The Rose Garden: "Next Plane to London"

January 20, 1968 (1 week)

One of my favourite YouTube channels is Todd in the Shadows. It is run by Todd Nathanson and, barring the odd out-of-place video on buses, is focused on music. Of primary interest to me are his intermittent series Trainwrecords and One Hit Wonderland. In the latter, he discusses once popular hits by acts who subsequently disappeared. He's far from the only individual who likes going on about the one-hit wonder phenomenon but he is just about the only one who attempts to be thoughtful and nuanced on the matter. In entries on famous one-and-done Billboard Hot 100 chart toppers "Come On Eileen" and "Take on Me", he goes to great pains to emphasize that both Dexys Midnight Runners and a-ha were regular hit makers elsewhere and that their dubious status is ultimately not deserved. He doesn't like every artist covered but he respects all of them enough to give some consideration to the remainder of their output. (He even did so with RPM number one "Seasons in the Sun" by Terry Jacks, which, unfortunately, I will be getting to in time)

Nathanson doesn't look at too many sixties' hits — which is at least in part due to the one hit wonder craze being a creation of the eighties — and so I can't imagine he's been in much of a hurry to include The Rose Garden in One Hit Wonderland. For one thing, it was only a modest Stateside hit, peaking at a respectable but hardly chart busting number seventeen. Whatsmore, it never had much of a life beyond its brief chart ride at the beginning of 1968: cover versions are few and far between with arguably the best known being a French-Canadian rendition from the same year. In addition to that, it's not the sort of throwback that tends to crop up in film soundtracks. Most problematic though is the fact that it plainly isn't memorable enough. One of the key factors in being a one hit wonder is that you have to be remembered. You may not care for "Don't Worry, Be Happy" or "I'm Too Sexy" but there's a pretty good chance you can recall it.

But can anyone recall The Rose Garden's "Next Plane to London"? I'm sure some must but it's hard to imagine how. The chorus could be easy to remember but the delivery is so flat that it just drags rather than soars. Normally I'm a bit of a sucker for deadpan female singers but Diana Di Rose gives off vibes of boredom rather than the feeling that she's above it all so that doesn't do the single any favours. (Renee Martel's francophone cover isn't a whole lot better but her reading is the stronger of the two) As with predecessor "Woman, Woman" by The Union Gap, "Next Plane to London" is a country song. Perhaps it would have been better suited to songwriter Kenny Gist Jr. (aka Kenny O'Dell) instead. Or he could have donated it to one of the many struggling bubblegum pop acts of the era who aspired to flying off to Britain to cut a record.

Funnily enough, the B side to "Next Plane to London" is considerably better than its flip. As the single's Wikipedia page states, "Flower Town" sounds very much like Gene Clark, with the vocals not unlike his outstanding Byrds' contribution "Set You Free This Time". It also has a simple but affecting folk music backing topped by a dreamy flute that weaves its way through most of the song. The effortlessness of the recording leads me to suspect that this was the sort of thing the members of The Rose Garden were much more at home with. They weren't looking to Swinging London for inspiration, all they seemed to want was to be playing songs of peace and love in David Crosby's back yard or something. "Flower Town" isn't anything close to a banger but at least I didn't feel bored to death listening to it.

There is some debate as to what constitutes a one hit wonder. While the literal definition — have just the one hit single, if only in one territory — is the most common, others have tried to make the case that it should be applied mostly to big hits rather than those that only enjoy a cup of coffee in the Top 40 before vanishing. Critic and podcaster Chris Molanphy once came up with his own definition which discounted coattail riding follow-ups, such as the forgettable "Vienna Calling" which made the American Top 20 as it quickly followed the number one success of Falco's "Rock Me Amadeus" in 1986. But, to reiterate, I think it's vital to have just the one memorable hit in order to qualify for one hit wonder status. Eighties' duo Eurythmics (excuse me, 'Eurythmics, Annie Lennox, Dave Stewart' as they prefer to be known today) had several hits in North America but are they remembered by the wider public for anything other than "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)"? Haven't they become de facto one hit wonders over time? In that spirit, what about The Rose Garden? Since few seem to remember them, do they really meet the criteria for one hit wonderdom? Just wait and see if Todd Nathanson ever gets round to discussing them. I'll wait.

Score: 3