3 One-Hit Wonders From the 80s That Make You Want More

Sometimes you hear a song and you tell yourself that you never need to hear another track by that artist ever again. Maybe you didn’t like their singing voice. Or their choices when it came to rhythm or lyrics. For whatever reason, you just know that’s it. But other times it’s quite the opposite. Sometimes you hear a song and you tell yourself: MORE!

We wanted to explore that phenomenon below. We wanted to dive into three songs from the 1980s that made us want to hear more. More specifically, we wanted to check out three one-hit wonders from the decade—you know, those songs that raced up the charts but whose composers never quite found the same success again. Indeed, these are one-hit wonders from the 80s that make us want more!

“Come On Eileen” by Dexys Midnight Runners from ‘Too-Rye-Ay’ (1982)

A song about leaving your hometown in search of more, this track by Dexys Midnight Runners hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. In the lineage of other songs like Bruce Springsteen’s “Born to Run”, which tells the listener that it’s okay to get out from where you started, this song adds a religious component to the mix. Why stay where you’re oppressed by the church? No, it’s time to get out! That’s the message lead vocalist Kevin Rowland offers. And it’s one many might need to hear. The tune also makes us want to hear more from Rowland and his band.

“Relax” by Frankie Goes To Hollywood from ‘Welcome To The Pleasuredome’ (1983)

What an interesting song! In fact, are there any other songs like it? This new wave track from the Liverpool, England-born band Frankie Goes to Hollywood is certainly of its era. But it’s also unique in its own right. It’s eerie while also being catchy. It’s the pop song that the dark corners of your mind might come up with as you’re dreaming in the middle of the night. Maybe that’s why the song, which hit No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100, has long been so popular. It’s numinous. Of a place and time, but all the while totally singular, too.

“It’s Raining Men” by The Weather Girls from ‘Success’ (1982)

This delightful little tune was everywhere in the early 1980s. “It’s Raining Men” is an infectious, joyful post-disco synth-pop song that left listeners wanting more. Sadly, after this song’s release, the musical duo The Weather Girls never scored as big a hit again.

The Weather Girls enjoyed some success on the US R&B charts until around the mid-1980s. However, “It’s Raining Men” was their sole track to hit the Hot 100 chart, where it peaked at No. 46. The Weather Girls would later break up in 1988, but would eventually get back together and continue to perform live today.

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