80s "omg I loved that one" one hit wonders mix tape thread

^ that reminds me, I need to see Hiding Out. xps to Pretty Poison.

I lived in FLA at the time of the Lekakis & it was huge; same time as "Barbara's Bedroom" by Whistle but apparently Whistle had a bunch of hits or hits-ish. But "Barbara's Bedroom" is great.

97. Newcleus - Jam on It

Lekakis' hit was HUGE a couple of months before "Silent Morning."

98. Nolan Thomas - "Yo Little Brother"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8L0H_w9kBx8

99. Junior - Mama Used to Say

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

Calling out Crowded House on the basis that no way was that band a one-hit wonder.

iawtc

I mean there can be a fuzzy line between what does and doesn't constitute a one-hit wonder but Crowded House is cut and dried xp

Yeah -- they were a TWO hit wonder in the States.

I know they were huge everywhere else in the world except the US.

we're missing all the hard rock/hair metal one hitters.

100. Autograph - "Turn Up The Radio"

Was this actually a hit? For some reason, it has a permanent spot on WXRT's (Chicago) playlist:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJou-XIUywQ

I've always loved this, but I have no idea if it was a hit, or if they had others.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZbdoCMdZn8

SHAME ON ALL OF YOU FOR NOT MENTIONING THIS:

101. Dazz Band - "Let It Whip"

102. Robbie Nevil - C'est La Vie

"Shake You Down" -- Gregory Abbott
"Da Butt" -- EU

I know probably not technical one hit wonders but I'll be surprised if anyone can name > 1 Gregory Abbott song

i'll see your Dazz Band and raise you one...

103. Deele - Body Talk

"Shake You Down" was mentioned upthread.

104. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VnejLmQGYhg

Robbie Nevil's "Wot's It To Ya" is SO much better than "C'est La Vie" though!

105. World's Famous Supreme Team - Hey DJ
I don't know if that was ever really a hit though

I remember that! Off to youtube...

xpost to Alfred

106. The Passions - I'm in Love With a German Film Star

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lkismiXva3M

Icehouse - Electric Blue? I have no idea if these guys had any hits.

other than "Crazy," no. But, wow, I love "Electric Blue"'s chorus. Cowritten by John Oates!

Crazy was the bigger hit at the time iirc, but Electric Blue is the one more people remember now.

"Electric Blue" hit the top ten, "Crazy" didn't, but it's possible "Crazy" got more airplay.

Did we make a decision on Romeo Void? Never Say Never would be my choice between the two, but I haven't looked at any chart data. (I guess the fact that there's any debate should strike them from contention.)

Icehouse had a handful of hits but only here so who cares. Also they were shit.

107. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmWxUGStTj4

108. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-mQyRuHIuA

Good call on The Church!

Painful to think of The Church as a ohw, but they probably are as far as the US is concerned.

109. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bOjc70f4p8

okay look, if you're going to limit what counts as a one-hit wonder to "what counts in the USA only" you need to change the subject line

if Jim Carroll fits, then we should add

110. Nails - 88 Lines about 44 Women

111. Kate Bush - Running Up That Hill

112. Alison Moyet - Invisible

BTW, distant xpost, my midwest friends often cite Oran Juice Jones' "The Rain" as a regional one hit wonder (east coast) that never made it here, and "Switchin' to Glide" by the Kings as a monster regional hit 'round here that never made it out east. Man, I miss the days of regional hits ...

113. Soft Cell, "Tainted Love"

"The Rain" was a top ten pop hit.

114.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wT6Lv5iBsLM

115. Animotion v. 2.0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87vA2hx0je8

I actually remember that one! From the My Stepmother is an Alien soundtrack.

Animotion did "Obsession" too, right? That was the theme song for the MTV style show.

Is Quarterflash "Harden My Heart" on this list yet?

okay look, if you're going to limit what counts as a one-hit wonder to "what counts in the USA only" you need to change the subject line

That's one of the pitfalls of ILM being largely US/UK-centric, because bands from outside those two markets who may have had numerous hits (like The Church) in Australia or elsewhere seem like odd picks (and even within the US/UK dynamic, a band like Bananarama was minor in one market and major in another).

And songs that may have hit in the US or UK and nowhere else at all leave some people scratching their heads.

I'm fine with say an Aus-heavy band being considered a one-hit wonder if it only charted once pretty much everywhere else (I even nominated Falco despite his huge success in Germany & Austria), but there does seem to be some arbitration based solely on US chart success.

My original intent for this was to list songs by bands who have absolutely zero cache today (and may have only existed long enough to release one album or two). Going back to the original 7 songs in the opening post is a good example.

Oingo Boingo or The Church or Kate Bush etc may technically qualify as one hit wonders on one country's metric vs. another's, but these are all bands or artist's which have an impressive body of work despite little Top 40 success.

I'm perfectly fine letting the thread/list develop organically as people visit and add suggestions, though.