3 One-Hit Wonders From 1979 That Bridge Two Worlds

Whenever one decade is flipping over to the next, it’s interesting to look at the music people love in the moment. Is it more emblematic of the past or the future? Is it setting any trends or responding to them in real time? An even more specific lens to look through is to find out which one-hit wonders are popular in the moment.

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That’s what we wanted to do here. We wanted to examine three one-hit wonders from 1979 to see whether they were more indicative of a changing landscape or one that might just stay the same for a while. Indeed, these are three one-hit wonders from 1979 that bridge two worlds.

“Video Killed The Radio Star” by The Buggles from ‘The Age Of Plastic’ (1979)

While this song is definitely of a time, the question is what time does it belong to? We would say that it is more foretelling the future than the past. In the 1980s and 1990s, the music video would become central to bands and music promotion. And while it was just getting started in a real way in the late 1970s, the track from the Buggles, which was a Top 40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, foretold what was ahead. Did they predict outlets like MTV’s Total Request Live? Well, kinda!

“My Sharona” by The Knack from ‘Get The Knack’ (1979)

This song, which hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, also seems a bit ahead of its time. If you played it for 100 people, we would guess that the vast majority of those listening would guess the song was from 1982 or 1984 or some other year in that wacky music decade. But they wouldn’t guess it comes from the 1970s. “My Sharona”, which was parodied by “Weird” Al in the 80s, is a song that more so exemplifies the oddity of that musical era and not the classic rock 1970s of Led Zeppelin and The Who. Yes, even one-hit wonders can be ahead of the historical curve.

“Ring My Bell” by Anita Ward from ‘Songs Of Love’ (1979)

This song seems very much of the 1970s and not necessarily the 1980s. It’s a disco hit that makes you want to put on your roller skates and romp around a track as a disco ball hangs from the sky and illuminates all the big hoop earrings and glittery get-ups. In a way, it’s a last gasp of the decade that was about freedom and parties. Anita Ward really hit the nail on the head with this soul-stirring track, but she also wasn’t really predicting any trends to come with it.

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