The Strangest One Hit Wonders Of The 80's
By
Michael Avery in
Entertainment
On 20th August 2017
Today just about anyone can become a star thanks to the internet. Billboard now takes into account streams on YouTube and similar sites, so the dream of becoming an overnight celebrity is just as real as it's ever been. That being said, some pretty strange things have topped the charts long before the internet. TV themes, actors recording terrible songs, all of these things have had their time in the sun.
Electronics opened up a whole new world for music back in the 1980s. Some would come from Europe to become stars in America and nostalgia was heavy during the period. Stuff from back in the '30s and back started becoming popular again.
In this list, we picked a single one hit wonder from each individual year of the '80s. Check them out and let us know what you think. Do you remember any of these huge hits?
1980: BENNY MARDONES - "INTO THE NIGHT"
While there is nothing particularly weird about this rock ballad — you probably grew up assuming it was a Journey song — it does hold an unlikely place in history. "Into the Night" is reportedly just one of ten songs to twice soar into the Top 20. Mardones saw his hit rocket up the charts again in 1989.
1981: THE AFTERNOON DELIGHTS - "GENERAL HOSPI-TALE"
When an act names itself after a Starland Vocal Band hit, even it must realize the short career ahead. The Boston quarter was also a disco group in 1981, giving it the shelf life of a banana in a brown bag. This Top 40 tune mixed the rap of Blondie's "Rapture" with plot recaps from the soap opera General Hospital. It also rhymed "Anybody likes to blab" with "Richard Simmons helps fight flab."
1982: LOUIS CLARK AND THE ROYAL PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA - "HOOKED ON CLASSICS" (PARTS 1 & 2)
There is a common misconception that disco kicked the bucket once Reagan was elected, but as these tracks prove, the American public still had residual boogie fever. This mash-up breezed through 17 pieces of iconic classical music in five minutes. Sounding like Giorgio Moroder scoring a United Airlines commercial, the instrumental managed to break into the Top 10. Who said disco was dead? Or classical, for that matter?
1983: TACO - "PUTTIN' ON THE RITZ"
There was no shortage of options this year, what with C-list actors such as Pia Zadora (the juvenile "The Clapping Song") and Frank Stallone ("Far from Over") breaking into the Top 40. However, how could we not include the Indonesian-Dutch sensation from Germany named after a beloved Mexican dish? Like the last cut, this one updated an archaic musical form for the synthesizer age. It made it all the way to No. 4.
1984: JUMP 'N THE SADDLE BAND - "THE CURLY SHUFFLE"
Mozart, swing music… The Three Stooges? Nostalgia novelty songs proved to be quite fruitful in the 1980s. This brassy tribute to Larry, Moe, and Curly poked its way to No. 15 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was a strange decade.
1985: PAUL HARDCASTLE - "19"
History lessons make for unlikely pop hits, but this British synth-pop composer flew to No. 15 with "19." Perhaps the first techno song to go mainstream, this didactic dance cut reminded people of the average age of the soldiers in Vietnam (n-n-n-n-nineteen).
1986: BALTIMORA - "TARZAN BOY"
If the Three Stooges can become a radio sensation in the mid-'80s, why not Tarzan? While you might look at the name Baltimora (it was an Italian act) and scratch your head, you will undoubtedly remember the vine-swinging chant of this chorus, which was impossible to avoid in arcades, night clubs, and roller rinks.
1987: BRUCE WILLIS - "RESPECT YOURSELF"
Yes, as in the action star covering the Staple Singers with classic blues. Moonlighting made him a celebrity before Die Hard came along. This thing made it all the way to No. 5.
1988: M|A|R|R|S - "PUMP UP THE VOLUME"
The only release by a collaborative British act, "Pump Up the Volume" brought house music into American households. The somewhat industrial cut with a hip-hop lean stomped its way to No. 13. The cowbell probably helped. See, electronic dance music invading the charts is nothing new.
1989: SHERIFF - "WHEN I'M WITH YOU"
This Canadian-born power ballad was not particularly weird in and of itself — it got lighters and hair in the air in a manner similar to Whitesnake, Winger, and whatnot — but there is one fascinating fact that makes it stand out. "When I'm with You" made all the way to the top of the charts in 1989… without a music video. That was unheard of in the prime of the MTV era. Perhaps they should throw one together on YouTube now.
