One Hit Wonders Trivia Quiz

Answer: The Vapors

"Turning Japanese", had a lot to do with the bands success, of course, but without the support from the Jam, the Vapors might never have played a venue outside their native Surrey, might never have signed a major-label deal, and might not now be the subject of EMI's recent compilation: "Turning Japanese - The Best Of The Vapors".

Answer: Devo

When Devo surfaced in '77, there was much head scratching by the critics. So 20 years later, every country-western band uses drum machines.

Answer: Soft Cell

It was the next Soft Cell effort, 1981's "Tainted Love," that brought the duo to international prominence; written by the Four Preps' Ed Cobb and already a cult favorite thanks to Gloria Jones' soulful reading, the song was reinvented as a hypnotic electronic dirge which became the year's best-selling British single, as well as a major hit abroad.

Answer: Toni Basil

In the late '70s, Basil formed her own urban-style dance troupe, the Lockers, and moved into music video directing as well, In 1981, she signed to Chrysalis as a recording artist and cut her debut album, Word of Mouth. Among the tracks was "Mickey," a song penned by the Mike Chapman/Nicky Chinn songwriting team it was originally titled "Kitty" and recorded by a group called Racey. Word of Mouth had been out for some time when "Mickey" finally began climbing the charts in Britain, eventually peaking at number two; a few months later, helped along by Basil's self-directed, cheerleader-themed video, "Mickey" hit number one in America and became an inescapable pop culture phenomenon.

Answer: Taco

Taco scored his one and only pop hit in 1982 with a faithful rendition of the Irving Berlin chestnut "Puttin' on the Ritz." he recorded "Ritz" in Germany in 1981; a year later, the song (originally popularized by Fred Astaire) hit the upper reaches of the U.S. pop charts, accompanied by a video depicting the singer decked out in a bow-tie-and-tails ensemble emblematic of the Depression-era movie musicals his image strived to emulate.

Answer: 69 Boyz

After Lemonhead and Jay Ski wrote and produced the single "Tootsee Roll" for 69 Boyz. The track hit the Top Ten of the R&B charts, and went double-platinum. The album 199Quad followed later that year, and also hit platinum.

Answer: Deep Blue Something

On its strength, Deep Blue Something was signed by Interscope, which released a modified version of the album in June 1995, followed by the single "Breakfast at Tiffany's." Though the group considered themselves an alternative band with gothic elements, "Breakfast at Tiffany's" took off as a pop single, reaching the Top Five by the end of 1995.

Answer: Los Del Rio

Spawning one of the hottest dance crazes of the '90s, the duo of Antonio Romeo Monge and Rafael Ruiz released "Macarena" in 1993, but had to wait almost three years for the song to become a worldwide hit. The single was originally released in April 1993 on a Spanish label, and became a hit in that country. Continued club play and a steady buzz surrounded the single, and it ascended to number one in July 1996.

It locked the top spot for 14 weeks - the rest of the summer and most of the fall - and eventually sold over four million copies.

The dance was a staple in baseball parks as well as dance clubs, making "Macarena" the biggest single of 1996.

Answer: The Verve Pipe

The Verve Pipe began to make some headway in early 1997, when a re-recorded version of "The Freshmen" By the spring, "The Freshmen" had become a number one modern rock hit and a Top Ten pop hit, sending the album into the Top 40 and into gold status as well. The Verve Pipe's self-titled follow-up appeared in mid-1999.

Answer: OMC

Led by Pauly Fuemana, a Polynesian native, OMC is a New Zealand-based urban soul group that relies heavily on Polynesian and worldbeat rhythms. Their American debut, How Bizarre, was released in February 1997.