3 One-Hit Wonders From the 1980s That Still Sound Fresh Today

The 1980s are an underrated era of music, in my opinion. Sure, the 1970s produced some of the finest works of the decade, and the 1990s revolutionized rock with quite a few subgenres that blew up. But the vibe of the 1980s was still quite cool. New wave was at its peak, synthesizers were starting to become the standard, and the cheesiness of the decade was actually pretty awesome in retrospect. All that being said, let’s dive into a few one-hit wonders from the 1980s that still sound quite fresh today. If you weren’t around during that decade, you might just get into it with these three songs!

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“99 Luftballons” by Nena

“99 Luftballons” by Nena is a classic from the Neue Deutsche Welle era. In fact, when I think of music associated with the Cold War, I often think of Nena. This little synth-pop New Wave outfit released “99 Luftballoons” back in 1983. The group also released an English version of the song that did fairly well, too.

“99 Luftballons” peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart upon its release. Few would consider Nena one-hit wonders in their native Germany, but when it comes to international popularity, “99 Luftballons” would be their only charting hit in the US and their only Top 40 hit in the UK.

“Rapper’s Delight” by Sugarhill Gang

Ah, this one’s a classic. “Rapper’s Delight” by Sugarhill Gang technically dropped toward the end of 1979, but it blew up pretty substantially in 1980. And it’s a noteworthy piece of work in the context of the 80s. This disco-rap funk tune is often hailed as the first song to really introduce rap music to a broader audience in the US, kicking off an era of hip-hop in the 1980s that would become legendary.

“Rapper’s Delight” hit No. 36 on the Hot 100 chart and did even better on the US R&B charts. It was a hit across the board internationally, peaked at No. 1 in Canada. Sadly, though, the group would never make it to the Top 40 on the Hot 100 again, though they’d have some success on the R&B charts through the mid-1980s.

“Cars” by Gary Numan

When one thinks of new wave, one often thinks of Gary Numan. And very few people in the UK would consider Numan to be a one-hit wonder. In fact, he was the star of the charts across the pond for much of the 1980s.

However, the catchy synth-pop hit “Cars” was surprisingly Numan’s only charting hit on the Hot 100 in the US. It peaked at No. 9, and also did quite well throughout Europe. I’m not surprised that “Cars” was the one that resonated with American audiences. This has to be one of the coolest one-hit wonders of the 1980s, and it still sounds so fresh today.

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