and the different stories behind the tracks.
Gilder’s song was his only US Top 40 hit, though he released more than 20 singles; he later said it was inspired by vulnerable young girls he had seen in Hollywood. Stewart’s version of “Knock on Wood”, written by Eddie Floyd and Steve Cropper, followed earlier recordings by Floyd and Otis Redding with Carla Thomas. Egan wrote “Magnet and Steel”, a Top 10 hit featuring Fleetwood Mac musicians Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks; the article says Keith Urban covered it in 2026.
- Three enduring one-hit wonders came from 1978.
- Gilder’s hit was inspired by vulnerable runaways.
- Fleetwood Mac members played on Egan’s Top 10 song.
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In the late 1970s, a song could become a major American hit without its singer having another song reach the same heights. Such performers are often called “one-hit wonders”, though the label describes chart success rather than the rest of an artist’s career.
The three songs have different origins: one was inspired by girls Nick Gilder had seen in Hollywood, another was a disco-era version of a song first recorded by Eddie Floyd, and the third was written by Walter Egan. Fleetwood Mac musicians Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks played on Egan’s recording. Together, the tracks show how a hit can reflect songwriting, performance and collaboration in different ways.