For decades there have been examples of songs which have stormed the charts, only for the artists to fall out of the public eye - leading us to ask, what ever happened to them?
But, one-hit wonders can be much more than musicians. Whether they’re sports personalities, artists, or actors, many famous figures have captured the world’s attention with a single achievement. For some, their moment in the spotlight may have been their only output, while others may have had other works which remain under the radar of mainstream culture.
From artwork to literature, BBC Bitesize takes a look at five people and their breakout works.
Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights
Born in Yorkshire in 1818, Emily Brontë is renowned for her first, and indeed only published novel, Wuthering Heights.
Prior to its publication, Emily wrote poetry, much like her sisters Charlotte and Anne Brontë. In 1846, the three of them jointly released the collection Poems by Currer, Ellis and Acton Bell, under their respective pseudonyms.
Despite the project costing the sisters about £50 (the equivalent of £4,882 today), only two copies were sold.
It wasn’t until the midsummer of the following year that Wuthering Heights was accepted for publication. Emily died shortly after at the age of 30.
Unlike Charlotte’s Jane Eyre, which was an instant success, critics at the time had mixed feelings about the Wuthering Heights. It's a different matter today, as it is widely regarded as one of the greatest novels in English literature.
Peter Ostrum in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
Known for his role in the 1971 film Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, an adaptation of Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Peter Ostrum was the first actor to portray golden ticket winner Charlie Bucket. Scouted for the motion picture when he was 12, his audition included him reading extracts from the novel.
The film wasn’t a huge financial success at the time but was inducted into the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress for being culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant, in 2014.
After shooting the picture, Ostrum was offered a three-film contract which he turned down. Since then Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory has remained his only feature-film credit.
In his teenage years Ostrum developed an interest in horses, and in 1984 graduated with a doctorate in veterinary medicine from Cornell University.
Gary Neville at Manchester United
Many footballers transfer from team to team over the seasons - but there are a select few who decide to keep their playing career to one club. While Gary Neville certainly wasn’t a one-hit wonder on the pitch, he was certainly a one club wonder after almost 20 years at Manchester United. Today he remains one of the most decorated English and European footballers of all time.
From the 602 matches he played for his boyhood club he amassed over 20 trophies, including eight Premier League winners’ medals, three FA Cups and two Champions League trophies.
Following the departure of Roy Keane in 2005, Neville became the club’s captain, a position he held for five years. His legacy was cemented as part of United’s Class of ’92, one of the most successful Premier League football teams of all time.
Video Killed the Radio Star by The Buggles
Formed in the late 1977, the English new wave band The Buggles are best known for their debut single Video Killed the Radio Star. Consisting of Trevor Horn, a singing bassist, and Geoff Downes, a keyboard player, the duo has been credited with helping pioneer a new musical era.
Just after midnight on 1 August 1981, MTV was first launched - with Video Killed the Radio Star being the first music video they ever broadcast.
The Buggles’s follow up song Living in the Plastic Age, reached No.16 in the UK charts, but never matched the success of their first record.
Video Killed the Radio Star was later sampled in 2010 by will.i.am and Nicki Minaj in their song Check It Out.
American Gothic
Found in the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago is the 1930 painting, American Gothic.
The portrait shows two figures, a farmer and his daughter posing outside an 1880s style Carpenter Gothic home.
The painting generated mass appeal, turning the heads of both farmers and their families in middle America and those who lived in the city.
The piece was submitted as part of an annual open exhibition by an unknown artist called Grant Wood.
His work won $300 in prize money but better yet, it became an instant sensation, with Wood having drawn inspiration from the 15th Century Flemish artists Jan van Eyck and Hans Memling.
He later taught painting at the University of Iowa's School of Art between 1934 and 1941.
Wood also went on to create other paintings with rural America themes, but none achieved the widespread recognition of American Gothic.
This article was published in August 2024
Looking for quizzes, amazing stories and fun facts?
Bitesize Topical has it all!
Sabrina Carpenter: History’s other child stars who became famous adults
How the hitmaker has a few things in common with Mozart
Painting royalty at 13?: Three young artists from history
BBC Bitesize takes a look at three artists who put their stamp on the art world at a very young age.
Five pieces of classical music that have inspired pop
From Blackpink to the Pet Shop Boys, Little Mix to S Club 7, discover the classical music hidden inside pop.
