3 One-Hit Wonders From 1980 We’re Sure You’ve Never Heard Of

When the calendar changed over from 1979 to 1980, the world shifted on its axis just a little bit. The rough and rugged 70s were done—that gritty decade. And here were the 80s, the strange new era of synthesizers and leg-warmers. But what were the songs like—or, more specifically, what were the one-hit wonders like then?

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That’s what we wanted to highlight below. We wanted to get a real sense of 1980 by looking at three one-hit wonders from that time period that are no longer remembered today. For whatever reason, these three songs that were hits at the dawn of the new decade have been lost to time. Indeed, these are three one-hit wonders from 1980 we’re sure you’ve never heard of.

“New Romance (It’s A Mystery)” by Spider from ‘Spider’ (1980)

This track, which just squeaked into the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at No. 39, is a great example of the changing times. What genre would you classify this track? It’s part-rock, part-what? New wave? Synth-rock? Pop? It’s hard to classify, which is great, but also so 1980. And what was a romp back then is now a forgotten memory today.

“Take A Little Rhythm” by Ali Thomson from ‘Take A Little Rhythm’ (1980)

This acoustic-driven tune, which was released in 1980 on the album of the same name, hit No. 15 on the Billboard Hot 100. Featuring horns and the strummed six-string, it’s almost like a blend between Herb Alpert and Dave Matthews. Like the song above, this track lives between two worlds. Maybe that’s why neither totally remembers it today, despite the mirth in the track.

“I’m Happy That Love Has Found You” by Jimmy Hall from ‘Touch You’ (1980)

This song, which hit No. 27 on the Hot 100, is… what? Yacht rock? Again, this is another song that exists between two time periods, two genres, two sensibilities. Is this a love song or a party track? Of course, all songs can be more than one thing… but do the sum of the parts add up to more here? Maybe. There’s a reason the song made the charts. But today? It’s largely lost to time.

Photo Credit: Drew Stawin / Courtesy Essential Broadcast Media