3 One-Hit Wonders From the 1980s That Sound Completely Different Today

Songs can change over time. Sure, a track can come out in a given week, but as the years pass, it can sound different to fans. Audiences can hear the music with changed ears and with new sensibilities. That’s just what we wanted to dive into here below. We wanted to explore three songs from back in the day that have morphed over the decades. Indeed, these are three one-hit wonders from the 1980s that sound completely different today.

“867-5309/Jenny” by Tommy Tutone from ‘Tommy Tutone 2’ (1981)

How many phone numbers do you know by heart? Those who grew up before the internet likely used to know dozens, if not hundreds, of telephone digits. But today? You’re lucky if you know three or four. Today, if Tommy Tutone released this song, it would probably be about an email address. We’d be singing about Jenny’s .com website and her podcast—not her seven-digit phone number. Some things really do change.

“Relax” by Frankie Goes To Hollywood from ‘Welcome To The Pleasuredome’ (1984)

If you were born in the 21st century, chances are you don’t have much of a connection to the 1980s. Well, the decade was weird, especially from a musical perspective. Everywhere you looked (or listened), you heard keyboards and synths. Every song seemingly had strange electronic effects brought on by brands like Roland and Casio. Where were all these synths coming from? Who knows. All we know is that they kept showing up in hit songs like “Relax” by Frankie Goes To Hollywood. Would it happen today? Nope.

“Pump Up The Jam” by Technotronic from ‘Pump Up The Jam: The Album’ (1989)

These days, it seems like people are numb to about everything. You can go onto social media right now and doomscroll through tragedy after tragedy. That’s why listening to some songs from back in the day just seems so innocent. Enter: “Pump Up The Jam” by Technotronic. Wouldn’t it be fun to just travel back in time and be in a world where songs like these were on the radio? Today, culture is all about extremes. We’d much rather just sit back and pump up the jam.

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