Hey...those of u who remember the 80's...the invent of MTV and all the "One-Hit-Wonders" that resulted. Well, sometimes they had two or three hits...

In any case, if you can remember their names and the song...let's give it a try:

My Top 20 One (or more) Hit Wonders:

1. Kajagoogoo - Too Shy
2. Thomas Dolby - She Blinded Me With Science
3. 'Til Tuesday - Voices Carry
4. Human League - Don't You Want Me Baby
5. The Fixx - One Thing Leads To Another
6. A Flock Of Seaguls - I Ran
7. Timbuk 3 - My Future's So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades
8. Wall Of Voodoo - Mexican Radio
9. Corey Hart - Sunglasses At Night
10. A-ha - Take On Me
11. The Knack - My Sharona
12. Missing Persons - Words
13. Squeeze - Black Coffee In Bed
14. Level 42 - Something About You
15. Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam - Head To Toe
16. Gary Numan - Cars
17. Thompson Twins - Hold Me Now
18. Robbie Nevil - C'est La Vie
19. Cutting Crew - I Just Died In Your Arms Tonight
20. Toto - Africa or Roseanna (I'm torn on this one!)

My TOP 3:
1. Take On Me- A-ha
2. 99 Luftbalons- Nena
3. Always Something There To Remind Me- Naked Eyes

yeah, Naked Eyes, I forgot about them. How 'bout Soft Cell with Tainted Love/Where Did Our Love Go. That mix was big at the time...

julian lennon

* Kajagoogoo--"Too Shy" (that one easily ranks as #1 "one-hit wonder" of the decade..lol)

* Thomas Dolby--"She Blinded Me With Science"

* After The Fire--"Der Kommisar"

* Rockwell-- "Somebody's Watching Me"

* A-Ha-- "Take On Me"...(only cuz of the video...)

I thought u said one or 2 hit wonders?? a few of them had a load of "hits" especially a-ha who had a shitload of "hits", if you define a hit as being placed high in the charts?
anyway howz about "calling all the heroes" by It Bites....classic one hit wonder!!

daf1999 said:

???....What "shitload of hits" did A-Ha have??..lol...

Oh, and add these to the list...

* "True"...Spandau Ballet

* "Broken Wings"...Mr. Mister

Hey...Lisa Lisa had more than just Head To Toe!

-ALL CRIED OUT
-I WONDER IF I TAKE YOU HOME
-LOST IN EMOTION
-CAN YOU FEEL THE BEAT
-LET THE BEAT HIT EM!

MY FAV 1-2 HIT WONDER....

THE FAMILY

* Information Society - Pure Energy
* Falco - Rock Me Amadeus
* Taco - Puttin' On The Ritz
* Corey Hart - Sunglasses At Night
* Ready For The World - Oh Sheila
* Dexy's Midnight Runners - Come On Eileen
* M/A/R/R/S - Pump Up The Volume
* Young MC - Bust A Move
* Timex Social Club - Rumors
* Michael Sembello - Maniac

Great thread! I love the 80s! You guys have thought of some wonderful ones! Let me add...

*Mary Jane Girls- In My House
*JJ Fad- Supersonic!
*Yaz- Situation and Don't Go
*Vangelis- Chariots of Fire
*Love 'n Rockets- So Alive
*Lipp's Inc.- Funkytown
*Modern English- I Melt With You

And no one added Human League's Human! I like that one even more that Don't You Want Me

And if you can count her (because she only really had 2 hits here), Tracy Chapman- Fast Car is the best one-hit wonder of all time!

Terence trent darby

I thought about Tracy Chapman's "Fast Car" and don't forget "Talking 'Bout A Revolution", but...She had a killer album in 1995 titled, "New Beginning" with the HIT "Give Me One Good Reason". Plus, in-between hits, 4 great albums! Although she hasn't scored lately...I wouldn't count her out.

Human League had three huge hits!!!!!

* Don't You Want Me?????

* (Keep Feeling) Fascination

* Human (produced by Human League)

I love the 80's my decade!!!!!

* Brother 9/15 aka CR3

The Fixx had several hits as well(don't want to be too technical here). Those other hits weren't as huge as "One Thing Lead To Another"(British groups by this time were funking as hard as most of the American funk groups were now shrinking from a piece unit to a three man outfit....due to all of the sounds and accessibility that the synth offered). Other Top 40 hits by this group were Saved By Zero, Sign Of Fire and Are We Ourselves?????

* Brother 9/15 aka CR3

I agree with Kajagoogoo. I love "Too Shy". Even though I have that song on vinyl I still turn it up when it comes on the radio--on the adult contemporary station here which plays those 80's hits from Friday night to Sunday night.
Did anybody mention "The Safety Dance" by Men Without Hats. That song along with "Too Shy" and "Puttin On The Ritz"(Taco) are my favorite one-hit wonders. I still can't believe I bought Taco's 1983 cassette tape "After Eight". But getting back to Men Without Hats.....

"Cause if your friends don't dance..well if thy don't dance ...well they're no friends of mine..(LOL)

"We can dance... we can dance...everybody look at your hands!!!

The video to that song was really amusing!!!!!

* Brother 9/15 aka CR3

Thanks to this thread for reminding me how muchi hated 80s pop.

Brother915 said:

Actually, "Human" was produced by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis.

...and then I said, "the invent of MTV and all the "One-Hit-Wonders" that resulted. Well, sometimes they had two or three hits... "

Maybe even more...

As for The Fixx - isn't Cy (lead singer) designing hats now? Time 4 one of those 80's reunion tours...that would be mad!

PFunkjazz said:

Pfunk, you hate pop, period...lol...don't matter which decade we're talkin' bout..

I like everyones choices.. so I am not going to put anymore.. because I 100% agree..

good topic

as for The Fixx.. I got so fucked up with them .. 2 years ago at The Agora in cleveland, ohio..

my friends band opened up for them.. and we got to hang with them on their bus..

they had sooooo much booze..


nice normal guys

Here is my list....


***Thomas Dolby "She Blinded Me With Science" (1983)---I guess people consider this a "novelty song",but there is NO denying its' appeal.This track is funky as hell,and recieved ALOT of airplay on R&B stations,too.

***Squeeze "Tempted" (1981)---The most underrated song of the 80s,imo.This bluesy pop song is one of my all-time favorites,from ANY decade! "It's not my conscience that hates to be untrue...I answered my reflection,tell me what is there to do?...Tempted by the fruit of another,Tempted but the truth is discovered,what's been going on,now that you have gone....."

***The Tubes "She's A Beauty" (1983)---In the summer of '83,this catchy rocker was all over MTV...."Don't fall in love,She's A Beauty,a one in a million girl,now why would I lie?"

***Johnny Hates Jazz "Shattered Dreams (1988)---"Now,you've given me,given me,nothing but a Shattered dream,shattered dream..." This cool,midtempo pop song has an irresistible charm about it.

***Cheri "Murphy's Law"(1982)---This R&B song starts off with this hilarious line...."I hate to tell you,but I got a bit of bad news,I don't love you no more".OUCH!!

***Sinnamon "Thanks To You"(1982)---Like "Murphy's Law",this song also starts off with a woman dissing her no-good boyfriend.She begins the song by calling him up,saying "Yeah,it's me....Just called to let you know I won't be needing your LOVING SERVICES any longer".She spends the rest of the song raving about her new lover.

***Oran "Juice" Jones "The Rain" (1986)---Along with Prince's "Kiss",this was arguably the best R&B song of 1986.Y'all remember this one...."I saw you walking in the Rain,you were holding hands and now,it'll never be the same".But,the ending was a classic.His cheating girlfriend comes home,and he humiliates her by cancelling all her credit cards,taking her mink coat,and giving her a lecture she won't soon forget...lol...

***A Flock of Seagulls "I Ran" (1982)--- Forget about the crazy hairdos...lol...this song rocks!! "And I Ran,I Ran so far away...I just Ran,I Ran all night and day,couldn't get away".

***The Boys "Dial My Heart" (1988)---One of the best songs that LA and Babyface ever produced,"Dial My Heart" is infectious,catchy and just alot of fun.The hook-filled chorus is classic!

***Tease "Firestarter"(1986)---Regrettably,these guys never had another big hit.This song was an R&B smash in early 1986...."You're my Firestarter,you turn me on,I got a passion for you".

***Jellybean "Sidewalk Talk" (1985)---How lucky was Jellybean Benitez?.His girlfriend was Madonna.She wrote this song for him,and even makes a cameo appearance on the chorus.Some guys have all the luck:)

***The Waitresses "I Know What Boys Like"(1982)---Yeah,it's a cheesy song,but a GOOD cheesy song (does that make any sense??...lol...)

***The Jamaica Boys "It's That Lovin' Feeling(1987)---An R&B hit in late '87,this catchy jam was hot!

***The Musical Youth "Pass The Dutchie"(1983)---Y'all know you were singing this song back in the day...lol...

***Juicy "Sugar Free" (1986)---A very clever song! Your lover has left you,so you are now "Sugar Free" A minor hit on the R&B charts in late '86.

***Brenda K.Starr "I Still Believe"(1988)---"If there's one spark of hope left in my grasp,I'll hold it with both hands,it's worth the risk of burning to have a second chance".This is a top-notch song,full of wistful emotion and sadness,and killer vocals by the sorely underrated Brenda K.Starr.

***Haircut One Hundred "Love Plus One"(1983)---This song makes no sense to me,but it's a favorite of mine.

***Dexy's Midnight Runners "Come On Eileen" (1983)---This song is incredible! The sound is so unique,I can't even describe it...lol...too charming for words:)

***Frankie Smith "Double Dutch Bus"(1981)---In the summer of '81,we used to jam to this crazy song.If you've never heard it,you will be shocked at how weird it is! This is one of those songs where "you had to be there" to fully understand it's impact.

***Val Young "If You Should Ever Be Lonely"(1985)---Val was a protege' of Rick James,and this was her second single.It's an R&B jam that is all but forgotten.

***Sexual Harrassment "I Need A Freak" (1983)---Just curious about something...how many of you have heard this song? In my area,it was a huge jam and got alot of radio airplay,but it never became a national hit,so some of you probably have no idea what this song sounds like.It is VERY Prince-influenced.

***Rebbie Jackson "Centipede" (1984)---The music biz is so unfair.Rebbie can sing WAY better than her famous sister Janet,yet her career never really took off."Centipede" was written and produced by her brother Michael,and it is a gem.The chorus alone is simply stunning!!
[This message was edited Tue Mar 12 3:29:15 PST 2002 by DavidEye]

Good Morning Everybody...My bad June 7th I meant to say Jimmmy Jam And Terry Lewis produced "Human" by Human League. Too big of a hurry to post my message I guess.

* Brother 9/15 aka CR3

DAVIDEYE.....I thought Cheri's Murphy'Law was performed by Alvin And The Chipmunks at first....I'm speaking of the chorus....."You got it all together..don cha baby????"(LOL)

Brother915 said:

You know,I never knew exactly what that character was saying in the chorus...lol...thanks for ending the mystery for me:)...."You got it all together,dontcha baby?"

***Can somebody help me out? I remember hearing a rock/pop song back in the 80s that goes...."Together we can break these chains of love".What song is this,and who sings it???? I'm ususally really good at remembering songs and the year they came out,but I am baffled by this one.

* Imagination-Illusions.....This song came out in 1982, a mesmerizing piece of synth R&B. This song is so hypnotic. The video for this song was spooky. This group was from England....Also from England.....



* Junior-Mama Used To Say....I was jamming this hard the other day in my ride on a compilation CD. This song is a bona-fide classic. I used to get real busy on the dance floor off of this one. Junior also and another hit off this 1982 debut album on Mercury Records called "Too Late. Critics were saying he was Great Britain's answer to Stevie Wonder.


* Mtume-Juicy Fruit....Rarely in R&B music do you hear lyrics depicting oral sex being performed on women. But this vocalist steps up loud and clear and states...."I'll be your lolipop...YOU CAN LICK ME EVERYWHERE". And just to be sure you know where she was getting at...she proclaims.."I LIKE I...I LIKE IT" at the CLIMAX of the song( yeah KLHK would like this song..LOL). Bassist James Mtume got his start playing with Miles Davis in the early 70's. (Check out his work on Miles' live album "AGHARTA"... great live album)

* Brother 9/15 aka CR3

Brother915 said:[quote]


* Mtume-Juicy Fruit....Rarely in R&B music do you hear lyrics depicting oral sex being performed on women. But this vocalist steps up loud and clear and states...."I'll be your lolipop...YOU CAN LICK ME EVERYWHERE". And just to be sure you know where she was getting at...she proclaims.."I LIKE I...I LIKE IT" at the CLIMAX of the song( yeah KLHK would like this song..LOL). Bassist James Mtume got his start playing with Miles Davis in the early 70's. (Check out his work on Miles' live album "AGHARTA"... great live album)




***Yeah,that song "Juicy Fruit" was outrageous! Notice that,on the LP version,they really emphasize the "You can lick me everywhere" line,by stopping the music when they say it...lol...I remember pop radio stations being scared of this song,so they had the group change the lyrics to "I'll be your lollipop,CANDY KISSES everywhere".

Brenda K Starr's "I Still Believe" is a bona fide 80's song. I love it. Time to go to my stack of 45's to pull it out and play it(this song sounds great on vinyl. Great song!!!!! I think her and Mariah Carey did some work together in their early years, right before Mariah "became large". Also I have "Sidewalk Talk" by Jellybean and Madonna. This song still holds up even now and sounds good.

* Eddy Grant-Electric Avenue.....Eddy slaps Reagan in the face...."Who is to blame in our country....never can get to the one.....Dealing with multiplication...and we still can't feed everyone"

* Talk Talk-It's My Life..... A top 40 hit for this British group. This song has a nice groove to it.


* Smoke City-I Really Want You...To this day, I've never heard a song that was as melodically beautiful as this song. This was a laid back mid-tempo R*B/Jazz type of song that didn't even make the Billboard Top 100 and it only went to number #56 on the Billboard R*B chart. But the chord changes and melody of this song is beyond belief. CLASSIC CLASSIC!! I've been searching high and low in used record stores trying to find this song. Hopefully, one day it will turn up on a R&B compilation. But this song was so obscure (and on a obscure record label to boot), it may never resurface on anything. Still an awesome track!!!!! I haven't heard anything like it on R&B radio since it came out in 1985

* Kano-Hello Dolly(Are You Ready???) OOOOO WEEEEE. You can't sit still when this song comes on. I was jamming this the other day in my ride. I was jamming while stuck in traffic. TAG TEAM sampled this song on their 1993 hit "WHOOP THERE IT IS". This song is a dance floor classic.Me and the ladies used to get real busy out on the dance floor on this track.

* Patrick Hernandez-Born To Be Alive....If you listen real close to KANO's hit HOLLY DOLLY, you can hear traces of this song. This was a huge dance song that used to get played on R&B and top 40 radio.


* Brother 9/15 aka CR3