One-Hit Wonders

[Raiden]

Over the weekend, I was watching VH1 and their list for the "100 Greatest One-Hit Wonders of the 80's". Here's the list:

1 Dexys Midnight Runners: “Come on Eileen”
2 Flock of Seagulls: “I Ran (So Far Away)”
3 A-Ha: “Take On Me”
4 Tommy Tutone: “867-5309 / Jenny”
5 Soft Cell: “Tainted Love”
6 Toni Basil: “Mickey”
7 Modern English: “I Melt With You”
8 Bow Wow Wow: “I Want Candy”
9 Kajagoogoo: “Too Shy”
10 Frankie Goes to Hollywood: “Relax”
11 Gary Numan: “Cars”
12 Animotion: “Obsesssion”
13 Thomas Dolby: “She Blinded Me With Science”
14 Big Country: “In A Big Country”
15 Devo: “Whip It”
16 Nena: “99 Luft Balloons”
17 Men Without Hats: “The Safety Dance”
18 Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock: “It Takes Two”
19 Dead or Alive: “You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)”
20 Rockwell: “Somebody’s Watching Me”
21 Twisted Sister: “We’re Not Gonna Take It”
22 Michael Sembello: “Maniac”
23 Eddy Grant: “Electric Avenue”
24 Edie Brickell & New Bohemians: “What I Am”
25 Musical Youth: “Pass the Dutchie”

26 Cutting Crew: “I Just Died In Your Arms”
27 Stacey Q: “Two of Hearts”
28 John Parr: “St. Elmos Fire (Man In Motion)”
29 Madness: “Our House”
30 The Vapors: “Turning Japanese”
31 Bobby McFerrin: “Don’t Worry Be Happy”
32 Quarterflash: “Harden My Heart”
33 John Waite: “Missing You”
34 The Waitresses: “I Know What Boys Like”
35 Tom Tom Club: “Genius of Love”
36 Weather Girls: “It’s Raining Men”
37 Lipps, Inc.: “Funkytown”
38 Bruce Willis: “Respect Yourself”
39 Matthew Wilder: “Break My Stride”
40 The Buggles: “Video Killed the Radio Star”
41 Billy Vera “At This Moment”
42 Timbuk 3 “The Future’s So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades”
43 Shannon “Let the Music Play”
44 Wall of Voodoo “Mexican Radio”
45 Robbie Nevil “C’est La Vie”
46 Georgia Satellites “Keep Your Hands To Yourself”
47 Pretty Poison “Catch Me I’m Falling”
48 Yello “Oh Yeah”
49 Philip Bailey (w/ Phil Collins) “Easy Lover”
50 Neneh Cherry “Buffalo Stance”
51 After the Fire “Der Kommissar”
52 Mary Jane Girls “In My House”
53 Taco “Puttin’ On the Ritz”
54 Chris DeBurgh “Lady in Red”
55 Johnny Kemp “Just Got Paid”
56 Til Tuesday “Voices Carry”
57 Jermaine Stewart “We Don’t Have to Take Our Clothes Off”
58 Don Johnson “Heartbeat”
59 The Outfield “Your Love”
60 Nu Shooz “I Can’t Wait”
61 E.U.: “Da Butt”
62 XTC: “Dear God”
63 Oran “Juice” Jones: “The Rain”
64 Robbie Dupree: “Steal Away”
65 Boomtown Rats: “I Don’t Like Mondays”
66 The Jeff Healy Band: “Angel Eyes”
67 Martika: “Toy Soldiers”
68 Peter Schilling: “Major Tom”
69 T’Pau: “Heart And Soul”
70 Harold Faltermeyer: “Axel F”
71 Jack Wagner: “All I Need”
72 Swing Out Sister: “Breakout”
73 Paul Hardcastle: “19″
74 Information Society: “What’s On Your Mind (Pure Energy)”
75 Bertie Higgins: “Key Largo”
76 J.J. Fad: “Supersonic”
77 General Public: “Tenderness”
78 Aldo Nova: “Fantasy”
79 Alannah Myles: “Black Velvet”
80 Eddie Murphy: “Party All The Time”
81 Josie Cotton: “Johnny Are You Queer?”
82 Red Rider: “Lunatic Fringe”
83 Paul Lekakis: “Boom Boom Boom Let’s Go Back to My Room”
84 The Church: “Under The Milky Way”
85 Ziggy Marley And The Melody Makers: “Tomorrow People”
86 Patrice Rushen: “Forget Me Nots”
87 Vixen: “Edge Of A Broken Heart”
88 Nik Kershaw: “Wouldn’t it Be Good”
89 Rodney Dangerfield: “Rappin’ Rodney”
90 Haircut 100: “Love Plus One”
91 Gloria Loring & Carl Anderson: “Friends And Lovers”
92 Frank Stallone: “Far From Over”
93 L.A. Guns: “The Ballad of Jayne”
94 Club Nouveau: “Lean On Me”
95 Midnight Oil: “Beds are Burning”
96 The Fabulous Thunderbirds: “Tuff Enuff”
97 Will To Power: “Baby I Love Your Way / Freebird”
98 Buckner & Garcia: “Pac-Man Fever”
99 Michael Damian: “Rock On”
100 Clarence Clemons (and Jackson Browne): “You’re A Friend Of Mine”

As a fan of 80's music, I was surprised to finally put a face on those classic 80's songs, and they sound just as good as they were back then. Here's a thread for the one-hit wonders, and it doesn't have to be limited to just 80's.

Btw, if there were another thread for one-hit wonders, feel free to close this one. Thanks!

 

[Jake Cassidy]

I thought this was a worldwide list until I saw Midnight Oil, The Church and Madness.

'Copperhead Road' - Steve Earle

'Radar Love' - Golden Earring

and

The greatest one-hit-wonder of all time:

'MY SHARONA' - THE KNACK

 

[Heretic]

"Twilight Zone" by Golden Earring was technically a bigger charting hit than "Radar Love" but I think "Radar Love" has had a more lasting impact.

 

[Raiden]

I thought this was a worldwide list until I saw Midnight Oil, The Church and Madness.

'Copperhead Road' - Steve Earle

'Radar Love' - Golden Earring

and

The greatest one-hit-wonder of all time:

'MY SHARONA' - THE KNACK

Yeah, this is a list for U.S. only, not worldwide. VH1 did mentioned that both Midnight Oil and The Church have had more hits in their native country, though.

 

[Motown Marvel]

he he he, eddie murphy.

i'd love to see a list done for the 60's.

 

[enterthemadness]

What makes a band a one-hit wonder? Only hit songs that reach #1 by a band? Alien Ant Farm's Smooth Criminal reached #1 on Modern Rock charts, but Movies and These Days cracked Modern Rock Charts at #18 and #29. And Glow was a huge hit over in New Zealand.

 

[Motown Marvel]

i dont think it needs to hit number one, but it needs to hit a good spot on the charts.

 

[Raiden]

he he he, eddie murphy.

i'd love to see a list done for the 60's.

Bruce Willis is on the list too.

Btw, I'd love to have most of these songs on this list on my iPod; these songs are still great after 2 decades imo.

Edit: Stacy Q's on this list, but I remember that she has another hit song as well, just can't remember its name. I do confess that as a teenager I had brought her cassette to listen to lol.

 

[Go Web Go!]

I ****in' love the 80's. The 90's had some nice one-hit wonders (ala Mambo #5, Macarena, etc) but the 80's by far has the best collection of one-hit wonders...and a good majority of them are in my library.

 

[Raiden]

I ****in' love the 80's. The 90's had some nice one-hit wonders (ala Mambo #5, Macarena, etc) but the 80's by far has the best collection of one-hit wonders...and a good majority of them are in my library.

Word! I was watching that VH1 program and I found myself still grooving to those songs. They are truly timeless and still stand the test of time, but collecting all of them through iTunes is too expensive unfortunately. As for the 90's, I can't remember that many great songs; it was kind of a letdown (except for the alternative/grunge rock).

 

[Go Web Go!]

Pff. I've never paid for music. Real Player, my friend.

 

[Dave McFly]

where the BLEEP is Rick Astley's song used in the rick rolls?


as for Harold Faltermeyer, sure he did Axel F which was played on radio and video but he is a movie composer who did top gun, fletch, beverly hills cop 1/2 and kuffs (a favorite of mine).

 

[Go Web Go!]

Damn. That makes for a gaping hole in that list now that you mention it.

 

[[A]]

a-ha? one hit wonder? fail to the max.

 

[ttotheusher]

1 Dexys Midnight Runners: “Come on Eileen”

By far, the best of the bunch. Why? Think back to any wedding you've ever been to. Yea, thought so.

 

[Jake Cassidy]

^ Yeah. Good title for a porno, too.

 

[Heretic]

Rick Astley's single Together Forever was a number 1 hit in the US, meaning he was not a 1 hit wonder.

 

[Go Web Go!]

Ah, true dat. How could I forget that one.

 

[The Chairman]

"It Would Take a Strong, Strong Man" and "She Want to Dance With Me" were also Top 10 Hits for Astley.

It's sad that I know that, but Astley was not a one-hit wonder.

 

[chamber-music]

I remember when Russell Brand made a joke about it being funny Bob Geldof from the Boomtown Rats is always going on about famine when his been dining off “I Don’t Like Mondays” for years.

Wasn't Frankie Goes to Hollywood's Two Tribes a hit in America? because thats just as popular as Relax.

Edie Grant, Gary Numan and Madness are still reallp popular. I can't believe Madness only had one hit in the states as well.

 

[Motown Marvel]

the only good songs eddie grant ever had was when he played with a band called The Equals back in the 60's.