4 One-Hit Wonders From 1980 That Always Have Me Singing Along, Even if It’s Against My Will

From chart-topping albums to insanely catchy one-hit wonders, 1980 was a great year for music. The start of a new decade laid the groundwork for artistic shifts, more electronic instrumentation, and the dance-heavy style of mainstream music. With songs this catchy, it’s certainly hard to resist the compulsion to sing along.

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I have yet to fight the urge successfully when it comes to singing along to these 1980 one-hit wonders.

“Funkytown” by Lipps Inc.

Lipps Inc. released what would become their signature track, “Funkytown,” in March 1980 as the second single off their album Mouth to Mouth. It became an instant classic, topping the charts in the U.S., the U.K., Canada, Australia, and the Eurochart Hot 100 in Europe. With its driving bass line and infectious background vocals, the 1980 one-hit wonder is almost impossible not to sing along to, especially with lead vocalist Cynthia Johnson’s passionate delivery leading the charge. Who doesn’t love singing along to a good call-and-response song, anyway? 

“Cars” by Gary Numan

“Cars” quickly became Gary Numan’s most successful single after he released the electronic ode to automobiles in late August 1979. The U.S. release of the track came a few months later in February 1980, after which it peaked at No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100. Numan’s robotic vocal delivery is hard not to imitate, especially if you’re, well, driving alone in your car. Go ahead; just listen to it once, and then see how quickly it gets stuck in your head for the rest of the day.

“Rapper’s Delight” by Sugarhill Gang

Sugarhill Gang’s “Rapper’s Delight” is just what the title would suggest: a truly delightful collection of late 1970s rap flows that begins with a wonderfully catchy, I said a hip-hop, the hippie, hippie to the hip, hip-hop, you don’t stop the rockin’ to the bang-bang boogie, say up jump the boogie to the rhythm of the boogie, the beat. How can you not sing along to lines that are that bouncy and fun? Indeed, the 1980 one-hit wonder has had incredible staying power, earning preservation status in the National Recording Registry in 2011 for being culturally and historically significant.

“Turning Japanese” by The Vapors

Finally, few hooks from 1980 get lodged in my head quite like the Vapors’ “Turning Japanese” chorus. Turning Japanese, I think I’m turning Japanese, I really think so is such an earworm that it’s virtually impossible not to sing along to it—or sing it to yourself hours after hearing it. The new wave track from New Clear Days is far and away the Vapors’ most recognizable song, peaking at No. 1 in Australia and No. 4 in Ireland.

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