In 1977, in a small Atlanta studio, two songwriters created something they never intended to be a disco classic. Alicia Bridges and her writing partner Susan Hutcheson penned a song called "Disco 'Round"—an R&B number about telling off a man and heading out to dance away the frustration. They imagined it as something soulful, maybe even something Al Green might sing.
Norman Greenbaum never set out to become a one-hit wonder. But in 1969, the Jewish songwriter from Massachusetts created one of rock's most enduring spiritual anthems—despite never being particularly religious himself.
In 1972, songwriter Bobby Russell penned what would become one of the most famous murder ballads in popular music history. Ironically, Russell wasn't particularly fond of his own creation. The song seemed flat to him, and he lacked inspiration about its potential—so much so that he refused to even record a demo of it.
In 1976, David Soul was at the height of his television fame as Detective Kenneth "Hutch" Hutchinson on the hit TV series Starsky & Hutch. While audiences knew him as the blonde half of the crime-fighting duo, Soul had always harbored musical ambitions from his earlier career days.
In the rich tapestry of 1970s soft rock, few songs captured the era’s romantic vulnerability quite like “Do You Wanna Make Love” by Peter McCann. Released in 1977, the gentle, heartfelt ballad became an unexpected smash, giving McCann his biggest — and only — hit, and solidifying its place as one of the decade’s most memorable one-hit wonders.
When you think of 1970s summer vibes — easygoing, romantic, and just a little whimsical — few songs fit the mood better than “Moonlight Feels Right” by Starbuck. Released in 1976, this dreamy soft-rock hit became an enduring staple of the decade’s lighter, yacht rock–adjacent sound and remains one of the most recognizable one-hit wonders of the era.
