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One-hit wonders that not only have an unmatched sound but are also fantastic to listen to and contain an abstract meaning whether intended as being humorous, controversial or serious. |
"Mickey" Toni Basil - 1982
When this song came out it made cheerleading even cooler than it already was and between the loud chants and the clapping of hands it's still as energetic as it is upbeat to listen to. |
"Pass the Dutchie" Musical Youth - 1982
An extremely clever song not only due to the superb vocals of all five members but because of the fact that "Pass the Dutchie" has one true meaning that leads up to the question which has been a mystery for over 25 years. Which "pot" are they actually referring to? |
"867-5309/Jenny" Tommy Tutone - 1982
Never had there been so many problems or annoyances surrounding a song as there were when this was released and it is so unbelievably amusing because due to one song residents and businesses who had the phone number 867-5309 were being besieged with prank calls and others were having a blast making the calls while telephone companies nationwide had to change the phone number and it became an absolute dilemma. This can also be considered an urban legend regarding the name of the girl Jenny as many rumors have swirled concerning the fact that she really existed whereas others maintain she was made up and it's something we may never know the answer to. On the other hand if there really was a Jenny named after this song I'm sure she felt pleased with the notion that someone was pursuing her after seeing her name and number scrawled on a bathroom wall. |
"Come On Eileen" Dexys Midnight Runners - 1983
The song "Come On Eileen" is as unique as the name of the group with a sound unlike any other that emanates from the greatest decade ever by using instruments such as the fiddle, violin and banjo and many more creating a Celtic folk-style song. In addition, the music video featuring the group members dressed as hobos while playing instruments may have even started a temporary trend resulting in many people wearing overalls (who otherwise might not have). |
"Somebody's Watching Me" Rockwell - 1984
Aside from being an extraordinary song with an awesome sound the fact that Rockwell used an alias rather than his real name is extremely impressive in that no one is able to say he was "handed" a recording contract or a hit song because of being Barry Gordy's son but more importantly is the depth of the song which is about someone who may be mentally ill and exhibiting classic symptoms of either paranoia schizophrenia or possibly another form of mental illness. By really listening to the lyrics it actually explains the pattern of behavior that many people with mental problems experience which is a very serious subject matter. So technically speaking, if a person suspects someone they know could be suffering from mental illness they could listen to "Somebody's Watching Me" and if the words in the song sound eerily similar to that person's behavioral manner it may be telling them something more serious than they had thought. I'm not a psychiatrist just 80sgirl examining the facts. |
"99 Luftballoons" Nena - 1984
Not many songs have as much of a political statement as does "99 Luftballoons" regarding the subject of war and whether it is the group members' opinion or simply a song they sang it certainly got people's attention along with having an unprecedented sound. |
"Relax" Frankie Goes to Hollywood - 1985
Initially called Hollycaust named after lead singer Holly Johnson and the fear of nuclear war which is the subject of their political song "Two Tribes" (though the group released the song "Two Tribes" after "Relax" they are still recognized as a one-hit wonder) the group changed their name following a headline that was written in the New Yorker magazine regarding Frank Sinatra's career as an actor. The first two versions of the video "Relax" were too explicit to be aired on television so the final video was filmed live during one of their concerts. One of the most contentious songs that emerged from the '80s quickly became an international hit not only because of its overtly sexual lyrics but also the publicity it caused which only made people like the song more, want to see the first two music videos which got banned and find out more information about this exceedingly outspoken group. |
"We Don't Have to Take Our Clothes Off"
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Choreographer, actress and singer Toni Basil released the song "Mickey" (about drummer Micky Dolenz of the 1960's television series "The Monkees") which is a cover of a song titled "Kitty" written by Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman but she changed the title and added cheerleading chants. The video gave even more exposure to the song due to the fact that it featured Toni Basil in a cheerleading outfit along with other cheerleaders and had the letters LVH engraved on her uniform which stood for Las Vegas High School, the school from which she graduated.
The group Musical Youth which was a mix of ska and reggae and comprised of two sets of brothers from Birmingham, England consisting of Patrick and Freddie Waite and Michael and Kelvin Grant who all attended the same school along with lead singer Dennis Seaton released the song "Pass the Dutchie" which is a remake of the Mighty Diamonds' "Pass the Kutchie" (also spelled Kouchie and Koutchie) released the same year. The Mighty Diamonds' "Pass the Kutchie"; however, is a reference to a marijuana pipe whereas Musical Youth's "Pass the Dutchie" is supposedly about a Jamaican cooking pot, though some people believe the "Dutchie" is really an ambiguous term for marijuana while others do not and either way it still remains a well-known euphemism. Musical Youth went on to have several songs reach the U.K. and even collaborated with Donna Summer on the song "Unconditional Love" in 1983 but they will always be known as a major one-hit wonder that still has people trying to theorize the truth behind the questionable title.
The duo Tommy Tutone made up of Tommy Heath and Jim Keller gave phone numbers a whole new meaning with the song "867-5309/Jenny" but telephone companies throughout the country were not at all amused as they were forced to change occupants' phone numbers due to the exorbitant amount of prank calls people had been receiving in addition to legitimate calls in regards to whether or not there really was a Jenny who lived at the number. While "867-5309/Jenny" is not the first nor the last to contain a phone number in the song itself it did cause complete pandemonium for many people and to this day there are very few phone numbers if any of 867-5309 in existence. 
Released in 1982 in the U.K. and 1983 in the U.S. "Come On Eileen" is undeniably a one-hit wonder and both the song along with the group have significant meaning. The band got their name from the stimulant Dexedrine which was a very popular European drug in the early '80s and the Midnight Runners referred to the energy Dexedrine gave off allowing users to run into the midnight hours while the song is named after lead singer Kevin Rowlands' childhood sweetheart.
In 1984 Kenneth Gordy (born Kennedy William Gordy) better known to the world as Rockwell had a super hit with the song "Somebody's Watching Me" that he sang with a British accent about paranoia for which both Michael and Jermaine Jackson lent their vocal talents by singing back-up (all three were childhood friends and at one time Jermaine Jackson was Rockwell's brother-in-law while he was married to Rockwell's sister Hazel Gordy). Rather than use his name and be charged with nepotism Kenneth Gordy went by the stage name Rockwell and secured a record deal with Motown Records so no one at the record company knew his real identity and even his father Barry Gordy was unaware that Rockwell was signed to the label. It was only after the song was released did people discover that Rockwell was in fact the son of the founder of Motown Records. How he came up with his name is not exactly known as there are several possible versions. One being that Rockwell was the name of Kenneth Gordy's high school band, another is that he came up with the name himself, a third is that someone at Motown created the name and yet a forth account is that the name is based on a Norman Rockwell painting so in retrospect somebody really could be watching Rockwell or at least watching how many stories can come forth regarding how he got his name.
"99 Luftballoons" sung by Nena (born Gabrielle Kerner) who had previously been the lead singer for the British band the Stripes created a great deal of discussion regarding the definition behind the title. The meaning of the song is how ninety-nine balloons are floating into the sky which results in the causing of a nuclear holocaust by the military referring to Germany's Cold War. Nena's protest song, which some believe was blown out of proportion has two versions: the first titled "99 Luftballoons" sung entirely in German and the second titled "99 Red Balloons" sung in English though the German rendition is more popular in America.
Frankie Goes to Hollywood's explosive song titled "Relax" shot to number one on the U.K. charts in 1984 and remained there for five weeks. The song, which is a sexual innuendo caused such controversy regarding its suggestive lyrics that the single, album and the original version of the music video were all banned by the BBC (British Broadcasting Cooperation). A year later when the group re-released "Relax" in the U.S. it reached #10 on the charts. 
Jermaine Stewart who had previously been a dancer on Soul Train in addition to being a backup vocalist and dancer for groups such as the Temptations, Tavares, and Shalamar among others along with singing background on Culture Club's "Miss Me Blind" scored a huge hit with the candid song "We Don't Have to Take Our Clothes Off." The song, unbeknownst to many people is actually a reference to the A.I.D.S. epidemic and the definition of the title is as appropriate as it is accurate in addition to it being ironic since on March 17, 1997 Jermaine Stewart died of liver cancer caused by A.I.D.S. at the age of 40.