Life Goes On

(Edited to add WNEW.com link.)

When I was a kid, I didn’t miss a lot of school days because of illness, but I remember the slightly disorienting feeling of coming back after being gone. It was clear that the world had continued operating normally without me—and I was always a little surprised. Now that I’m older and wiser, I understand that the Internet has been just fine without me this past week—but I’m still a little bit surprised. Here’s a rare Saturday post to get the Earth back on its axis, continuing our series on the bottom of the Hot 100. Here are 10 records that represent the only Hot 100 appearance for their respective performers, all of which peaked at Number 98.

“The Reason”/5 Chanels (12/22/58). The Chanels were a doo-wop group from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. After “The Reason” was released, the group was forced to change its billing because their name was too close to the Channels, a different group on a rival label.

“One More Sunrise (Morgen)”/Leslie Uggams (9/14/59). A ubiquitous TV presence in the 70s and 80s (most notably as Kizzy in the miniseries Roots), Uggams was only 16 when she cut an English version of “Morgen,” which had been a hit in its original German earlier in the year by Ivo Robic.

“A Lover’s Question”/Ernestine Anderson (2/27/61). Anderson was one of the more highly touted singers in jazz during the late 50s, but saw her career stall as the popularity of jazz began to fade in the early 60s. From the 70s to the 90s, she recorded prolifically, however. This is her version of Clyde McPhatter’s original.

“The Image Part 1″/Hank Levine (10/9/61). In 1957, radio programmer Chuck Blore introduced a format he called “color radio” at KFWB in Los Angeles, and later took it to stations in San Francisco and Minneapolis. It featured a distinctive set of jingles, which became the inspiration for “The Image.”

“Across the Street”/Lenny O’Henry (5/30/64). Lenny O’Henry was born Danny Cannon, and was once in a group called the Vibra-Harps with Donnie Elbert, whose covers of “Where Did Our Love Go” and “I Can’t Help Myself” charted in the States in 1971 and 1972. And that seems to be all there is to know about Lenny O’Henry. As for “Across the Street,” it’s apparently much beloved by beach music aficionados.

“Jamaica Ska”/Ska Kings (7/11/64). Byron Lee and his band backed several reggae stars in Jamaica’s pavilion at the 1964 New York World’s Fair. Hoping to capitalize on any interest sparked by the fair, Atlantic signed Lee to a record deal. “Jamaica Ska” got a bit of airplay, but two full albums failed to make much of a dent in the States. Never mind, though: Lee would record almost continuously for nearly 40 years before his death a year ago this month.

“You’re Next”/Jimmy Witherspoon (3/6/65). Witherspoon took the long way from Gurdon, Arkansas, to stardom, singing on Armed Forces Radio with a big band in India during World War II. His most famous record is probably the blues standard “Ain’t Nobody’s Business,” cut in 1949, but “You’re Next” was his lone pop-chart entry.

“I Spy (for the FBI)”/Jamo Thomas (3/26/66). From the Bahamas via Chicago, Jamo Thomas intended to capitalize on the spy craze in the mid 60s with “I Spy (for the FBI).” It’s some of the best fake Motown music you’re ever going to hear.

“Any Way That You Want Me”/Liverpool Five (12/24/66). They were English, but none was from Liverpool, and their first major taste of stardom came in Japan. They were frequently featured on TV shows such as American Bandstand and Shindig!, and frequently shared the bill with fellow Englishmen such as the Rolling Stones and the Kinks. Their sound was more garage-band than British-Invasion, although “Any Way That You Want Me,” originally cut by the Troggs, fits the mid-60s British pop-rock template. It was their only official sniff of the American charts. (It’s the third song in this YouTube clip.)

“When the Good Sun Shines”/Elmo & Almo (6/10/67). A studio creation by producers Charlie Koppelman and Don Rubin, which was intended to pave the way for an animated cartoon series and a Peanuts-style comic strip. According to a June 3, 1967, article in Billboard, the series would feature cartoon characters against live backgrounds and musical performances. More intriguing, “the artist who [will do] the comic strip was living in singer/composer Tim Hardin’s basement. He, too [like the singers who provided voices for Elmo and Almo] will remain anonymous.” The song was written by Gary Bonner and Alan Gordon, who were mentioned here just a week ago—and it may be Bonner and Gordon who are singing on the record. (Neither the TV series nor the comic strip ever got made, as best I can tell.)

In the next installment: 10 more one-hit wonders who peaked at Number 98, including one of the top Iowa bands of the 1960s and a disco version of “Tubular Bells.” Admit it—you can’t imagine how life goes on without this sort of thing, can you?

At WNEW.com: Gordon Lightfoot’s greatest hit. (It’s a post I’m especially proud of, so go read it. Then comment on it, because nobody ever comments on anything over there.)

“When the Good Sun Shines”/Elmo and Almo (out of print)