It’s One-Hit Wonder Wednesday! Each week, I’ll pick a one-hit wonder to stir nostalgia and make us all ask “what were people thinking?”
So, when is a one-hit wonder more than just a one-hit wonder? When it’s the harbinger of a whole new musical style of course.
This week’s song was not just a number one hit; it was the start of the disco movement in the late ‘70s.
“Rock the Boat” by The Hues Corporation appeared on their 1973 debut album and was released as a single in early 1974. While it looked like a flop at first, it gained strength when it was picked up by the burgeoning disco scene in New York City and eventually hit number one on July 6, 1974.
The Hues Corporation did crack the top 20 once more in 1975, but they were never able to duplicate their success with “Rock the Boat” and disbanded in 1978.
Check back next week for another “One-Hit Wonder Wednesday.”
