3 Unintentionally Funny One-Hit Wonders From the 1980s

If you wanted to comb history for the decade with the funniest music of all time, you may just end up at the 1980s. With instruments, fashion, song subjects, and more that boggle the mind, the era was one that often put smiles on people’s faces—both intentionally and unintentionally.

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That’s just what we wanted to dive into here. We wanted to explore three songs from the 1980s that get us to guffaw. Indeed, these are three unintentionally funny one-hit wonders from the 1980s that we often enjoy returning to.

“I Want Candy” by Bow Wow Wow from ‘The Last Of The Mohicans’ (1982)

Okay, this song slaps. It’s a banger. The buzzy guitar, the vocal delivery—it gets you moving and shaking. But there is still something comical about the whole thing. Something innocent or even a bit childlike. To be so bold with the phrase “I want candy!” is just funny. Even if you’re in on the joke, even if candy is a euphemism, it’s silly, goofy, and, yes, droll.

“The Safety Dance” by Men Without Hats from ‘Rhythm Of Youth’ (1982)

This song is hilarious. Everything about it. From the LARP music video to the chorus to the earnest way the lyrics are delivered. It’s all funny. But what’s unclear is whether or not Men Without Hats gets it or not. The song was inspired by the idea of having your own place to dance, to be yourself. And that’s fine. But the result is something that puts a smile on our face as if we’re at a comedy club.

“Do They Know It’s Christmas?” by Band Aid (Single, 1984)

In the 1980s, there were two giant groups of well-known artists creating charity songs. It’s true! There was USA for Africa with “We Are The World”, which has its own unintentional comedy to it. And there was “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” by Band Aid, which is somehow much worse. Plenty of people have pointed out the condescending lyrics in this track and while that’s humorous enough, what’s more egregious is the song is just bad. Who greenlit this? Why is it still on every Christmas?

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