Top 10 Best 80s One Hit Wonders

Scandal feat. Patty Smyth
It seems a bit unfair to label Scandal as a one-hit wonder, because the band actually notched four other hits, but none of them cracked the Top 40. "The Warrior," however, peaked at number 7, and justifiably so, because it's pure, polished pop-rock brilliance. The song is anchored by Patty Smyth's incredible vocals and singular personal style. Smyth has power, charisma and range to her voice, and the main riff is simple but super-catchy and memorable. Scandal may have never shot to the top of the charts again after "The Warrior," but we'll never forget how awesome this '80s hit was then, and how it still kicks butt today. Bang, bang!

Big Country
The next band on our list is a case where continued chart success may have eluded them on the American Top 100, but they remained a popular force in their native land. Big Country enjoyed tons of hit singles on the U.K. charts, but in America they're known primarily for their hit, "In a Big Country." The song is an anomaly of sorts, in that the 1980s weren't exactly known as a decade when guitar-blastin’ Scottish rock dominated the charts. Still, that didn't stop "In a Big Country" from taking its jaunty melodies all the way to number seventeen.

Twisted Sister
Heavy Metal has never been a genre focused on chart success. However, Quiet Riot broke down the doors in 1983 when their "Metal Health" album became the first from the genre to hit number one on Billboard. The floodgates were then opened for the hardest and heaviest to also be the most popular. Enter Twisted Sister, whose "We're Not Gonna Take It" reached number 21 when it was released in 1984. The band had been toiling in the underground since the late seventies, but Quiet Riot's success helped in bringing metal to the masses, in all of its hairy glory. Two more Twisted Sister singles would chart, but none would crack the Top 40, or achieve the heights achieved by "We're Not Gonna Take It."

Bobby McFerrin
Some artists achieve chart success as a fluke, while retaining their musical cred within their respective genres. Bobby McFerrin is one such musician, an influential and respected jazz-man who's worked with legends like Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock and Tony Williams. Then, "Don't Worry, Be Happy" happened, and suddenly the whole world knew the name Bobby McFerrin, and associated him with this number one hit. It’s not that the song isn't indicative of McFerrin's unique vocal approach and style, but rather that success seemed to come to him, rather than the other way around. Of course, it probably helped that the song was attached to the hit Tom Cruise movie "Cocktail"!

Midnight Oil
Political statements and top 40 singles don't always go hand in hand, but sometimes the planets align in just the right way for bands to righteously rock. Midnight Oil were one of those groups, an Australian band with fiery, passionate lyrics and a desire to have their creative voices heard. Luckily for them, "Beds Are Burning" managed to bring it all together: a song about demanding rights for Aboriginal Australians that also happened to have one HELL of a chorus. Not all political songwriting also manages to be catchy, but Midnight Oil struck gold with those straightforward chords of "Beds Are Burning" with the end results landing squarely in the crosshairs of both commercial success and artistic integrity.

Men Without Hats
The 1980s were a very visual decade, with MTV leading the way. It was a wild frontier where music video directors were experimenting with ideas that would later turn into defining images of the decade… for better or for worse. We're unabashed fans of "The Safety Dance" by Men Without Hats, however, regardless of the infamous...we'll just say "renaissance fair-iness" of the video. Unsurprisingly, Men Without Hats didn't actually come from the Middle Ages, but instead were a then cutting-edge synth-pop band from Montreal, Canada who were at the right place at the right time with the right video and the right super-catchy melody. Sure, "Pop Goes the World" might've cracked the Top 20, but for many, "The Safety Dance" just, well, defines Men Without Hats.

Soft Cell
Speaking of synth pop, here’s another pioneer of the genre who didn’t really crack the US charts apart from this gigantic hit. "Tainted Love" is just a monster track from that electronic genre that found an incredible amount of favor in the 1980s. We do honestly feel that sensational Soft Cell deserved much better on the U.S. charts, since they never again reached the top ten, despite other singles charting in countries like Ireland, Finland and Belgium. This dark and minimalist track, with desperate crooning from the inimitable Marc Almond, is a brooding cover of Gloria Jones’ original ‘60s soul banger. It's one of the most enduring hits of the '80s and we can totally see, and hear, why.

The Buggles
It's the trivia answer to which nearly everyone knows: yes, "Video Killed the Radio Star" by The Buggles was the first music video played on MTV. Did you know, however, that this version is actually not the original version of the song? And that it peaked at number 40, barely making it a hit? To be honest, what really matters is that the clever song will forever be part of the cultural zeitgeist of the 1980s, even though it was recorded in '79. The Buggles' track makes the best out of the production genius of Trevor Horn and Geoff Downes, sounding both cheesy and seriously space-aged, and perfectly suited for the visual flash of the eighties. Plus, it's also crazy catchy!

Nena
It isn't often when a song sung in a band's native tongue charts over an English translation, but that's exactly what happened for West Germany's Nena, when "99 Luftballons" made it all the way to number 2 on the U.S. Billboard charts. Maybe it's that killer opening breakdown riff, the bass-heavy production or Gabriele Kerner's striking looks and charismatic vocals, but "99 Luftballons" is perhaps the New Wave track to end all New Wave tracks. It possesses an almost punkish quality to the band's attack, a visceral, go-for-the-throat approach that makes the happy melodies all the more impactful. Honestly? We dance every time we hear this one, with absolutely no shame.

Before we name our number one pick, here are some honorable mentions!

"It's Raining Men" / The Weather Girls
More Like It's Raining Pop Hooks

"Electric Avenue" / Eddy Grant
Cool Reggae Goes Pop

"Somebody's Watching Me" / Rockwell
A Catchy Halloween Staple

"I Want Candy" / Bow Wow Wow
Another Malcolm McLaren Creation

"True" / Spandau Ballet
A New Romantic Classic

Dexys Midnight Runners
Some older songs don't age well, while others are simply timeless. "Come On Eileen" absolutely belongs to the latter category, being a moving and melodic masterpiece of pop with a beating folk heart. Sure, the iconic video clip helps the song's case, but Dexys Midnight Runners also do plenty of interesting things musically, bumping up the tempo and changing keys for maximum emotional impact. It tells a very simple story, but does it perfectly, and with tons of charm to spare. "Come On Eileen" may have been the only American number 1 hit for Dexys Midnight Runners, but there were few songs from the decade that were both definitive and definitively awesome.