Is there a one-hit wonder, particularly from the 1980s, that you consider perfect? It might just be on this list. I think each of these four tunes is totally perfect from start to finish. And this wasn’t an easy list to put together, because a lot of great one-hit wonders came out during the 1980s.
“Take On Me” by a-ha (1984)
Few new wave synth-pop songs make me want to get up and dance quite like the insanely catchy track “Take On Me” by Norwegian outfit a-ha. This band is far from a one-hit wonder in Europe. But in the US, “Take On Me” took the country by storm, and it remains their only song to do so. “Take On Me” peaked at No. 1 in the US and quite a few other countries. They never reached the Top 10 on the Hot 100 again.
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“Voices Carry” by ‘Til Tuesday (1985)
“Voices Carry” is such a classic new wave song. Much of ‘Til Tuesday’s music has the same magic as that single. And yet, they never had another Top 20 hit in the US again. It makes no sense to me. But at least I have this beautifully composed pop hit to enjoy forever.
“The Promise” by When In Rome (1987)
When In Rome’s synth-pop hit “The Promise” was a major hit on the Hot 100 chart, peaking at No. 11. It was the band’s most successful song commercially. And, sadly, it was their only track to make it to the Top 40 on the Hot 100. But the band certainly deserved the success they got, because “The Promise” is a fine piece of dance-rock that still makes me want to get up and move today.
“Don’t Worry, Be Happy” by Bobby McFerrin (1988)
This reggae-pop classic makes it to our list of perfect one-hit wonders from the 1980s because it makes me smile every time I hear it. A song has to have some serious power to get that kind of emotion out of someone. Bobby McFerrin wrote a total classic with “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” in 1988. It’s still quite crazy to me that this song is his only single to reach the Billboard Hot 100 chart and also top it.
Photo by Dave Hogan/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
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