VH1 Top 100 One-Hit Wonders of the 80s Part 4: 40-21

always thought "I wanna rock" was a hit too.

I thought so too, but apparently it only hit #68.

I think this is the first section where every included artist is actually a US one-hit wonder.

Cutting Crew had a top ten hit with "I've Been In Love Before." John Waite and Stacey Q had a couple as well.

John Parr had another minor US hit, Naughty Naughty.

oh that's right, duh

I take it back, VH-1 can continue fucking off

Bruce Willis was only a one-hit wonder in the US? You guys don't know how lucky you are...

Anyway, voted for "Missing You," one of the best songs ever written, over "Two of Hearts" and Chuck's beloved Quarterflash.

not voting Tom Tom Club is WRONG</DepecheMode>

BUGGLES

"I Know What Boys Like" (which only went to #62) is really only a hit when you count its long tail.

Weird to think of Lipps Inc and Edie Brickell coming out in the same decade, but I guess they did.

Quarterflash (best band up there) had two other Top 20 hits. John Waite had two other solo Top 40s (neither of which was "Change," which is great.)

Don't like the Cutting Crew and Bobby McFerrin songs at all, and assume I'd hate the Bruce Willis if I ever actually heard (rather than heard of) it.

I'll vote for one of these; not sure which one yet:

22 Michael Sembello: “Maniac”
23 Eddy Grant: “Electric Avenue”
25 Musical Youth: “Pass the Dutchie”
27 Stacey Q: “Two of Hearts”
30 The Vapors: “Turning Japanese”
32 Quarterflash: “Harden My Heart”
33 John Waite: “Missing You”
35 Tom Tom Club: “Genius of Love”
37 Lipps, Inc.: “Funkytown”
40 The Buggles: “Video Killed the Radio Star”

And Eddy Grant also went #26 with "Romancing The Stone" (and also #32 with "Baby Come Back" with the Equals in 1968, which probably doesn't count.) "I Don't Wanna Dance," a big hit in Germany when I was there, only reached #53 in the U.S. But still...

every included artist is actually a US one-hit wonder.

Not even close.

yes we already went over this

like, 4 posts ago

Saw that. Just saying there were even more non-one-hit examples other than the ones listed up there (though I repeated Waite, I guess.) (Not ragging on you, just on VH-1.)

Now it gets hard.

ha I thought this was the easiest one

22 Michael Sembello: “Maniac”
28 John Parr: “St. Elmos Fire (Man In Motion)”
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”
39 Matthew Wilder: “Break My Stride”

I went with "Pass The Dutchie," fwiw, but on any other day I could've voted nine other ways.

This sequence would leave me happy at a dance club:

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”

Thinking of voting for It's Raining Men because Paul Shaffer doesn't get enough love.

I think I'm voting for Matthew Wilder. It seems the most quintessentially one-hit wonderish and makes me the most happy to be reminded of.

The first 3 polls were pretty easy for me, but now I'm really having trouble choosing between "Funkytown" and "Our House" and "Genius Of Love" and "Turning Japanese."

Also never got what people liked so much about that John Parr song (never saw the movie, maybe that's it), though I always thought "Naughty Naughty" worked pretty good as a surrogate Billy Squier hit.

OMG STFU ABOUT HOW THEYRE NOT TRUE ONE HIT WONDERS PLZ

no

A vote for Edie Brickell is a vote for Satan.

Electric Avenue

really good stuff here, gotta go with "I Know What Boys Like" tho

A vote for Edie Brickell is a vote for Satan.

Actually, I believe this too. (And I mean Satan in a bad way.)

Yeah, that's what I meant.. the song "What I Am" creates anger in me like almost nothing else..

"Pass The Dutchie" is so lovable and made me so happy... and then of course on the VH1 show they followed that up with fucking Edie Brickell and I immediately went from happy-smiles to wincing and minor involuntary convulsions, and a loud like of "uugghh!!!" noise, also involuntary.

this is worse:

I voted for "Missing You" without hesitation, but these are almost uniformly good (except "What I Am") and even almost uniformly great (except "Don't Worry Be Happy").

It's kindof hard to believe, but I've decided even Funkytown doesn't beat Genius of Love.

I have a reputation for defending crap, but "(I Just Died) In Your Arms" is one of the most disgusting things a human being ever created.

The words "I just died in your arms tonight" originally came to Van Eede while he was having sex with his girlfriend,[1] "death" being an often-used metaphor for orgasm.[citation needed] Writing down the phrase, Van Eede later used it as the hook to "(I Just) Died In Your Arms."

"died in your arms" was slightly redeemed for me once it started reminding me of this sketch and making me laugh: http://www.truveo.com/Snl-I-Just-Died-In-Your-Arms-Tonight/id/2572075816

I have a reputation for defending crap, but "(I Just Died) In Your Arms" is one of the most disgusting things a human being ever created

I have made an entire fucking CAREER out of defending crap, and I totally agree.

Ha, I don't mind "I Just Died In Your Arms".

I really like "Our House".

And I'll join the chorus of hate for "What I Am".

I mean, really, if he just died in her arms tonight, why should he have walked away?

must've been something she said

I agree that "What I Am" is pretty atrocious, but I have to admit to liking it when it first came out.

My 80s-self would probably have picked "Our House" from this list, but my grownup-self is going with "Genius of Love".

Back when Stop Making Sense was in movie theaters, I remember loving the movie right up until the Tom Tom Club sequence, which struck me as the most horrible crap at the time. I guess I didn't know any better...

It's kindof hard to believe, but I've decided even Funkytown doesn't beat Genius of Love.

― Earl of Gothington Manor (Bimble), Thursday, April 23, 2009 9:29 AM Bookmark

^^^real talk

like, that was my exact thought process going down the list

"I Just Died In Your Arms" is total crap, yes. File with all kinds of other crappy chart songs from this decade.

Electric Avenue

this is well-nigh impossible

23 Eddy Grant: “Electric Avenue”
25 Musical Youth: “Pass the Dutchie”
27 Stacey Q: “Two of Hearts”
32 Quarterflash: “Harden My Heart”
33 John Waite: “Missing You”
36 Weather Girls: “It’s Raining Men”
37 Lipps, Inc.: “Funkytown”
39 Matthew Wilder: “Break My Stride”
40 The Buggles: “Video Killed the Radio Star”

@xhuxk "change" is grebt but "missing you" is next-level

b-u-g-g-l-e-s

funkytown & genius right behind it tho

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

The words "I just died in your arms tonight" originally came to Van Eede while he was having sex with his girlfriend,[1] "death" being an often-used metaphor for orgasm. Writing down the phrase, Van Eede later used it as the hook to "(I Just) Died In Your Arms.

I learned from VH1 that the Vapors' song is actually about turning into a Japanese person.

Wiki: "'Turning Japanese' reflected how singer/songwriter Fenton was meant to have felt whilst separated from his love. In the U.S., along with 'She Bop' by Cyndi Lauper, the song 'Turning Japanese' was believed to euphemistically refer to masturbation."

Wiki knows all.

Eddy Grant FTW, BTW.

I am thinking I should quit talking.

missing you

More from that Wiki article on the Vapors: The lead singer retired from music, and is now an attorney (in the U.K.) specializing in entertainment law.

Entertainment law sounds like a fun practice area.

"My client deserves a fairer share of the royalties as it is beyond clear that Mr. Chuck D's political lyrics would have never have gone down as well with American audiences if my client, and his comic persona and oversized clock, were not present on the records and in the music videos."

At least that's what I imagine the job is like.

matthew wilder's actual surname is weiner

it's pronounced weiner slave, though

our house is perfect in every single way
even the music video, they all are stylin'
I love the part when "brother has a date to keep" - dude is spit shinin' his hair then puts on a newsboy cap.
also faster singing part of the song near the end

Mulvaney otm

"My client deserves a fairer share of the royalties as it is beyond clear that Mr. Chuck D's political lyrics would have never have gone down as well with American audiences if my client, and his comic persona and oversized clock, were not present on the records and in the music videos."

At least that's what I imagine the job is like.

Well, actually I imagine it's a lot of the same grind you get in other practice areas: Dog-and-pony shows to win prized clients; evaluating prospective deals; negotiating contracts; holding an artist's/client's hand as you work your way through the term of a contract and the novel and/or nagging legal issues that arise; recriminations and hostilities if the deals or relationships sour; the endless parade of paperwork, document evaluation, written discovery, depositions, motion practice and -- in rare cases -- trials when matters are finally litigated. I'd guess the interesting part of this practice area is if you acquire clients whose work you admire and if you get a chance to enjoy the (lol) vibrant side of the entertainment business.

All that sounds a bit too cynical. I like my profession.

All of these songs might euphemistically be about masturbation except "I Just Died in Your Arms"

That one is clearly about proper sex.

“Genius of Love” is the one that's aged the best, I mean it could almost be a hit if it was released now. But I'm voting for "Maniac" and I hope I'm not the only one. I actually don't mind (and even used to like) "I Just Died...". Stupid lyrics aside, it sounded pretty epic.

Agree with the Cutting Crew hate, but not the Edie Brickell hate.

Voting for "I Know What Boys Like".
Favourite actual HIT that peaked higher than a pathetic #62: "Electric Avenue".

Electric Ave, Funky Town or Video Killed.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

who's the wise guy who voted for "Respect Yourself"?

pretty good results except for the insanity of "Missing You" beating "Funkytown"

Can't believe the extremely annoying "Video Killed..." beat "Two of Hearts" and "Maniac".

missing you is better than funkytown. results pretty otm.

tho twisted sister and cutting crew got no respect

“Genius of Love” ...could almost be a hit if it was released now

Not sure whether that's exactly a recommendation. (And I've never equating "aging well" with "sounding like music does now" anyway.) Still like it, though.

Wow no one voted for "Its Raining Men"? That suprises me.

I find that Buggles track annoying as well.

“Genius of Love” ...could almost be a hit if it was released now

Gee, you think?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Mariahcareysingle_fantasy.jpg