One-Hit Wonders

A one-hit wonder is a recording artist that has one major hit and then never achieves that level of success again. The exact criteria vary from one definition to another, from placing the song anywhere on Billboard's Hot 100 to maintaining that only #1 songs qualify.

While looking at a lot of lists of one-hit wonders and the songs that made them famous, I came up with a list of my favorites. I had doubts that some of the ones I saw really only had one hit, but I wrote them down anyway. Then I chose ten to mention here.

Here are some of my favorite hit songs by one-hit wonders, in no particular order:

1. "Bitter Sweet Symphony" (The Verve) - A phenomenal song, and a great video to go with it.

2. "Under the Milky Way" (The Church) - It's hard to get better than this song, which was later included in the Donnie Darko soundtrack.

3. "I'll See You in My Dreams" (Giant) - One of only two power ballads included on this list, although there are probably others I could have mentioned.

4. "Bad Day" (Daniel Powter) - A catchy song with a good video.

5. "Don't Close Your Eyes" (Kix) - The second power ballad I decided to include here.

6. "Tainted Love" (Soft Cell) - This one will always remind me of Port Charles, which made good use of the song during its "Tainted Love" arc.

7. "The Promise" (When In Rome) - This is a nice, catchy song.

8. "Cry Little Sister" (Gerard McMann) - This theme from The Lost Boys has been covered by several bands and re-recorded by the original artist, but the original version is my favorite.

9. "Cry" (Godley & Creme) - Somehow, I completely missed this one until seeing the video a few years ago. Priceless.

10. "Major Tom (Coming Home)" (Peter Schilling) - This follow-up to David Bowie's "Space Oddity" tells what happened to Major Tom.

Nolan North

Who is Nolan North? Many people recognize his name. In fact, if you're a gamer, you're probably quite familiar with his work; for the past few years, he's been concentrating on voiceover roles.

That's not the only place you'll come across Nolan North, though. His acting career started when he landed a major role on a new soap opera. He's also been on primetime television and in movies, and he currently has a recurring role on Pretty Little Liars, as Spencer's dad.

Michael Easton

Michael Easton has been one of my favorite actors for many years. His portrayal of Caleb Morley on ABC's Port Charles made Caleb my favorite TV vampire.

He's a fan favorite as one of daytime's leading men. He was on Days of Our Lives years before resurfacing on Port Charles. He also had a memorable guest role on Ally McBeal. However, his talent isn't limited to acting. In fact, Michael Easton is a man of many talents.

In his latest role on One Life to Live, his character is in transition. The woman he loved betrayed him, and he left her at the altar. Will he go back to her?

With OLTL on its way out, many fans will probably want the two characters to reunite and live happily ever after. I would have preferred to pair him with any of the other actresses I mentioned in my article about his leading ladies, but at this point, with the show ending in a few months, that's not likely to happen.

Loss of Two More Daytime Soaps

If you're a soap fan and haven't heard the news yet, make sure you're sitting down. This is a doozy.

ABC has announced the cancellation of both All My Children and One Life to Live. Fans were expecting it to be one or the other, but certainly not both.

If this trend continues, there won't be any daytime soaps left.

Kansas

For me, the classic rock band Kansas and the TV show Supernatural will always be intertwined. Whenever I hear or even think of "Carry on Wayward Son," I think of Supernatural.

Kansas released "Carry On Wayward Son," one of the tracks on Leftoverture, as a single in 1976. Who would've thought it would resurface thirty years later as a kind of anthem for Supernatural fans?

For those unfamiliar with the show, Supernatural is about Dean and Sam Winchester, two brothers who were raised as "hunters" and who now continue the tradition as adults. In this case, hunting means tracking down supernatural and demonic entities and vanquishing them. There's much more to the show; this is just the simplified version of what it's about.

Supernatural doesn't really have a theme song, but Dean's love of classic rock music is an integral component of the show. Most songs have only been in one episode, but "Carry On Wayward Son" has been used prominently in several episodes, beginning in 2006, near the end of the first season. Therefore, as someone who has seen every episode since its premiere, it's only natural that "Carry on Wayward Son" will always make me think of Supernatural.

Journey

Journey has been one of my favorite bands since the late 1970s. I bought seven of their albums in a row, from Infinity (1978) through Raised on Radio (1986).

I couldn't begin to rank my favorite Journey songs, so I won't even try. What I will do is list ten that I would recommend to anyone asking about their classic work (the Steve Perry days).

"Lights"
"Feeling That Way"
"Anytime"
"Opened the Door"
"Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin'"
"Good Morning Girl"
"Stay Awhile"
"Faithfully"
"Be Good to Yourself"
"Why Can't This Night Go On Forever"

I've heard some of their newer songs, and they're good. Someday I'll get around to checking them out more closely.

"I" Songs

I started thinking about song titles that begin with "I." For this post, "I" songs are songs with titles beginning with the word (not just the letter) "I." Here are just a few of the ones I like, listed in alphabetical order:

"I Don't Care" - Finnish cello rockers Apocalyptica are brilliant, and this is a great song with a great video. It features Three Days Grace frontman Adam Gontier on vocals.

"I Don't Want to Be" - Gavin DeGraw's theme from One Tree Hill was eventually dropped from the opening credits, but fans of the show will never forget it. The best line? "All I have to do is think of me and I have peace of mind."

"I Drove All Night" - Cyndi Lauper was the first recording artist to release this hit, which was actually written for Roy Orbison. Although it's been covered a few times, this is the version I always think of.

"I Just Can't Help Believing" - B.J. Thomas sang a sweet song about a belief in a future with the woman of his dreams.

"I Love You" - I was surprised to learn that the Climax Blues Band released this hit in 1980; if I'd had to guess, I would have said it was a year or two earlier.

"I Never Cry" - This is a fantastic power ballad by Alice Cooper.

"I Ran (So Far Away)" - I always liked this song by A Flock of Seagulls, but the video is priceless.

"I Want to Know What Love Is" - Foreigner had a mega hit with this one. Besides the fact that the lyrics could reduce people to tears, the inclusion of the choir was a major plus.

"I Want You to Want Me" - I think this was the first Cheap Trick song I noticed. I ended up buying the Live at Budokan 8-track tape. Yes, 8-track.

"I Wish It Would Rain Down" - This hauntingly beautiful ballad is easily my favorite Phil Collins song.

House of Anubis

When a friend first mentioned an interest in Nickelodeon's House of Anubis, I was skeptical. I decided to look it up anyway, and what I saw persuaded me to watch the first episode. After that, I was hooked.

As a kids' show, it's appropriate for anyone. There's no graphic violence or sexual content. There are 60 episodes, but they're paired up with two per half-hour.

House of Anubis is a mystery, and it's a doozy. It's set at a boarding school in England, and Anubis House is one of the "dorms" where several of the kids live. There's also quite a bit of comedy in this show.

The first five episodes aired together, as a movie, although they were edited to fit the timeslot. When they aired later as individual episodes, there were no edits. I decided to write summaries of the first five episodes, and I didn't hold back on the details. Whenever a show is very short, it tends to have a lot of information and action packed into it. This show is no exception.

Episode 1 is "House of Secrets," episode 2 is "House of Attitude," episode 3 is "House of the Black Bird," episode 4 is "House of Dares," and episode 5 is "House of Lies."

I also wrote character guides for the teens and the adults.

This show has been renewed for a second season.