One-Hit Wonder Lust: Lou Waxman on Animotion’s The Language of Attraction

May 27, 2026

There are levels to one-hit wonders. All lightning in a bottle is not the same proof. At the top are those bands or artists who actually wrote their one hit. Take Chumbawamba’s “Tubthumping”. They wrote that shit, so they get extra points. This song has a special place in Lou’s heart because he remembers his father in a suit pogoing to it at his wedding. So alive and carefree. That memory will always stick with Lou. The very definition of bittersweet.

Lou’s favorite one-hit wonder song might be Katrina and the Waves “Walking on Sunshine”. Even when Lou did not particularly like music, he loved that song. It is infectious. A true earworm and not the Wrath of Khan earworm that Chekov had to deal with. That would be something like Hanson’s “MMMBop”. That song was writing by those little fuckers so just because you had the talent to write what the general public considered a banger does not mean the song is actually any good.

“Walking on Sunshine” gets extra points because it is one of the greatest needle drops in movie history. The song introduces Jack Black’s Barry in High Fidelity. The minute Jack Black arrives on screen you know you are in the presence of comedic greatness. If the Oscars ever seriously considered comedy as high art, then Black’s performance in High Fidelity would have gotten a nomination. Black steals the movie. In terms of such things, he is like Willie “The Actor” Sutton, one of the most famous thieves of all time.

High Fidelity is not a comedy as much as a documentary, which ultimately fails to accurately depict its subject. At Second Story Books, which also sold used records, Lou lived this movie on a daily basis. On one level, Lou lived the independent film version with all the Discord Record guys that worked at the shop and hung around. Lou will never stop writing about his Second Story experience ad nauseam because quite simply those two years were some of the most formative in Lou’s life. Everything in Lou’s life which relates to music stems from those two years. For most people, this experience happens in their teenage years or in college. Like Charles Bukowski and William Burroughs, Lou was a late bloomer. It took almost into his thirties for him to develop any taste in music. And the Robs, Barrys and Dicks of Second Story curated that taste.

On another level, Lou lived the Masterpiece Theater version of High Fidelity or something like that. Maybe the BBC? Sure,there were punk rockers around Second Story that got Lou into the Nuggets boxset, The Velvet Underground, The Stooges, and Black Sabbath, but there were other Barrys who got Lou into jazz. And these guys were much more like Barry in that they would rip you to shreds if you liked the wrong shit. Don’t come in there saying Miles Davis’s Kind of Blue is the greatest jazz record of all time. That is what the public thinks, not the true vipers. Anything is more acceptable than that. Miles’ Second Quartet or Miles’ jazz fusion. Even liking Miles’ “Time After Time” would get you more respect than liking Kind of Blue. That was like thinking Pet Sounds was the top of the heap in rock. A bad take. The Barrys at Second Story would talk endlessly about jazz. They knew all the sessions, all the outtakes. They had all the original Blue Notes, Impulses, and Prestiges. They had the Japanese imports. They had the boxsets and bootlegs. These guys were true vinyl collectors. That would be one criticism Lou has with High Fidelity. The movie does not really capture the true spirit of the true record collector. There is too much about mixtapes and not enough about coveting vinyl. It is too upbeat, too cool. Collecting is pathetic and depressing. The best scene in High Fidelity is the part where Beverly D’Angelo, as a woman scorned, attempts to sell Rob her husband’s record collection. That is pure movie magic. It really captures the porn fetish element that Rob talks about with collecting vinyl. Rob flipping through the vinyl is the stuff. Bravo!!! The movie fails because no fucking record guy would not buy the fucking records for $50. Vinyl guys have no soul. This scene is a wet dream. “I could not do this to another collector.” Come on, Rob, of course you could. Record guys do not have principles. This scene is supposed to make you understand that Rob is a good guy. Watch the movie. He is not. The scene is false. For a most accurate character study of a vinyl collector, Steve Buscemi Ghost World is much more on the mark. That hits the nail on the head. Vinyl collectors should be shot. Fuck you, Scarlett Johansson for stating the truth. Bill Murray whispered, “You fucking suck” in your ear.

A lower level of one hit wonder would be something like Toni Basil’s “Mickey!!” It is technically a cover of “Kitty” by Racey, but Basil changed the gender and added the iconic cheerleading elements to the song. There are rumors that the song is about Micky Dolenz of The Monkees and anal sex. Lou hopes so. If Lou remembers correctly, Basil also choreographed the video, which was an MTV staple. Quite simply, Toni Basil is a genius. She was a member of Wallace Berman’s circle in Los Angeles in the 1960s. Berman is one of the great unsung artists of the 20th Century. He has been reappraised in the last 25 years or so, but Berman is still very underrated. His magazine Semina is the iconic artist’s magazine and the pinnacle of a magazine being considered an art object. Lou has had the opportunity to purchase a run of Semina twice in his life. He could not pull the trigger both times because the amount of money involved scared him. If he bought the Seminas for the price of a used Ford Escape, he could have bought a new tricked out Jeep Wrangler for what they are worth now. One of Lou’s big regrets in life. Read up on Berman and the Ferus Gallery if you get the chance. A remarkable collection of artists often with ties to the movie industry, particularly with former child stars, like Dennis Hopper and Russ Tamblyn. You will have a new-found appreciation for Toni Basil. She was not a one-hit wonder. Her creativity spanned decades. Teri Garr was Toni Basil’s BFF and the two of them in the 1960s were a handful. Teri Garr is the best. Look her 1960s exploits and you can see why David Letterman loved her so.

In the lower levels of the one-hit wonder totem pole are those who hit it big with a cover. Taco’s “Putting on the Ritz” is a good example. Sure, artists like this put their spin on the song, but they did not write it. As you know, Lou privileges literary talent over musical talent every time. A great lyricist is better than a guitar god.

It could be debated if one-hit wonders deserve to be in the two-dollar bin or on the Wall of Vinyl. Lou is sure that some obscure one-hit wonders are the very definition of rare vinyl and those records no doubt go for hundreds if not thousands of dollars, but Lou suspects that in most cases, one hit wonders wallow in the cheap bins. Lou got a copy of Animotion’s The Language of Attraction for fifty cents. Now you might argue with Lou that Animotion is a two-hit wonder as their song “Room to Move”hit number nine. But for all intents and purposes, the only song anyone knows is “Obsession”, which is a true banger. A high point of 1980s synth. But did you know that it is a cover? Holly Knight and Michael Des Barres (Sidebar: Des Barres is probably most famous as the husband of super groupie Pamela Des Barres. He was in a ton of forgettable bands (Silverhead, anyone?), but he is remarkable because he was always on the fringes of greatness. For example, he was one of the founding members of Rock Against Drugs. Really interesting guy. A rock and roll Zelig figure.) wrote and performed the song and this version appeared on the soundtrack to the glorious A Night in Heaven, a true masterpiece of 1980s film, starring Christopher Atkins and Leslie Ann Warren. The song also appears in 9 ½ Weeks but who cares about that schlock. Jan Hammer (legend) composed the movie’s original score, and Bryan Adams’ “Heaven” became a hit. Some would say the soundtrack is better than the movie. Not true!! It is the movie that rocks. In Heaven, Atkins plays a male student/stripper and Warren plays his teacher with marital problems. Atkins fucks Warren’s face to Knight and Des Barres’ “Obsession”. Classic. Joan Tewkesbury wrote this movie. She wrote Nashville. It is crazy. Heaven is not a porn believe it or not, although everyone agrees that the sex scenes are the only scene in the movie that actually work. In fact, the porn parody would just be the exact same movie, same dialogue, just with the hardcore sex inserted. It could have been like those X-rated movies where they also shot a softcore movie for Skinamax at the same time. A missed opportunity!!