The Monroes "What Do All The People Know"

99 Luftballons - Nena

I had to go for Nik Kershaw as I love all his stuff. He was huge in the UK. I loved "Human Racing".

I had to go for Nik Kershaw as I love all his stuff. He was huge in the UK. I loved "Human Racing".


He had a few others here in Canada as well.  I liked "I Won't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" and "The Riddle" :)

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Prior to "I Don't Wanna Dance", his songs "My Turn To Love You" and "Do You Feel My Love" reached Dutch Top 40 (#15 and #12 respectively).


Ah yes.  I'd forgotten he was around in the late 70's/very early 80's :)

[quote author=wһіѕ

Eddy Grant's "Electric Avenue." Also, there's Irene Cara, who only had two hits ("Fame" and "What a Feeling"), but whom I really love.

Eddy Grant's "Electric Avenue." Also, there's Irene Cara, who only had two hits ("Fame" and "What a Feeling"), but whom I really love.


Irene Cara had 8 hits, 6 which were Top 40 :)

Mine would have to be "Mexican Radio" by Wall of Voodoo although it didn't make it to the Top 40. The song sounds better on WOV's Call of the West album than it does in it's music video.

First- Eddy Grant had many hits- Electric Avenue, Romancing the Stone, I Don't Wanna Dance, War Party, and Boys In the Street, among others. Technically NOT a one-hit wonder.
(I have his "The Killer At His Best- Greatest Hits" tape.)

Second- my personal vote for fave 1-Hit Wonder Of the '80s is a 3-Way Tie:

'Turning Japanese'- The Vapors
'Lunatic Fringe'- Red Ryder
'The Curly Shuffle'- Jump 'n The Saddle Gang

Blah! a-ha isn't a one hit wonder, even by US standards, although granted they might as well be since most people only seem to know "Take on Me". "The Sun Always Shines on TV" placed #20 on Billboard's top 40. "Cry Wolf" reached #50 on the top 100, though since most radio stations seem more interested in the top 40, I guess that wouldn't make it a hit. That said, my favorite one-hit-wonder based on the Billboard top 40 would be When in Rome, since only "The Promise" charted. They did have a couple other songs ranked but only on club/dance charts but the only other song they had to chart national radio airplay was "Heaven Knows" and that only reached #95.

If I had to pick one '80s one-hit wonder as my favourite, it would be "Life in a Northern Town" by Dream Academy. There's something about this '80s melancholic, working-class, industrial, northern English type ethos that I find very evocative. If you don't exactly what I mean by that, then listen to the song! ;)

'Lunatic Fringe'- Red Ryder


Red Rider had well over a dozen great hits that America never saw  :\'(

Red Rider had well over a dozen great hits that America never saw  :\'(


Did they do a song called "Rock Me"?

-Went something like, "Rock me, 'til I can't think. Move me, move me, 'til I'm out on the brink"?

Did they do a song called "Rock Me"?

-Went something like, "Rock me, 'til I can't think. Move me, move me, 'til I'm out on the brink"?


Yeah, that was called "Young Thing, Wild Dreams (Rock Me)"

Amazing! I only heard that song once, back in '83 or '84, and I never heard it or saw of it again.
I rather liked it.

Because I was listening to a college station I have never been sure since what was really a hit and what was just a local favorite, but from your list alone there are too many -- any from the posts most of them aren't really one hit wonders. 

Did the Nails have anything other than 88 Lines about 44 Women? 
Did Paul Hardcastle hit with 19? 
The Flying Lizards hit with Money? 
Turning Japanese by the Vapors is a strong contender. 
I Eat Cannibals by Total Coelo?
Never Say Never, Romeo Void?
Let's Go All the Way, Sly Fox?

Wall of Voodoo, Saved by Zero, Too Shy -- these are on my "80s Cliches" playlist.  Never thought of them as one-hit wonders.

You have a few good ones there, but I must disagree w/your statement of no real 'one-hit wonders' being on here.

I mentioned Jump 'n the Saddle Gang's 'The Curly Shuffle'. Has there ever been anything else by them?
The Vapors's 'Turning Japanese' is indeed another strong contender.
Or, how about 'Somebody's Watching Me', by Rockwell?
(Although technically, he was a 2 hit wonder, since he also scored with 'Obscene Phone Caller'.)

You have a few good ones there, but I must disagree w/your statement of no real 'one-hit wonders' being on here.

I mentioned Jump 'n the Saddle Gang's 'The Curly Shuffle'. Has there ever been anything else by them?
The Vapors's 'Turning Japanese' is indeed another strong contender.
Or, how about 'Somebody's Watching Me', by Rockwell?
(Although technically, he was a 2 hit wonder, since he also scored with 'Obscene Phone Caller'.)


That's just it -- one hit here might have been a string of hits on the other coast or in Europe and who knows?  Never heard of Jump 'n et. al. but had forgotten Rockwell -- I liked that one and it probably belongs on the cliches playlist.

Here are some more I found, when riffling through my cassettes:

The Honeythief- Hipsway
U Make Me Sick (But I Luv U)- Mucky Pup
See You In Hell- Grim Reaper (I doubt these guys got very far- the concept of a Metal Meat Loaf is a tad bit much, to bear.)
Jam On It- Newcleus

"Keep Your Hands to Yourself" - Georgia Satalites

I. AM. IN. LOVE. WITH. THIS. SONG.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sD6_VwIXQhE

Link not showing, so I've done another. And yes it's a great song.


mi8XSJWz1R4

Link not showing, so I've done another. And yes it's a great song.


mi8XSJWz1R4


They had a few others.  Their biggest hit in their UK homeland was a Pet Shop Boys penned song called I'm not scared in 1988

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