ONE HIT WONDERLAND: "Love Grows Where My Rosemary Goes" by Edison Lighthouse
Going a little small-scale after the last few exhausting videos (but of course this was still exhausting to make anyway). Let me know if you see any screw-ups.
And also, please vote in the next Song vs. Song poll! "Gimme Shelter" vs. "Helter Skelter" https://www.patreon.com/posts/new-poll-gimme-63657482
ONE HIT WONDERLAND: "Love Grows Where My Rosemary Goes" by Edison Lighthouse (Vimeo)
Comments (68)
This is very informative
When you mentioned how this song doesn't really have a chorus, but has a one stanza structure with repeated lines, the first thing that came to my mind was 'It's a sea shanty!'
Todd, if you're becoming burned out (which it sure sounds like you are) please take a break as soon as you're able. (I know it's not always immediately doable due to sponsorship requirements, etc.) We want you to be OK.
I have always wanted to suggest some One Hit Wonder(land)s from the 60s but I have just assumed that the comparative dearth of video footage from that era that's out there for you to work with would make most suggestions almost impossible to actually make a video for. Not as if you really need suggestions! Oh right, this video was good! Always love to get something I never expected and can actually learn about vs. yet another video that placates my cravings for the familiar. Not that the latter isn't enjoyable, obviously it TOTALLY still is.
I would just like to add my two cents as an older fan of OHW. I enjoy the show (and Trainwreckords) regardless of the time period covered, but my sister and I (both born in the '60's) really have fun watching the OHWs on old 70's songs. I know it's hard to find video for a lot of them, but please keep doing them. Cheers.
I've been watching/ enjoying for a while now, it's time I show it... Appreciate the laughs and love seeing you skip all over decades, artists and types of music. Hell, not only do I like your content, I actually learn something every video. Carry on, wayward human.
This reminds me of a song Spotify threw my way that made me think of you, "She's A Beauty" by The Tubes. I have no idea if they'd have as interesting a story though. Hey, TikTokers, it's another song about an unapproachably awesome lady (albeit with a SUPER cringy video), come and get it.
The Tubes were a San Francisco Band formed in 1975 noted for their campy stage shows. They had a handful of hits in the early to mid-eighties. There's probably some really . . . interesting . . . video of them out there.
My mum, who was a teenager in Britain in 1970, is staying with me this weekend. She laughed very very hard at this video, whilst still also knowing all the words to most of the songs.
Way too much Jimmy "Hyperpaedophile" Saville in this video...
Unfortunately, Jimmy Savile was the presenter of the biggest music show in the UK. It's unavoidable, and Todd is well aware of it.
I loved every bit of this episode, Todd . . . even the bit featuring TikTok. We're all lucky fellows.
An interesting tidbit, since the video brings up plagiarism, Eurovision and Sweden - Sweden's Eurovision entry from 2007 (The Ark - "The Worrying Kind") was accused of ripping of this very song. Not an unfounded accusation either, in my opinion.
OH SHIT Brotherhood of Man?! Eurovision winners Brotherhood if Man?!
I remember the JackBlack/Gwynneth Paltrow movie "Shallow Hal" trying to make this song a thing. (The same directors used "Build Me Up Buttercup," which had the same songwriter(s), in "There's Something About Mary.")
Another great video! Todd, I'm begging you to do more 60's/70's OHW's. I understand the problems that arise as a creator making videos for that era of music, but some of my favorite videos in your catalog are from those decades (Boris Pickett, Barry McGuire, Van McCoy). They usually make for fun videos that are like uncovering a mystery, and even if the visuals are lacking, it's still your construction and script that hold it together. Of course, please do whatever you feel like, I'm just asking that you try not to discount this style of video if possible.
My OHW white whale is Zager and Evans for "In The Year 2525," which was number one for six weeks in 1969. That song is bizarre enough, but it's the failed follow-up, "Mr. Turnkey," that really has to be heard to believed.
One day, Todd will have covered every single shitty song I had to hear day after day working at Walgreens on either this or Trainwreckords. Crossing another one off here.
One thing about British Radio that I still find amazing: Technically, yes BBC was a monopoly until the very late 60s and meant having to hear Pat Boone while you wait for the Beatles -- but how people found a way around it was impressive. Radio Luxembourg beamed rock music to the Brits over the Channel, allowing people in the south to hear rock and roll. Meanwhile ships would go out 4-5 miles and throw up an antenna to blast music -- Radio Caroline being the biggest example. Pirate Radio was an amazing scene there, with DJs broadcasting during storms or when the ship started to take on water.
Criminal just did an episode about Radio Caroline, it's a fun listen.
Ozzy Osbourne had a song called "Old L.A. Tonight," and he's also British. Theory confirmed.
Actually really excited for this one. I like this song quite a bit and think it could really use more shine in 2022, not too far off from other 70’s AM radio titans like Lynn Anderson’s “Rose Garden” or Albert Hammond’s “It Never Rains in Southern California”.
"Rose Garden" was repurposed by another possible OHW subject, Canadian electronica duo Kon Kan (get it?), for "I Beg Your Pardon" in 1989.
like, im sure I'm missing a running joke with 'i would describe it as inessential' ? xD
This is similar to Steam, the 'band' behind "Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Her Goodbye" who didn't really exist (though, in that instance it was the opposite case, where the artist was embarrassed by the song and refused to have his name put on it)
What’s even funnier is that it was purposefully recorded to be trash. Gary DeCarlo (a.ka. Garrett Scott) recorded four songs for what was going to be his first single and thought they were all A-side quality. Not wanting to split his good fortune, he and his producer pulled an old song called “Kiss Him Goodbye” and did everything but belch and fart on it to make it clear that this was the B-side (the na-na-nas were filler meant to stretch it out.). The label wound up liking it, slapped the name Steam on it, and the rest is history…
Tony Burrows sounds like the British equivalent to Ron Dante (the voice behind The Archies, The Detergents, and The Cuff Links). There’s an excellent Gilbert Gottfried Amazing Colossal Podcast featuring Ron speaking about his life. And Gilbert joining Ron for a version of “Sugar, Sugar”
I was just thinking that Ron Dante was the American version of this. He even sang with two separate “bands” who were in the top ten at the same time (The Archies’ “Sugar Sugar” and the Cuff Links’ “Tracy”).
Just want to flag the guy at 6.50 is prolific sex offender Jimmy Saville. In the UK we don't really use clips of him without context as there are literally *hundreds* of victims out there. Just something to keep in mind when making videos about older acts, when footage is already really scarce!
Serves me right for not checking the comments - I see others have already raised this!
This definitely sounds like the kind of cheesy ‘60s/‘70s pop that would be in a Guardians of the Galaxy movie
The swedish word for plagiarism is "plagiat", for the record.
Y'know, I've always wondered when you'd eventually get to Tony Burrows, given that both this song and "My Baby Loves Lovin'" were on a '70s Greatest Hits compilation I had as a very small child (alongside other stone-cold bubblegum classics as "Red Rubber Ball" and "Chevy Van"). I never could have fathomed that you didn't know he existed. I always called him "Mr. One Hit Wonder", since he was on five of the damn things, but I didn't know much about session work as a kid, so little me never believed there was such a thing as a fake band. Excellent insight on this one, Todd!
Welcome to one hit wonderland - my Mum's Ipod edition! Nah, but being real for a second, seeing Brotherhood of Man and Beach Baby, two artist's/songs I only know because my Mother was what you'd call a tween now in 1970, feels so weird to know all this stuff that no-one else does. Check out that Brotherhood of Man Eurovision song though, (save your kisses for me) it is awful. And I mean AWFUL. But, I do agree with one of the patrons above, you gotta do 'Friday on my Mind' by the Easybeats for an OHW, which hit the top 20 in 1967. They're Aussie, and the two main people involved in the band are the reason we have AC/DC. Plus, I know you complain about a lack of footage, I promise you man, they did a whole ass documentary about the band down here, it's one hell of a story.
Oh god Todd I love you for the Monkees name-drop here. RIP PAPA NEZ! Also now I wanna hear Todd cover “The Yellow Balloon” by The Yellow Balloon… because there’s a heck of a story there
Ive never once been more aligned with someone than when you said the line "man, fuck this."
This is not a song that I have any recollection of and even hearing parts of it has me appreciating what a lovely little song it is.
The TikTok end means there’s about 50 piano ballad covers of this song now
I feel The Flower Pot Men might actually be a reference to the 1952 children's TV show Bill and Ben the Flower Pot Men, a show about two puppets made of flowerpots called Bill and Ben. It is probably a weed reference as well but that's where my mind jumped as a brit. Also, sexonding being careful with Jimmy Saville appearances.
This really was a feel-good episode of OHW, just because of how ridiculous the entire story is. I was also surprised to recognize Gimme Dat Ding from the first seconds you played it - and yes, it does border on being racist, kinda like the ooga-chakas from Hooked on a Feeling.
Thank you for covering this! Somehow I discovered this song years ago and it's always been at the top of my list of songs I wanted an OHW of that I assumed would be way too boring to actually get one - turns out that was kinda right. Also I've been weirdly obsessed with the production of Beach Baby for like a year now so that was a nice bonus
Yeah that link works, thanks
In keeping track for my own amusement, "Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes)" is the 98th OHW song, but I'm pondering if I should also catalogue the (minor spoilers) others featured in this vid? It doesn't seem like they'll ever get their own video . . . In any event, I love OHWs from any decade, so count me as another dedicated fan who would love to see more from Billboard's earliest days d:
What's the oldest song he's covered? It's gotta be Monster Mash, right?
You should have really put a trigger warning for showing footage of Jimmy Savile.
I gotta admit, I couldn't place this one until you actually played the melody. This is both a great and bad era for OHW material because there is just so much, SO MUCH stuff from the late 60s/early 70s that's just been completely memory-holed and sounds nothing like our collective memory of what music was like back then. Only problem is...it's been memory-holed. You won't be finding material about this on YouTube, or from Behind the Music episodes. One that's stuck with me is "White Bird" by the hilariously named It's a Beautiful Day. I never hear it anywhere and only know it because a local radio station's morning show made a Kris Humphries-themed parody called "White Boy (in the NBA)." Robert Christgau's verdict on their self-titled album: "This is on the charts. Get it off." Something's stuck with me about this little bit of hippie soft rock, though.
If you ever do want to do a OHW on a '60s song with heaps of material available, try "Friday on My Mind" by the Easybeats. First big rock band to come out of Australia, the members did a lot after the band disbanded, one of the members was the older brother of the Young brothers from ACDC...
Hell of a banger too.
Oh damn, cheers for the dive into the 70s Bubblegum Pop era! That period has tickled at my brain for years since Andy Partridge from XTC talked about it; the band almost made a whole album in that style. That period was more ridiculous, nonsensical and ephemeral than I expected.
As nuts as this sounds, I knew about Tony Burrows because my dad had a CD with all his songs from his different acts when I was growing up. When I was a toddler, I was *obsessed* with Beach Baby. I'm tickled to death that Todd has discovered him.
Perhaps I'm an odd viewer (I am) but I actually prefer when you do retrospectives on old music. It's a nice bit of variety and nice to know where we've been as well as where we are. Such a shame American Bandstand and Top of the Pops deleted like 75% of their respective catalogues over the years. I did want to say two things just for the "this might give you a headache in future comments" factor. The minor one is 'San Francisco' didn't hit number one in the US as far as I can tell. And the less minor one is that, coupled with the pedophilia song joke, it might not be a bad idea to see if you can trim the two appearances of Jimmy Savile (the Edgar Winter-looking presenter dude) out of the episode if you can. Although who knows it might be funnier if you leave him in. Just thought I'd point those out in case it might help you before posting it to YouTube. But that said, excellent episode dude. Fun to watch.
Further to the Saville thing, it'd be worth being aware beyond the surface detail of what happened there if you're headed that way again. The story that emerged was *dark*, to the point where his name is quite the trigger in the UK and Ireland.
Okay...will this have a clip of Steven Wright intoning the song title in "Reservoir Dogs"?
Personally I love it when you talk about songs I don't know, Todd, I get to feel like I'm learning something new!
Are we sure all those bands aren't just an elaborate troll by Robert Pollard? Like that one GBV box where he dumped a hundred demos all credited to different fake bands?
I'm on the youngest end of GenX but listened to "Oldies" radio all the time on fuzzy AM radio when I was little -- Bubblegum was everywhere on those shows. It was fun, but those bands from about 1968 to 1975 all seemed to run together. At least now it makes a little more sense why. And yeah, for all of the grumping about modern pop, at least 2010s music didn't make a Coke ad a Top 20 song in the nation.
I'm a very old millennial, and same - I spent my 90s youth listening to oldies radio. I know music from the 60s and early 70s way better than I know the 80s or most of the 90s. Due to the weird selectiveness of those stations, the song in this video that I know best is actually My Baby Loves Love, although I do vaguely remember Love Grows as well. (Todd, if you ever want to do a video on Sugar, Sugar, you will have my full attention. I also spent the 90s reading Archie comics, and I've always wanted to know how that song came about.)
Oh hey one of my favorite song.
Finally, time for another nice and uncomplicated ear worm from the Seventies. I may be a minority of one, but you could cover nothing but stuff like this and I’d be very, very happy.
And watching the kids from American Bandstand try to dance to “Gimme Dat Ding”…•chef’s kiss•
The surprise Jimmy Saville made me physically recoil from my computer
I can't be the only one that thinks that guy looks like Jason Segel.
Worked fine for me! I was watching the OHW playlist on YT when I got the Patreon email about the new episode, hows that for nice timing lol Thanks for what you do Todd
My aunt Rosemary once said that her friends made this song the bane of her early 20s.
Some things never change....
Vimeo is glitching again, just so u know
Yeah I can't watch it either
I’ll make sure to check this out