The greatest one-hit wonders of the 1980s
Featuring classic songs and guilty pleasures
Last updated 11th Apr 2022
As part of our celebrations for Absolute Radio’s The Best Decade, we proudly present some of the UK's greatest one-hit wonders of the 1980s!
The 1980s was undoubtedly a vintage era for music. The decade saw synth-pop giants like The Human League and Pet Shop Boys rise to the fore, Madonna and Michael Jackson dominate the pop landscape, rock giants like Bon Jovi and Guns N’ Roses bring their heavier sounds to the masses, and Whitney Houston and Wham! score chart hit after chart hit.
With the launch of MTV, the way we consumed music drastically changed and videos swiftly became an art form. It wasn’t just Top of the Pops and magazines that brought music acts into our homes – artists were now much more visual, and they instantly inspired fashion and trends.
Alongside the big-name music stars dominating the charts, airwaves and television, there were a number of artists in the 1980s who were something of a flash in the pan on the charts.
From certified bangers to guilty pleasures, Absolute Radio rounds up some of the greatest one-hit wonders of the 1980s. Check them out below!
Vote for Absolute Radio's The Best Decade:
Voting for The Best Decade is now closed!
The greatest one-hit wonders of the 1980s:
Bobby McFerrin - 'Don't Worry Be Happy' (1988):
If Bobby McFerrin’s impossibly feel-good anthem 'Don't Worry Be Happy' doesn’t bring a smile to your chops, then truly nothing will. The song reached Number 2 in the UK and topped the charts in the US, however it proved to be McFerrin’s only hit single. In the early noughties, Rolling Stones ranked it as among the 15 Best Whistling Songs of All Time.
Fiction Factory – ‘Feels Like Heaven’ (1983):
Scottish new wave band Fiction Factory reached Number 6 on the UK charts with their feel-good synth gem ‘Feels Like Heaven’ and it was also a huge smash across Europe. Fiction Factory failed to chart again, and they disbanded four years after the release of their only hit.
Kim Carnes – ‘Bette Davis Eyes’ (1981):
Originally recorded by Jackie DeShannon for her 1975 album ‘New Arrangement’, thanks to Kim Carnes’ powerful, smoky voice, ‘Bette Davis Eyes’ became a gargantuan hit in 1981, reaching Number 1 in 21 countries and denting the UK singles chart Top 10. Despite enjoying a lengthy recording career, Kim Carnes failed to notch up another Top 40 hit again.
Nena – ‘99 Red Balloons’ (1984):
German singer and songwriter Nena – real name Gabriele Kerner – was propelled to international fame in 1983 with her decidedly Blondie-esque new wave anthem ‘99 Luftballons.’ Despite denting the charts in English speaking countries like America and Australia with the original German version, it wasn’t until Nena released the English language remake in 1984 that it became a chart-topper in the UK. Nena remained a big star in her native Germany but never scaled the dizzy heights of the UK charts again. The potent anti-war lyrics of the song resonate strongly today.
Men Without Hats - 'The Safety Dance' (1982):
The highly beguiling synth-pop tune 'The Safety Dance' by Canadian group Men Without Hats reached Number 6 in the UK in 1982 and sold over 250,000 copies. Written by singer Ivan Doroschuk after he was booted out of a club for pogo dancing, 'The Safety Dance’ came with a madcap video filmed on a farm in Wiltshire that featured Morris dancers, Mummers, Punch and Judy and a maypole. A song celebrating the freedom of expression through dance, sadly 'The Safety Dance' was Men Without Hats’ only hit on these shores.
Toni Basil – ‘Mickey’ (1981):
Originally released by British pop group Racey in 1979 under the different title of ‘Kitty’, Toni Basil stormed to Number 1 in the US and Number 2 in the UK with her newly renamed version ‘Mickey’ two years later. Despite being her only hit song, Basil has enjoyed a somewhat legendary career as a choreographer working on several David Bowie tours and collaborating with the likes of Elvis Presley, The Monkees, Frank Sinatra, George Lucas, Quentin Tarantino, Jack Nicholson, Tom Hanks and Bette Midler. Prior to ‘Mickey’, she also choreographed the iconic video for Talking Heads’ ‘Once in a Lifetime’ in 1980.
Alphaville – ‘Big In Japan’ (1984):
Synth-pop group started their career on an almighty high when ‘Big In Japan’ reached Number 8 and the top spot in numerous countries, including their native Germany. Nodding towards Spinal Tap, the title pokes fun at artists who are still big in Japan when their career is otherwise washed up. Ironically for Alphaville, ‘Big in Japan’ wasn’t actually a big hit in Japan. The band continued to enjoy a successful career in Germany, but they disappeared into relative obscurity on these shores.
The Vapors - ‘Turning Japanese’ (1980):
The second Japan themed song on our list, ‘Turning Japanese’ was a Number 3 hit for English band The Vapors in 1980. The track was actually primed for release in 1979, however, concerned they might become one-hit wonders, they delayed its release and put it out as their second single after ‘Prisoners.’ Sadly, their concerns were proved well-grounded and ‘Turning Japanese’ was their only hit.
M/A/R/R/S - ‘Pump Up the Volume’ (1987):
Buoyed by the explosion of the ecstasy fuelled rave scene in the late 1980s, British recording act M/A/R/R/S scored a colossal smash with their acid house banger ‘Pump Up the Volume’. It reached Number 1 in the UK and sold more than a million copies Stateside. Utilising dozens of samples, it proved the only release – and hence only hit – by the collaboration between electronic group Colourbox and alternative rock band A.R. Kane under the M/A/R/R/S moniker.
Rockwell – ‘Somebody's Watching Me’ (1984):
No doubt helped by the guest vocals from a certain Michael Jackson in the chorus, American singer Rockwell (aka Kenneth Gordy, the song on Motown founder Berry Gordy) scored an international smash hit with his synth-tinged funk gem ‘Somebody's Watching Me’. Reaching Number 6 in the UK, it was Rockwell’s only chart-denting song here. 22 years after its release, Dutch dance group Beatfreakz recorded a cover of ‘Somebody's Watching Me’ that peaked at Number 3.
Orange Juice – ‘Rip It Up’ (1983):
Scottish indie pop band Orange Juice were rightfully critically lauded throughout their career in the early eighties, and many bands including Franz Ferdinand and The Cribs cite them as an influence today. Sadly, they never enjoyed the commercial success they richly deserved and ‘Rip It Up’ was their only Top 40 hit, reaching Number 8 in 1983. Singer Edwin Collins, however, scored a blockbuster global smash in 1994 with ‘A Girl Like You.’
Phyllis Nelson – ‘Move Closer’ (1985):
Singer Phyllis Nelson, who sadly passed away in 1998, failed to dent the charts in her native America with her self-penned and emotionally wrought ballad ‘Move Closer.’ Despite its lack of success elsewhere, ‘Move Closer’ was a Number 1 hit in the UK in 1985 and it returned to the Top 40 nine years later when it was used in a TV advert for an anti-perspirant.
The Weather Girls – ‘It’s Raining Men’ (1982):
American singing duo The Weather Girls – aka Martha Wash and Izora Armstead – had previously scored a Number 6 hit in 1978 as backing vocalists on Sylvester’s ‘You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)’, however four years later they scored their own mega-hit in the shape of ‘It’s Raining Men’. Reaching Number 2 in the UK and the upper echelons of charts across the globe, whether you love it or loathe it, ‘It’s Raining Men’ has remaining enduringly popular to this day.
Boy Meets Girls – ‘Waiting for a Star to Fall’ (1988):
American duo Boy Meets Girl – aka Shannon Rubicam and George Merrill - reached the dizzy heights of Number 9 on the UK singles chart with their synth-pop gem ‘Waiting for a Star to Fall’ in 1988. Rubicam and Merrill actually wanted Whitney Houston to perform their song but it was snubbed by Arista Records CEO Clive Davis. When Belinda Carlisle recorded a version in 1987 but decided not to include it on her 1987 album ‘Heaven on Earth’, Rubicam and Merrill decided to record it themselves. Although the duo were one-hit wonders under the Boy Meets Girls moniker, they scored chart-topping hits penning ‘How Will I Know’ and ‘I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)’ for Whitney Houston.
Lipps Inc. – ‘Funkytown’ (1980):
Disco funk group Lipps Inc. reached the dizzy heights of Number 2 on the UK singles chart and with ‘Funkytown’ and it the song hit the top spot in in the United States (where it sold 3 million copies), West Germany, Canada, Austria, Switzerland, Norway, the Netherlands and Australia to name but a few. Lipps Inc. didn’t chart again on both sides of the Atlantic, however the inclusion of ‘Funkytown’ on the Shrek 2 soundtrack in 2004 brought it to a whole new generation of people.
Now read:
The greatest one-hit wonders of the 1960s
The greatest one-hit wonders of the 1970s
The greatest one-hit wonders of the 1990s