# The five greatest one-hit wonders of the 1970s

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/the-five-greatest-one-hit-wonders-of-the-1970s/
- Published: 2026-11-01T16:00:00+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-01T19:56:18+00:00
- Original publisher: Far Out
- Original article: https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/the-five-greatest-one-hit-wonders-of-the-1970s/
- Topics: Entertainment, Music

## Key points

- The article celebrates 1970s one-hit wonders.
- It describes four songs and their origins.
- The supplied excerpt ends before the fifth is named.

## Summary

The article highlights five songs it considers among the greatest one-hit wonders of the 1970s, arguing that the decade’s mix of rock, funk, disco and pop helped unusual tracks reach wide audiences. It presents their lasting popularity as a product of catchy songwriting and the era’s willingness to blend musical styles.

The excerpt discusses Carl Douglas’s “Kung Fu Fighting”, Wild Cherry’s “Play That Funky Music”, Anita Ward’s “Ring My Bell” and Norman Greenbaum’s “Spirit in the Sky”; it cuts off before naming the fifth song. It recounts how Douglas conceived his chorus, how Rob Parissi studied the charts while writing Wild Cherry’s hit, Ward’s description of her song as an innocent love song, and Greenbaum’s aim to write a religious rock song.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.