Who are the no hit wonders?

Tom Waits was my first thought. I struggle to think of someone anywhere near as influential as him that has had less commercial success.

He just casually ran a clinic on how to write amazing songs for half a century (so far) instead. He also did some acting (mystery men comes to mind).

Tom Waits didn’t have any hits as a solo artist, but Rod Stewart’s cover of “Downtown Train” hit No.3.

I f****** love Tom Waits. That is all.

Christmas Card from a Hooker in Minneapolis went gold in this household.

Tom waits always sounded like if a toad learned English to me

I vote for this with both hands

My wife and I joke that she and cannibal corpse (another band with no hits but a long successful career) are tied for third biggest acts to come out of Buffalo. We separately went to a show by each a night or two apart at the same venue a few years back. Rick James and the goo goo dolls are 1 and 2.

Tame Impala did finally break the Billboard Hot 100 just this year with the “Dracula” remix featuring Jennie.

That's crazy. I feel like I heard The less I know the better on radio all the time when it dropped. Also Feels like I only go backwards earlier.

GWAR kicks so much ass

Damn, Roots, Rock, Reggae is the closest Bob Marley got in the US, got to number 51 in the charts. He got 18 UK Top 40 hits though. Tame Impala only recently (2025) hit the main top 40 in the UK and the US. Did was with the song Dracula, got to 12 in the UK and 24 in the US.

Their highest charting on Billboard was #51 with I'll Be You, but they're considered one of the most influential alternative bands. That song did go to #1 on Modern Rock. Of the big 3 that got their start at Jay's Longhorn Bar, two were highly influential and only one had mainstream success. Those are Hüsker Dü, the Replacements, and Soul Asylum.

Yes! Had a conversation with someone recently who was like “Who?” when I said I was going to see Nick Cave. “Oh you know that song from the slow dance in Harry Potter? No…? or err Peaky Blinders…? No… errr Kylie Minogue? Yes, seriously the O2 Arena.”

Red Right Hand has had some long legs between being featured in Dumb and Dumber, the original Scream trilogy and Peaky Blinders. It even gets played by organists at NHL games.

I would say that Blood and Thunder hits a pretty high mark for metal fans, but as far as "commercial" success, Mastodon had several singles chart, including number 1 on the U.S. Sales chart. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mastodon_discography

The Blood and Thunder music video has almost nine million views on YouTube. It didn't chart in the top 40 but High Road was a #1 single and White Walker was #4. I used to do terrestrial college radio and we had very strict requirements that NOTHING we played could be from a band that had charted in the top 40 or been certified RIAA gold (or higher) and my best friend and co-host got a strike for spinning Steambreather when Emperor of Sand dropped.

Nick cave has had several singles in the top 40. The one with Kylie was highest at 11 (uk). Still under appreciated but he has been (somewhat) successful with his singles

Show yourself. I feel like that must have charted.

Damn. Fade into You has a billion plus streams on Spotify and they play that song on 90s radio a lot, thought it would have charted a little higher.

Hope Sandoval’s voice is like a gentle scalp massage for the soul

Fade Into You is maybe the most beautiful song I’ve ever heard

They are literally a one hit wonder

Ocean man, take me by the hand take me to the land

Where the muthafuckin cheese go at, b****?!

Push th' Little Daisies bizarrely reached the top 20 in the Australian charts. I have no idea why it was so big here.

They had a song called Voodoo Lady that is cool

Johnny On The Spot is my jam

That song is stuck in my head now thank you very much.

Piss up a Rope makes me grin every time I hear it.

Of all the ween songs i would not have expected push the lil daisies i hated it the first time (now i love it)

What are you talking about. They had #1 Record

The Decemberists did have a Billboard Number 1 album on the regular chart.  Still shocked that happened.

Teardrop was #10 in the UK charts in 1998

Massive Attack did get 10 UK top 40 hits: https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/28023/massive-attack/ But non in the US. And Fade from Yo La Tengo got to number 26 in the US: https://www.billboard.com/artist/yo-la-tengo/chart-history/tlp/ But the others are correct indeed.

Yankee Hotel Foxtrot is one of the best albums of all time. Not a single track to skip.

Pretty much all of Massive Attacks singles hit the top 40.

Wilco did chart tho https://preview.redd.it/z11ih8qr6hsg1.jpeg?width=1179&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5fa1dcd11c1dcb53ab8abb282eafec65fc93d193

I think Billy Breathes charted back in 95? But yeah no songs!

Phish, Panic, Primus, Mule, Wilco, all great bands with no real hits

We made it to the top of a list

According to Billboard, Phish charted quite a few times, including 4 songs in the Top 10. https://www.billboard.com/artist/phish/chart-history/aaa/

Glad to see this as the first comment!

I was going to say grateful dead. Touch of Grey hit the chart but not until the 80s

I am a patient boy…

cant believe I forgot them! The 2021 soundtrack album to the documentary about them went to #10 on the UK charts their highest charting album in either US or UK Their highest US chart appearance was for VU an album of unreleased material in 1985 that went to #85

Sure, don't mention the Lizard Wizard

Definitely more popular in Australia, achieved number 2 Album on the Australian charts. Interestingly Flying Microtonal Banana debuted at number 1 on the Billboard Vinyl chart in 2017.

They pretty consistently chart in Australia. Not anymore since their music got removed from Spotify

They had 2 songs in early 80s that made it into the top 60, but that’s about as close as they ever came to a hit

21st century schizoid man gotta count for something

Basically most long lasting prog bands besides Rush lol

Fear of a Blank Planet is dopeeee. Featured in the equally dope Remedy game Control.

I remember Steven Wilson saying Halo and Shallow (from Deadwing) were the only time he listened to record executives and tried to make radio friendly singles. I love that album but I kinda hate that he had to reveal that. Edit: sorry. Lazarus, not halo.

Dead Goon didn't hit #1 on the billboard hot 100??

I am not a huge fan of the dead specifically. I dont mean that as some like wook comparing myself to h******* fans, i mean i couldnt name a single song that wouldnt be on a greatest hits album. I work in the live music industry so my knowledge base is a little deeper than my personal interest dictates, but I'm not that into jam bands generally. They were SO influential. Musically for sure. But also just like physically being important early key figures in the early counter culture revolution.  Everything that exists in counter and alternative culture today would look unrecognizable without the 60s being shaped the way they were. And the 60s would have looked fundamentally different without groups like the Dead and the Merry Pranksters doing things like the traveling Acid Tests. It's hard to imagine that even modern music festivals would exist, or look similar..The key factors would have still been there, but it likely would have remained a lot more niche, and hand waved away as some San Fran nonsense. Even just the fact that they used their pull and cache and fame to continue to cultivate massive events that broke into the main stream knowledge. They were SOOOO influential on the scene and culture as a whole before you even touch on the music  

Had to scroll way too far down to see this. I feel like no one mentions it because of the importance of the live jam to the band's sound, but it's still wild to think about, even if only to illustrate how different of an experience the Grateful Dead was. One of the biggest touring bands of all time, massively dedicated fanbase spanning almost 70 years now, 30 years of releases. Only one top 10 hit, over 20 years into their career. Wild

Although I agree in spirit, technically speaking New World Man peaked at #21.

They’re classic rock radio staples though. Outside of this specific context we’d both be offended if someone said Rush don’t have any hits. Not gonna check but I bet they charted on rock radio a lot.

Well in the UK Pixies has 3 top 40 hits, "Debaser being the highest at 23. Love Will Tear Us Apart got to 13 in the UK for Joy Division and in 1988 Atmosphere got to number 34. The Ramones got 4 UK Top 40 hits, "Baby, I Love You" got to number 8 spot. Pavement two, Shady Lane (40) and Carrot Rope (27). And My Bloody Valentine got one, To Here Knows When got number 27. The Stooges indeed none, same for Slowdive,

Surely Blitzkreig Bop for the Ramones and Where Is My Mind for the Pixies? Edit: apparently Where Is My Mind never did particularly well in the US - it went triple platinum in my country lol

The Ramones never had a traditional hit in the sense that they released a song and it was at or near the top of the charts for some time.  Everybody knows Blitzkrieg Pop though.  I’d say Blitzkrieg Pop is better known than many songs that hit #1 on the charts.

Love the Stooges. “Now I wanna be your dawg”!

Birdhouse in your soul hit no.6 in the UK singles chart

new slang is a hit

They got 3 songs in the UK Top 40, 100% (28), Sugar Kane (26) and Bull in the Heather (24). Not huge hits, but still...

f*** yeah, WSP never sniffed a hit but have been touring for 40 years.

Limp Bizkit had a number 1 in the UK with Rollin' Offspring had a number 2 hit with Pretty Fly RATM also had another top 10 with Bulls on Parade in the mid 90s. 

Their cover of Cortez the Killer off their live album is one of my all time favourite jams.

Damn, Bad Religion did come close with 21st Century (Digital Boy), got to number 41 in the UK. It was a Top 40 hit in Sweden. Punk Rock Song there was also, and in Germany and Finland. And Hallelujah did charted in 2007 in the UK, just on downloads it got to number 36. In 1984 that song was number one in France, back in 1967 Suzanne got to number 3 there. He has few more in other countries, but in the US zero and in the UK only that one.

What you know is great 

Girl, You'll Be a Woman Soon from Urge Overkill got to number 37 in the UK. In the US they missed the Top 40 indeed, got to number 59 with that song. Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band indeed has none in both countries.