Wonder Why

Before Flo Rida talked about his house, the Mary Jane Girls were  inviting guys over to their house. Put together by musician Rick James,  the Mary Jane Girls were a group assembled partly out of planning and  partly out of necessity. On this episode of Wonder Why, @chadsmart and  @MikeDeKalb break down the career of the Mary Jane Girls who just barely  qualified for consideration for this series.

Also, how many reference to Extreme can Chad work into one episode?

his is the story of a podcast. That examines one hit wonders and  tries to understand why they didn't have a follow up hit. This month,  @chadsmart and @MikeDeKalb examine the hit from 2000 "Story of a Girl"  by the Long Island band Nine Days. One quick observations Chad and Mike  notice is how music from this era is very interchangeable. Along the  way, Mike makes a discovery that blows Chad's mind and could become a  recurring theme on future shows.

At the start of the show, Mike pays homage to Rush drummer Neil Peart  who passed away a few weeks before the recording of this episode.

Putting a bow on the 2019 season of Wonder Why is a One Hit Wonder by a band that wasn't really a band with a singer who is a five time One  Hit Wonder. None of that sentence makes any sense until you listen to  @chadsmart and @MikeDeKalb discuss the 1970 hit "Love Grows Where My  Rosemary Goes" by Edison Lighthouse.

Find out how Tony Burrows made a career or having a hit song over and  over without anyone knowing they were listening to the same singer. The  music scene of 1970 was an interesting landscape. Singles that weren't  on albums were bigger hits than album tracks. All this and more are  discussed in this episode.

Wonder why more rock bands from the '70s didn't have bigger hits on the chart?

BAM A LAM!

Did you know Milli Vanilli isn't the only band to not play on their songs?

BAM A LAM!

On this edition of Wonder Why, @chadsmart and @MikeDeKalb break down  the infectious '70s hit "Black Betty" by Ram Jam. Originally from Ohio.  Originally known by another name. Taking a song originally done by chain  gangs, Ram Jam burst onto the music scene in the summer of 1977 and  faded away from the music scene by the fall of 1977.

Why did this band not have more success?  How do you get the song out  of your head was you've Bam a Lammed? How does the Top 40 chart in 1977  have so few memorable songs? These and a few other questions get  answered in one of the most incoherent episodes of Wonder Why.

Remember to leave a review. We'll be your new best friend.

The new era of Wonder Why puts the cynicism in Positive Cynicism  Podcast Network. @chadsmart and @MikeDeKalb are back to discuss the  Harvey Danger "hit" that no one can name.  Should Flagpole Sitta have  been the start of a successful career for the Seattle based band or was  Harvey Danger lucky to have one hit?

In addition to the hit that wasn't really a hit, Chad and Mike  discuss the numerous charts available for bands to hit and how this  leads to what constitutes or who can be called a "one hit wonder." From  there the conversation looks at songs that are considered hits that  never cracked the Top 40. Is your favorite band technically a no hit  wonder? Listen to the show and find out.

You got a little change in your pocket, going jing-a-ling-a-ling?

Following up last months twofer, @chadsmart and @MikeDeKalb are back for another one-two punch of One Hit Wonders starting with the Georgia  Satellites band's hit of 1987 and ending with their lead singer Dan Baird's solo hit of 1993.

How did a southern rock band manage to bust onto a Top 40 chart  overcrowded with Pop, R&B and Adult Contemporary artists? Why didn't  they have any follow up success?

This episode was originally recorded in 2019 for the Jittery Monkey Podcast Network

For the first time in the history of the Wonder Why series, we're  looking a two One Hit Wonders. Kajagoogoo hit the charts in 1983 with  the single "Too Shy." Two years later, after being fired from the band,  Limahl charted with the theme song to the film, "The Neverending Story."

@chadsmart and @MikeDeKalb break down the career of both the band and  the artist to see if they worked better individually or together. For  the first time in the history of the Wonder Why series, the reason for  only having one hit may have been discovered. Listen and see if you  agree with their insight.

This episode was originally recorded in 2019 for the Jittery Monkey Podcast Network

It's the last stop on the throwback to 1999 month of Positive  Cynicism. Jumping in the time machine, @chadsmart and @MikeDeKalb head  to great white north to check out a brother and sister who team up with a  hip hop crew. The group known as Len burst onto the scene in the  summer/fall of 1999 with the song "Steal My Sunshine." Before the song  was off the charts, Len seemed to vanish into thin air. Where did they  go?

Chad and Mike break down the history of Len and try to understand why  their career fizzled out so quickly. After the history lesson, Mike  gives him impromptu thoughts on the hip hop bands he'd like to see on a  package tour.

This episode was originally recorded in 2019 for the Jittery Monkey Podcast Network

This month on Wonder Why, @chadsmart and @MikeDeKalb hit the Santa  Monica Pier for some skeeball while discussing the Wishfulness of Skee  Lo’s 1995 hit.  While Skee Lo may have wished he was taller, a baller,  or he had a rabbit in a hat with a bat, maybe he should have wished for  more success from his debut album.

While the album did garner two Grammy nominations and had tracks on  the motion picture soundtracks for “Money Train” and “Big Bully,” some  behind the scene battles derailed Skee Lo’s momentum.

This episode was originally recorded in 2019 for the Jittery Monkey Podcast Network

Everyone was podcast listening. The latest edition of Wonder Why goes  back in time to the early 1970s to a time when dance clubs were popular  and martial arts were experiencing a rise in popularity. Combining  these two elements, Jamaican singer/songwriter Carl Douglas created a  chart topping smash with the song "Kung Fu Fighting."

Hosts @chadsmart and @MikeDeKalb debate whether "Kung Fu Fighting" is  a novelty hit or if future singles by Carl Douglas were hampered by the  perception of a gimmicky singer. Whatever side of the debate your on,  one thing can't be disputed, if you're making a movie with a fight  scene, "Kung Fu Fighting" must be included at some point.

This episode was originally recorded in 2019 for the Jittery Monkey Podcast Network