There are no one hit wonders. One hit - one that people know and can sing - that's more than 99% of the musicians who ever lived will ever have, and it's something that if you really asked what they would be willing to trade for that, it would be pretty amazing. They would sell their friends, their lovers, their family, their limbs, hell the American legend of the crossroads is that they would trade their soul, not even for a hit, but just to play on that level for a little while. It just seems like a radical trivialization of what in fact is a most fantastic and rare accomplishment. The Clash - for one - only had one song ever break the top 10 in the US, and despite that, (or maybe because of that) they are considered one of the most seminal bands in rock history. And poor Rush, who have had more platinum records than everyone else except the Beatles and the Rolling Stones can't buy their way into the R&R Hall of Fame so perhaps sales aren't everything.
But sure, Patti Smith. She only had one song break the top 20, and it couldn't even break the top 10. But pretty much any 20 hit parade bands, combined, can't match her performances and wouldn't be worthy to carry her used guitar strings.
Or, how about Janis Joplin, "Me and Bobby McGee" was her only Top 40 hit.
Of course my favorite is that Bruce Springsteen managed to record 4 - count 'em FOUR - records (Greetings from Asbury Park NJ, The Wild, the Innocent and the E Street Shuffle, Born to Run and Darkness at the Edge of Town) without breaking a top 20 single. That's 1973-1980 without a 'hit song' - somehow he survived. Matter of fact, if you really wanted to see the "Best Bruce" you'd want a time machine to go back to '76 or so, hits or not.
