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I SO wish that MTV had a dedicated 80's channel where they do nothing but play all of these videos like it used to be. Nothing will ever be better for me than this iconic 80's genre.
In Europe and Scandinavia, for example, we have MTV 80's only with 1980's music videos 24 hours a day without a single advertisement and we also have MTV 90's and MTV 00's
Shannon "Let The Music Play" is still a banger. Went to my cousin's daughter sweet 16 party 2 weeks ago, and this song came on. The teens got on the dance floor. I heard one teen say this song is fire. That made me smile.
The top one comes from the No-Hit Wonders as Modern English's "I Melt With You" failed to get to the Top 40 yet is one of the most played songs from the 80's today.
@@lisagibson2975 Your post made me look up "Das Nachtgespenst" and wow, you're right. This song sounds VERY similar to ""Putting on the Ritz." I wonder if the writers of "Putting on the Ritz" were influenced by the German song.
The musical "Chess", where the song comes from, is really quite good. If you get a chance to see the 2008 performance with Josh Groban, it is well worth the time.
I love "Voices Carry". One of my all time faves. Til Tuesday"s follow up "Looking Over My Shoulder" was pretty good also. Unfortunately it didn't make as much splash as "Voices Carry".
Yes, Nena's 99 Luftballons needed a place on this list. Still a good list with my nostalgic memories. A one hit wonder that happens to be one of my all time favorites, but has fallen off the map is Chilliwack's My Girl.
They probably need a part 2 of this category. I can think of a few more one-hit wonders that could have easily made this list, such as Jonny Hate's Jazz's "Shattered Dreams", Soft Cell's "Tainted Love", Breath's "Hands to Heaven" (well maybe they were a two-hit wonder), The Dream Academy's "Life in a Northern Town", Berlin's "Take My Breath Away", etc.
No More Words hit #23 on the Billboard Hot 100 two years before Take My Breath Away came out. Sex (I'm A) and The Metro also charted (40-60 range). Guess it depends on what you consider a "hit"...but Take my Breath hit #1, so definitely their biggest hit :o)
My decade!!! Best music and decade to be in. Graduated in '86. I remember every one of these hits. After all, it was when MTV actually played music. ❤😉
My grandson is only 2 and he loves break my stride. He could be on the other side of the house and when I play it he comes to me dancing to it. So cute!
Just the diversity of popular music in the 80’s was awesome… older, younger, cheesy one hit wonders, hair bands, etc… every person had a chance to make great music no matter what they looked like… the 80’s were the last decade that was that open, with variety, with just plain great music…
As someone who lived through the 80s, the one qualifier was that it couldn’t be disco, at least not overtly. There was such a huge backlash to that, as it had been so overly popular during the late 70s to the point of running that into the ground (I still remember the chants of “Disco sucks!”). However, there were a lot of highly creative musicians who managed to include elements of disco, but make it just enough different from the more formulaic versions that they got away with it. As I was born in 1970, all of my preteen and teenage years were then, and I think the songs that you listen to and love during that period of life tend to stick with you the longest because of the memories associated with them. But I can’t argue against it being an excellent period for music overall.
Something a lot of people don't know about Martika's Toy Soldier is that she wrote it herself and it was written because her friend was battling a cocaine addiction. Her friend did go on to beat his addiction but that's what the meaning behind those lyrics are. It was also only her third song she wrote and the other 2 were lighthearted songs. This is by far one of my most memorable songs from my childhood.
Many great songs on the list such as Under the Milky Way tonight. Break My Stride makes me want to take an ice pick to my ear drum. Don Johnson & Eddie Murphy's songs are best forgotten.
"Walking on Sunshine" by Katrina and the Waves, "Life in a Northern Town" by the Dream Academy, and while technically not a one hit wonder because the song hit big in two different languages it's essentially the same song"99 Red Balloons" or "99 Luft Balloons" by Nena.
T'Pau may have been a 1 hit wonder in America but they had several huge hits in many other countries...especially with China In Your Hand which was even bigger than Heart and Soul. That being said, I love that your kids dig them. The band are still putting out new music. Check their newer songs on RUclips etc like "Run" and "Be Wonderful" and "Guess Who's Sorry Now"
I was a teen and in high school during the 80's and University in the early 90's and married by 1999 and I totally believe they were the best decades for rock and pop music. They were the soundtrack of my life.
Shannon's Let The Music Play was arguably the first top ten hit of sub-genre Freestyle. A rising music style born out of the urban dance floor on The East Coast in the 80s.
@@mikekaraoke Yanks "think" the world revolves around them, so they ignore long careers in other countries. Martha & The Muffins had many more hits than "Echo Beach".
@@mikekaraoke Canada. Because of US and UK attitudes towards Canadian music and CanCon laws (radio was required to play 33% home grown), other countries didn't give it much airplay. There was plenty of chart topping music at home that was never heard abroad. The Payola$ were huge, but outside the country, the only member you've heard of is Bob Rock - as a producer.
Do you need an explanation of what “one hit wonder“ means? In addition to “I Can Dream About You“ (1984), Dan Hartman had two other songs that charted: “Instant Replay” in 1978, and “Relight My Fire” in 1979. Rockwell had six other songs in addition to “Somebody’s Watching Me” that made various charts in the US and in the UK. And Corey Hart? In addition to “Sunglasses at Night“, Corey had NINE other songs that charted. One of them, “Never Surrender” (1985), charted at #3 on Billboard’s Hot 100, 4 positions higher than ‘Sunglasses at Night”, which only reached #7. I’m not going to list his other songs songs that charted, look it up. A “one hit wonder” is exactly that… an artist/band who only had ONE song make the charts, any chart. Clearly Dan Hartman, Rockwell and Corey Hart are NOT one hit wonders.
Sadness surrounds I can dream about you for me. I became a wife and mother while this song was all over the place. I didn't spend a lot of time listening to much music that didn't have a sesame street tune most of the time 🤭 I Can Dream About You was one of the last songs I loved before I got married. I do remember it was 1994, (I believe), when he passed from cancer. He wasn't a one hit wonder at all. Go look him up, I'm sure you'll find a ton credits to his name, and way more info than I can recall off the top of my head. He had an impressive career with some of the best of the best. Edgar Winter for one. He really was a talented musician/don't writer. If he hadn't gotten sick, I bet he'd still be busy to this day. ☹️
The reason the 80s has some of the greatest music is because new technology was emerging and artists were experimenting with it. Every genre of music was throwing everything at the wall to see what would stick. That's what made it fun! We were the guinea pigs and it was awesome! 😊
Toy Soldiers is such a great song. Her vocals during the chorus just blows me away, still to this day. And it can still get me emotional. It's on my permanent playlist.
@@lesliegolding7159 This is true. However, they were referring to those that were in the Billboard charts in the US. Falco is mostly remembered for that one song. Ergo, in the US, he would be deemed a one-hit wonder. Side note: He was even listed on 100 Greatest One-Hit Wonders 20 years ago on VH1.
So many good songs. And quite a few weird ones too. I loved Black Velvet so much growing up, but I never imagined the singer was Canadian. I always thought it was a southern blues lady. I remember Hush Hush Heart to Heart too. I loved that so much. Jenny got the way numbers in media could be used changed. Too many angry homeowners with that number. But everyone knew it by heart. Two of Hearts was just fun to listen to. It's kind of a shame we didn't give Eddie a real shot, he probably could have given us something much better. Patrick Swayze really did melt out hearts...and then he sang that too... I don't know how we coped. Too Shy is still pretty wonderful. I don't know if we really understood Toy Soldiers at the time, but we definitely did love it. Of course. We had a very definite idea of what "I just died in your arms Tonight" actually meant.
Others I would have listed include: Starpoint - “Object of My Desire” (1986) Pseudo Echo - “Funkytown” (1987) Jermaine Stewart - “We Don’t Have To Take Our Clothes Off” (1987) And freakin’ PAC-MAN FEVER!! Buckner & Garcia 1982 Also, years before Fergie, Martika was the first alum from “Kids Incorporated” to make it big. 😊
The whole Pac-Man Fever album had a song about a particular arcade game... Do The Donkey Kong Froggy's Lament Goin' Bezerk Centipede Hyperspace ...catchy tunes.
OMG, "Funkytown" was such a catchy jam that I made sure to have it on one of my mix tapes. I also remember that Jermaine Stewart song from my elementary school days as being something which promoted a more wholesome idea of young love. It's like he was letting us pre-teens know that we didn't have to get sexual if we weren't ready. Such innocent times!
The entire album for Don Johnson's Heartbeat is awesome. Give it a listen. It just flows. This was when an album had 10 tracks (5side a, 5 side b) and it needed to have a concept. One of my favorites even today in 2023.
C'mon "Come on Eileen" should have been number1!! Plus my very favorite one hit wonder of all time "Walking on Sunshine" by Katrina and the Waves should be on the list.
What is it about the Eighties music that always gets my attention?! It's a mystery that I cannot explain. All I can say is every time I see an Eighties music video or hear a song from that period, they "speak" to me, and I feel an instant connection. Again, there are no words to describe it.
I guess that happens to a lot of people... my sister was born in 2002 and my mum always listens to 80s music and now my little sister loves all the songs too 🙃
Boys Don't Cry - I Wanna Be A Cowboy Re-Flex - The Politics Of Dancing Wall Of Voodoo - Mexican Radio Those are TRUE one-hit wonders! And are all FANTASTIC!!
@@Potrimpo As far as I'm concerned, of all the fantastic music to come out of the '80s, "Safety Dance" is one of my main songs for the soundtrack of that decade.
I have NEVER forgotten these one hit wonders. In fact, I listen to lots of 1980's music to this day because it's much better than that crappy music, which is being made today 1️⃣9️⃣8️⃣0️⃣'s 🎵🎶🎶🎵 forever ❤
My girl died a couple years ago. I haven’t been able to listen to Toy Soldiers yet. At all. I had to fast forward. I can’t believe I’m still here and she is gone. I was pregnant the year Two of Hearts came out. I don’t know how to exist without her.
Ah, so "Tarzan Boy" is THAT song!! Yes I remember that song was all over the place in 1985. As a young Metalhead, I hated it and made fun of it at the time, but now I look back on it and, honestly, I gotta say it wasn't half-bad. Back then, I also didn't care for Stacey Q's "Two Of Hearts" but when I saw it mentioned on a 1999 VH1 "Where Are They Now?" episode, I really took notice. It didn't take me long from there to actually start loving the song. Of course, I've always loved "One Night In Bangkok." Also, Alannah Myles' "Black Velvet" is an absolute masterpiece. (Fun Fact: I got her debut album on CD in 1991, and was pleasantly surprised that the rest of the album is actual Metal!! I'm not kidding: Her song "Kick Start My Heart" is different than Mötley Crüe's "Kickstart Ny Heart" - coincidentally enough released in the very same year - but it is almost as heavy!! 🤘🏻 That woman can fucking scream!! 🤘🏻) All that being said, I can't believe you guys forgot about "The Safety Dance" by Men Without Hats, especially the full-length 5-minute album version, which completely blows the 3-minute single version away!! I don't really know if Animotion belongs in here as a one-hit wonder. Besides "Obsession," they also had "Let Him Go" which I actually prefer and I think that was a pretty big hit too. Revisit that song and listen to the lyrics because they are amazing. It is an EXTREMELY well-written song. There are undoubtedly other songs I could mention here but this early Gen-Xer is now 56 years old and suffers from CRS.
For my fellow Canadians, you missed Mitsou!! Bye Bye Mon Cowboy is legendary! There's also "Walk the Dinosaur" by Was Not Was, "I never promised you a rose garden" by Kon Kan, "The Safety Dance" by Men Without Hats, "I Do What I Do" (theme song to 9 1/2 weeks) which was a solo song by John Taylor of Duran Duran. If you want 2-hit Wonders there's T'Pau with "Heart and Soul" and "China In Your Hands". A compilation of TWO hit wonders would also be cool if you're looking for a new topic.
I would NEVER consider Was Not Was a one-hit-wonder..... Their version of "Papa was a rollin' stone" is one of the most funky songs on planet Earth.... For starters...
"Toy Soldiers" is her biggest hit, but Martika is anything but a one hit wonder. Other acts in this list aren't one hit wonders either: Cutting Crew, Quarterflash and Stacey Q all come to mind.
Some of these were quite obscure. "Maniac" by Michael Sambello and "Life in a Northern Town" by The Dream Academy are two more widely known one-hit wonders from the 1980s.
Alannah Myle's album is another one that great from start to finish. There were some great songs on this list. Cutting Crew's album was another one that was great start to finish. I miss the way albums had a plan back in the day.
I don't know if this video is directed towards a generation that were born after the 1980's so obviously they won't have nostalgia for these songs, I grew up in the 80's and already know these songs are awesome.
Actually, I liked a lot of Quarterflash songs. And in Canada, Alannah Myles has entire greatest hits CD. And the songs are great. And Cutting Crews album was so good too. I almost wore out the album playing it so much.
To this day, I remember buying Tarzan boy on tape at a market (mother paid for it) when released (i was in Spain on holiday as a young boy). Good ole days!
Every one of these song it played out in the yard on my husband's big bass speakers outside every weekend during the summertime. He must have every 80s tune that ever hit the charts
One criminally underrated one-hit-wonder is 1983’s “Belly of the Whale” by Burning Sensations. That song is laden with Caribbean sounds, sax solos, guitar riffs, and nautical sounds. Another lost hit that still holds up.
@@shawn1928 the sax solo at the end of the song is what sells it. Sax solos, much like VCR’s and heavy cell phones, is something from the 80s that for some reason, don’t exist in music anymore.
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Shannon - Let the Music Play
Toni Basil- Mickey
Tiffany has more than one hit.
So Nena. Nena is German like me.;
Asking about my favorite 80s song is like asking a parent to pick their favorite child.
I believe Patrick Swayze did die a long time ago.
I SO wish that MTV had a dedicated 80's channel where they do nothing but play all of these videos like it used to be. Nothing will ever be better for me than this iconic 80's genre.
In Europe and Scandinavia, for example, we have MTV 80's only with 1980's music videos 24 hours a day without a single advertisement and we also have MTV 90's and MTV 00's
Saturday night head bangers ball. Miss those days.
They do when I had DirecTV I found one but I am on the dish and I can't find it
Agreed. MTV needs to be music again & not reality TV.
@@nicolemarie6720 said that all along I don't get it
Shannon "Let The Music Play" is still a banger. Went to my cousin's daughter sweet 16 party 2 weeks ago, and this song came on. The teens got on the dance floor. I heard one teen say this song is fire. That made me smile.
One honorable mention that I still love listening to is "Voices Carry" by Til Tuesday. Aimee Mann's voice is amazing.
Outstanding song.
She sings back up on Rush's song, Time Stand Still
@@jtmoore662 That's her? Right on! Both tunes are excellent.
One of my all time favorite songs
Yes I love that song
Oh my God, how could they forget Mickey by Toni Basil|? That was so infectious. Love teh 80's! First loves, first adventures and the future ahead.
Probably because it's not forgotten!
Let me guess... GenX, right? The 80s were our decade.
Love, love, love Toni Basil.
Yup!
Yes true. But let's not forget it was a rip off of Kitty, by Racey.
The top one comes from the No-Hit Wonders as Modern English's "I Melt With You" failed to get to the Top 40 yet is one of the most played songs from the 80's today.
Seeing Taco perform "Putting on the Ritz" always reminded me of Tim Curry.
The song reminds me of an old German song called "Das Nachtgespenst" by Kurt Gerron only upbeaty.
Yes definitely can see a Tim curry influence
Ha. Glad to see I wasn't the only one who thought that.
@@lisagibson2975 Your post made me look up "Das Nachtgespenst" and wow, you're right. This song sounds VERY similar to ""Putting on the Ritz." I wonder if the writers of "Putting on the Ritz" were influenced by the German song.
The video does remind me of Tim Curry. The song, however, always reminds me of Young Frankenstein😅
Tarzan Boy was a HUGE HUGE hit in Quebec in '86. One radio station played ONLY that song on repeat for 24 hrs !
I find it amazing that you failed to mention that One Night in Bangkok was written by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus from Abba
The lyrics also a tongue-in-cheek allusion on Thailand certain notorious reputation. Which is surprisingly already well known even back then.
@@manchesterunitedno7 Benny Andersson is the modern Bach
The musical "Chess", where the song comes from, is really quite good. If you get a chance to see the 2008 performance with Josh Groban, it is well worth the time.
Also, Murray Head's brother is Anthony Stewart Head, aka Giles from "Buffy, the Vampire Slayer."
I was going to say the same thing! I was waiting for it and was like...what?
“Two of Hearts” became one of my 80 most favorite ‘80s songs.
Bruce Willis - Respect Yourself, Jack Wagner - All I Need, Michael Sembello -Maniac, and 'Til Tuesday - Voices Carry were also great songs
I love "Voices Carry". One of my all time faves. Til Tuesday"s follow up "Looking Over My Shoulder" was pretty good also. Unfortunately it didn't make as much splash as "Voices Carry".
Bruce Willis also covered Under the boardwalk so he doesn’t classify as a one hit wonder
@@jasongibbins6484This is about the billboard top 100. Charting at 59 isn’t a hit.
Yes, Nena's 99 Luftballons needed a place on this list. Still a good list with my nostalgic memories. A one hit wonder that happens to be one of my all time favorites, but has fallen off the map is Chilliwack's My Girl.
Neither Nena or Chilliwack are one hit wonders, they had more than one hit song. That’s why they’re not on the list.
I know I love that song nena is cool
Nena is still performing today and still has a voice that makes you want to learn German.
but only the original in German the English one literately makes no sense
I remember Rick Moranis, Eugene Levy and John Candy singing "She's Gone" on SCTV! Recess Monkeys!!
An excellent one that was missed was “Waiting for a Star to Fall” by Boy Meets Girl (1988), which I think qualifies as a one-hit wonder.
great song
Absolutely should've been on this list
Speaking of 1988, Piano in the Dark by Brenda Russell.
Yesss! Was going to comment that until I saw yours. 🌠
Love that song. Good call Cindy.
They probably need a part 2 of this category. I can think of a few more one-hit wonders that could have easily made this list, such as Jonny Hate's Jazz's "Shattered Dreams", Soft Cell's "Tainted Love", Breath's "Hands to Heaven" (well maybe they were a two-hit wonder), The Dream Academy's "Life in a Northern Town", Berlin's "Take My Breath Away", etc.
No More Words hit #23 on the Billboard Hot 100 two years before Take My Breath Away came out. Sex (I'm A) and The Metro also charted (40-60 range). Guess it depends on what you consider a "hit"...but Take my Breath hit #1, so definitely their biggest hit :o)
Johnny hates Jazz had also a hit with Turn Back The Clock so not a one day wonder hit.
Actually Berlin also did a song called "No More Words"
Soft Cell weren't one hit wonders. Not in the UK anyway. I see so many UK bands that were never OHW in the UK on these sorts of montages.
My decade!!! Best music and decade to be in. Graduated in '86. I remember every one of these hits. After all, it was when MTV actually played music. ❤😉
Yes even I was born in 82 still remember these hits were constant running on tv and radio. Miss those days now MTV sucks really
@@manueltapia1859 couldn't agree with you more!
My momma graduated in 86 also
My grandson is only 2 and he loves break my stride. He could be on the other side of the house and when I play it he comes to me dancing to it. So cute!
Just the diversity of popular music in the 80’s was awesome… older, younger, cheesy one hit wonders, hair bands, etc… every person had a chance to make great music no matter what they looked like… the 80’s were the last decade that was that open, with variety, with just plain great music…
I know really. Miss that today radio wants to play all song writers who is 15 to 21 mostly and they aren't as good.
As someone who lived through the 80s, the one qualifier was that it couldn’t be disco, at least not overtly. There was such a huge backlash to that, as it had been so overly popular during the late 70s to the point of running that into the ground (I still remember the chants of “Disco sucks!”). However, there were a lot of highly creative musicians who managed to include elements of disco, but make it just enough different from the more formulaic versions that they got away with it.
As I was born in 1970, all of my preteen and teenage years were then, and I think the songs that you listen to and love during that period of life tend to stick with you the longest because of the memories associated with them. But I can’t argue against it being an excellent period for music overall.
Best decade of music ever and I’ll die on this hill
Martika's "Toy Soldiers" is a classic! ❤️👍🏼 Cutting Crew's songs are classic 80s prom songs ❤️👍🏼
Cutting Crew's song is hard to cover. Just look at number and quality of them. That makes it more iconic
Yeah but Toy Soldiers is not a one hit wonder, she also had a hit with a song written by Prince’Love, thy will be done’
@@jasongibbins6484 Her follow up song suffered from coming out the same time as the San Fran quake, hence the title.
I always loved "Toy Soldiers." When I actually found out the meaning of the song, I loved it even more.
Brilliant song but my favourite is Martika's Kitchen.
Something a lot of people don't know about Martika's Toy Soldier is that she wrote it herself and it was written because her friend was battling a cocaine addiction. Her friend did go on to beat his addiction but that's what the meaning behind those lyrics are. It was also only her third song she wrote and the other 2 were lighthearted songs. This is by far one of my most memorable songs from my childhood.
Obsession was HUGE in the 80s. It was on every radio station and on MTV twice every hour.
Many great songs on the list such as Under the Milky Way tonight. Break My Stride makes me want to take an ice pick to my ear drum. Don Johnson & Eddie Murphy's songs are best forgotten.
Two hits wonders: Dexy's midnight runners (Celtic soul brothers), Stacey Q (We connect), Martika (More than you know), Alannah Myles (Love is)
"Walking on Sunshine" by Katrina and the Waves, "Life in a Northern Town" by the Dream Academy, and while technically not a one hit wonder because the song hit big in two different languages it's essentially the same song"99 Red Balloons" or "99 Luft Balloons" by Nena.
T'Pau's Heart and Soul still gets a lot of play on my iPod. Even my young kids love it.
T'Pau may have been a 1 hit wonder in America but they had several huge hits in many other countries...especially with China In Your Hand which was even bigger than Heart and Soul. That being said, I love that your kids dig them. The band are still putting out new music. Check their newer songs on RUclips etc like "Run" and "Be Wonderful" and "Guess Who's Sorry Now"
FINALLY! Obsession from Animotion makes one of your lists. I've been waiting for this for ages...
Who else was surprised that The Buggles "Video Killed the Radio Star" wasn't #1?
I believe it was pre 80’s.
That song was recorded and originally released as a single in 1979.
These 80s songs always make me smile when I still hear them today! If they don't make you smile from the cheesiness then your lying to yourself.
80s was a great decade for music
I was a teen and in high school during the 80's and University in the early 90's and married by 1999 and I totally believe they were the best decades for rock and pop music. They were the soundtrack of my life.
This list brings back so many memories. The 80's had the best music.
Shannon's Let The Music Play was arguably the first top ten hit of sub-genre Freestyle. A rising music style born out of the urban dance floor on The East Coast in the 80s.
A big bang
It's highly respected in the Techno/Electro camp as well.
Thank you! I was listening to Gloria Estefan the other day and racking my brain for the genre name! Freestyle!
The 80's "one hit wonders" are more recognized even today than any other genre of "one hit wonders". And they'll never age badly.
Some of these in general are not 1 hit wonders though!
@@Discoball_Glitter Exactly, well said!
@@mikekaraoke Yanks "think" the world revolves around them, so they ignore long careers in other countries. Martha & The Muffins had many more hits than "Echo Beach".
@@guessundheit6494 Actually not all of them do, but I do get your point!
Yeah they did, where you from?
@@mikekaraoke Canada. Because of US and UK attitudes towards Canadian music and CanCon laws (radio was required to play 33% home grown), other countries didn't give it much airplay. There was plenty of chart topping music at home that was never heard abroad. The Payola$ were huge, but outside the country, the only member you've heard of is Bob Rock - as a producer.
"Come on, Eileen" and "One Night in Bangkok" are #1 and #1A one-hit wonders for me, so I haven't forgotten that they're AWESOME. 😁
The 80s was the best for music. I was in my 20s going to the clubs. So many great one hit wonders.
Taco’s performance of “Putting on the Ritz” reminds me of one of my favorite actors, Tim Curry. His eyes and smile does it for me.❤
An amazing list. Great, great songs all of them.
How did "I Can Dream About You " by Dan Hartman, "Sunglasses at Night " by Corey Hart, and "Somebody's Watching Me" by Rockwell miss the cut?
Do you need an explanation of what “one hit wonder“ means? In addition to “I Can Dream About You“ (1984), Dan Hartman had two other songs that charted: “Instant Replay” in 1978, and “Relight My Fire” in 1979. Rockwell had six other songs in addition to “Somebody’s Watching Me” that made various charts in the US and in the UK.
And Corey Hart? In addition to “Sunglasses at Night“, Corey had NINE other songs that charted. One of them, “Never Surrender” (1985), charted at #3 on Billboard’s Hot 100, 4 positions higher than ‘Sunglasses at Night”, which only reached #7. I’m not going to list his other songs songs that charted, look it up.
A “one hit wonder” is exactly that… an artist/band who only had ONE song make the charts, any chart. Clearly Dan Hartman, Rockwell and Corey Hart are NOT one hit wonders.
Corey Hart also did a song called "Never Surrender" so he's not a one-hit wonder
I know the last two songs
Sadness surrounds I can dream about you for me.
I became a wife and mother while this song was all over the place. I didn't spend a lot of time listening to much music that didn't have a sesame street tune most of the time 🤭
I Can Dream About You was one of the last songs I loved before I got married.
I do remember it was 1994, (I believe), when he passed from cancer.
He wasn't a one hit wonder at all.
Go look him up, I'm sure you'll find a ton credits to his name, and way more info than I can recall off the top of my head. He had an impressive career with some of the best of the best. Edgar Winter for one.
He really was a talented musician/don't writer. If he hadn't gotten sick, I bet he'd still be busy to this day. ☹️
@@Kiara_Kat
Do you need an explaination about what show some class and not be a judgy little snob?
The one that first came to my mind - I Ran So Far Away - Flock of Seagulls.
They had another hit. Space Age Love Song which was by far a better song than I Ran.
Damn I miss the 80's! Literally the playlist of my high school years.
And my almost middle age years. I was still rocking. And not in a rocking chair. LOL
I love - love, love, Love - "She's Like the Wind". Absolutely gorgeous.☺️
Taylor Dayne "Tell It To My Heart" was and still is my jam!!!
Oh yeah, "Tell it to My Heart" is an awesome song ! It's so much fun !!
Not a one hit wonder and she even hit number one a few years later with Love Will Lead You Back. You're right about the song, though.
Yep, that's a goodie.
I LOVE to sing this song at kareoke!!!
Love, love Love Ms. Dayne.
2 of hearts is on my regular listened to play list. 😅❤
I'd include Life in a Northern Town (Dream Academy) and The Promise (When in Rome).
The reason the 80s has some of the greatest music is because new technology was emerging and artists were experimenting with it. Every genre of music was throwing everything at the wall to see what would stick. That's what made it fun! We were the guinea pigs and it was awesome! 😊
I completely forgot Eddie Murphy sang Party all the Time. Man I miss the 80's but so glad I grew up in that time period.
Toy Soldiers is such a great song. Her vocals during the chorus just blows me away, still to this day. And it can still get me emotional. It's on my permanent playlist.
I'm surprised that Falco's "Rock Me Amadeus" wasn't on this list. I would've thought it would be Top 10 at least.
Falco has had other hits including Der Kommissar, Vienna Calling, and Jeanny. Definitely not a one hit wonder.
@@lesliegolding7159 This is true. However, they were referring to those that were in the Billboard charts in the US. Falco is mostly remembered for that one song. Ergo, in the US, he would be deemed a one-hit wonder.
Side note: He was even listed on 100 Greatest One-Hit Wonders 20 years ago on VH1.
So many good songs. And quite a few weird ones too.
I loved Black Velvet so much growing up, but I never imagined the singer was Canadian. I always thought it was a southern blues lady.
I remember Hush Hush Heart to Heart too. I loved that so much.
Jenny got the way numbers in media could be used changed. Too many angry homeowners with that number. But everyone knew it by heart.
Two of Hearts was just fun to listen to.
It's kind of a shame we didn't give Eddie a real shot, he probably could have given us something much better.
Patrick Swayze really did melt out hearts...and then he sang that too... I don't know how we coped.
Too Shy is still pretty wonderful.
I don't know if we really understood Toy Soldiers at the time, but we definitely did love it.
Of course. We had a very definite idea of what "I just died in your arms Tonight" actually meant.
Having only seen the preview, I can tell you Dexie's Midnight runners has not been forgotten in our household. Our kid under 5 years old loves it
Also not a one hit wonder. Geno was also a big hit
I dated a lady who's sister at 18 had the mind of an 8 year old. The 8 year old's name was Eileen. I would sing her the chorus: come on Eileen......
My son loves Break My Stride
Thank you for this walk down memory lane, Mojo! The '80's we're my teen years, so I have strong feelings connected to these songs.
Others I would have listed include:
Starpoint - “Object of My Desire” (1986)
Pseudo Echo - “Funkytown” (1987)
Jermaine Stewart - “We Don’t Have To Take Our Clothes Off” (1987)
And freakin’ PAC-MAN FEVER!! Buckner & Garcia 1982
Also, years before Fergie, Martika was the first alum from “Kids Incorporated” to make it big. 😊
The whole Pac-Man Fever album had a song about a particular arcade game...
Do The Donkey Kong
Froggy's Lament
Goin' Bezerk
Centipede
Hyperspace
...catchy tunes.
OMG, "Funkytown" was such a catchy jam that I made sure to have it on one of my mix tapes. I also remember that Jermaine Stewart song from my elementary school days as being something which promoted a more wholesome idea of young love. It's like he was letting us pre-teens know that we didn't have to get sexual if we weren't ready. Such innocent times!
I loved "Kids Incorporated" as a kid!
Excuse Me !!!! Funkytown (1980) was by Lipps Inc.. The COVER by Pseudo Echo was (1986)
That's the music of my teen years! Never will I forget!
The entire album for Don Johnson's Heartbeat is awesome. Give it a listen. It just flows. This was when an album had 10 tracks (5side a, 5 side b) and it needed to have a concept. One of my favorites even today in 2023.
Absolutely agree with you! I bought it when it came out and I love it as much today.
C'mon "Come on Eileen" should have been number1!! Plus my very favorite one hit wonder of all time "Walking on Sunshine" by Katrina and the Waves should be on the list.
I haven't forgotten any of these! Three of them I never knew existed, however. And God knows I certainly TRIED to forget Don Johnson's "Heartbeat".
Under The Milky Way by the Church is still one of my favorite songs.
absolutely!
One Night in Bangkok, No Easy Way Out, Tarzan Boy, and Black Velvet are my favorite one hit wonders.
A lot of these songs remind me of me hitting the clubs early to mid-80s. Now I'm a retired old man
I'm in the same boat with you.
Unfortunately I know the feeling.
What is it about the Eighties music that always gets my attention?! It's a mystery that I cannot explain. All I can say is every time I see an Eighties music video or hear a song from that period, they "speak" to me, and I feel an instant connection. Again, there are no words to describe it.
I guess that happens to a lot of people... my sister was born in 2002 and my mum always listens to 80s music and now my little sister loves all the songs too 🙃
Boys Don't Cry - I Wanna Be A Cowboy
Re-Flex - The Politics Of Dancing
Wall Of Voodoo - Mexican Radio
Those are TRUE one-hit wonders! And are all FANTASTIC!!
I can't believe Safety Dance is not on this list.
I can only guess it's one hit wonders you forgot were awesome, not one hit wonders everyone knows are still awesome today like The Safety Dance.
Pop Goes the World kinda stands just as high as Safety Dance, so that may be why.
@@Mystress1980 I remember that song. Always had fun when it came on. By 3rd Base. But I believe that song came out in the 90's.
Truer words are seldom spoken
@@Potrimpo As far as I'm concerned, of all the fantastic music to come out of the '80s, "Safety Dance" is one of my main songs for the soundtrack of that decade.
Gotta love the 80's! Listen to it all the time! 👌👌👌
I have NEVER forgotten these one hit wonders. In fact, I listen to lots of 1980's music to this day because it's much better than that crappy music, which is being made today
1️⃣9️⃣8️⃣0️⃣'s 🎵🎶🎶🎵 forever ❤
80s music are a blast in the past.
Yep. They still slap
My girl died a couple years ago. I haven’t been able to listen to Toy Soldiers yet. At all. I had to fast forward. I can’t believe I’m still here and she is gone. I was pregnant the year Two of Hearts came out. I don’t know how to exist without her.
What about 1983, Sunglasses at night by Corey Hart? That was a huge hit that year and all over the radio.
I can’t believe Soft Cell’s “Tainted Love” wasn’t on the list!
Tainted Love was actually the title of a seminar by my psych professor. I still chuckle!
Still have my Don Johnson album!
Ah, so "Tarzan Boy" is THAT song!! Yes I remember that song was all over the place in 1985. As a young Metalhead, I hated it and made fun of it at the time, but now I look back on it and, honestly, I gotta say it wasn't half-bad.
Back then, I also didn't care for Stacey Q's "Two Of Hearts" but when I saw it mentioned on a 1999 VH1 "Where Are They Now?" episode, I really took notice. It didn't take me long from there to actually start loving the song.
Of course, I've always loved "One Night In Bangkok." Also, Alannah Myles' "Black Velvet" is an absolute masterpiece. (Fun Fact: I got her debut album on CD in 1991, and was pleasantly surprised that the rest of the album is actual Metal!! I'm not kidding: Her song "Kick Start My Heart" is different than Mötley Crüe's "Kickstart Ny Heart" - coincidentally enough released in the very same year - but it is almost as heavy!! 🤘🏻 That woman can fucking scream!! 🤘🏻)
All that being said, I can't believe you guys forgot about "The Safety Dance" by Men Without Hats, especially the full-length 5-minute album version, which completely blows the 3-minute single version away!! I don't really know if Animotion belongs in here as a one-hit wonder. Besides "Obsession," they also had "Let Him Go" which I actually prefer and I think that was a pretty big hit too. Revisit that song and listen to the lyrics because they are amazing. It is an EXTREMELY well-written song.
There are undoubtedly other songs I could mention here but this early Gen-Xer is now 56 years old and suffers from CRS.
For my fellow Canadians, you missed Mitsou!! Bye Bye Mon Cowboy is legendary! There's also "Walk the Dinosaur" by Was Not Was, "I never promised you a rose garden" by Kon Kan, "The Safety Dance" by Men Without Hats, "I Do What I Do" (theme song to 9 1/2 weeks) which was a solo song by John Taylor of Duran Duran. If you want 2-hit Wonders there's T'Pau with "Heart and Soul" and "China In Your Hands". A compilation of TWO hit wonders would also be cool if you're looking for a new topic.
I call them 2 hit terrors.
Men without Hats were a 2 hit wonder. "Pop Goes the World" was nowhere near as big but it DID chart
Oh yes, "I do what I do" with JT singing ... I always wondered why the hell he did that, this song was so, so bad😃😃😃
I would NEVER consider Was Not Was a one-hit-wonder..... Their version of "Papa was a rollin' stone" is one of the most funky songs on planet Earth.... For starters...
@@henriettechristensen2135 thanks. Gonna look that up!
I was so sure Eddie Grant's "Electric Avenue" would be on here! Not gonna lie, I was disappointed that it wasn't included.
Gosh,I miss the 80's!!
Peter Schilling's Major Tom, Nena's 99 Red Balloons and Voices Carry by Til Tuesday belong in this list.
99 luftballoons was the most mesmerizing video ever!
After the Fire with the song ‘Der Kommissar’ was one I rediscovered and it was awesome!!!
Falco did the original in German.
I My Gawd!!!!!! I loved "Harden My Heart" and Quarter Flash.
80s music is some of the best music out there, along with 90s and 2000s music
Preach, these three decades are the pinnacle of classic music!
Totally agree 👍
Facts
While I agree those are the best decades of music every decade has it's fair share of great and bad music.
You ain't lying on that
Much better selections than some previous list videos, these were more on the mark, nicely done!
Man the 80's was awesome.❤
I still have the 45 single Harden my heart from when they were called Seafood Momma when I would see them at Crazy 8's in Portland
"Toy Soldiers" is her biggest hit, but Martika is anything but a one hit wonder. Other acts in this list aren't one hit wonders either: Cutting Crew, Quarterflash and Stacey Q all come to mind.
I know. No one remembers “Take Me To Heart “?
@@DJParticle Or "Find Another Fool".
"More Than You Know" was Martika's first single. It was a minor hit in 1989 and I remember it well. I was a senior in high school then.
@@CodeBleu724 True, and Love...Thy Will Be Done off her second album was a top 10 hit.
Thank you for putting Taco on this list! It was one of the most popular songs in Eastern Europe when i was growing up:)
Hey Mickey by Toni Basil should have been on this list.
They may be one hit wonders but they're memorable and catchy.
Some of these were quite obscure. "Maniac" by Michael Sambello and "Life in a Northern Town" by The Dream Academy are two more widely known one-hit wonders from the 1980s.
Best Decade Ever.
Alannah Myle's album is another one that great from start to finish. There were some great songs on this list. Cutting Crew's album was another one that was great start to finish. I miss the way albums had a plan back in the day.
I don't know if this video is directed towards a generation that were born after the 1980's so obviously they won't have nostalgia for these songs, I grew up in the 80's and already know these songs are awesome.
I loved this list! Love the music ones. Any years are great. Please do other years, too.
I didn't forget, because some of these songs are still on my playlist. Having been born in '89. I missed out on the great music.
Actually, I liked a lot of Quarterflash songs. And in Canada, Alannah Myles has entire greatest hits CD. And the songs are great. And Cutting Crews album was so good too. I almost wore out the album playing it so much.
Take Me to Heart was a hit in 1983.
That Too Shy bass line is considered one of the best from the 80s. Nick Beggs is a legend.
To this day, I remember buying Tarzan boy on tape at a market (mother paid for it) when released (i was in Spain on holiday as a young boy). Good ole days!
Every one of these song it played out in the yard on my husband's big bass speakers outside every weekend during the summertime.
He must have every 80s tune that ever hit the charts
Party All The Time is still a jam. I listen to it fairly often.
none of these songs have slipped my mind, i grew up with them and they all bring back childhood memories...
One criminally underrated one-hit-wonder is 1983’s “Belly of the Whale” by Burning Sensations. That song is laden with Caribbean sounds, sax solos, guitar riffs, and nautical sounds. Another lost hit that still holds up.
@Jared Schnabl thanks for sharing. had never heard this one before!
@@jschnabl85 very cool piece of Disney trivia! I'll definitely be checking this band out
@@shawn1928 the sax solo at the end of the song is what sells it. Sax solos, much like VCR’s and heavy cell phones, is something from the 80s that for some reason, don’t exist in music anymore.
@@jschnabl85 I wholeheartedly agree ☺️
I was so happy to see Quarterflash finally make the list! I was named after Rindi Ross ❤
80s was amazing best decade ever
Hey! What about “Word Up” by Cameo?!? 🙄🤨 That was Awesome! 😎
I always liked Melt With You by Modern English.
Me too !!