SPILL BOOK REVIEW: ADAM BERNARD – ONE HIT WONDERING: THE STORIES OF 40 ONE HIT WONDERS + OTHER TALES FROM THE CRATES

ADAM BERNARD – ONE HIT WONDERING: THE STORIES OF 40 ONE HIT WONDERS + OTHER TALES FROM THE CRATES

INDEPENDENT

BOOK REVIEW BY CHRIS X

What if a musician’s greatest, most terrifying nightmare isn’t fading into absolute obscurity, but rather, accidentally recording a single three-minute lightning strike that traps them in an endless algorithm, forcing them to spend the rest of their natural lives obligated to haunt sweaty aunt-and-uncle Tik Tok dance videos until the heat death of the universe? That is precisely the sort of cosmic joke Adam Bernard explores in One Hit Wondering: The Stories of 40 One Hit Wonders + Other Tales From The Crates, tracing the bizarre, labyrinthine aftermath of artists desperately trying to claw their way out from under the crushing shadow of a single track.

But hark, what sweet sudden plague that striketh the ear, is this strange, embossed carbuncle we call a One Hit Wonder? Well, in layperson’s terms, this is when a musician accidentally discovers the exact mathematical spell to summon a localized auditory poltergeist, which forces the entire global population to chant it at basement cake-cuttings and / or sweaty grade eight dances for 40 or more consecutive years. The artist then spends the rest of their natural life listening to music snobs reduce their entire human existence to a trivia night footnote.

Being an album reviewer and having listened to a cacophony of artists over the last 45 years, I have always loathed the term “one hit wonder.” Many of us have stumbled upon some deeper cuts on those same albums that far eclipse the radio staple (I am looking at you, Marcy Playground and Nada Surf!!). To my absolute delight, Adam actually shares this exact sentiment, dedicating space in the book to champion his own favorite hidden tracks from these maligned records.

Narrowing a vast musical landscape down to 40 cross-generational one hit wonders from the 80s / 90s / 00s is a formidable challenge. Nevertheless, Bernard crafts a brisk, stylish 270-page essay collection that effortlessly balances the analytical weight of chart data with the engaging, meticulously orchestrated lore of post-fame survival.

Bernard respects the audiophile’s craft while completely rejecting the boring industry consensus, delivering a tongue-in-cheek corrective on how we should talk about these One Hit Wonders. He provides you with enough saccharine melodies over forgotten record sleeves to rot your teeth from three rooms away, while you go back into your music collection to rediscover these one hit wonder albums, or some other hidden gems that may not have gotten the airtime that they deserved.

And who knows, maybe you’ll go back to other albums that weren’t in this book, to reminisce about the musical ear worms from long ago or even recent, that still tickles your fancy.

Such is the life of the One Hit Wonder.

ISBN-13:‎ 979-8198569409

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