Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Coming up… Van Halen, Ratt, and more as we skip the one hit wonders to talk about the topic of top 2-Hit Wonders. ...But today I wanted to shake it up. What about those artists who actually followed up their huge hit with another one of equal impact? A second legitimate hit but then never had another one? The Two Hit Wonders. It’s a special countdown of the Top 5 '2 Hit Wonders' of the 80s! Including Ratt, Icehouse, White Lion and how Tone Loce ruled 1988 by stealing his two biggest hits from several legendary bands including Van Halen.
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Executive Producer
Brandon Fugal
Honorary Producers
Steve Maddox, Thomas French, John Tanner, Robert Coen, Mark Austin, Andrea Drake
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Subscribe to the Professor of Rock Podcast
Apple: apple.co/445fVov
Spotify: spoti.fi/42JpfvU
Amazon: amzn.to/44b5D6m
iHeartRadio: bit.ly/444h8MO
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Patreon: bit.ly/ProfessorofRockVIPFan
Merch Store: professor-of-rock-lsn-shop.fourthwall.com
Instagram: bit.ly/Instagram_Professor_of_Rock
#classicrock #80smusic #onehitwonder
So it’s time for another episode of our show Bottled Lightning where we celebrate a song that was king for a day, but today instead of celebrating a one-hit wonder we celebrate the greatest artists to score a deuce… in our Professor of Rock countdown of the Top 5 2 Hit Wonders of the 80s…. WE kick it off in style with a band that kicked some serious trash for a couple of years in the latter part of the decade. It’s the Danish/ American rock band White Lion at #3! White Lion was a four-piece fronted by Mike Tramp from Denmark, James LoMenzo on bass, Greg D’Angelo on drums, and an outstanding guitarist from Staten Island, New York, named Vito Bratta. Mike & Vito wrote most of the music of White Lion, including their breakthrough hit, “Wait” from the band’s 2nd studio album Pride. White Lion secured a deal with Atlantic after they managed to get record executive Jason Flom so drunk that he agreed to sign them. Once they were signed, Flom didn't use the excuse of being drunk to back out. Instead, his inebriated decision paid off as White Lion went on to deliver a platinum record.
While recording the drums for the Pride sessions, Vito played the solo to the song "Wait" as a backing track. The producer, Michael Wagener, was so impressed that they decided to keep the recording. Michael disclosed that he got “goosebumps” hearing Vito play the solo. They also borrowed an older Fender Stratocaster that once belonged to Jimi Hendrix to record another solo on the album. In an interview, White Lion drummer Greg D'Angelo shared that the initial demo songs had the same raw sound as their first record. However, they decided to take a chance on recording and releasing the album with a new, slightly more commercial sound that resulted in the band achieving platinum status- selling over a million copies.
On the recorded version of “Wait,” Vito showcased his impressive fretwork on the solo, drawing comparisons from the music press to Eddie Van Halen. Like Eddie, Vito’s sound was pretty much impossible to replicate, but that didn't stop young guitarists from giving it a shot. His playing helped set White Lion apart from other hair metal bands of the time, such as Poison, Mötley Crüe, and Kix
A little-known fact…In ’86, White Lion was hired by the great director Steven Spielberg to play a fictional band in the film The Money Pit starring Tom Hanks & Shelley Long. The band appears in the movie for about 50 seconds, mostly in the background while Tom Hanks’s character tries to get the band’s manager to sign a legal document entitling them to some money. The soundtrack includes the song "Web of Desire" (credited to "White Lion and Robey," portrayed by Louise Robey), which was demoed that year. Although the film's soundtrack was never officially released, the song is featured in both of the band's scenes in the movie. "Wait" climbed to #8 on the Billboard Hot 100.
White Lion then scored their 2nd Top 40 hit with another power ballad “When the Children Cry” the 3rd single released off the Pride album in ’88:
Coming up… Van Halen, Ratt, and more as we skip the one hit wonders to talk about the topic of top 2-Hit Wonders. ...But today I wanted to shake it up. What about those artists who actually followed up their huge hit with another one of equal impact? A second legitimate hit but then never had another one? The Two Hit Wonders. It’s a special countdown of the Top 5 '2 Hit Wonders' of the 80s! Including Ratt, Icehouse, White Lion and how Tone Loce ruled 1988 by stealing his two biggest hits from several legendary bands including Van Halen.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Executive Producer
Brandon Fugal
Honorary Producers
Steve Maddox, Thomas French, John Tanner, Robert Coen, Mark Austin, Andrea Drake
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Subscribe to the Professor of Rock Podcast
Apple: apple.co/445fVov
Spotify: spoti.fi/42JpfvU
Amazon: amzn.to/44b5D6m
iHeartRadio: bit.ly/444h8MO
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Patreon: bit.ly/ProfessorofRockVIPFan
Merch Store: professor-of-rock-lsn-shop.fourthwall.com
Instagram: bit.ly/Instagram_Professor_of_Rock
#classicrock #80smusic #onehitwonder
So it’s time for another episode of our show Bottled Lightning where we celebrate a song that was king for a day, but today instead of celebrating a one-hit wonder we celebrate the greatest artists to score a deuce… in our Professor of Rock countdown of the Top 5 2 Hit Wonders of the 80s…. WE kick it off in style with a band that kicked some serious trash for a couple of years in the latter part of the decade. It’s the Danish/ American rock band White Lion at #3! White Lion was a four-piece fronted by Mike Tramp from Denmark, James LoMenzo on bass, Greg D’Angelo on drums, and an outstanding guitarist from Staten Island, New York, named Vito Bratta. Mike & Vito wrote most of the music of White Lion, including their breakthrough hit, “Wait” from the band’s 2nd studio album Pride. White Lion secured a deal with Atlantic after they managed to get record executive Jason Flom so drunk that he agreed to sign them. Once they were signed, Flom didn't use the excuse of being drunk to back out. Instead, his inebriated decision paid off as White Lion went on to deliver a platinum record.
While recording the drums for the Pride sessions, Vito played the solo to the song "Wait" as a backing track. The producer, Michael Wagener, was so impressed that they decided to keep the recording. Michael disclosed that he got “goosebumps” hearing Vito play the solo. They also borrowed an older Fender Stratocaster that once belonged to Jimi Hendrix to record another solo on the album. In an interview, White Lion drummer Greg D'Angelo shared that the initial demo songs had the same raw sound as their first record. However, they decided to take a chance on recording and releasing the album with a new, slightly more commercial sound that resulted in the band achieving platinum status- selling over a million copies.
On the recorded version of “Wait,” Vito showcased his impressive fretwork on the solo, drawing comparisons from the music press to Eddie Van Halen. Like Eddie, Vito’s sound was pretty much impossible to replicate, but that didn't stop young guitarists from giving it a shot. His playing helped set White Lion apart from other hair metal bands of the time, such as Poison, Mötley Crüe, and Kix
A little-known fact…In ’86, White Lion was hired by the great director Steven Spielberg to play a fictional band in the film The Money Pit starring Tom Hanks & Shelley Long. The band appears in the movie for about 50 seconds, mostly in the background while Tom Hanks’s character tries to get the band’s manager to sign a legal document entitling them to some money. The soundtrack includes the song "Web of Desire" (credited to "White Lion and Robey," portrayed by Louise Robey), which was demoed that year. Although the film's soundtrack was never officially released, the song is featured in both of the band's scenes in the movie. "Wait" climbed to #8 on the Billboard Hot 100.
White Lion then scored their 2nd Top 40 hit with another power ballad “When the Children Cry” the 3rd single released off the Pride album in ’88:
