Chris Dalariva

But some just rise to the top.

And maybe they all take different routes to get there.

But...

You know, it isn't necessarily because they're great singers, because for every great singer, there's probably a better one.

But I've never understood, or if you can explain, how they got there.

You know, you would be the perfect person to ask about this, and that is one hit wonders.

It's a fascinating phenomenon where some people have one song, it becomes a big hit, and then we never hear from them again.

And sometimes they're really good songs.

And other people are able to crank out song after song after song.

And why the difference?

I love that because you're right.

We look at one hit wonder people as almost as a failure.

Like you had your chance.

Look, you were right there on top and you blew it.

When in fact, most people never get there.

Are you able to look back at the history of popular music and point to a couple of songs that really...

either change the direction or turbo boosted something that were really big deals in the business.

We're talking about popular music and the business behind it, and my guest is Chris Dalariva.

He's author of the book Unchartered Territory, What Numbers Tell Us About the Biggest Hit Songs and Ourselves.

So, Chris, back in the day when I was a rock and roll disc jockey and before that, there weren't too many ways to have a hit record.