99 Red Balloons...and 100 Other All-Time Great One-Hit Wonders

by Brent Mann

The ultimate book for anyone who loves pop music and one-hit wonders, 99 Red Balloons profiles and ranks all the greatest musical flashes in the pan. Each chapter spotlights a specific one-hit wonder, including sample lyrics and chart position. Controversial, informative and entertaining, this is a book that no music lover should be without.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0806525169
• ISBN13: 9780806525167
• Release Date: November 2003
• Publisher: Citadel Press
• Length: 209 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.4" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

Smart, funny and well written

I'll tell you just how good this book is: I've had two copies of "99 Red Balloons" lifted from my office cubicle over the past four months. Note to my co-workers: Buy your own copy! As I read this fascinating book, I felt like I was back in high school doing homework and listening to all my favorite songs on the radio. It's smart, funny and extremely well written. Brent Mann gives you the intriguing inside story behind classic one-hit wonders from Maurice Williams & The Zodiacs ("Stay") to Ace ("How Long") to Dexys Midnight Runners ("Come on Eileen") to Chumbawamba ("Tubthumping"). If you like music and pop culture, you will really dig "99 Red Balloons."

Stylish & Informative -- Highly Recommended

Did you know that "Seasons in the Sun" was recorded by The Kingston Trio long before Terry Jacks ever got his hands on this tune? If you remember your radio cranking out classic one-hit wonders like Katrina & the Waves ("Walking on Sunshine"), The Standells ("Dirty Water"), Marc Cohn ("Walking in Memphis"), and Ace ("How Long"), you won't be able to put this book down. Brent Mann writes beautifully and his research is impeccable. Anyone who grew up listening to Top 40 music will enjoy 99 Red Balloons -- highly recommended.

A Marvelous Reference Book

Essentially, if you have been listening to Top 40 radio at any point since the days of Rock Around The Clock, you know (and love) at least one of the songs referenced in this book.The book is eminently readable. Each of the 101 One-Hit Wonders is given its own chapter, and you learn the history of the song/artist, with an exploration into what happened with the artist to send them into One-Hit Wonder Land.Good Job, Brent! we await the sequel!

a blast from the musical past!

What a pleasant surprise!! Author Brent Mann combines wit and humor with a seemingly endless collection of factoids about those favorite one-hit wonders we all grew up with. "99" now holds a special place in my heart for featuring "Brandy" -- one of the best all time one-hit wonders!!The best thing about "99" is the great conversations it spurs among friends: Is aha really a one-hit wonder? What was the deal with that Devo video? What ever happened to Edie Brickell & the New Bohemians? And of course, who really is the #1 one-hit wonder? Best shared among friends, "99" is a great conversation piece. Thanks Brent for bringing us back to some classic musical touchstones!

A great, fun read!

What a fun book this is! It's really interesting to know who the people behind these hits were, and where they are now. The author's commentary is informative and funny, and he had the uncanny ability to pick out the songs that were the soundtrack of my youth. No matter where I open this book up, .the memories come flooding back to me of where I was and what I was doing when the song came out. Highly recommended!