one-hit wonder

Meanings

1. 1nouncountableinformalmusic

   A singer or group that has one popular hit song and never achieves a second success.

   Grammar: Takes an or an: they were a one-hit wonder.

   Patterns

   • be a one-hit wonder

   The band was a one-hit wonder with a song everyone remembers.

   He feared he would end up a one-hit wonder.

   Radio stations still play that one-hit wonder from the nineties.

2. 2nouncountableinformalfigurative

   Any person or thing that is successful or famous only once and never again.

   Grammar: Used figuratively outside music.

   Patterns

   • be a one-hit wonder

   The author was a one-hit wonder, as her later books sold poorly.

   Many viral stars turn out to be one-hit wonders.

Word forms

Common combinations

a classic one-hit wonder

That song is a classic one-hit wonder from the eighties.

nothing more than a one-hit wonder

Critics said he was nothing more than a one-hit wonder.

avoid being a one-hit wonder

She worked hard to avoid being a one-hit wonder.

remembered as a one-hit wonder

The group is remembered as a one-hit wonder.

one-hit wonder status

The singer escaped one-hit wonder status with her second album.

Synonyms and how they differ

flash in the pan

Flash in the pan is wider, describing anything that starts well but quickly fades, not just musicians.

fluke

Fluke describes a lucky accident, while a one-hit wonder is a person or act whose success happened once.

overnight sensation

Overnight sensation does not imply that success ended, just that it arrived suddenly.

Opposites

Word family

hit noun

a very popular song, film or book

wonder noun

a surprising person or thing

hit-maker noun

an artist who often produces hits

Commonly confused: one-hit wonder or flash in the pan?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “one-hit wonder”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

Explore more words