I think that many of us take a one-hit wonder for granted. We assume that it's a fad or gimmick with no artistic redeeming value or merit. Can they win Grammys? The answer is yes! Some of them have earned one of the music industry's highest and most respected honors. Just because their creators never climbed that lofty peak again does not diminish their worthiness.
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Per grammy.com, "One-hit wonders have a rich tradition in pop music. Some great, even trend-setting, songs have been one-hit wonders — songs that made an impact that overshadowed the artists' other work."
So we decided to look back and revisit a quartet of one hit wonders that took home a Grammy. Maybe their original moment of glory has faded, but it did happen. These songs by Bob Carlisle, Alannah Myles, Debby Boone, and Sammi Smith racked up Grammys, gained countless fans, and stayed in our minds - and on our playlists. They can wear the badge of one-hit wonder with distinction.
'Butterfly Kisses' by Bob Carlisle
This sentimental tune about a devoted dad's love for his daughter could coax tears from a rock. Winner of a Best Country Song Grammy, it was written to mark the 16th birthday of Carlisle's beloved daughter, Brooke. He never had another single on the charts. Still, this one-hit wonder is a keeper. Primarily a Contemporary Christian singer, Carlisle co-authored it. Artists like Cliff Richard and Dan + Shay covered "Butterfly Kisses."
'Black Velvet' by Alannah Myles
The sultry, sensuous song about Elvis Presley thrust Myles, a Canadian vocalist, into the white-hot limelight. Its unique sound was a surefire attention-grabber. She won a Grammy for Best Rock Vocal Performance, Female. According to grammy.com, "Myles broke the Top 40 the following year with the less-bluesy /Love Is.'" However,, "Black Velvet" remains her claim to musical fame.
'You Light Up My Life' by Debby Boone
Boone, the daughter of famed singer and actor Pat Boone and daughter-in-law of Rosemary Clooney, had a giant-sized hit with this sweet song, It earned her a Best New Artist of the Year Grammy. (The Grammy for Record of the Year went to "Hotel California" by the Eagles.) The popular tune also nabbed honors from ASCAP, an Academy Award, and a Golden Globe. Per encyclopedia.com, "Just 21 years old when she became famous virtually overnight, Boone faded from the public eye after making a few country-and-western and contemporary Christian records."
'Help Me Make It Through The Night' by Sammi Smith
This song was penned by the great Kris Kristofferson, who must have experienced many night of gut-wrenching loneliness himself to write about the unwelcome pangs of solitude so searingly. Per the outlet, Smith was the recipient of a Grammy for Best Country Vocal Performance, Female, 1971.
"Smith's reading of this Kris Kristofferson classic, in which she views sex rather than love as the cure for her loneliness, made her a bit of a female country outlaw in the early '70s." It eventually went gold as certified by the RIAA. Jewel Fay "Sammi" Smith had some other successful songs, but she will always be remembered for this emotional one whose frankness struck a deep chord with the public.. She passed away in 2005 at age 61.
