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80s One Hit Wonders

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One Hit Wonders of the 1980s

The 80s gave birth to so many fabulous and fascinating performers. It, as all eras, was a highly competitive time in the music industry. Not only did you have to sound good for radio play, but you had to look good and come up with interesting videos for the growing video music industry.

As with every era of music, if you didn't make the grade in all the vital areas, you were soon forgotten as other better sounding, better looking, more uniquely creative acts appeared.

Here are some featured one-hit wonders who had one hit top charts in both the US and UK. It is my intention to rotate video content of this page, or possibly to create sequels, as there is just no way to include all the songs which deserve to be here in one page.

Cars, by Gary Numan

Although this Gary Numan song was released in the late 70s, the "Cars" video counts as an 80s one-hit wonder nonetheless.
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I Melt With You, by Modern English

Possibly one of the biggest hits of the 80s. This is not the original video (at the moment there is not an original version available on YouTube), but the song definitely needed to be included here.
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Send Me an Angel, by Real Life

Here is the original 1983 video release for this song, which was remixed and re-released in 1988 with greater success..
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Why Me, by Planet P

Featuring an exploding astronaut and a girl wearing pearls, this is another one of those offbeat Weird 80s videos...
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The Promise, by When in Rome

I consider this song to be a late 80s synth pop new wave classic.
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One Night in Bangkok, by Murray Head

A pop hit by Murray Head from the musical "Chess".
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Tarzan Boy, by Baltimora

Baltimora was an Italian disco dance project fronted by an Irishman. Although they had more club success in Europe, their sole hit in the US was "Tarzan Boy", making them eligible for this showcase.
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China, by Red Rockers

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99 Luftballons, by Nena

This is the original German version of Nena's only hit outside of Europe..which I think was much better than the English remake anyway.
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What About Me? by Moving Pictures

This 1982 smash by Australian group Moving Pictures was their only song to get US airplay. It's the story of the under-class, the forgotten, the over-looked.
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Keep the Eighties Alive!

The 80s will never go out of style! Here are some great compilations of 80s music to round out your collection.
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Other Great 80s Offerings

Get your fix of the 80s by visiting these other totally awesome pages. Videos and links for fans of every 80s genre..well, almost.
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80s Fan Feedback

  • TheManTheBrand Jul 26, 2011 @ 9:15 am | delete
    Tarzan Boy, i forgot about this video, saw it months ago and LOL'd then. Still makes me laugh a little, it reminds me of David Bowie for some uncanny reason.
  • carlajo73 Jan 26, 2011 @ 1:34 pm | delete
    Love the 80s and the One Hit Wonders!! Lensrolled to both of my 80s sites!
  • crosscreations Sep 17, 2010 @ 1:10 pm | delete
    A wonderful tribute to 80s music here, sometimes those one hit wonders are the BEST!
  • lou16 Sep 9, 2010 @ 1:06 am | delete
    I agree that the English version - 99 Red Balloons was the best, I can't stop singing along if it's ever played......I put it on dd's ipod the other day, she was not amused! Perfect by Fairground Attraction is another one that I think is just awesome.
  • AnnaleeBlysse Oct 8, 2009 @ 7:36 pm | delete
    This is my kind of music! I loved the 80's.
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GypsyGirl68

GypsyGirl is a lover of mystery and intrigue, travel, history, nature and animals. She is a self-employed creative soul who happens to love the Eighties!... more »

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