One-Hit Wonder Trivia
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50 free One-Hit Wonder trivia questions with answers — music quiz, new questions added Aug 2026.
48 free one-hit wonder trivia questions with answers. Everyone knows the song; almost nobody can name the band's second single. This quiz celebrates the one-hit wonders, the artists who owned the radio for one summer and then vanished: Norman Greenbaum, Carl Douglas, the Knack, Toni Basil, a-ha, Falco, Vanilla Ice, Los del Río, Chumbawamba, Aqua, Lou Bega, Eiffel 65, Baha Men, Daniel Powter, Gotye, Psy and Baauer. The questions cover who sang what, the samples and lawsuits behind the hits, the chart records they set, and the strange stories of how they were made: the Rolling Stones concert that inspired 99 Luftballons, the pub that inspired Tubthumping, the Coca-Cola advert that launched Bad Day, and the toy company that sued over Barbie Girl. There are no lyrics to complete, just the facts behind the songs. Every answer was checked against Wikipedia's article on each song, and each question carries the sentence that backs it up.
30 of 50 questions with answers and explanations. Play the quiz
Q 01By the most common definition, a one-hit wonder reached which part of the Billboard Hot 100 only once?
The top 40
Under that strict definition Lou Reed and Queen Latifah both qualify.
Q 02In which part of London does Richard Ashcroft walk in the Bitter Sweet Symphony video?
Hoxton
He bumps into passersby the whole way; the video was up for three MTV awards in 1998.
Q 03Which Spanish duo recorded the original Macarena in 1993?
Los del Río
A Miami remix by the Bayside Boys added English verses and turned it into a US number one three years later, and VH1 later ranked it the greatest one-hit wonder of all time.
Q 04How many weeks did Macarena spend at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1996?
14
It had stalled at number 45 on its first chart run the year before.
Q 05Norman Greenbaum's Spirit in the Sky was released in what year?
1969
It sold two million copies and later gave both Doctor and the Medics and Gareth Gates UK number ones.
Q 06Carl Douglas's 1974 hit Kung Fu Fighting was produced by which British-Indian musician?
Biddu
It sold eleven million copies and topped Channel 4's poll of the greatest one-hit wonders.
Q 07Which band recorded My Sharona, the top single of 1979 in the US?
The Knack
It was Capitol Records' fastest debut single to go gold since I Want to Hold Your Hand.
Q 08Who was the real Sharona who inspired the Knack's hit?
A teenager the singer fell for
Doug Fieger was 25 when he met Sharona Alperin; they stayed together four years.
Q 09Wild Cherry's 1976 funk-rock number one was released on a label based in which city?
Cleveland
The band had been a hard rock cover act before disco took over the clubs.
Q 10Video Killed the Radio Star by the Buggles was written by Trevor Horn, Geoff Downes and whom?
Bruce Woolley
Woolley recorded his own version at the same time with Thomas Dolby on keyboards.
Q 11Toni Basil's Mickey was originally recorded under what title by the British band Racey?
Kitty
Basil, a choreographer on the Monkees film Head, added the cheerleader chant herself.
Q 12Come On Eileen was a 1982 hit for which group?
Dexys Midnight Runners
It was Britain's best-selling single of 1982.
Q 13Soft Cell's 1981 hit Tainted Love was a cover of a 1964 recording by which soul singer?
Gloria Jones
Glen Campbell played lead guitar on the original, which flopped as a B-side.
Q 14Nena's 99 Luftballons was inspired by balloons released at a concert by which band in West Berlin?
Q 21Sir Mix-a-Lot's Baby Got Back won which 1993 Grammy?
Best Rap Solo Performance
MTV briefly banned the video, and the song spent five weeks at number one.
Q 22Tag Team's Whoomp! (There It Is) topped the R&B chart but peaked where on the Billboard Hot 100?
Second place
It set a record for consecutive weeks in the top ten and remains a stadium staple.
Q 23Which pub inspired Chumbawamba's Tubthumping?
The Fforde Grene in Leeds
The self-described anarchist band reached number two in the UK with a drinking anthem.
The Rolling Stones
Guitarist Carlo Karges imagined what would happen if they drifted over the Wall into East Berlin.
Q 15Which version of 99 Luftballons became Nena's only US hit?
The German-language original
The English version did not chart at all in the United States.
Q 16a-ha's Take On Me video used which animation technique?
Rotoscoping
It took six months to make and won six MTV Video Music Awards.
Q 17a-ha come from which country?
Norway
The song failed to chart on its first two releases before finally breaking through in 1985.
Q 18Falco's Rock Me Amadeus holds what Billboard distinction?
The only German-language song to top the Hot 100
It hit number one on 29 March and also topped the UK chart.
Q 19Ice Ice Baby lifted its bassline from which song?
Under Pressure
Queen and David Bowie got no credit or royalties until after it was a hit.
Q 20Ice Ice Baby was originally released as the B-side to Vanilla Ice's cover of what?
Play That Funky Music
A DJ flipped the record over and the B-side became the first hip-hop single to top the Hot 100.
Q 24Chumbawamba's Tubthumping was released in what year?
1997
It topped the charts in five countries including Canada, Ireland and Italy.
Q 25Where did Aqua's Søren Rasted get the idea for Barbie Girl?
An exhibit on kitsch culture
The song was a UK number one for four weeks and reached number seven in the US.
Q 26Which company sued Aqua's record label over Barbie Girl?
Mattel
Twenty-five years later the same company licensed the song for the Barbie movie.
Q 27Lou Bega's Mambo No. 5 sampled a 1949 recording by which Cuban bandleader?
Dámaso Pérez Prado
The original went into the US National Recording Registry in 2026.
Q 28In which country did Mambo No. 5 set a record by staying at number one for 20 weeks?
France
It reached number three in the US, Bega's only American top-40 hit.
Q 29Eiffel 65, of Blue (Da Ba Dee) fame, are from which country?
Italy
The track was made at Bliss Corporation in Turin and hit number one in at least 18 countries.
Q 30Blue (Da Ba Dee) hit number one in at least how many countries?
18
Curiously it only reached number three in Italy, the group's home.