#68 - Rock, Let's Go All the Way by The Weather Girls List of one-hit wonders on the UK Singles Chart - Wikipedia The 57 best one-hit wonders of all time. by Eric B. . Scottish rockers reached . Dundonian singer Ricky Ross was a superb songwriter and the band's 1987 debut album, Raintown, remains a classic. #24 - Rock, Wild Wild West Hold an '80s throwback party with our playlist or simply walk down memory lane. Even two decades later, it remains a pop punk anthem for teenagers. by Bill Medley He is, of course, better known by his adopted stage name of Marti Pellow, one of the best singers in the business. by Gwen Guthrie This was exemplified on their debut album, All You Need Is Love and Money, released in 1986 to moderate success. Here was a more polished, urbane and definitely more smartly-dressed collection of talented songwriters and musicians. Might be here forever. What exactly is "tubthumping"? #100 - RnB, Double Dutch Bus avg. by Club House These artists had only one top 10 hit which charted during 1980-1989. #52 - Pop, Feels Like I'm in Love by Buckner & Garcia The Minneapolis group Lipps Inc. scored a huge hit with their 1980 song "Funky Town," which landed in the #1 position in a staggering 28 different countries at the time of its release. by David Peaston Needle In The Groove - Mama's Boys. In 1990 he decided to throw off the veneer and continue as a solo artist as well as collaborating with Swiss band Yello on several songs. Overall, 30 Scottish solo artists/groups have scored a chart-topping single in the UK. 20 Biggest One Hit Wonders Of The 1980s - NOSTALGIA HIT Then they released a glob of versions and remixes a summer version, a swing mix, a DJ version, and so on. Added to missing the first Scottish number one in Hoots Mon for no good reason at all, its just a big fail Im afraid. by Gloria Loring about ILikeYourOldStuff and their record label based on my If you were a teenager in the 2000s, then you were either pawning after a girl who laughed at your dreams while you dreamed about her laughter, or you were that girl. The song is about a desperate wife and mother who would like to trade her current existence for thejet-settinglifestyle of the narrator. #89 - RnB, Could It Be I'm Falling in Love Upon the tune's initial release, you couldn't go five feet without hearing someone sing, "Oh ho ho, it's magic! He later worked in the IT department of the University of Dundee. Their top ten one-hit wonders of the '80s list is regarded as one of the most reliable. 86 (hence the one-hit wonder status). Bye-Bye Love, Cathys Clown and All I Have to do Is Dream were only a few of the Everlys big hits. 6 in the U.K. charts and was also a hit in Europe. Music Study. Imagination - Belouis Some. Since then, McCoy has been featured on other artists' hit trackslike Taio Cruz's "Higher"but it looks like it'll take a little longer for him to become a billionaire and land on the cover of Forbes magazine, smiling next to Oprah Winfrey and the Queen of England. #6 - Pop, Touch of Grey 8 in the charts. They had previously been named Spencer Tracy, but the estate of the late Hollywood great threatened to sue. #96 - RnB, I Wanna Say Yes by Spider Murphy Gang "Memphis was the first place I decided to go in my search for inspiration," musician Marc Cohn revealed in a first-person article for Keyboard in 2017. #90 - Rock, Skandal im Sperrbezirk Pop Idol semi-finalist Darius was the first competition star to hit Number 1, with Colourblind in 2002. #75 - Rock, Hooked On Classics Calvin Harris has just scored a massive new Number 1 with Miracle, his trance anthem with Ellie Goulding. by Thomas Dolby by The Pasadenas The song reached No. by Royal Philharmonic Orchestra But just because they never managed to reach the success of their biggest hits a second time around, that doesn't make their songs any less legendary. & Rakim How to not hate your friends' vacation photos, The 'girl dinner' trend has been accused of 'glorifying eating disorders.' Shinkicker. Banned in Japan. by Starpoint Sorry but Lonnie always identified as Scottish as of course did Rod Stewart. They released their second album, Strange Kind of Love, two years later. by Atlanta #67 - Country, What About Love This list only includes first billed artists for the given song or release. Long before this song had new life courtesy of the Marvel hit Guardians of the Galaxy and even before it gained popularity in the '90s thanks to Quentin Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs, '70s kids were walking around singing "ooga-chaka ooga-ooga" (whatever that means). by Xavier At least the band embraces their one-hit wonder status today, though: Their official website is safetydance.com. #13 - Pop, Da Da Da ich lieb dich nicht du liebst mich nicht aha aha aha #52 - Rock, Caravan of Love If video killed the radio star, then what do The Buggles have to blame for the death of their short-lived career? #57 - RnB, You Get The Best From Me (Say, Say, Say) Not only was the song used for a legendary McEwans Lager advert, but it appeared in commercial breaks during the World Cup in Mexico that summer. Also worth noting: Lunatic Fringe was featured in the Matthew Modine movie Vision Quest and popped up in the mixed martial arts circuit as the theme for UFC fighters Jared Rosholt, Dan Henderson, and Randy Couture. #46 - Pop, Ghost On The Beach 3 on the UK charts and topped the classifications in Holland and Belgium. Tragically Billy McKenzie committed suicide in 1997 after suffering from clinical depression and the death of his mother. This list is for entertainment purposes only. Simon and Garfunkel, The Beatles and even Hall and Oates were just a few artists who were heavily influenced by them. by Boys Dont Cry #42 - Rock, When I See You Smile So that story is still the same for people, even if it's 30 years after I went through it." Heres a quick brain-tickler for you on those other artists and their songs that maybe belong on that mix-tape after all. by Eric Gable The band might not have had any follow-up chart-toppers, but at least their one and only hit lives on via endless covers and on every "best one-hit wonders" list of all time. Being here is heavenly They still tour around the country and appear at music festivals always in front of sizable audiences. However, you'd only have to hear the first few seconds of this thumping worldbeat rock hit before you instantly started singing along. by Outlaws by Boris Gardiner "But then the management heard it and said, 'No, there's something really good about this song.'" Turned down by Diana Ross, Donna Summer, Cher, and Barbra Streisand before being accepted by Martha Wash and Izora Armstead, their version became an international hit, selling over 6 million copies. One-Hit Wonders - Best Of The 80s By Matthew Rudd | January 31, 2022 One-hit wonders are like love affairs - intense, but alas, all-too-brief. Easily their standout hit, it reached number two in the UK in 1982. She has appeared in Scottish movies like Gregory's Girl, and TV shows like Eastenders, Red Dwarf and Father Ted. Think of giving it all away. This is the story of a one-hit wonder known as Nine Days. The ladies released their first and only studio album, Strawberry Switchblade, in 1985, but they never produced another hit single. It landed at the No. Yet, for all these big-name acts, the 1990s was also a vintage decade for one-hit wonders. Though "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" was released in Europe in 1988, it was made popular in the U.S. by the 1993 film Benny&Joon, which is when it was released stateside. However, a long-awaited reformation eventually came in 2007 and The Blow Monkeys are still active on the music scene making records and playing shows. And if you're a true '90s kid, then you definitely associate this one-hit wonder with the 1999 movie soundtrack for Cruel Intentions. Explaining the origin of the song, Bobby said:"Whenever you see a poster of [Indian mystic] Meher Baba, it usually says 'Don't worry, be happy,' which is a pretty neat philosophy in four words, I think.". And perhaps that's why The Click Five's "Just the Girl" did so well when it was released in '05: By September of that year, this singlethe only one of the band's that ever saw any success was at No. The band split in 1990, with members going on to other projects, most notably Davy Henderson and his new band The Nectarine No. Naming themselves after a Steely Dan song, the band included Ricky Ross, Lorraine McIntosh, James Prime, Dougie Vipond, Ewen Vernal and Graeme Kelling. Talk about getting the basics wrong. Some of the most successful songs were one-hit wonders that are sometimes hard to find. Even if you don't recognize this song by its title or by name of the band who sings it, you'd certainly know it by its introductionthe sound of a breaking surfboard and a maniacal laughand its iconic drum solo, courtesy of Ron Wilson. Their last album Satellites came out in 1991 and as with the previous album there was just a rump of the band remaining with session musicians filling the gaps. So, what's it doing on this list of the best one-hit wonders, you ask? #92 - Country, Beat Street Breakdown - Part I #99 - Rock, When the Heart Rules the Mind Their debut album Limping for a Generation arrived in 1984, but they came to public attention when their first hit single, "Digging Your Scene" (1986), reached No. The best 1980s one hit wonders including Nena - 99 Red Balloons, Berlin - Take My Breath Away, Bobby McFerrin - Don't Worry Be Happy, John Waite - Missing You, Charlene - I've Never Been to Me and more. Released in 1988, this catchy tune has a drum intro straight from Wipeout and continues with a quintessentially 80s chord-driven melody, enriched by soul organ. This was followed by 1982's Sulk, which produced the legendary top 10 single "Party Fears Two", as well as "Club Country" and "18 Carat Love Affair", which also charted. exclusives, interviews, competitions & more. Others shine brightly for an instant, then just as quickly disappear from view, their hit fading into obscurity as it gets overlooked by playlist compilers and nostalgia articles. Finally in 2007, Leon Jackson won The X Factor and scored the Official Christmas Number 1 with When You Believe. Clare Grogan became an actress and a music TV presenter, as well as occasional radio DJ. MORE: Calvin Harris' Official Top 20 biggest UK singles revealed. #93 - Country, A Woman's Got The Power #95 - Pop, Felicita Its his heritage and he clearly would have played for Scotland if he had succeeded as a footballer instead - which was probably always his preference. The late '80s and '90s were the peak years for Hue and Cry's soulful pop with hints of jazz. The songs music video, which featured Grayson and his backing singers performing in suitcases, sometimes pops up on retro music channels these days. You randomly pick some born there, some not and have no way of justifying any of it. #26 - RnB, Pump Up the Volume Unfortunately, Pilot failed to recreate the magic of "Magic," but the one-hit wonder continues to be featured on TV shows and in movies, from Happy Gilmore to the Herbie: Fully Loaded reboot with Lindsay Lohan. Last Updated On: March 22, 2023. by Gibson Brothers #19 - Pop, I Know There's Something Going On (Sorry, boys!). Big Countrys In a Big Country by Chris de Burgh In the music industry, the term one-hit wonder is used to describe an artist primarily known for a sole hit single. Bruce comes from Haddington in East Lothian but spent his youth in Australia. Calvin Harris is by far the most successful Scot in the history of the Official Chart when it comes to Number 1s. In 1969, a fictitious cartoon rock band managed to earn the top spot on a Billboard Hot 100 chartand kept it for a month! B&G tried to re-release and later recreate this unusual hit but wasnt able to secure the rights to the sound effects. There were a lot of great songs and music from this time, but some of the best songs were from one-hit wonders of the '80s and can sometimes be hard to find. Who knew those guys were so socially aware? #98 - Pop, No Easy Way Out by Jermaine Stewart by Marti Webb #53 - Pop, To Prove My Love 20 One-Hit Wonders Every 1980s Kid Remembers Best Life by Band Aid Though "Ring My Bell" made it to the No. Often, people will only remember the name of the song, and not the singer/group behind it. 17 in the U.K. charts. (Here they are at No. by Big Country "The Celtic Soul Brothers," which peaked at No. They should've walked away. Never Stop Being Interesting | A Music Blog. Yes, we're talking about those infamous one-hit wonders. Although Lloyd Cole is English, the rest of the band were all Scottish and formed when Cole was a student at Glasgow University. Judging someones nationality purely by where they were born is ridiculous and wrong. While many artists scored multiple hits during this era of plenty, this list pays homage to the glorious one hit wonders of the 80s. by Paul Carrack It wasn't until 1981, when Kim Carnes recorded her version with a synth-arrangement, that it became an international hit. Marti Pellow's successful group are the next most prolific when it comes to Number 1 singles, with three to their name. 23 in the Hit Parade. It was originally a light R&B track, with an uptempo piano part. by Twisted Sister But when you have songs like this, why do you need more? An Italian band released this 1985 hit that charted all over the world. by USA for Africa Donna Weiss and Jackie DeShannon first wrote this song in 1974, with DeShannon recording the first version. But it wasnt until American soul singer Grayson Hugh covered it and shortened the title that it became a hit. But the success of "Torn" never turned into something real for Imbruglia, who failed to recreate the magic of her breakout hit. This track, from Britpop group The Verve, defined the late '90s. Monk COPYRIGHT 2022 CULTURESONAR, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. #44 - Pop, Break My Stride 1 in 1998. Joining up with Ringo George and John. It reached No. Aw, Noel really doesn't know what she's missin'! by Sly Fox It also spawned the smash hit "Somewhere in my Heart", which reached No. Echo Beach - Martha & the Muffins. Formed in 1983 from the ashes of a punk band called The Fire Engines, the new lineupled by Davy Hendersondecided on a pop direction to their music. by Quiet Riot by Richard Dimples Fields While 'Move Closer'failed to make an impact in the US, the song was hugely successful in the UK, where it peaked at the top spot, making Phyllis the first black woman to top the charts in Britain with her own composition. #100 - Rock, We Are the World "Dont Forget Me (When Im Gone) by Glass Tiger. However, it was the single "Mary's Prayer" which pop lovers remember. #59 - RnB, Shackles Then you can see who the artist is and search for the album to listen to sometime. Band This happy little reggae ditty was the first a cappella song to reach number one in the US back in 1988. 39 Best One Hit Wonders Of The 80s. by Doctor and the Medics #41 - Rock, Edge Of Sundown [TOMT] [BAND] A Scottish one hit wonder from the 80s whose - Reddit The former reached No. Amazingly, this successful song from one-hit wonders Thin Lizzy almost didn't make it onto the airwaves. Thesong was written by lead singerIvan Doroschukafter he had been kicked out of a club forpogo dancing. by Dynasty After all, "Tequila" is easy to learn and impossible to forget. Calvin Harris' Official Top 20 biggest UK singles revealed, the most-streamed track ever in Official Charts history, Every Welsh act to score a UK chart topper, ALL the Canadians to hit the Official Singles Chart top spot, THE PIPES & DRUMS & MILITARY BAND OF THE ROYAL SCOTS DRAGOON GUARDS, WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM MY FRIENDS/SHE'S LEAVING HOME, I WISH I WAS A PUNK ROCKER (WITH FLOWERS IN MY HAIR). By utilizing this list, you may just find that one great '80s song that you loved to listen to! 3 in the charts and even charted in the US Top 30. One-Hit Wonders From the '80s : Where Are They Now? #35 - Country, (I'll Never Be) Maria Magdalena But what a hit! But, they are still a popular attraction on the live circuit and held in great affection by Scottish music fans. Though "The Safety Dance" was a major hit upon its release in the early '80s, Men Without Hats was never able to follow it up with a song nearly as successful, which eventually led to them taking a long hiatus. The complete list of Official UK Number 1 singles by Scottish acts with credited appearances only (bolded acts in collaborations are the Scottish musicians): 2023 Official Charts Company. They signed to Virgin Records and released their second album Freaky Trigger in 1989, but it never took off. #39 - RnB, Everybody's Got to Learn Sometime by The Housemartins And they are one-hit wonders Read entire article , Marys Prayer by Danny Wilson sounds like summer to our ears. That's why we've put together a playlist of the 100 greatest one-hit wonders of the 1980s. That said, a version of the song can be heard in the animated flick Pixels. It was a beautiful ballad about a man who was always reminded of how much he loved his girlfriend whenever she smiled (even if she could cry a river and drown the whole world). While Midge Ure never scored a chart-topper with his most famous group Ultravox, his first band Slik did hit the top spot in 1976 with Forever and Ever. Nena, who hit it big in the '80s with "99 Luftballons," now appears as a judge on "The Voice" in Germany. by The Pogues The biggest one-hit wonders from the '80s. by The Korgis #84 - Pop, Do It Again/Billie Jean (Medley) #15 - Country, The Way it Is If you're a child of the 1960s, you associate this sweet little ditty with Bruce Channel, who co-wrote and recorded this track at the beginning of the decade. by Denroy Morgan 1 on the Hot 100 chart at the beginning of 1992, and Billboard described the song as a "thoroughly fun and goofy ditty." by Judas Priest So, in honor of those artists who captured lightning in a bottle, we went back to the late 1950s all the way through the early 2000s to find the best one-hit wonders of all time. #60 - RnB, I Should Have Known Better The Arena Media Brands, LLC and respective content providers to this website may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. The band subsequently broke up in 1987. The second album featured John Foster on vocals as Jimmy Somerville had left to form The Communards. by The Mighty Lemon Drops by Jim Glaser Well the cops decsended in a mighty rage when we stepped off the plane. He was only 16 at the time and his precocious talents wouldn't take long to shine in the limelight. by Naked Eyes The song "96 Tears" is a surprisingly catchy hit about too much crying. The strangely entitled Uh! by Grandmaster Melle Mel Nineteen-year-old Jo Kennedy played aspiring singer Jackie, and performed this song, written by Tim Finn and previously released by Split Enz (as "She Got Body She Got Soul") on 1979'sFrenzy, in the movie. #13 - Pop, Peanut Butter #85 - RnB, Walking into Sunshine The track, though a huge success, quickly proclaimed the Scottish duo who sang it, The Proclaimers, as one-hit wonders. And you dont see many songs become a Billboard Top 10 hit six years after its initial release. by Invisible Man's Band The Champs tried to recapture that glory with a sequel song titled "Too Much Tequila" in 1960. Occasionally however, he has resurrected Aztec Camera for live performances, allowing fans to take a musical trip down memory lane. This attention in the USA led to Paul Buchanan living in Los Angeles and collaborating with American artists such as Michael McDonald and Robbie Robertson. #89 - Pop, Walking In L.A. by Orion the Hunter Born Desiree Heslop, the British soul singer who performed as Princess was one of the many beneficiaries of the hit-making skills of songwriters and producers Stock Aitken Waterman. by Trio This music video was the zaniness youd see on heavy rotation in MTVs early years. Others came and went during early changes of line-up but then with a contract secured with Virgin Records they released their first album Swimmer in 1986. by James J.T. Taylor #75 - Pop, Who Do You Love But H2O made their own mark in 1983 with a hit single "I Dream to Sleep", which reached No. by GTR One-Hit Wonders - Best Of The 80s - Classic Pop Magazine by Rocky Burnette 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1976. #83 - RnB, Walk the Dinosaur A group formed in 1981 and led by Bruce Howard (aka "Dr Robert"). soundtrack. #79 - Pop, Paid in Full Scottish Bands and Artists | Scotland.org #21 - Pop, (No Matter How High I Get) I'll Still Be Looking Up To You During production of Dirty Dancing in 1987, he played the demo for producer Linda Gottlieb and director Emile Ardolino. #84 - Pop, All Night Thing #47 - Pop, Something To Hold On To 1 in 1994 due to its use in Four Weddings and a Funeral. #36 - Pop, Something's Gotten Hold of My Heart Pat and Greg Kane were signed by the Circa label in 1986 and the following year released their most famous hit, "Labour of Love", which reached No. Yarbrough & Peoples - Don't Stop The Music. After all, what higher compliment was there than being compared to Cleopatra, Joan of Arc, and Aphrodite? #90 - Pop, Every Generation #1 - Pop, The Power of Love by Goombay Dance Band Scotland, of course. Genre was punk, maybe leaning towards pop punk (think Tenpole Tudor or Sham 69 vibe). Rest in peace Stuart Adamson! Tears Baby was their first album in 1987, and it enjoyed some success. by Katrina and the Waves 21 Best One Hit Wonders Of The 80s (Top 1980s Picks) - MG - Music Grotto Ironically, their last single was called "Lean Period", reflecting the lack of anymore big hits. by 9.9 Their only studio album, Faith, came out in 1984, but they struggled to build on their success, and split up in 1985. #70 - RnB, Some Like it Hot As the story goes, the title of the song is meant to be a euphemism for an orgasm, as the English translation for the French term for an orgasmla petite mortis "the little death.". John Waite was the lead singer of the bands Bad English and TheBabys, but this was his only hit as a solo artist. It was a double A-sided charity single (of Beatles songs, for ChildLine) that happened to have Billy's version of She's Leaving Home on the other side the two acts didn't collaborate in any meaningful sense. ', First model with dwarfism to walk in Miami Swim Week speaks out. The two-man band quickly rose to prominence with "Video Killed the Radio Star" and its accompanying music video that literally launched MTV in 1981 (it's famously the first video the network played). With clever rhymes like checking out blonde girls tan lines and busting more moves than Allied Van Lines, this song brought Blotto time in the national spotlight while in the Northeast their popularity lasted longer with performers assuming stage names like Bowtie Blotto and Sergeant Blotto. After recruiting several more singers through the years the band eventually broke up in 1995, with their parting shot being the album Rainbow Nation. #85 - Rock, Piano in the Dark It was called Banned in Japan by the Spastic Phono Band, and I think it took up both sides of the 45. It came easy. O'Neill had written songs for Paul Young and Lena Lovich, while Burns had been playing with Adam Ant. It's also the only hit Rusted Root has to their name.