From Scandal’Us to Sonia Dada — Australia’s biggest two hit wonders

We can all name one hit wonders, but there are international and Aussie acts who manage to score two hits before disappearing. See where they are now.

Forget the one hit wonders, let’s look at the acts who manage to score two hits then disappear. Admittedly the follow-up hit is aided by the momentum of their big hit, but let’s look at acts who managed to score two Australian Top 40 hits then made their goodbyes.

Scandal’Us

Hits: Me Myself & I (No. 1, 2001), Make Me Crazy (No. 30, 2001)

They were, of course, the band formed on Popstars after Bardot. A mixed gender group, they were formulated to sound like the pop of the day (Britney Spears, ‘N Sync) and while their shelf life was limited, it’d be worse for the next Popstars winner, Scott Cain.

Where are they now? After splitting in 2002, the only member to remain in the limelight was Tamara Jaber, whose musical career was funded by then husband Kyle Sandilands, before forming a duo, Scarlett Belle.

Popstars creation Scandal'us had a shelf-life shorter than a packet of flour. Pic: Supplied

Vanilla Ice

Hits: Ice Ice Baby (No. 1, 1990), Play That Funky Music, (No. 13, 1990)

Yes, that second hit is often forgotten, but Ice technically isn’t a one hit wonder. He’d last trouble the chart here when a live version of Satisfaction scraped in at No. 97 in 1991.

Where are they now? Ice now swaps flipping homes on reality TV with playing his hits at 90s throwback concerts – most recently for the Trump family at a mask-less New Year’s Eve concert in Florida. Word to your mother.

Spin Doctors

Hits: Two Princes (No. 3, 1992), Little Miss Can’t Be Wrong (No. 26, 1993)

Rock music may have been swept over by grunge, but this New York rock band managed to score back to back radio hits – their debut album Pocket Full of Kryptonite even went No. 1 in Australia. Then … nothing on our charts at least.

Where are they now? Their last album came out in 2013, but they’ve never been able to match the success of their debut.

The Rembrandts

Hits: Just The Way It Is, Baby (No. 26, 1990), I’ll Be There For You (No. 3, 1995)

This US band would be one hit wonders if it wasn’t for a certain TV show theme. Just The Way It Is, Baby was a hit from their first album, then nothing. When they wrote a one minute theme song for Friends, co-written with the show’s creators, their record label insisted they also make a three minute song which became their biggest hit. And quite lucrative. They could never live it down or follow it up.

Where are they now? Living off Friends royalties presumably, they did however reform and released a new album in 2019.

The Proclaimers‘ Craig and Charlie Reid scored just two chart hits down under. Pic Mark Cranitch.

The Proclaimers

Hits: I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles) (No. 1, 1988), I’m On My Way (No. 3, 1989)

The Scottish twins’ 1987 debut This Is The Story didn’t impact in Australia, but it belatedly charted after their second album Sunshine on Leith exploded here, thanks to the No. 1 hit I’m Gonna Be. That was swiftly followed by I’m On My Way. Sunshine on Leith made No. 2, This Is the Story would make No. 41 and then, in Australia, nothing else. That’s at least one more hit than they had in the US.

Where are they now? The duo are still making music, most recently 2018’s Angry Cyclist, where they toured Australia to audiences who know them for more than those two hits.

Joe Dolce

Hits: Shaddap You Face (No. 1, 1980), If You Wanna Be Happy (No. 7, 1981)

The Melbourne musician was actually the fourth Australian to top the UK chart (after The Seekers, Rolf Harris and Olivia Newton-John) when Shaddap You Face was a British No.1. It was a chart topper in 15 countries, sold an estimated six million copies and spent eight weeks at No. 1 in Australia. That eased the follow-up into the Top 10 but subsequent singles in the early 80s waned off.

Where are they now? Joe still makes music, but is also a poet, actor and artist.

Vanessa Carlton

Hits: A Thousand Miles (No. 1, 2002), Big Yellow Taxi (No. 3, 2003)

Many would have thought US singer Carlton was being set up to be a huge star after her debut single A Thousand Miles was a global hit. It wasn’t to be. The follow up, Ordinary Day, barely scraped into the Top 50 here. The only other time she’s charted here was a duet with Counting Crows on a cover of Joni Mitchell’s Big Yellow Taxi.

Where are they now? Still making music, as an independent act. Her sixth album, Love Is An Art, came out last March.

Can you name Australian singer Joe Dolce’s other big hit? Pic: Supplied

Vanessa Carlton squeezed her two hits into two years. Pic: Supplied

Sonia Dada

Hits: You Don’t Treat Me No Good (No. 1, 1992), You Ain’t Thinking About Me (No. 3, 1993)

Chicago soul band Sonia Dada were bigger in Australia than their homeland in the early 90s. We snapped up their self-titled debut album, sending it double platinum and scoring two massive Top 5 hits. Then … nothing.

Where are they now? Their last album was a good 16 years ago and their website and Facebook page haven’t been updated in years.

D:Ream

Hits: Things Can Only Get Better (No. 9, 1994), UR The Best Thing (No. 9, 1994)

The UK dance band were massive in the mid-90s, but only scored two Top 10 hits in Australia (they’d have 10 Top 40 hits at home all up).

Where are they now? Frontman Peter Cunnah is writing for other artists, while you may know keyboard player Brian Cox who reinvented himself from pop star to professor of physics.

Betty Boo

Hits: Doin’ the Doo (No. 3, 1990), Where Are You Baby? (No. 19, 1990)

British pop/rapper Betty Boo, aka Alison Clarkson scored two big Australian hits from her debut album Boomania. But while touring the record in Melbourne in 1991 Boo infamously dropped the microphone and her vocals kept blaring out. The tour was cancelled and her career was over in Australia (she’d have a few more UK hits).

Where are they now? Clarkson turned songwriter, penning tunes for Dannii Minogue, Girls Aloud, Sophie Ellis-Bextor and a million-seller for UK Popstars act Hear’Say.

British artist Betty Boo‘s career almost ended on a dancefloor in Frankston. Pic: Supplied

Pat Wilson

Hits: Bop Girl (No. 2, 1983), Strong Love (No. 26, 1984)

At the time married to Ross Wilson, Pat Wilson recorded a song he’d originally written for his band Mondo Rock, Bop Girl, which was a massive hit. A 15 year old Nicole Kidman made her screen debut in the video clip. The follow up, Strong Love, was credited to Pat Wilson and her Daddy O.

Where are they now? Wilson is still performing (she has a gig with Wilson in February) and Bop Girl’s b-side Tacky had an unexpected second wind when it was reissued digitally in 2018.

Kate DeAraugo won Idol, scored two solo hits then faded away. Photo: Lorraine Hanna

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Kate DeAraugo

Hits: Maybe Tonight (No. 1, 2005), Faded (No. 8, 2006)

The third winner of Australian Idol, DeAraugo also marked the period where we were starting to get reality TV fatigue. She had the instant fame without the success (her album just made the Top 10) and lost her record deal but would join girl group Young Divas.

Where are they now? A comeback in 2015 didn’t stick, but after well-documented drug problems DeAraugo was spotted singing with cousin Josh at public events in Bendigo over recent months. She’s a reality TV redemption story waiting to happen.

Billy Ray Cyrus

Hits: Achy Breaky Heart (No. 1, 1992), Old Town Road (No. 1, 2019)

Talk about the long game. Sure he’s famous, but Billy Ray has never had that much chart success in Australia. He hit big with Achy Breaky Heart, the follow up, Could’ve Been Me reached No. 43, and then nothing until a duet with daughter Miley (Butterfly Fly Away) reached No. 58 in 2009. But it’d be another collaboration which would give Billy Ray a very belated second big Australian hit. He featured on Lil Nas X’s Old Town Road, selling over 850,000 copies – triple what Achy Breaky Heart sold here.

Where are they now? Still making country music and no doubt plotting his next collaboration.

Alannah Myles

Hits: Love Is (No. 12, 1989), Black Velvet (No. 3, 1989)

Canadian Alannah Myles hit big early on, with her debut album seeing her hit No. 1 on the US chart with the classic Black Velvet. Her self-titled debut sold six million copies, but three years later, the follow-up was only really a big hit in her native Canada. It’s hard to follow up those massive big hits.

Where are they now? Her last two releases have been reworkings of Black Velvet, with no new music in six years.

Pilot

Hits: Magic (No. 12, 1974), January (No. 1, 1975)

The Scottish band were formed by two substitute members of the Bay City Rollers. Magic was a massive hit in Australia and the US, while January topped the UK chart as well as our own. And that would be the last time we’d see them in our chart.

Where are they now? Band member Ian Lyall passed away in 1989, however while some of Pilot would join the Alan Parsons Project, singer David Paton toured Australia, playing Pilot’s hits, as part of the Countdown Spectacular tour in 2007. He’s still making music under his own name, with an album released last year.

Canadian singer Alannah Myles got very big very fast. Pic: Supplied

Tone Loc

Hits: Wild Thing (No. 15, 1988), Funky Cold Medina (No. 8, 1989)

Rapper Anthony Terrell Smith hit big at the end of the 80s, with his raspy voice and M-rated rhymes. After his two back to back hits, Loc released a second album and then moved into acting, with roles in everything from Ace Ventura to Heat.

Where are they now? Wisely trading off the past, playing I Love the 90s shows, until the pandemic.

Lou Bega

Hits: Mambo No. 5 (No. 1, 1999), I Got a Girl (No. 31, 1999)

Here’s a trivia question for you – name the follow-up to Lou Bega’s Mambo No. 5?

Where are they now? After a long break, in 2019 he released Scatman and Hatman, a collaboration with another novelty hitmaker, the late Scatman John.

Psy

Hits: Gangnam Style (No. 1, 2012), Gentleman (No. 15, 2013)

The Korean singer had been having homegrown success for years, but it took the novelty hit Gangnam Style to send him global. The video, showcasing the song’s dance moves, has been viewed two billion times, a nice little earner for Psy. The song sold over 700,000 copies in Australia, so the follow-up, Gentlemen, had a good head start. Since then the hits have been smaller – his Snoop Dogg collaboration Hangover made No. 81.

Where are they now? He’s working on a new album, although Psy had a tiny cameo on Lil Dicky’s single Earth which reached No. 17 in 2019. Maybe he’ll ruin that two hit wonder status with his next record?