One Way Ticket (Neil Sedaka song)

"One Way Ticket" is a song written by Jack Keller and Hank Hunter. It was originally performed by American singer Neil Sedaka and popularized by British disco band Eruption.

"One Way Ticket"
Front cover of Japanese 7-inch single
Single by Neil Sedaka
from the album Neil Sedaka Sings Little Devil and His Other Hits
Language	English
A-side	"Oh! Carol"
Released	1959
Genre	Pop
Length	2:13
Label	RCA
Songwriter(s)	Jack Keller, Hank Hunter

Neil Sedaka version

The track was originally performed by Neil Sedaka and included as the B-side on Sedaka's 1959 single "Oh! Carol". In 1961, the song featured in the track listing of his third studio album, Neil Sedaka Sings Little Devil and His Other Hits, but was never released as a standalone single. Despite this, the song made it to number one on the Japanese pop charts, where it was affectionately called "The Choo-Choo Train Song".^[1]

The lyrics allude to several popular songs of the late 1950s, including "Lonesome Town", "Heartbreak Hotel", "Bye Bye Love", "Gotta Travel On", "Lonely Teardrops", "A Fool Such as I", and "I Cried a Tear".

Eruption version

"One Way Ticket"
Front cover of UK 7-inch single
Single by Eruption
from the album Leave a Light
B-side	"Left Me in the Rain"
Released	January 1979
Recorded	1978
Genre	Disco
Length	3:35
Label	Hansa, Ariola, RCA
Songwriter(s)	Jack Keller, Hank Hunter
Producer(s)	Frank Farian, Rainer M. Ehrhardt
Eruption singles chronology
"Leave a Light" (1978) "One Way Ticket" (1979) "Go Johnnie Go" (1980)

"One Way Ticket" was covered by British disco band Eruption for their second album, Leave a Light. The song became a big hit in Europe in the first half of 1979, topping charts in Austria and Switzerland, and reaching top 10 across Europe. This song inspired the item song "Hari Om Hari" from the Hindi film Pyara Dushman (1980). "One Way Ticket" is now one of the band's trademark hits, along with their cover of "I Can't Stand the Rain".

Track listing

• 7" Single (1979)

A. "One Way Ticket" – 3:35

B. "Left Me in the Rain" – 3:54

• 12" Single (1979)

A. "One Way Ticket" (Long Version) – 5:05

B. "Left Me in the Rain" – 3:54

• CD Single (1994)

1. "One Way Ticket" (Radio Version) – 3:58
2. "One Way Ticket" (Club Mix) – 5:58
3. "One Way Ticket" (Never Return Mix) – 5:44
4. "If I Loved You Less" – 4:08

Chart performance

Weekly charts

Chart (1979)	Peak position
Argentina (CAPIF)[2]	2
Australia (Kent Music Report)[3]	10
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[4]	1
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[5]	2
Denmark (Hitlisten)[6]	2
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[7]	2
French Singles Chart[8]	4
Irish Singles Chart[9]	13
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[10]	5
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[11]	4
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[12]	32
South Africa (Springbok Radio)[13]	5
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[14]	8
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[15]	1
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[16]	9
US Dance Club Songs (Billboard)[17]	30
West Germany (GfK)[18]	7
Zimbabwe (ZIMA)[19]	4

Year-end charts

Year-end chart performance for "One Way Ticket "

Chart (1979)	Position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[20]	42

References

1. Sedaka, Neil (1983). Laughter in the Rain: My Own Story. Putnam. p. 103. ISBN 978-0241110591.
2. "Cash Box - International Best Sellers" (PDF). worldradiohistory.com. Cash Box. 12 January 1980. p. 25.
3. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970-1992. St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
4. "Eruption – One Way Ticket" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
5. "Eruption – One Way Ticket" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
6. Danish Charts Archive. 29 June 1979.
7. Pennanen, Timo (2021). "Eruption". Sisältää hitin - 2. laitos Levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla 1.1.1960–30.6.2021 (PDF) (in Finnish). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. p. 76. Retrieved March 11, 2024.
8. "Discografie Eruption" (in French). www.infodisc.fr. Archived from the original on June 29, 2012. Retrieved June 11, 2014.
9. "The Irish Charts – All there is to know". www.irishcharts.ie. Retrieved June 10, 2014.
10. "Eruption – One Way Ticket" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
11. "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 18, 1979" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 11 March 2024.
12. "Eruption – One Way Ticket". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved June 9, 2018.
13. "SA Charts 1969 - 1989 - Acts E". Springbok Radio. May 25, 1979. Retrieved March 11, 2024.
14. "Eruption – One Way Ticket". Singles Top 100.
15. "Eruption – One Way Ticket". Swiss Singles Chart.
16. "ERUPTION Artist Official Charts". Official Charts Company. www.officialcharts.com. Retrieved June 10, 2014.
17. "Eruption Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved June 9, 2018.
18. "Offiziellecharts.de – Eruption – One Way Ticket" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved May 28, 2019.
19. • Zimbabwe. Kimberley, C. Zimbabwe: singles chart book. Harare: C. Kimberley, 2000
20. "Kent Music Report No 288 – 31 December 1979 > National Top 100 Singles for 1979". Kent Music Report. Retrieved January 10, 2023 – via Imgur.com.

External links

• Lyrics of this song
• Neil Sedaka - One-Way Ticket (to the Blues) on YouTube