3 Songs You Didn’t Know Were One-Hit Wonders in the 80s

Need some amazing one-hit wonders from the 80s to give your playlist some style? These three songs come from musicians and bands that I honestly did not know were one-hit wonders. However, when you look at the charts, they technically are considered such. Let’s celebrate these bangers, shall we? If you love pop-rock and funk, you might just find your new favorite song on this list.

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“Without Your Love” by Roger Daltrey

Roger Daltrey? A one-hit wonder?! It’s insane to even consider. However, outside of his amazing work with The Who, Daltrey really did enjoy just one major US hit as a lead artist. That song was the 1980 tune “Without Your Love”. 

The song hit No. 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the US. Surprisingly, none of Daltrey’s other solo singles as a lead artist made it to the Top 40 on that coveted chart. Though, he did enjoy a couple of Top 40 songs in his native UK, namely “Give It All Away” (No. 5) and “Free Me” (No. 39).

“Electric Avenue” by Eddy Grant

I could have sworn that Eddy Grant of The Equals had additional hits during his solo career. I guess I was wrong, as the 1983 funk tune “Electric Avenue” was his only major hit outside of the band. And it’s a really amazing tune.

Grant enjoyed quite a bit of success in the UK and a number of European countries. However, “Electric Avenue” was his only Top 20 song in the United States. The tune made it to No. 2 on the Hot 100 chart, but his final charting hit in the US, the 1984 song “Romancing The Stone”, only made it to No. 26.

“(I Just) Died In Your Arms” by Cutting Crew

I’m honestly shocked that Cutting Crew didn’t have more charting success in their native country. “(I Just) Died In Your Arms” still gets airplay today in the US, decades after it was released in 1986. Their other tunes are fantastic. Maybe this is just an example of 80s one-hit wonders that could quite connect with their native country’s audiences, but American audiences ate them up.

“(I Just) Died In Your Arms” by Cutting Crew peaked at No. 1 in the United States, No. 4 in the UK, and also topped the charts in a number of other countries. Not bad for a debut single. Sadly, though, Cutting Crew never enjoyed another Top 20 hit in their native country again. They hit the US Top 10 charts twice with “I’ve Been In Love Before”, but that song didn’t make it past No. 24 in the UK. What a shame.

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