Arizona Zervas, Roxanne | 1 Hit WONDERful

In the 8^th edition of 1 Hit WONDERful (2024), we highlight “Roxanne” performed by Arizona Zervas. 

It only takes ONE hit to solidify a musical legacy 💯! On 1 Hit WONDERful, we highlight songs that were the SOLE hit by a given musician.  To be fair, it is possible that the artists appearing on this list earned a minor hit or two, BUT for the most part, it’s that ONE hit that earned them recognition. So, in the 8^th edition of 1 Hit WONDERful (2024) we dive into “Roxanne”,  the one hit wonder by Arizona Zervas.

“All for the ‘Gram / Bitches love the ‘Gram…” Noted, Arizona Zervas! Following the intro, with some colorful sound effects – brr and skrrt –  “Roxanne” is locked TF in. The 2019 track ‘blew up,’ peaking at no. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100. Furthermore, to date, “Roxanne” has been certified sextuple platinum by the RIAA. While Zervas enjoyed another platinum-certified single with “FML”, “Roxanne” is his sole charting entry on the pop charts.  Therefore, Zervas earns the title of one-hit-wonder. Regardless, if you are going to earn just one hit, “Roxanne” is an epic hit!

“Roxanne, Roxanne

All she wanna do is party all night

Goddamn, Roxanne

Never gonna love me, but it’s alright

She think I’m an asshole, she think I’m a player

She keep running back, though, only ’cause I pay up

Roxanne, Roxanne

All she wanna do is party all night.”

That chorus = da bomb diggity! It is by far the best part of “Roxanne.” Still, it comes down to more than a tuneful, sing-along chorus. Zervas possess ample swagger throughout the song.  He characterizes Roxanne as a bad b-iotch: “She don’t wait in lines if it’s too long / She don’t drive the whip unless the roof off / Only wanna call when the cash out / Only take the pic when her ass out.” Woo! Of course, that was only the first verse. The second is more eyebrow raising, considering “Shorty only like cocaine and Whole Foods / Yeah, snappin’ all up on the ‘Gram, ass going crazy / Now she wanna fuck me in the foreign, goin’ 80.” What more is there to say? Zervas made clear in the intro, Bitches love the ‘Gram! All told, “Roxanne” is a treat, even if it lacks depth per say. It benefits from slick production, tuneful melodies, and entertaining lyrics. With such a fun song, it’s kind of a bummer that Zervas hasn’t struck gold – on the pop charts, at least – again.

Arizona Zervas // “Roxanne” // Arizona Zervas // 2019

 Arizona Zervas, Roxanne: 1 Hit WONDERful No. 8 (2024) [📷: Brent Faulkner / The Musical Hype; Arizona Zervas; Elias Souza from Pexels; OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay]