one-hit wonder

noun

variants or less commonly one hit wonder or one-hit-wonder

plural one-hit wonders also one hit wonders or one-hit-wonders

1

: a musical group that has achieved recognition on the basis of only one widely popular song

Such folks as John Lennon, the Byrds, Lou Rawls, the Hollies, Cyndi Lauper and one-hit wonder Peter McCann will entertain you via a radio played at an unobtrusive level.

—Pete Bishop

also : the widely popular song of a one-hit wonder

Their 1994 hit "Macarena" has often been voted as the top one-hit-wonder of all time.

—Kathryn Williams

2

: a person, group, or organization that is known only for a single notable event, product, etc.

But without Pat Croce or Maurice Cheeks to mediate the Larry Brown-Allen Iverson relationship, the Sixers could easily be a one-hit wonder.

—Mike Wise

Years later, [Steve] Jobs famously described how devastated he felt, only to realize that getting fired from Apple helped him develop the sustained creativity that turned him from a one-hit wonder into a great business leader.

—Rick Newman

also : the notable event, product, etc. of a one-hit wonder

For readers who aren't as head-over-heels for poetry as I am, The Bell Jar might seem like writer Sylvia Plath's one hit wonder.

—E. Ce Miller

Word History

First Known Use

1957, in the meaning defined at sense 1