3 One-Hit Wonders From 1987 That Still Sound Amazing Today

Just because an artist has a hit song on the radio doesn’t mean that it is the beginning of a long career of successful singles. Especially in the 1980s, there were plenty of one-hit wonders, including these three songs. All out in 1987, they each became massive hits, although the success was never repeated.

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“At This Moment” by Billy Vera and the Beaters

Billy Vera and the Beaters had one No. 1 single, and it’s “At This Moment”. When the song was released in 1987, it was actually the second time the group released “At This Moment”. First out in 1981, “At This Moment” gained new life when it was part of several episodes of the hit sitcom, Family Ties.

“In 1985, I had written an episode of Family Ties to start the fourth season. And we needed a sort of a sad romantic song,” show writer Michael Whitehorn recalls.” I just happened to go into a bar in Los Angeles called At My Place and saw Billy and the Beaters. That was the perfect song, and the rest was history.”

A massive crossover hit, “At This Moment” says, “And what did you think / I would say at this moment / When I’m faced with the knowledge / That you just don’t love me? / Did you think I would curse you / Or say things to hurt you / ‘Cause you just don’t love me no more?”

“At This Moment” is written solely by Vera. Billy Vera and the Beaters released three more songs after “At This Moment”, but never replicated their success.

“La Bamba” by Los Lobos

“La Bamba” is the title track of a movie, also released in 1987. The film is about the life of Ritchie Valens, which was cut short when he was killed in a plane crash. Los Lobos provided the music for most of the soundtrack, including “La Bamba”. 

“La Bamba” is one of only a handful of songs that topped the Billboard Hot 100 in another language. It is Los Lobos’ only No. 1 single. The Spanish tune says, “Yo no soy marinero / Yo no soy marinero, soy capitan / Soy capitan, soy capitan / Bamba, bamba / Bamba, bamba / Bamba, bamba / Bamba.”

“Luka” by Suzanne Vega

Suzanne Vega’s only Top 10 single on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, “Luka” was written by Vega. The song appears on her sophomore Solitude Standing album.

“Luka” is a heartbreaking song about child abuse. The song says, “My name is Luka / I live on the second floor / I live upstairs from you / Yes, I think you’ve seen me before / If you hear something late at night / Some kind of trouble, some kind of fight / Just don’t ask me what it was / Just don’t ask me what it was / Just don’t ask me what it was.”

Vega got the title from a boy who lived in her building in New York City.

“It’s a song that took quite a few months for me to write, because I kept circling it in my mind,” she tells Songwriter Magazine. “I knew I wanted to write about the issue of child abuse, but I wasn’t sure how to do it. It’s something I knew about, living in New York City in the 70s. It was a very turbulent time, and the issue of abuse was never far from the surface.”

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