3 One-Hit Wonders From the 1980s You Didn’t Know Were Sampled by Other Songs

The 1980s were weird. But sometimes the weirdest music makes for the best song samples. Indeed, there have been plenty of DJs, beat makers, and songwriters from the 1990s and beyond who looked back to perhaps the strangest decade in music for inspiration.

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And that’s just what we wanted to dive into here. We wanted to explore three songs from that odd, off era that we both love today and have heard sampled in other tracks. These are three one-hit wonders from the 1980s you didn’t know were sampled by other songs.

“Fantastic Voyage” by Lakeside from ‘Fantastic Voyage’ (1980)

Coolio fans may have seen the title of this song and known what was about to come. Yes, it’s true—just put on Coolio’s 1994 hit tune, “Fantastic Voyage“, and you’ll hear Lakeside influence prominently. Both songs are smooth and catchy as honey. Both make for great party playlist fodder. It’s even fun to compare them, to see how music evolves, tastes change, and lineages are created.

“Genius Of Love” by Tom Tom Club from ‘Tom Tom Club’ (1981)

The Talking Heads were a great group in the 1970s and 1980s. And two of their members created the disco-rock band Tom Tom Club. But the story continues. In the 1990s, R&B star Mariah Carey sampled Tom Tom Club’s hit tune “Genius Of Love” for her own 1995 smash “Fantasy“. In the 1990s, there was no one more spectacular and successful than Mariah. But she owes at least some of that to Tom Tom Club. That synth, that beat. About a billion middle schoolers can thank the pairing for some great slow dances.

“Toy Soldiers” by Martika from ‘Martika’ (1989)

In the 2000s, Eminem made headlines seemingly every day. But he was also making great music. And in 2005, he released the tune “Like Toy Soldiers”, which sampled the tremendous rock song “Toy Soldiers” by Martika. Both tunes are steeped in drug abuse stories and both tug your heartstrings. But when the chorus for Em’s song kicks in and Martika’s vocals fill the speakers, it’s truly something sublime.

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