成人快手

For decades there have been examples of songs which have stormed the charts, only for the artists to fall out of the public eye - leading us to ask, what ever happened to them?

But, one-hit wonders can be much more than musicians. Whether they鈥檙e sports personalities, artists, or actors, many famous figures have captured the world鈥檚 attention with a single achievement. For some, their moment in the spotlight may have been their only output, while others may have had other works which remain under the radar of mainstream culture.

From artwork to literature, 成人快手 Bitesize takes a look at five people and their breakout works.

An illustration of Emily Bront毛
Image caption,
Wuthering Heights is set in the Yorkshire Moors, the same moorlands which surrounded Emily Bront毛's family home

Emily Bront毛's Wuthering Heights

Born in Yorkshire in 1818, Emily Bront毛 is renowned for her first, and indeed only published novel, Wuthering Heights.

Prior to its publication, Emily wrote poetry, much like her sisters Charlotte and Anne Bront毛. In 1846, the three of them jointly released the collection Poems by Currer, Ellis and Acton Bell, under their respective pseudonyms.

Despite the project costing the sisters about 拢50 (the equivalent of 拢4,882 today), only two copies were sold.

It wasn鈥檛 until the midsummer of the following year that Wuthering Heights was accepted for publication. Emily died shortly after at the age of 30.

Unlike Charlotte鈥檚 Jane Eyre, which was an instant success, critics at the time had mixed feelings about the Wuthering Heights. It's a different matter today, as it is widely regarded as one of the greatest novels in English literature.

Gene Wilder sits next to a young Peter Ostrum on set
Image caption,
Peter Ostrum made his acting debut alongside Gene Wilder, who played Willy Wonka

Peter Ostrum in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory

Known for his role in the 1971 film Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, an adaptation of Roald Dahl鈥檚 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Peter Ostrum was the first actor to portray golden ticket winner Charlie Bucket. Scouted for the motion picture when he was 12, his audition included him reading extracts from the novel.

The film wasn鈥檛 a huge financial success at the time but was inducted into the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress for being culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant, in 2014.

After shooting the picture, Ostrum was offered a three-film contract which he turned down. Since then Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory has remained his only feature-film credit.

In his teenage years Ostrum developed an interest in horses, and in 1984 graduated with a doctorate in veterinary medicine from Cornell University.

Gary Neville dribbles with the football in a Manchester United kit
Image caption,
Right-back Gary Neville joined Manchester United as an apprentice after leaving school

Gary Neville at Manchester United

Many footballers transfer from team to team over the seasons - but there are a select few who decide to keep their playing career to one club. While Gary Neville certainly wasn鈥檛 a one-hit wonder on the pitch, he was certainly a one club wonder after almost 20 years at Manchester United. Today he remains one of the most decorated English and European footballers of all time.

From the 602 matches he played for his boyhood club he amassed over 20 trophies, including eight Premier League winners鈥 medals, three FA Cups and two Champions League trophies.

Following the departure of Roy Keane in 2005, Neville became the club鈥檚 captain, a position he held for five years. His legacy was cemented as part of United鈥檚 Class of 鈥92, one of the most successful Premier League football teams of all time.

A black and white image of The Buggles standing next to a television set
Image caption,
Video Killed The Radio Star hit number one in no fewer than 16 different countries

Video Killed the Radio Star by The Buggles

Formed in the late 1977, the English new wave band The Buggles are best known for their debut single Video Killed the Radio Star. Consisting of Trevor Horn, a singing bassist, and Geoff Downes, a keyboard player, the duo has been credited with helping pioneer a new musical era.

Just after midnight on 1 August 1981, MTV was first launched - with Video Killed the Radio Star being the first music video they ever broadcast.

The Buggles鈥檚 follow up song Living in the Plastic Age, reached No.16 in the UK charts, but never matched the success of their first record.

Video Killed the Radio Star was later sampled in 2010 by and Nicki Minaj in their song Check It Out.

A woman stands next to a man with a pitchfork
Image caption,
While Wood described the figures in American Gothic as father and daughter, the duo were modelled after his sister and his dentist

American Gothic

Found in the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago is the 1930 painting, American Gothic.

The portrait shows two figures, a farmer and his daughter posing outside an 1880s style Carpenter Gothic home.

The painting generated mass appeal, turning the heads of both farmers and their families in middle America and those who lived in the city.

The piece was submitted as part of an annual open exhibition by an unknown artist called Grant Wood.

His work won $300 in prize money but better yet, it became an instant sensation, with Wood having drawn inspiration from the 15th Century Flemish artists Jan van Eyck and Hans Memling.

He later taught painting at the University of Iowa's School of Art between 1934 and 1941.

Wood also went on to create other paintings with rural America themes, but none achieved the widespread recognition of American Gothic.

This article was published in August 2024

A woman stands next to a man with a pitchfork
Image caption,
While Wood described the figures in American Gothic as father and daughter, the duo were modelled after his sister and his dentist

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