3 One-Hit Wonders From the 1980s That Just Rocked

Some songs inspire. Some songs entertain. Some songs elucidate the nature of music and show you what proper song construction looks like. Some songs get you on your feet to dance. Some songs make you want to sing. And all of that is fine and good. But above all these characteristics, we wanted to explore the songs that simply rock.

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Indeed, for much of the 20th century, rock music was where it was at. Rock was the dominant musical form and perhaps the most dominant culture. So, in the 1980s, there were lots of songs unleashed upon the world that rocked. Some were one-hit wonders, those songs that went up the charts but whose composers never had quite the same success. These are three one-hit wonders from the 80s that rocked.

“867-5309/Jenny” by Tommy Tutone from ‘Tommy Tutone 2’ (1981)

This track, which hit No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100, made a single telephone number famous. So famous, in fact, that countless fans called up the titular digits and asked over and over for the subject of the song—Jenny. Jim Keller, lead guitarist for the band, told People in 1982, “Jenny is a regular girl, not a hooker. Friends of mine wrote her name and number on a men’s room wall at a bar. I called her on a dare, and we dated for a while. I haven’t talked with her since the song became a hit, but I hear she thinks I’m a real jerk for writing it.” Despite these shenanigans, the song rocks. It just plain rocks. Its chorus is embedded in our psyches by now, and when sung over buzzy guitar riffs, it was one of the best parts of the 80s.

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

A song about breaking off the shackles of a one-horse town and running away to look for something more, this tune hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. The singer on the track is imploring the object of his affection to leave the oppressive religious place they’ve grown up in and call home. Maybe there is something better out there, something more interesting, more creative. Maybe they can find it together! Sung with devotion and desperation, this song from the British-born band gets your bones buzzing and your mind ready to take on the world.

“Electric Avenue” by Eddy Grant from ‘Killer On The Rampage’ (1983)

This song, which pays tribute to the thoroughfare in the south London district of Brixton that’s known as the first market street to be lit by electricity, went on to hit No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100. But not only did Eddy Grant do a good job citing the locale, but he brought it even more to life with his 1983 single. It’s a song that you can sing as soon as you hear the title. It’s a song with verve and force. It’s a song that simply rocks and will continue throughout the ages, lit up like the street it cites.

Photo by Brian Cooke/Redferns