The Orb Corporation

August - O

The Top 10 Greatest One Hit Wonders of the 80's

As sourced from VH1 Classic's Top 100 Greatest One Hit Wonders of The 80's

In the March 31st episode of VH1’s “The Greatest” series Judah Friedlander oversaw a countdown of the 100 Greatest One Hit Wonders of the 80s. (The previous episode was on the 40 Greatest Celebrity Divorces and the following episode was the 40 Naughtiest Celebrity Scandals). Following the release you could aptly describe my taste in music as “VH1’s The 100 Greatest One Hit Wonders of the 80’s”. Initially I had planned on doing my own re-ranking of the full list of 100 songs, but that would be hard so instead here are my top 10 Greatest One Hit Wonders of the 80’s:

Dear God - XTC: This song is kinda cheesy (an important element of many one hit wonders), but I’m a bit of a sucker for a song where a child sings (big shoutout to the Langley Schools project).

Angel Eyes - The Jeff Healey Band: There is something about a really straightforward uncomplicated ballad that is hits. This one also has some nice guitar playing.

Missing You - John Waite: And then at the end.. real quiet… he says “I can lie to myself” because that’s the thing: he really is missing her.

Take on Me - A-ha: This is probably the platonic ideal example of an 80’s one hit wonder. It’s got an iconic music video, kinda annoying synths and it’s kinda unclear what it means.

Our House - Madness: This is the only song on the list to feature that heavy heavy monster sound.

In a Big Country - Big Country: It’s true what they say, in a big country dreams stay with you like a lovers voice fires the mountainside.

I Melt With You - Modern English: This song kinda sounds like a a song by The Cure, which is a good thing for a song to sound like.

Buffalo Stance - Neneh Cherry: This song is very cool. It’s got scratching, a crazy synth line, an incredibly catchy chorus, and also it’s about standing in a Buffalo Stance which could mean almost anything but is undoubtedly a cool way to stand.

What I Am - Edie Brickell & the New Bohemians: Raewyn would insist that Edie Brickell and the New Bohemian’s are not really a one hit wonder and actually have lots of bangers. I haven’t really dug into the back catalogue to confirm, but I can confirm that religion is like a smile on a dog.

Voices Cary - ’Til Tuesday Big shout out to Richmond Virginia’s own Amiee Mann.