The Patti Smith Group’s debut album, Horses, is now considered a classic while its successor, Radio Ethiopia, was a strong follow-up. But, with a near-fatal accident in 1977, Smith was forced to take a year away from recording to recuperate.
When she did return to the studio, the result was Easter and her surprise hit, the cover of Bruce Springsteen’s “Because the Night.”
Benefiting from the increased interest in pop punk and new wave by mainstream radio programmers, “Because the Night” gathered airplay and, ultimately, landed at #13 in June 1978.
While her influence extends far past this one song, the fact it’s the only one of her works to land on the Top 40 makes her a bona fide One Hit Wonder.
This article originally appeared on WNEW.com
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