VH1’s 100 Greatest One Hit Wonders of the ’80s: Do You Agree?

The Music Mix, as you know, is a tiny bit fond of lists. Today, however, VH1 did the work for us by sending out the complete set from their recently rerun countdown of ’80s one-hit wonders, and while nothing beats a hungover Saturday spent in the company of Kajagoogoo, Timbuk 3 and J.J. Fad, we have some… objections. Click through to the jump to see the full list and our response.

VH1’s 100 Greatest One Hit Wonders of the ’80s:

01 Dexys Midnight Runners “Come on Eileen” (pictured)  
02 Flock of Seagulls “I Ran (So Far Away)”
03 A-Ha “Take On Me”  
04 Tommy Tutone “867-5309 / Jenny”
05 Soft Cell “Tainted Love”  
06 Toni Basil “Mickey”  
07 Modern English “I Melt With You”  
08 Bow Wow Wow “I Want Candy”  
09 Kajagoogoo “Too Shy”  
10 Frankie Goes to Hollywood “Relax”  
11 Gary Numan “Cars”  
12 Animotion “Obsesssion”  
13 Thomas Dolby “She Blinded Me With Science”  
14 Big Country “In A Big Country”
15 Devo “Whip It”
16 Nena “99 Luft Balloons”
17 Men Without Hats “The Safety Dance”  
18 Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock “It Takes Two” 
19 Dead or Alive “You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)”  
20 Rockwell “Somebody’s Watching Me  
21 Twisted Sister “We’re Not Gonna Take It”  
22 Michael Sembello “Maniac”  
23 Eddy Grant “Electric Avenue”  
24 Edie Brickell & New Bohemians “What I Am”  
25 Musical Youth “Pass the Dutchie”  
26 Cutting Crew “I Just Died In Your Arms”
27 Stacey Q “Two of Hearts”  
28 John Parr “St. Elmos Fire (Man In Motion)”  
29 Madness “Our House”  
30 The Vapors “Turning Japanese” 
31 Bobby McFerrin “Don’t Worry Be Happy” 
32 Quarterflash “HardenMy Heart”
33 John Waite “Missing You”  
34 The Waitresses “I Know What Boys Like”
35 Tom Tom Club “Genius of Love” 
36 Weather Girls “It’s Raining Men”  
37 Lipps, Inc. “Funkytown”
38 Bruce Willis “Respect Yourself”
39 Matthew Wilder “Break My Stride”  
40 The Buggles “Video Killed the Radio Star”  
41 Billy Vera “At This Moment”  
42 Timbuk 3 “The Future’s So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades”  
43 Shannon “Let the Music Play”  
44 Wall of Voodoo “Mexican Radio”
45 Robbie Nevil “C’est La Vie”  
46 Georgia Satellites “Keep Your Hands To Yourself”  
47 Pretty Poison “Catch Me I’m Falling”  
48 Yello “Oh Yeah”
49 Philip Bailey (w/ Phil Collins) “Easy Lover”  
50 Neneh Cherry “Buffalo Stance” 
51 After the Fire “Der Kommissar”
52 Mary Jane Girls “In My House” 
53 Taco “Puttin’ On the Ritz”  
54 Chris DeBurgh “Lady in Red”  
55 Johnny Kemp “Just Got Paid”  
56 Til Tuesday “Voices Carry”  
57 Jermaine Stewart “We Don’t Have to Take Our Clothes Off”  
58 Don Johnson “Heartbeat”
59 The Outfield “Your Love”  
60 Nu Shooz “I Can’t Wait”
61 E.U. “Da Butt”
62 XTC “Dear God”
63 Oran “Juice” Jones “The Rain” 
64 Robbie Dupree “Steal Away”  
65 Boomtown Rats “I Don’t Like Mondays”  
66 The Jeff Healy Band “Angel Eyes”  
67 Martika “Toy Soldiers”
68 Peter Schilling “Major Tom”  
69 T’Pau “Heart And Soul”
70 Harold Faltermeyer “Axel F”  
71 Jack Wagner “All I Need”  
72 Swing Out Sister “Breakout”  
73 Paul Hardcastle “19”  
74 Information Society / “What’s On Your Mind (Pure Energy)”  
75 Bertie Higgins “Key Largo”  
76 J.J. Fad “Supersonic” 
77 General Public “Tenderness”  
78 Aldo Nova “Fantasy”  
79 Alannah Myles “Black Velvet”  
80 Eddie Murphy “Party All The Time”  
81 Josie Cotton “Johnny Are You Queer?”  
82 Red Rider “Lunatic Fringe”  
83 Paul Lekakis “Boom Boom Boom Let’s Go Back to My Room”
84 The Church “Under The Milky Way”  
85 Ziggy Marley And The Melody Makers “Tomorrow People”  
86 Patrice Rushen “Forget Me Nots”  
87 Vixen “Edge Of A Broken Heart”
88 Nik Kershaw “Wouldn’t it Be Good”  
89 Rodney Dangerfield “Rappin’ Rodney”  
90 Haircut 100 “Love Plus One”  
91 Gloria Loring & Carl Anderson “Friends And Lovers”  
92 Frank Stallone “Far From Over”
93 L.A. Guns “The Ballad of Jayne”
94 Club Nouveau “Lean On Me”  
95 Midnight Oil “Beds are Burning”
96 The Fabulous Thunderbirds “Tuff Enuff”
97 Will To Power “Baby I Love Your Way / Freebird”
98 Buckner & Garcia “Pac-Man Fever”  
99 Michael Damian “Rock On”  
100 Clarence Clemons (and Jackson Browne) “You’re A Friend Of Mine”

First of all, what’s up with all the actor novelty hits?? Rodney Dangerfield, Jack Wagner, Bruce Willis, Don Johnson, Frank Frickin’ Stallone. I mean, if there can only be one song called “Heartbeat,” don’t go with Mr. No Socks Miami Vice — that honor truly belongs to Taana Gardner, whose 1981 disco hit is the basis for not only Ini Kamoze’s “Here Comes the Hotstepper” (one-hitter: ’90s edition, we salute you!), but has also been sampled by De La Soul, DMX, and KRS One:

Also lookin’ good today, lookin’ good in every way? Neneh Cherry, who is technically a two-hit wonder; 1989’s “Kisses On the Wind” went to no. 8. And that super-stoopid “Baby I Love Your Way/Freebird” medley from Will to Power could surely be replaced by Murray Head’s camp-tacular “One Night in Bangkok,” no? Love and Rockets’ no. 3 goth-gasm, “So Alive”? Or perhaps Johnny Hates Jazz’s “Shattered Dreams”? It peaked at no. 5, twice as high as the Lesser Stallone’s Staying Alive theme song. Speaking of Franks, Frank Zappa’s only top-40 hit, “Valley Girl,” is sadly absent. Like, whatever.

But you tell me, readers — Anything else on this list you find grody to the max? Or are you down with all 100?

Credits (“Adrian Boot/Retna Ltd.”)

By Leah Greenblatt Updated April 07, 2009 at 10:00 PM EDT

Please follow and like us:
Posted in: Uncategorized

One thought on “VH1’s 100 Greatest One Hit Wonders of the ’80s: Do You Agree?

Leave a Reply to mp3radio Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Enjoy this blog? Please spread the word :)