https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_BcivBprM0 All right, so this is actually a bit of a cheat, because A) this was technically with "the Patti Smith Group" and B) she did show up in the Top 40 again in 1996 guesting on R.E.M.'s "E-Bow the Letter" and C) this is Patti freaking Smith and calling her a one-hit wonder is cruel and disingenuous. Still, "Because the Night" was really the first and only time we saw Smith recognized for her abilities as a performer. Until that point, she'd been known as the more poetic of the CBGB crowd, though she somehow failed to catch on with the "regular folks" like the Ramones and Blondie. But thanks to the Springsteen penned "Because the Night" and its symphonic crossover appeal, Smith was able to grab a quick shot of commercial success. But don't think for a second that Smith sold out her punk roots. After all, the same album that featured "Because the Night" also had a song called "Rock and Roll N--ger." No, for a beautiful (and all-too-brief) moment in 1978, Patti Smith pushed the limits of pop music and made the radio come to her. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSdwpSuohk8