Some artists have huge hits with a single they release. It gets lots of airplay at the time which helps it do well in the charts. But sometimes surprisingly, the artist just can't get a follow-up record to repeat that feat.
It can make sense when it’s maybe a novelty record. Or perhaps the band broke up before trying to follow it up. For whatever reason, and there can be many, that artist ends up wearing the one-hit wonder tag.
Lists of one-hit wonders can get confusing though. I quite often read through lists of them and find records from bands who had loads of hit singles. The key point is usually that they were big in one country but didn't have any follow-up hits in others. Madness, Dexy’s Midnight Runners, and David Essex for example often appear in US-focused one-hit wonder lists. Anyone in the UK would be amazed at that tag given the other hits those artists had there.
Five 1980s one-hit wonder songs
So let's broaden the criteria slightly to be clearer. I’m including records from artists who had one hit in the top 40 of either the US Billboard or UK charts. If they had minor hits with other releases in those charts that never got into the top 40, they still count as a one-hit-wonder. If they had more hits in the top 40 in either of those charts, they aren't a one-hit wonder. Not on my list anyway!
Here are five terrific songs from the 1980s which count as one-hit wonders on that basis. For each one, you’d expect that such a good record would be followed by another hit. They are definitely worth hearing and memorable too, great records of that time, despite being the artist’s only big single success.
Fiction Factory - “Feels Like Heaven”
I’m a great fan of bands from Scotland. It’s not just a patriotic thing based on where I was born. Scots bands released some great music over the years, but especially in the 1980s. Fiction Factory was one of those, but with just the one hit - “Feels Like Heaven” which reached the top ten in many European countries back in 1984.
The band was influenced by OMD amongst others and later toured with that band. This feel-good synth-pop song came from their debut album, Throw The Warped Wheel Out. The album struggled to have any impact, perhaps hampered by the success of the single. The rest of the album had a different sound to their hit song.
Three of the band left in 1984 citing the usual story of musical differences. A second album followed but it also missed the mark and Fiction Factory disbanded in 1987. Although they have reformed for a couple of festivals since then, no more hits have been seen.
Two more one hit wonders from the 1980s
It Bites - “Calling All The Heroes”
It Bites is a UK band that had a really catchy single with great guitar sounds. “Calling All The Heroes” is a crossover between art and prog rock but still very much a great pop song. It was the band’s second single but their only chart hit, peaking at number 6 in the UK in 1986.
It was an exciting and lively sound taken from their album The Big Lad in the Windmill. The rest of the album is pretty good too but there is a similarity here to Fiction Factory. The single is a stand-out song but different from the album tracks overall. The band continued to record and release albums but a second chart hit didn't follow.
Orange Juice - “Rip It Up”
Another band from Scotland. Orange Juice only had one hit, “Rip It Up”, but they were really influential on the Scottish music scene at the time. They formed in 1979 in Glasgow and hit the big time with the song which reached number eight in the UK charts in early 1983. It was the title track from their second album which was released just a few months earlier in November 1982.
Previous songs had adopted a Chic and Nile Rodgers funky guitar sound but “Rip It Up” went a bit more synth pop and disco. Though there was definitely a funky rhythm in there too. Lead singer Edwin Collins had a distinctive voice and style which worked well on the song too. It's a dance floor classic and still sounds great today. Collins had a solo hit in 1994 with “A Girl Like You”, another terrific song, but Orange Juice remain a one-hit wonder.
Surprisingly these were the only single hits for the two bands
Devo - “Whip It”
Here’s a possibly controversial inclusion on this list. Devo has gold and platinum-ranked albums in the US. They have been nominated several times for the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame, unsuccessfully so far. Does that sound like a one-hit wonder? Perhaps not, but “Whip It” is the only one of their 28 singles that has been a top 40 hit.
Released in 1980 “Whip It” was one of the first new wave hits in the US. It reached number 14 on the Billboard Hot 100. Nonsensical lyrics were backed by a mix of synthesizers with unusual rhythms and a solid drum beat. Not to mention a controversial video at the time. When MTV emerged in 1981 the song had a further boost after it featured heavily on the new channel.
There were lots of theories at the time on what the song was about. That was largely led by that video and the blatant references to whipping. The video was actually aimed as a satire on the cowboys of the West and right-wing racism. But you can make up your own mind on that.
Lipps Inc. - “Funkytown”
Let’s end the list with a song that matches its name. “Funkytown” was a huge hit around the world reaching number one in 28 countries. It was released in 1980 and ranked as double platinum in the US.
Lipps Inc. was a band built around singer Cynthia Johnson using various session musicians. That approach was pretty common at the time. So perhaps it's more focused on a one-off hit than an ongoing band. Having said that, four albums and seven singles were released under that name. But none made it near the top 40, although a follow-up single “How Long” did get to number four on the US Dance chart.
At least “Funkytown” got the recognition it deserves. It's a great disco stomp combined with synths again. There’s an enduring beat and those great vocals from Johnson. It may not have a follow-up hit, but it still gets played often and won’t be forgotten.