# 50 ONE-HIT WONDERS OF THE 80s-fixed **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [January 19, 2021, 6:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/50-one-hit-wonders-of-the-80s-fixed/930849 "2021-01-19T06:16:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Ponch8](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponch8/32/9883_2.png) [@Ponch8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponch8)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2021, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/50-one-hit-wonders-of-the-80s-fixed/930849/21 "2021-01-19T14:24:40Z")
1. Like other people have said, I suspect that I knew all the American hits but not the ones that were hits only in Europe. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2021, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/50-one-hit-wonders-of-the-80s-fixed/930849/22 "2021-01-19T14:28:21Z")
> [@bryanmaguire](#): > > One I didn’t get was Frank Stallone that looked like it was from a John Travolta film. Is that Sly’s brother? The movie is “Stayin’ Alive”, directed by Sylvester Stallone. ---
**Author:** ![Ponch8](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponch8/32/9883_2.png) [@Ponch8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponch8)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2021, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/50-one-hit-wonders-of-the-80s-fixed/930849/23 "2021-01-19T14:41:21Z")
It’s funny that the small snippet of Rockwell’s “Somebody’s Watching Me” features Michael Jackson’s voice but not Rockwell’s. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2021, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/50-one-hit-wonders-of-the-80s-fixed/930849/24 "2021-01-19T14:45:16Z")
Depends on what you mean by “know.” I counted 17 of those songs that were on the [iPod in my mind](https://www.theonion.com/i-have-an-ipod-in-my-mind-1819584018): as I looked through the list of songs, I could mentally hear the song and, in many cases, imagine what the artist looked like. There are a few others that I had heard of but was unfamiliar with. I didn’t watch the video, just looked through the list of songs/artists. ETA: I was a teenager in the US in the 80s. ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2021, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/50-one-hit-wonders-of-the-80s-fixed/930849/25 "2021-01-19T14:52:07Z")
I got 33. This must have been a UK list, because some of those bands were pretty obscure in the US. I don’t think Fade to Grey even charted in the US. Also, the Romantics had at least two hits – What I Like About You is probably bigger now – it’s played at practically every wedding in the US. Ah. I went back and looked at the page and there’s the list of songs and how high they charted where. Some only charted in Germany, some in the US, some in the UK, etc. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2021, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/50-one-hit-wonders-of-the-80s-fixed/930849/26 "2021-01-19T15:02:03Z")
> [@RitterSport](#): > > Also, the Romantics had at least two hits – What I Like About You is probably bigger now – it’s played at practically every wedding in the US. That’s the one that made me go _huh??_ Turns out, it only peaked at #49 on the Billboard charts in 1980. It became much more popular later in the 80s when Budweiser picked up that song for their advertising. I got 33/50. I thought I would know more. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.winston_oboogie/32/2945_2.png) [@Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Winston_OBoogie)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2021, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/50-one-hit-wonders-of-the-80s-fixed/930849/27 "2021-01-19T15:10:31Z")
I recognized a lot of them that I didn’t “know” just from the name; I think a lot of the ones I missed were “#1 in Germany” or such. Part of it is that I don’t like pop music. I don’t want to listen to “top 20” music. I heard a lot of Los Lobos songs before (and after) La Bamba - that’s one of their lesser songs. Most “pop” music is soulless overly produced crap. I want to hear music from people who _feel_ what they’re playing. ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2021, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/50-one-hit-wonders-of-the-80s-fixed/930849/28 "2021-01-19T15:15:56Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > I got 33/50. I thought I would know more. Twinsies! I thought I would, too. If they did just US one-hit wonders, I’d probably do better. Although, in the 80s, I basically only listened to New Wave, so maybe I would do better with just UK one-hit wonders. I don’t remember ever hearing that Patrick Swayzie song and it reached #2 in the US or something. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2021, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/50-one-hit-wonders-of-the-80s-fixed/930849/29 "2021-01-19T16:00:15Z")
I only vaguely remember “She’s Like the Wind.” I would have been 11 at the time. I’m not sure if it gets much play now. LIstening to it, I just know it as another song from Dirty Dancing. Looks like “Hungry Eyes” only made it to #4 from that Soundrack, whereas the Swayze song hit #3. I’m surprised, as you’ll hear the former on 80s stations, but I don’t think you here the latter much. Hell of a sountrack commercially – looks like five songs on it hit the top five on the Billboard charts. Another problem is I’ve probably heard some of the songs I don’t think I’ve heard, it’s just they kind of fade into the background and are some adult contemporary beige sort of thing that just doesn’t stick out. ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2021, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/50-one-hit-wonders-of-the-80s-fixed/930849/30 "2021-01-19T16:19:00Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Another problem is I’ve probably heard some of the songs I don’t think I’ve heard, it’s just they kind of fade into the background and are some adult contemporary beige sort of thing that just doesn’t stick out. That is just the absolutely perfect description for some of these songs! ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2021, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/50-one-hit-wonders-of-the-80s-fixed/930849/31 "2021-01-19T16:39:31Z")
The only reason I know “Japanese Boy” is because it was on the sound track to the video game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. I cannot recall hearing that song in the 80s at all. I knew the vast majority of songs on the list, there were five or so that I can’t recall ever hearing. I didn’t know Patrick Swayze had a song. ---
**Author:** ![Ponch8](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponch8/32/9883_2.png) [@Ponch8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponch8)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2021, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/50-one-hit-wonders-of-the-80s-fixed/930849/32 "2021-01-19T17:00:46Z")
I’m surprised how few people know Patrick Swayze’s “She’s Like the Wind.” It was all over top 40 radio at the time, and I still hear it occasionally. ---
**Author:** ![Rebo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rebo/32/13005_2.png) [@Rebo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rebo)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2021, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/50-one-hit-wonders-of-the-80s-fixed/930849/33 "2021-01-19T17:05:48Z")
It was in the movie Dirty Dancing! I just didn’t know Patrick Swayze sang it. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2021, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/50-one-hit-wonders-of-the-80s-fixed/930849/34 "2021-01-19T17:18:51Z")
34/50. I was in high school and college during the '80s, listened to the radio a lot, and was a DJ at my college radio station. Most, if not all, of the ones I didn’t recognize are the ones that apparently didn’t chart, and thus didn’t get much airplay, here in the U.S. And, yes, I definitely remember “She’s Like the Wind.” 😃 ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2021, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/50-one-hit-wonders-of-the-80s-fixed/930849/35 "2021-01-19T18:36:02Z")
> [@Odesio](#): > > The only reason I know “Japanese Boy” is because it was on the sound track to the video game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. I cannot recall hearing that song in the 80s at all. I had the identical reaction with “Last Night A DJ Saved My Life”. I know “Japanese Boy” from the Mini-Pops. ---
**Author:** ![Tabco](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tabco/32/7644_2.png) [@Tabco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tabco)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2021, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/50-one-hit-wonders-of-the-80s-fixed/930849/36 "2021-01-19T20:05:48Z")
Born in '84, I recognized 12 of these songs. Some I was surprised to learn were from the 80s. I feel like I’ve _heard of_ the song _Turning Japanese_ but I definitely didn’t recognize the melody. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2021, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/50-one-hit-wonders-of-the-80s-fixed/930849/37 "2021-01-19T20:22:43Z")
1. Thought I would know more. ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2021, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/50-one-hit-wonders-of-the-80s-fixed/930849/38 "2021-01-19T20:43:05Z")
I recognized about 40 of them, as in “this is a familiar song” but I couldn’t tell you the artist. I “knew” as in knew the name of the song and artist about 10. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2021, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/50-one-hit-wonders-of-the-80s-fixed/930849/39 "2021-01-19T21:33:01Z")
> [@Kamino\_Neko](#): > > But were Berlin really a one-hit-wonder? I remember them having a few big ones other than Take My Breath Away… “One-Hit” is being defined very unevenly as you can see in the descriptions. Berlin only had one US Billboard #1, however they had something like 4 top 100 songs which remain in rotation in various radio formats. I hear Berlin songs all the time flipping around Sirius. My definition of “one-hit wonder” is way more restrictive. Like literally only a single song ever got significant radio play. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2021, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/50-one-hit-wonders-of-the-80s-fixed/930849/40 "2021-01-19T22:59:44Z")
> [@Tamerlane](#): > > “One-Hit” is being defined very unevenly as you can see in the descriptions. Berlin only had one US Billboard #1, however they had something like 4 top 100 songs which remain in rotation in various radio formats. I hear Berlin songs all the time flipping around Sirius. In fact, they had [seven top 100 songs in the U.S.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berlin_discography#Singles), and two in the top 40 (the other song being “No More Words”). Definitely not a one-hit wonder. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/50-one-hit-wonders-of-the-80s-fixed/930849.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/50-one-hit-wonders-of-the-80s-fixed/930849.md?page=3)