Why does "One Night in Bangkok" by Murray Head from Chess never get the respect it deserves? That song is massively awesome! I would have had that in the top 5 personally.
@@zejoaoparis if you actually watched the video, Rick (and many commenters) acknowledged some of the artists had hits in other countries, Ricks lists focus on hits in the US, so my selection is still valid.
In America, Murray Head actually had 2 hits on the Hot 100: "Superstar", from Jesus Christ Superstar, and "One Night In Bangkok", from Chess. "Superstar" charted twice, in 2 different years, so if you want to say he had 3 hits, that's reasonable. But you're right, "One Night In Bangkok" is a fantastic song, and generally doesn't get the respect (or airplay) it deserves today!
There are a number of songs on this list that were possibly one hit wonders in the US, but in other counties there were follow up hits. A-ha had several hits in many countries. A great list with memories for all the songs. One you missed was "99 Red Balloons", both German and English versions
A good example, to support your observation, is A-ha. By no means a one hit wonder in Europe, the band had a hit with 'Cry Wolf', possibly their biggest in Europe.
Hard to believe that freshman year at university began over 40 years ago - I remember dancing to almost everyone of these songs - they make my heart glad and my feet move! Thank you!
One note about A-Ha. I live in Brazil. Here, they definitely were NOT a one hit wonder. They were a HUGE success! Several tracks on radio. Songs on TV shows. 200.000 people went to see them on 1991 Rock in Rio. They were more famous here than in their native Norway!
"Rockwell" is actually Kennedy Gordy, the son of Motown Records' founder Berry Gordy. Legend has it that Rockwell released this song without his father knowing it was actually him. I used to work as strategic marketing manager for EMI and PolyGram and included ""Somebody's Watching Me" and "Knife" in several compilations here in Argentina. Cheers, Rick! Your work is amazing, by the way.
ABC - Poison Arrow, Golden Earring - Twilight Zone, MARRS - Pump up the Volume, Yello - Oh Yea I was in high school in the 80s. Mix tapes were a full time pursuit. 😊
That song was YEARS in the making. It went through multiple iterations before they finally got it right and it caught fire. The video definitely helped.
Fahrenheit’s “Fool in Love” if you were young in the 80’s you will recognize this instantly, a song everyone seems to have forgotten. The warmth of Charlie’s voice is amazing! I love subtle sax would appreciate Ricks take on this seemingly simple song.
Other honourable mentions are; Yello - Oh Yeah, Berlin - Take my Breath Away, Ray Parker Junior - Ghostbusters, Harold Faltermeyer - Axel F, Jan Hammer - Crockett's Theme, Enya - Orinocco Flow (Sail Away), Nena - 99 Red Ballons and Men At work - Down Under
I was in Germany few years ago sitting in the evening in this crowded pub in business trip and this song played in German (it's originally Germen song) and no one reacted until it goes to the 4,3,2,1 earth below us drifting ... in German ... and the whole pub singing along shouting like someone signaled them . I was mesmerized. wow. Little frightening when German crowed shouts sentences synchronized in Jewish ears .
Level 42’s “Something About You”, never got tired of that. Just listened to it for the first time in 15 years and still sound great; tight vocals, tasty guitar, great romantic hook.
Me neither. I always crank it up when SXM's First Wave plays it. Candidly I'm surprised at how high it got on the Billboard Hot 100 (#7). I don't remember hearing it anywhere other than KROQ (alt-80s for those not in the LA California area).
@@Jouke-Janhottenga In Europe it was definitely more famous but not in English speaking countries (UK, USA, Canada, etc) because it was a German song. Jeanny is the only song I own of Falco on a maxi-single. So the extended version on an LP sized single.
@@vvaltierra5556 Not really. While Rock me Amadeus reached number 4 in dance club charts,, Der Komissar reached 10 but stayed 5 weeks longer in those charts. So the difference isn't that big.
In Britain, Madness wasn't a one-hit band, having a string of several great songs that just didn't make much noise this side of the pond. And among them was my favorite Madness song, "It Must Be Love," and it's SORELY underrated. ❤️
Now that I think about it, for me, "Life in a Northern Town" by Dream Academy 1985 belongs somewhere on the list, too. At least as an honorable mention.
I'm British and was thinking the same the BUGLES 🤔 TREVOR HORN A PRODUCER AND SINGER IN THE PROG BAND YES AND THE SAME BAND LATER HAD GEOFF DOWNS FROM THE BUGLES IN ANOTHER VERSION OF YES I could go on .😁 Nice one Rick
Madness were playing outside my living room window just a few weeks ago on a boiling hot summers day. I didn’t think I liked them but they were incredible.
Agreed… Madness are legends… STILL! The first band I ever got in to in 1979, and still remain my favourite band of all time. Dexys are another - Come On Eileen was No 1 in September ‘82 when I started secondary school (High School). I get it though, Rick’s perspective is US not UK. I thought No 1 was going to be Simple Minds - Don’t You Forget About Me. Again, not one hit wonders in the UK. Good list though.
I have to agree. But otherwise, TalkTalk was mostly Rock. All you wanna do is talk talk. The dum dum girl. It's My Life was an anomaly for them. But Awesome in the original meaning of the word.
Omg this past two months Talking in your sleep had resurfaced bcuz of the new fnaf movie,but I knew it before then a while ago,and Kajagoogoo are in my heart forever,same is Duran Duran,A-ha and Japan😂😂❣️❣️
She Blinded Me With Science, 1982, Thomas Dolby is the early hit from this career musician, university lecturer and musical innovator. This early days MTV video is legend !
My only problem with A-ha is that it was not a one-hit-wonder. They also made many other good hits like "Hunting High and Low", "The Sun Always Shines on TV", and "Stay on These Roads".
Not to mention "The Living Daylights" from the James Bond movie. Scoundrel Days is a fantastic work as well. And the fact that A-Ha has two Guiness World Records for largest concert audience ever with 198,000 in Rio, and Morten Harket (lead singer) has the world record for longest-held vocal note (in a UK Hit single) at 20.2 seconds.
There are even a few other bands in the list that had more than just one hit. But calling A-ha for a one hit wonder is absolutely ridiculous, they were a hit factory in the 80s.
The original was played in the Northern Soul clubs in UK during the 70s, along with a lot of other lesser known songs which were later covered by artists influenced by the British club scene.
“The Friends of Mr Cairo” made it to number one in Canada. Vangelis had other hit songs in the US though, like Chariots of Fire. So not a one hit wonder.
A few more: "Der Kommissar" by After the Fire, "Turning Japanese" by The Vapors, "Oh Yeah" by Yello (featured in the movie "Ferris Bueller's Day Off"), "Relax (Don't Do It)" by Frankie Goes To Hollywood, and "The Captain of Her Heart" from the album "Blue" by Double, which was issued (in the US, at least) on translucent blue vinyl.
I agree wholeheartedly! A list of twenty just starts to scratch the surface. How about "Cars" by Gary Numan, ""Always Something There To Remind Me" by Naked Eyes, "Suddenly Last Summer" by The Motels, "Square Pegs" by The Waitresses or "Voices" by Russ Ballard. Those are just a few songs that came to mind while listening to Rick's list.
OMG, Tommy Tutone played at our graduation party @ Disneyland back in the day.... this was Awesome... him and a BUNCH of others. Will never forget that.. like 9pm (closing) till sunrise for the high school grads. A real blast..Had the park to ourselves
The fact that me and my friends who were born in the 2000s know most of these songs and love them, shows you how amazing and timeless music from the 80s are. I feel like a lot of today’s songs will be forgotten in 5-10 years.
Naw, I doubt it. These songs will be around for a long time. It’s been over 20 years for some and they are still lingering. As long as Generation X is still alive, the songs will be too.
Rick was right to put the songs where he did. . . mostly. "Missing You" was a huge hit, but I truly thought "Bette Davis Eyes" should have been higher~it was a staple on MTV.
Love your list!!! A couple missing: Rock Me Amadeus by Falco and One Night in Bangkok by Murray Head. So glad you mentioned Voices Carry and had Safety Dance, I Ran, Come on Eileen and Our House on your list - growing up in the 80’s (age 10-19) I can attest to the popularity of some of these classic one-hit wonders!
I really love Rick's list of 80's one hit wonders. I would have chosen the same songs. These songs were even more unforgettable because MTV (new at the time) had the corresponding videos in constant rotation. And then VH1 followed their lead shortly thereafter.
They had two hits, if I’m not mistaken. Btw, Aimee Mann, the driving force of the band, did the soundtrack for the movie “Magnolia”. She CRUSHED it on that soundtrack!
@@tomdennis2019 They were the definition of a one hit wonder type of group though. Not alot of lasting power out of that era....like many groups of the time. An Alt-Country group called Futurebirds does a fantastic cover of Voices Carry. Check it out.
I knew you were about to play A Flock of Seagulls because I saw them on that tour as well. This was a perfect opportunity to mention that guys haircut too. OMG I forgot The Fixx were on that tour as well of course, until you mentioned them. Of course,The Police were awesome.
Sensational list with very strong songs. The 80s were rich in talented one-hit wonders. I'm glad to see that Rick isn't fanatical about the definition and included some artist who might have had a minor chat hit So often - including rick's 70s edition, people would suggest a song and others jump in to mention another song that charted at #24. Not everyone is a walking compendium of the Top 100 of every decade. I'm glad to see the 80s audience seems to be more cool about this.
A-ha didn't just have a one hit wonder. They have sold over 55 mill. albums and 70 mill. singles. They had the title song in James Bond Living Daylights and they have a Guinness World Record from 1991 for drawing the largest paying audience at a pop concert, with 198,000 people at the Estádio do Maracanã stadium in Rio de Janeiro. Just sayin....
I listened to the Hunting High and Low album hundreds and hundreds of times. I never thought of them as one hit wonders either. Rick wasn’t into new wave bands like Aha when he was growing up. So, bands that were one hit wonders to him were multifaceted bands to us teenagers in the 80’s. I still love Rick’s videos though.
@@brettvictory4606it all depends what a "one hit Wonder" actually means. People often take it as an insult- like the band is mediocre and uninteresting in general but they lucked out with that one song. In reality there's usually plenty of factors that decide if someone's music becomes wildly popular or not. And it's not that it's bad, often quite the opposite- it might be too sophisticated or just not mainstream enough to chart. There's tons of phenomenal artists who remain "zero hit Wonders". So these bands that Rick mentioned may be huge in some places (here in Europe A-Ha is certainly well known) but still be technically "one hit Wonders" elsewhere. I think "Take on me" was their only song that ranked on US Charts.
@@seanswinton6242 they had a few more albums. But none did as well as their debut, which had a few top ten hits in the uk. There is a 4 cd anthology on cd from Virgin records I think, it might be on Spotify.
Ladies and Gentleman, Boys and girls, Pop goes the world by Men without hats... HUGE HIT!! Men without hats are NOT a 1 hit wonder. Don't forget Sideways. Great song by them also. Safety dance is not their only hit.
Definitely! My teenage boys hated that I played that song all the time. Then I showed them the video... They were blown away! Rick, you should do a video on videos that were just as good if not better than the accompaning songs.
I kinda think "Walking on Sunshine" needs to be ranked much higher - the broad appeal that song has is incredible. .it still sounds fresh, cheerful, and brings me joy to this day
I was surprised In a Big Country by Big Country wasn’t on the list. To this day I crank it up full blast when I’m lucky enough to hear it on the radio. Such a great song.
I'd echo that. That song has so many layers. Every time I listen to it I hear something else hiding in the background adding to the mix. It is an amazing production and such a great song.
Indeed, and House of Fun was a bigger hit than Our House, too!! Madness share the record with UB40 of the most number of weeks spent in the UK Charts during the 80s. Must be Rick's chart of US 1 Hit Wonders (I'm sure a couple from this list weren't even hits in the UK).
yeah, it's US centric. Bow wow wow and Kajagoogoo had more hits in the UK too (obviously nowhere near Madness). Amazingly, they don't know who The Jam are here, or Paul Weller as a solo artist.
Flock of Seagull - other hits include “Wishing”& “Space Age Love Song” (Jennifer Connelly skating in “Career Opportunities” uses that song.) And “The More You Live, The More You Love”
A "What Makes This Song Great" on Voices Carry would be stellar!! As would an interview with Aimee Mann and a look into any of her solo stuff. She is brilliant!!
if I had undedrstood what she was singing I would have loved that song.. loved the sound of it but never really heard the words of the chorus back then getting just pieces of it on radio. Never knew the title. I thought it went "hush hush" and then something was "scary". Just looked up the lyrics.. brilliant!
Some omissions that I thought would be here: Never Gonna Give You Up by Rick Astley Maniac by Michael Sembello Don’t You Forget About Me by Simple Minds Electric Avenue by Eddy Grant
This song definitely tops my one hit wonder list (even though they had some minor success with “Understanding Jane” off the follow-up album). I can’t for the life of me figure out how Icicle Works wasn’t a much bigger band.
A-ha may be a one hit wonder in the US, but they where huge in Europe, Asia and South America. They hold a Guinness World Record from 1991 for drawing the largest paying audience at a pop concert, with 198,000 people at the Estádio do Maracanã stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. They have also sold more than 100 million units, albums and singles combined.
Opus “Live is Life,” Huge high school song. Sly Fox “Let’s Go All the Way.” Stacey Q “Two of Hearts,” Don Johnson Heartbeat. Nu Shooz had 2 in 1986 so no OHW but rarely remembered.
Very pleased with your number one. I think it was one of the first videos I watched on MTV. It is one of my favorites. I listen to the radio a lot, and I used to have an appreciation for a broad variety of genres. (Don't ask.) However, I've gotten old and grumpy. But some of these songs I haven't heard, at least enough times to remember. I do enjoy hearing them though.
he was also fired just before the song went huge. probably why i don't know of any other song by them. Limahl had a great unique voice, wish they kept him.
OMG man you bring so many memories back to me. Young people these days have no clue how great life was in the 80's and how FREE you where then compared to now.
This is another case of "one-hit wonder" being defined as one hit in the U.S., and disregarding the rest of the world. Red Rider (later Tom Cochrane and Red Rider) were huge up here in their home country of Canada, and still are to this day. Regardless, 1981's "Lunatic Fringe" wasn't even their highest charting single in the U.S. (at #11). In 1988, "Big League" peaked at #9.
I wish A-ha had more of their songs played on US airwaves. Such gorgeous lyrics and beautiful, soulful, passionate melodies. Morten's voice touches the soul so deeply..makes you remember what it is to feel alive and human💜 So many of their songs make me cry because they are so exquisite. This band is truly a gift to the world 💜
Yes, a-ha may be considered a 1-hit band in the US, but they've sold over 100 million records and have so many great songs, I believe they transcend this category.
0:32 - #20 Video Killed the Radio Star 0:52 - #19 I Want Candy 1:20 - #18 Don’t Wanna Fall in Love 2:08 - #17 Let’s Hear It for the Boy 2:40 - #16 Funky Town 3:18 - #15 Too Shy 3:49 - #14 Somebody’s Watching Me 4:17 - #13 Bette Davis Eyes 4:43 - #12 Safety Dance 5:22 - #11 Walking on Sunshine 6:01 - #10 You Spin Me Round (Like a Record) 6:43 - #9 Tainted Love 7:21 - #8 867-5309/Jenny 7:55 - #7 Missing You 8:35 - #6 Whip It 9:18 - #5 I Melt with You 10:07 - #4 I Ran (So Far Away) 10:43 - #3 Our House 11:14 - #2 Come On Eileen 11:55 - Honorable Mention: Voices Carry 12:52 - #1 Take On Me
Pretty good list! 19 and 15 are such nothing songs. But I guess it's all about what you were doing at the time when you heard them. And 11 has reached it's quota for eternity, please do not consider for your movie soundtrack nor your prescription strength antacid commercial. Which reminds me, why did Nexium choose "we're not gonna take it" by the Who (yes, the Who) instead of Purple Haze? What a whiff!
I'm sure a lot of people view him as a one hit wonder. However, he had a huge disco hit with "Instant Replay" as well as the classic rock staple "Free Ride" that he wrote and sang with The Edgar Winter Group. Dan also hit the charts as a producer as well with "Living in America" for James Brown and "The Best" with Tina Turner. Dan Hartman was a brilliant singer, songwriter, and producer.
Why does "One Night in Bangkok" by Murray Head from Chess never get the respect it deserves? That song is massively awesome! I would have had that in the top 5 personally.
probably because Murray Head had another hit, at least here in Europe, with Say it ain't so... so it's not a one-hit wonder ! ;)
@@zejoaoparis if you actually watched the video, Rick (and many commenters) acknowledged some of the artists had hits in other countries, Ricks lists focus on hits in the US, so my selection is still valid.
Because the music was written by Benny Andersson of ABBA (Hits are us.)
@@zejoaoparis He had a song from Jesus Christ Superstar
In America, Murray Head actually had 2 hits on the Hot 100: "Superstar", from Jesus Christ Superstar, and "One Night In Bangkok", from Chess. "Superstar" charted twice, in 2 different years, so if you want to say he had 3 hits, that's reasonable. But you're right, "One Night In Bangkok" is a fantastic song, and generally doesn't get the respect (or airplay) it deserves today!
There are a number of songs on this list that were possibly one hit wonders in the US, but in other counties there were follow up hits. A-ha had several hits in many countries. A great list with memories for all the songs. One you missed was "99 Red Balloons", both German and English versions
A good example, to support your observation, is A-ha. By no means a one hit wonder in Europe, the band had a hit with 'Cry Wolf', possibly their biggest in Europe.
99 Red Balloons by Nena was not a one hit wonder in europe
Indeed... Madness have enough hits here in the UK for a several Greatest Hits albums. Nonetheless, some great music.
@@AndyMarsh For sure. Practically all their output on TwoTone Records charted successfully.
AGREE!
Hard to believe that freshman year at university began over 40 years ago - I remember dancing to almost everyone of these songs - they make my heart glad and my feet move! Thank you!
I’m turning 64 on the 31st March and thank you for taking me back to my 20’s and feeling young again 🥰 Northern Ireland in the room lol
Amanda, I’m 60and all these songs were played on the radio and in clubs. I loved the 80’s. Seems like yesterday when I hear these songs!
@@ToddBrockman-wr2ds 62 here in Texas, these were some fantastic songs from a wonderful era!
Wishing you Happy Birthday !! Have a fabulous day !!! 🎉🎂
Happy birthday to you! Hip Hip Hooorayyy! I'm 33 and I would gladly sit with you and listen to your stories about the concerts you've been to!
I'm the same age - isn't it great to have the 80's be our 20's?!
About a week ago, I heard Eddy Grant’s “Electric Avenue,” and as I cranked it up in the car, I couldn’t help but marvel at how great it still sounds.
That's a great one!
That song, technically and sonically, is so good. A form of perfection
That should have been on there
It really is a great song, the full package
Definitely, that shoulda been on here.
One note about A-Ha. I live in Brazil. Here, they definitely were NOT a one hit wonder. They were a HUGE success! Several tracks on radio. Songs on TV shows. 200.000 people went to see them on 1991 Rock in Rio. They were more famous here than in their native Norway!
But a 1 hit wonder in America.
@@delyates2509That speaks volumes about Americans and their lack of taste in music.
Fun fact ;
My great aunt was a great fan of A-HA.
She was in her mid 90's !
👵👍📺
Love from Norway 🇧🇻
I grew up on classical music. When I discovered A-Ha (beyond "Take on Me, which at least sounded familiar), I was totally captivated.
@@delyates2509They had two songs that reached the top 40
"Rockwell" is actually Kennedy Gordy, the son of Motown Records' founder Berry Gordy. Legend has it that Rockwell released this song without his father knowing it was actually him. I used to work as strategic marketing manager for EMI and PolyGram and included ""Somebody's Watching Me" and "Knife" in several compilations here in Argentina. Cheers, Rick! Your work is amazing, by the way.
What I heard is that he took the name of Rockwell to not use if father's famous name, and try to make it on his own :)
I have played Voices Carry so many times. I used to run with heading in the 80’s. Love it.
Never heard it eh thought that was weird… English born 79 Australian raised … only one I didn’t know..
Amiee Mann is from my home Commonwealth Capital of Richmond Virginia great Voice
Love that song
@@shaunjones6343stunning voice❤
Der Kommisar is such a heavily underrated song of the 80s. I wish it was represented more
That's a two-hit wonder ... because two artists had hits with the same song! 😀
Falco also had rock me amadeus
Yeah, I guess if you went with the After The Fire version, which was also pretty big in the US...
Sucks.
@@ric8248 not in the US lol
Don’t forget “ I just died in your arms tonight “ by the Cutting Crew. #1 in Spring of 1987.
They weren't a one hit wonder "I've been in love before "
@@michaelrawson6261 Neither is JOHN WAITE!
@@michaelrawson6261 Neither were The Buggles (who also released "On TV") or Madness (also released "One Step Beyond")
@@michaelrawson6261 One For The Mocking Bird as well
Just as much one hit wonders as A-ha
First time watching this guy but this list was fire and I'm feeling the way he admires the music. Respect.
Check out his guitar solo videos. The dude is a serious player.
ABC - Poison Arrow, Golden Earring - Twilight Zone, MARRS - Pump up the Volume, Yello - Oh Yea
I was in high school in the 80s. Mix tapes were a full time pursuit. 😊
great choices !!!! Billy Thorpe - Children of the Sun LOL... not sure of the year though....
We could go on and on haha... Cheers !!!!
Golden Earring, not Golden Arrow
@@matthewmolkentin6230 you are correct. Auto correct must have got me. Fixed it.
ABC one of my favorite groups but they have way too many hits, even though he just did a bunch of groups that definitely have more than one hit.
A-Ha Take On Me got a huge boost in popularity because the accompanying video was so indescribably cool!
That song was YEARS in the making. It went through multiple iterations before they finally got it right and it caught fire. The video definitely helped.
I first saw that video before a showing of Back to the Future. Totally blew me away. Still does. One of the greatest of the 80’s.
It gets played as a sing along at about every NHLgame these days
It’s a great song but I loved The Sun Aways Shines on TV even more.
Yeah, that video is amazing. Brilliant concept, unique look....one of the best music videos of all time. 👍
Two one hit wonders from the 1980s for me would be Turning Japanese, by The Vapours, and Mexican Radio, by Wall Of Voodoo. Cheers!
our punk band in the early 2000’s won a battle of the bands in Deep Ellum in Dallas covering Turning Japanese; fun tune
Good call.
Great picks! Well done
You win win! Both great songs!! Both on my spotify playlist.
Yes! Great calls.
Fahrenheit’s “Fool in Love” if you were young in the 80’s you will recognize this instantly, a song everyone seems to have forgotten. The warmth of Charlie’s voice is amazing! I love subtle sax would appreciate Ricks take on this seemingly simple song.
Other honourable mentions are; Yello - Oh Yeah, Berlin - Take my Breath Away, Ray Parker Junior - Ghostbusters, Harold Faltermeyer - Axel F, Jan Hammer - Crockett's Theme, Enya - Orinocco Flow (Sail Away), Nena - 99 Red Ballons and Men At work - Down Under
Berlin had several other hits: The Metro, No More Words, Sex…
Men at work had a few hits: who can it be now, it's a mistake
@@louisrousseau1006 Overkill
Berlin also had more than one song They did a tune called "No More Words" in 1984
Ray Parker Jr. also did a song called The Other Woman" in 1980
I would definitely put Major Tom (Coming Home) by Peter Schilling on here. That’s a GREAT song with a GREAT chorus.
That's a great song
I wanted to post that one as well.
Totally agree
I was in Germany few years ago sitting in the evening in this crowded pub in business trip and this song played in German (it's originally Germen song) and no one reacted until it goes to the 4,3,2,1 earth below us drifting ... in German ... and the whole pub singing along shouting like someone signaled them . I was mesmerized. wow. Little frightening when German crowed shouts sentences synchronized in Jewish ears .
Definitely a great tune that belongs on an 80s greatest hit, whether it was a one hitter or not.👍👍👍
Level 42’s “Something About You”, never got tired of that. Just listened to it for the first time in 15 years and still sound great; tight vocals, tasty guitar, great romantic hook.
So was their other big hit, "Lessons In Love".
Me neither. I always crank it up when SXM's First Wave plays it.
Candidly I'm surprised at how high it got on the Billboard Hot 100 (#7). I don't remember hearing it anywhere other than KROQ (alt-80s for those not in the LA California area).
been listening to this song a lot lately. agree!
Mark King is an amazing bassist , but they aren’t on the list because they had several big hits, I love level 42!
Not a one hit wonder though. Level 42 had several!
CUTTING CREW one of the most underrated groups...
JOHN PARR one of the most underrated single artist..❤
Falco - Rock Me Amadeus was definitely internationally a 'one hit wonder'.
Nope he also did Jeanny - a haunting song with nasty theme which I think in Europe was even more famous.
@@Jouke-Janhottenga In Europe it was definitely more famous but not in English speaking countries (UK, USA, Canada, etc) because it was a German song.
Jeanny is the only song I own of Falco on a maxi-single. So the extended version on an LP sized single.
"Der Komissar" was actually also very popular and played in clubs all over the world, even in the US.
@@ppdanbut so far from the popularity of Amadeus…
@@vvaltierra5556 Not really. While Rock me Amadeus reached number 4 in dance club charts,, Der Komissar reached 10 but stayed 5 weeks longer in those charts. So the difference isn't that big.
In Britain, Madness wasn't a one-hit band, having a string of several great songs that just didn't make much noise this side of the pond. And among them was my favorite Madness song, "It Must Be Love," and it's SORELY underrated. ❤️
In Australia 'It Must Be Love' and 'House of Fun' were bigger hits than 'Our house'
Big Tune !
Maybe so but he's talking about US radio.
In the netherlands they had like 6 hits. One step beyond, our house, house of fun, my girl are all well known
Baggy trousers! Such a fun song 😁
Now that I think about it, for me, "Life in a Northern Town" by Dream Academy 1985 belongs somewhere on the list, too. At least as an honorable mention.
Good one dude
I just came to the comments section to mention that one. Fantastic song and the only hit I know from Dream Academy.
Yes. When its hot outside this song can give the cool breezes. Just listen to it.
@@r37464 For me it's more like a cold wind. I can feel the biting chill.
💯% and it was produced by David Gilmour if I recall correctly.
Relax by Frankie Goes To Hollywood is an egregious oversight.
because they were no1 with 2 tribes also
Tainted Love was an awesome song ❤❤
Maybe it's songs and bands that were one hit wonders over there Rick, but in the UK, Madness, Dexy's, Aha and others had shedloads of other top hits.
Agree, Aha was not one hit wonders in the 80`s
I'm British and was thinking the same the BUGLES 🤔 TREVOR HORN A PRODUCER AND SINGER IN THE PROG BAND YES AND THE SAME BAND LATER HAD GEOFF DOWNS FROM THE BUGLES IN ANOTHER VERSION OF YES I could go on .😁 Nice one Rick
Madness were playing outside my living room window just a few weeks ago on a boiling hot summers day. I didn’t think I liked them but they were incredible.
100% agree
Agreed… Madness are legends… STILL! The first band I ever got in to in 1979, and still remain my favourite band of all time. Dexys are another - Come On Eileen was No 1 in September ‘82 when I started secondary school (High School). I get it though, Rick’s perspective is US not UK. I thought No 1 was going to be Simple Minds - Don’t You Forget About Me. Again, not one hit wonders in the UK. Good list though.
My favorite from the 80’s was “It’s my life” from Talk Talk. Gorgeous melody and great bass line!
Genius band, quality track...but surely not a one-hit wonder? 'Life's what you Make It' was a bigger hit across the world?
No Doubt did a great cover, I don't know which version I prefer these days
I always preferred the single from their name: Talk Talk, I loved the voice echoes
I have to agree. But otherwise, TalkTalk was mostly Rock. All you wanna do is talk talk. The dum dum girl. It's My Life was an anomaly for them. But Awesome in the original meaning of the word.
It's my life...(and hopefully) it never ends! Also, their song Today is my fav
Haha "VOICES CARRY..." and this whole time I've been singing 'THIS IS SCARY..." lolzzz
Q-Tips…check into them.
🤣
I love Kajagoogoo and Soft Cell! I love the songs in the first half of the 80s!!
How about "Talking in Your Sleep" by Romantics?
Omg this past two months Talking in your sleep had resurfaced bcuz of the new fnaf movie,but I knew it before then a while ago,and Kajagoogoo are in my heart forever,same is Duran Duran,A-ha and Japan😂😂❣️❣️
Romantics weren't a one-hit wonder. What I Like About You was an even bigger hit than Talking in Your Sleep
I freakin LOVE that song. What is it about that guitar part? I can’t get enough of it.
He didn't really do his homework.
Kajagoogoo had the follow-up hit song, "Hang on Now".
She Blinded Me With Science, 1982, Thomas Dolby is the early hit from this career musician, university lecturer and musical innovator. This early days MTV video is legend !
Airwaves is his best imo.
I thought of that one immediately!
"One of Our Submarines" was haunting.
My favourite Dolby song is “The Key To Her Ferrari “
Roger that!
Always loved those synth drums in "Tarzan Boy" by Baltimora.
If only we could remove its association with that toothpaste commercial...
It was mouthwash actually, listerine.
Excellent #1 pick!
Loved Voices Carry, and then Aimee Mann has written and produced so many other great tracks. Love her.
My only problem with A-ha is that it was not a one-hit-wonder. They also made many other good hits like "Hunting High and Low", "The Sun Always Shines on TV", and "Stay on These Roads".
Not to mention "The Living Daylights" from the James Bond movie. Scoundrel Days is a fantastic work as well.
And the fact that A-Ha has two Guiness World Records for largest concert audience ever with 198,000 in Rio, and Morten Harket (lead singer) has the world record for longest-held vocal note (in a UK Hit single) at 20.2 seconds.
@@ATrainGames Longer than what's his name from Iron Maiden? LOW>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
early morning!
There are even a few other bands in the list that had more than just one hit. But calling A-ha for a one hit wonder is absolutely ridiculous, they were a hit factory in the 80s.
It's the only song from Aha that we knew haha
Nu Shooz' "I Can't Wait" and Robbie Nevil's "Cest La Vie" should be contenders. The production on Nu Shooz is benchmark status worthy.
Damn... Nu Shooz. Good call!
YES. Imo remove "Walking On Sunshine," replace with "I Can't Wait."
Yes, that synth sound from Nu Shooz was huge. Similar to T'Pau's "Heart and Soul".
@@seanswinton6242 not to mention that delicious muted guitar lick
If my band had keyboard we would totally be doing I Can’t Wait.
Men Without Hats also had Pop Goes the World in ‘87 or ‘88 which was also a pretty big hit. Great list! Took me back to my childhood.
Exactly! Rick I have no idea what you were thinking adding Men without hats to the list! They have at least two hits, possibly more...
Moonbeam too but then you have to be Canadian to know these 2 songs
Take On Me by A-Ha is not only my favorite song from the 80s, but I'll also argue it was the greatest music video from the 80s as well!
Probably the best music video of all time. I watched a lot of MTV back in the day and I cannot name anything that comes close.
I have a-ha as number 2, only behind Thriller in best music video.
A lot of people don’t realize Tainted Love was covered by Soft Cell, it was recorded by Gloria Jones in the 60’s.
The original was played in the Northern Soul clubs in UK during the 70s, along with a lot of other lesser known songs which were later covered by artists influenced by the British club scene.
The same Gloria Jones that was driving the Mini that crashed into a tree killing Marc Bolan in London in '77.
"I want candy" also a cover. so is "hard to handle".....black crows.
@@nifo63 marc bolan of T-rex ? I did not know that. ,, thought he died of a drug o d..,,
@@johnmurray1519 Nope - his "greatest hit" was an oak tree on Barnes Common in south west London!
Electric Avenue by Eddie Grant!!!!
Still one of the coolest funk/reggae songs 30 years later.
Good choice!
The Hooters - All the Zombies
100% agree. 👍
Yes! And "Pass the Dutchie" by Musical Youth! I love every second of both songs!
Eddie had a second song make the charts ( and other success ). Good callback.
☺
Forget the songs, I could watch Rick all day bopping along as he reacts to these cool tunes! Gotta love the right finger wag too 🎶
So nostalgic for 80's😢
So blessed to be a teenager in this era.
Facts. Me too.
YES
Beta male music. Crappy keyboards no guitar. From Zeppelin and Black Sabbath in the 70s to this trash was death to my soul in the 80s
Kinda funny that as someone born in 2005 I know almost all of these....
@@AmosDohms You have great taste in music.
Great list Rick!
Maybe add “99 red balloons” and “putting on the ritz”
“The Friends of Mr Cairo” comes to mind also. 😀
Der Kommissar, much?
Anyone? 🤷🏻♂️
“The Friends of Mr Cairo” made it to number one in Canada. Vangelis had other hit songs in the US though, like Chariots of Fire. So not a one hit wonder.
99 Red Balloons is a good one to add.
@@johnstrange6799 - Murray Head's first hit was "Superstar", from Jesus Christ Superstar. Falco hit the top 40 again (#18) with "Vienna Calling".
@@38bass Except Rock Me Amadeus went to number one for Falco in 1986.
A few more: "Der Kommissar" by After the Fire, "Turning Japanese" by The Vapors, "Oh Yeah" by Yello (featured in the movie "Ferris Bueller's Day Off"), "Relax (Don't Do It)" by Frankie Goes To Hollywood, and "The Captain of Her Heart" from the album "Blue" by Double, which was issued (in the US, at least) on translucent blue vinyl.
Check out the original version of Der Kommissar by Falco. The video is low budget hilarity!
@@ehav Falco's version is great. I was stationed in Germany. He had alot of hits beside Rock Me Amadeus.
Yes Doublé!!
Yello and Frankie had more hits even Double had another one good u brought Yello and Double both Swiss fine acts
I agree wholeheartedly! A list of twenty just starts to scratch the surface. How about "Cars" by Gary Numan, ""Always Something There To Remind Me" by Naked Eyes, "Suddenly Last Summer" by The Motels, "Square Pegs" by The Waitresses or "Voices" by Russ Ballard. Those are just a few songs that came to mind while listening to Rick's list.
OMG, Tommy Tutone played at our graduation party @ Disneyland back in the day.... this was Awesome... him and a BUNCH of others. Will never forget that.. like 9pm (closing) till sunrise for the high school grads. A real blast..Had the park to ourselves
"Take on Me" by A-Ha is also the greatest music video of all time. It is partly animated. It seemed very cutting edge when it came out in the 80s.
The fact that me and my friends who were born in the 2000s know most of these songs and love them, shows you how amazing and timeless music from the 80s are. I feel like a lot of today’s songs will be forgotten in 5-10 years.
It shows that your parents had cool taste in music 😊
We thought the same about these songs in the 80's. Let's talk again in 30 years. ;-)
@@angelohulshout8696 see you then
Naw, I doubt it. These songs will be around for a long time. It’s been over 20 years for some and they are still lingering. As long as Generation X is still alive, the songs will be too.
Rick was right to put the songs where he did. . . mostly. "Missing You" was a huge hit, but I truly thought "Bette Davis Eyes" should have been higher~it was a staple on MTV.
Love your list!!! A couple missing: Rock Me Amadeus by Falco and One Night in Bangkok by Murray Head. So glad you mentioned Voices Carry and had Safety Dance, I Ran, Come on Eileen and Our House on your list - growing up in the 80’s (age 10-19) I can attest to the popularity of some of these classic one-hit wonders!
Alles klar, Herr Kommisar?
I remember the parody version: Eat Me I'm a Danish.
Rock Me Amadeus. I had that cassette. Loved that song!
Falco had multiple hits in Europe including "Vienna Calling" and "Jeanny." But "One Night in Bangkok" should definitely be on the list.
Not sure Murray Head was a one-hit: Say it Ain’t So got some pretty heavy rotation a few years earlier
In Brazil A-ha was huge and first three albums was a hit on almost it's entire! Cry Wolf, Hunting high and low, crying in the rain etc
Melt With You is one of my favorites of many
80’s were such a creative period, a top 200 wouldn’t be enough.
200 one hit wonders from the '80s? that sounds more challenging than you make out.
Best times of my life. Sadly my youth has passed, but the music takes me back there
I really love Rick's list of 80's one hit wonders. I would have chosen the same songs. These songs were even more unforgettable because MTV (new at the time) had the corresponding videos in constant rotation. And then VH1 followed their lead shortly thereafter.
"Voices Carry" is a once in a generation gem... Well done Rick.
correct, but NOT a one hit wonder
They had two hits, if I’m not mistaken. Btw, Aimee Mann, the driving force of the band, did the soundtrack for the movie “Magnolia”. She CRUSHED it on that soundtrack!
@@tomdennis2019 They were the definition of a one hit wonder type of group though. Not alot of lasting power out of that era....like many groups of the time. An Alt-Country group called Futurebirds does a fantastic cover of Voices Carry. Check it out.
I was waiting, hoping, for that song.
Coming up close was another hit they had
I knew you were about to play A Flock of Seagulls because I saw them on that tour as well. This was a perfect opportunity to mention that guys haircut too. OMG I forgot The Fixx were on that tour as well of course, until you mentioned them. Of course,The Police were awesome.
Sensational list with very strong songs. The 80s were rich in talented one-hit wonders. I'm glad to see that Rick isn't fanatical about the definition and included some artist who might have had a minor chat hit So often - including rick's 70s edition, people would suggest a song and others jump in to mention another song that charted at #24. Not everyone is a walking compendium of the Top 100 of every decade. I'm glad to see the 80s audience seems to be more cool about this.
A-ha didn't just have a one hit wonder. They have sold over 55 mill. albums and 70 mill. singles. They had the title song in James Bond Living Daylights and they have a Guinness World Record from 1991 for drawing the largest paying audience at a pop concert, with 198,000 people at the Estádio do Maracanã stadium in Rio de Janeiro. Just sayin....
still recording and touring
I listened to the Hunting High and Low album hundreds and hundreds of times. I never thought of them as one hit wonders either. Rick wasn’t into new wave bands like Aha when he was growing up. So, bands that were one hit wonders to him were multifaceted bands to us teenagers in the 80’s. I still love Rick’s videos though.
God I love it when a person can support their argument with proven facts, well done!!!...
@@brettvictory4606it all depends what a "one hit Wonder" actually means. People often take it as an insult- like the band is mediocre and uninteresting in general but they lucked out with that one song. In reality there's usually plenty of factors that decide if someone's music becomes wildly popular or not. And it's not that it's bad, often quite the opposite- it might be too sophisticated or just not mainstream enough to chart. There's tons of phenomenal artists who remain "zero hit Wonders". So these bands that Rick mentioned may be huge in some places (here in Europe A-Ha is certainly well known) but still be technically "one hit Wonders" elsewhere. I think "Take on me" was their only song that ranked on US Charts.
@@leno_o17, nope. Sun Always Shines on TV charted...and it's actually a better song.
T’Pau “Heart and Soul” has one of the most catchy hooks of 80’s pop and such a good melodic tempo.
That album is awesome. I always wished they had a follow-up, but I never saw one.
@@seanswinton6242 they had a few more albums. But none did as well as their debut, which had a few top ten hits in the uk. There is a 4 cd anthology on cd from Virgin records I think, it might be on Spotify.
I forgot about that one.
Ladies and Gentleman, Boys and girls, Pop goes the world by Men without hats... HUGE HIT!! Men without hats are NOT a 1 hit wonder. Don't forget Sideways. Great song by them also. Safety dance is not their only hit.
Totally Awesome List...
Take On Me still, after all these years, the best video ever produced.
Yes!!!
Yes, it still looks fresh and innovative
One of my favorite all time songs/videos
Definitely! My teenage boys hated that I played that song all the time. Then I showed them the video... They were blown away! Rick, you should do a video on videos that were just as good if not better than the accompaning songs.
I love the Family Guy take on it too 😆
Aimee Mann of Til Tuesday did the female vocal on Rush’s “Time Stand Still”, one of my favorite Rush songs.
and of course, she's also a hell of a bass player.
That is my favorite Rush song! I had no idea she was the singer on that!!
And she does vocals at the end of Tai Shan on the same album
@@DeniseVioletta She's in the video too! Check it out. Tons of 80s technology! lol
@@morbidmanmusic Agree. Amazing song writing, for example, on the Magnolias sound track.
Please stop calling A-Ha a one hit wonder.They had several hits
I knew every one of these and the artists. I would've included Obsession by Animotion.
The 80s rocked.
I kinda think "Walking on Sunshine" needs to be ranked much higher - the broad appeal that song has is incredible. .it still sounds fresh, cheerful, and brings me joy to this day
“Walking on Sunshine”. . . Always brinks back memories of the Jack Black character in High Fidelity!!!
@@rongarfinkle Exactly
Used profusely on David Letterman's Late Night and Late Show during taped bits.
I was surprised In a Big Country by Big Country wasn’t on the list. To this day I crank it up full blast when I’m lucky enough to hear it on the radio. Such a great song.
Check out MOE's version of In A Big Country, excellent.
Same here.
They had more than one hit (not in the US).
Me too!!!
hell ya
💯 I ❤ all these songs. Takes me back to my happiest time in life ❤
Take Me On not only a great song, but features one of the best and most creative videos....ever! B.Gardner
I would have added The Church’s “Under The Milky Way”. Great production
The Unguarded Moment was great too 🙂
They weren’t a one hit wonder.
It's a great song! I play a version in my gigs
@@distantgalaxymusic1447 neither were a lot of the groups on Rick's list! Haha! So what's the difference? Ed has a good point.
I'd echo that. That song has so many layers. Every time I listen to it I hear something else hiding in the background adding to the mix. It is an amazing production and such a great song.
I wouldn't describe Madness as One Hit Wonders Rick! Here in the UK they were massive in the 80s - one hit after another
It's hard to imagine people thinking Madness are a one hit wonder band especially people that love music like Rick.
They were also very populair in The Netherlands.
Indeed, and House of Fun was a bigger hit than Our House, too!! Madness share the record with UB40 of the most number of weeks spent in the UK Charts during the 80s. Must be Rick's chart of US 1 Hit Wonders (I'm sure a couple from this list weren't even hits in the UK).
yeah, it's US centric. Bow wow wow and Kajagoogoo had more hits in the UK too (obviously nowhere near Madness). Amazingly, they don't know who The Jam are here, or Paul Weller as a solo artist.
@@xXTheoLinuxXx in Argentina too
One thing is sure- you got #1 right, for sure!
Song + video ='d perfection.
Voices Carry should've been #2.
Jane Child, Kim Carnes, Men Without Hats, Soft Cell, John Waite, Devo, Flock of Seagulls, Dexy's Midnight Runners , A-Ha. My Favourites🤘🤘🤘💗💗💗
I'm 68 and the '80's had some of the BEST tunes. Plus, the older we get the more WE appreciate what WE had in music 🇨🇦
We appreciate the 80s more because most music in the 21st bek is drekk.
100%
🇨🇦
Still the best decade for music
For sure
Uh no. Probably my least favorite.
Madness are one-hit wonders? Absolute madness!
Flock of Seagull - other hits include “Wishing”& “Space Age Love Song” (Jennifer Connelly skating in “Career Opportunities” uses that song.) And “The More You Live, The More You Love”
A lot of these artists are not “One Hit Wonders” but it is a good 80s playlist.
Came here to say just this!
Yeah soon as I heard Madness, I thought it WAS madness to include them haha
Yes, Denise Williams is a Major Artist !! but Rick had to add this one for Wifey !!
And Devo?
Yup. Men at Work had several Billboard top 10's. 'Who Can It Be Now' is a great song!
A "What Makes This Song Great" on Voices Carry would be stellar!! As would an interview with Aimee Mann and a look into any of her solo stuff. She is brilliant!!
IMHO What About Love was an even better Til Tuesday song
Austin's Emily Wolfe does a pretty great cover of it, if you're interested.
Until today, I always thought she was saying "this is scary". Now that I know what she's saying I like the song now.
if I had undedrstood what she was singing I would have loved that song.. loved the sound of it but never really heard the words of the chorus back then getting just pieces of it on radio. Never knew the title. I thought it went "hush hush" and then something was "scary". Just looked up the lyrics.. brilliant!
I have listened to her “Bachelor #2” album a billion times, it’s brilliant
Some omissions that I thought would be here:
Never Gonna Give You Up by Rick Astley
Maniac by Michael Sembello
Don’t You Forget About Me by Simple Minds
Electric Avenue by Eddy Grant
Yes! One of my favorites too 👍
I would definitely add “Birds Fly (Whisper to a Scream)” from The Icicle Works. Great list from my teens.
I LOVE Whisper to a Scream and use it as an alarm on my phone
@@BandPotato It’s perfect for that. Possibly the best one hit wonder of all time.
Good call! That was awesome.
This song definitely tops my one hit wonder list (even though they had some minor success with “Understanding Jane” off the follow-up album). I can’t for the life of me figure out how Icicle Works wasn’t a much bigger band.
Yessir, Birds Fly (Whisper to a Scream), such a cool song!
I'm a little surprised Nena's "99 Red Balloons" didn't make your list. It seems like one of the classic pop songs of the decade.
Plus it's still an absolute jam. Catchy as hell.
TRUE!
Whenever I hear that song I think of women with armpit hair.
Ugh! I hated that song lol
Oh yes! That was huge!!
Great list
Hey!!!! A-Ha ??? And what about "Hunting high and low" or "Stay on these roads" ou even "Crying in the rain" ?!
A-ha may be a one hit wonder in the US, but they where huge in Europe, Asia and South America.
They hold a Guinness World Record from 1991 for drawing the largest paying audience at a pop concert, with 198,000 people at the Estádio do Maracanã stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
They have also sold more than 100 million units, albums and singles combined.
I agree. AHA even had the theme song of a James Bond movie, the living daylights. Hardly a one hit wonder in the US either.
A-ha was not a one-hit wonder in the US. Rick is not always accurate in what he says in his videos.
This. Half of those bands were not one hit wonders.
Um and a-ha literally released a new album this month (October 2022)! Check out "True North", just beautiful.
This Rick is clueless. Soft Cell were not a one hit wonder group and as for Madness, I went to a concert a couple of years ago and they STILL TOUR
It's not really a list unless you include Dream Academy's "Life in a Northern Town"...timeless and soothing to this day.
So was their second top 40 hit called "The Love Parade". In other words, they don't qualify.
They qualify if the flock of seagulls does
agree! I was thinking that song belonged on this list for sure.
What a great track that is. It's one of those songs that just instantly takes me back to 1985
or...West End Girls by PSB
Opus “Live is Life,” Huge high school song. Sly Fox “Let’s Go All the Way.” Stacey Q “Two of Hearts,” Don Johnson Heartbeat. Nu Shooz had 2 in 1986 so no OHW but rarely remembered.
Very pleased with your number one. I think it was one of the first videos I watched on MTV. It is one of my favorites.
I listen to the radio a lot, and I used to have an appreciation for a broad variety of genres. (Don't ask.) However, I've gotten old and grumpy. But some of these songs I haven't heard, at least enough times to remember. I do enjoy hearing them though.
I'm not sure I'd include Madness as having a one hit wonder as they had loads of hits in the 80s. Great band!
I'm definitely sure i WOULDN'T put Madness on a one hit wonder-list.
"It must be love", "wings of a dove", "one step beyond"...
same with a-ha
@@michaelc.bergau8043 baggy trousers, driving in my car
House of fun
Kajagoogoo's front man, Limahl, had a massive hit with Neverending Story when he went solo for a while.
That was written by Giorgio Moroder, so technically not his own hit. Same with Take My Breath Away, with Berlin, also written by Giorgio Moroder.
@@soulextracter Most songs are written by other’s and they artist shop to get the hit.
he was also fired just before the song went huge. probably why i don't know of any other song by them. Limahl had a great unique voice, wish they kept him.
I went through a lot of lot ups and does through your list. But you absolutely made the right #1 choice!
OMG man you bring so many memories back to me. Young people these days have no clue how great life was in the 80's and how FREE you where then compared to now.
Lunatic Fringe by Red Rider is one of my favorites from the 80s. It's on the Vision Quest soundtrack.
This is another case of "one-hit wonder" being defined as one hit in the U.S., and disregarding the rest of the world. Red Rider (later Tom Cochrane and Red Rider) were huge up here in their home country of Canada, and still are to this day. Regardless, 1981's "Lunatic Fringe" wasn't even their highest charting single in the U.S. (at #11). In 1988, "Big League" peaked at #9.
Lunatic Fringe was written the night John Lennon was killed.
the Style Council was on that soundtrack. They charted in the US in the high-30s with "My Ever Changing Moods", but it wasn't really a hit.
@@johnpiercy3562 Men Without Hats also fits in that mode...although not nearly as popular as Red Rider they certainly had other hits in Canada.
As Far as Siam is a great album.
99 Luft Balloons was the first song I heard on CD at a Radio Shack demo station. To me it's the number one 80's one-hit wonder.
I was expecting it to be #1 and it wasn't even on this list...I'm amazed at that oversight.
It's a one hit wonder in the US but apparently Nena was and is pretty big in Germany.
It's the first thing I thought of when the "red" Chinese spy balloons were in the news a little while ago.
It's the first song I thought of when I saw the list, and I thought for sure it was #1. Serious oversight.
Nena had a HUGE career in europe and many many great Hits. Not even close..
I believe Glenn Medeiros has a great one that I believe should be in the top ten. Nothings gonna change my love for you. Great song.
Great list of amazing songs from the 80’s
“In a Big Country” by the band Big Country is a great guitar tune that doesn’t get a lot of love!
Still touring too, in UK.
My favorite one hit wonder from the 80's. That guitar riff almost sounds like electric bagpipes!
Fields of Fire is arguably a better song. It was a bigger hit in the UK than In a BIg Country.
It's also a huge ear worm. Just by reading your comment I now have the song stuck in my head.
Love it.
I wish A-ha had more of their songs played on US airwaves. Such gorgeous lyrics and beautiful, soulful, passionate melodies. Morten's voice touches the soul so deeply..makes you remember what it is to feel alive and human💜
So many of their songs make me cry because they are so exquisite. This band is truly a gift to the world 💜
Yes, a-ha may be considered a 1-hit band in the US, but they've sold over 100 million records and have so many great songs, I believe they transcend this category.
Absolutely massive in the UK
And masive in the entire the world except US
they had a bunch of huge hits in the UK. I'm pretty sure Sun Always Shines On TV charted higher than Take On Me here
@@thebasedgodmax1163 Fantastic song!
I didn't forget. Still listen today. Also older stuff and new stuff.
Super list Rick! 80’s were a foundational decade in music and you nailed it!
0:32 - #20 Video Killed the Radio Star
0:52 - #19 I Want Candy
1:20 - #18 Don’t Wanna Fall in Love
2:08 - #17 Let’s Hear It for the Boy
2:40 - #16 Funky Town
3:18 - #15 Too Shy
3:49 - #14 Somebody’s Watching Me
4:17 - #13 Bette Davis Eyes
4:43 - #12 Safety Dance
5:22 - #11 Walking on Sunshine
6:01 - #10 You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)
6:43 - #9 Tainted Love
7:21 - #8 867-5309/Jenny
7:55 - #7 Missing You
8:35 - #6 Whip It
9:18 - #5 I Melt with You
10:07 - #4 I Ran (So Far Away)
10:43 - #3 Our House
11:14 - #2 Come On Eileen
11:55 - Honorable Mention: Voices Carry
12:52 - #1 Take On Me
🌟 🤓
FloFloFLo - It's people like you that make the world a better place. Thank you for your effort!
You just saved me from about a dozen ear worms!! I'm forever grateful!! 💖🥳🔥🙏
🙂👏
Pretty good list! 19 and 15 are such nothing songs. But I guess it's all about what you were doing at the time when you heard them. And 11 has reached it's quota for eternity, please do not consider for your movie soundtrack nor your prescription strength antacid commercial.
Which reminds me, why did Nexium choose "we're not gonna take it" by the Who (yes, the Who) instead of Purple Haze? What a whiff!
Dan Hartman ‘I can dream about you’ was a definite one hit wonder.
Nope! Definitely not.
I'm sure a lot of people view him as a one hit wonder. However, he had a huge disco hit with "Instant Replay" as well as the classic rock staple "Free Ride" that he wrote and sang with The Edgar Winter Group. Dan also hit the charts as a producer as well with "Living in America" for James Brown and "The Best" with Tina Turner. Dan Hartman was a brilliant singer, songwriter, and producer.
‘I can dream about you’ written by Daryl Hall
@@thedys70 nope!
@@AKFunky7 And... "Streets of Fire" movie scene confused me even more!
'Til Tuesday AWESOME AWESOME AWESOME!
Video Killed the Radio Star was actually from the late 1970s. The Buggles split up a couple years before MTV was launched.
It charted in the US in the 80s, even though the song is indeed pre 80s, in the USA it is an 80s 1 hit wonder.