3 Times the Underdog Topped the Charts in the 1980s

Plenty of megastars topped the charts in the 1980s, but nobody expected the underdog to come out of nowhere to steal that top spot on the Billboard Hot 100. It happened a few times, actually. Let’s take a look at a few surprise chart-toppers who made it big on the world’s most coveted music chart back in the 1980s!

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“Take On Me” by a-ha

This might just be the most well-known one-hit wonder of all time. And nobody expected a Norwegian synth-pop band to catapult to the top of the Hot 100 like a-ha did. “Take On Me”, one of the finest new wave works of the decade, hit No. 1 on the Hot 100 chart on October 19, 1985. It sat at the top spot for a week and lasted 27 weeks total on the chart.

Before “Take On Me” was released internationally, a-ha had only charted once with the original version of the song in Norway in 1984. Their sophomore single, “Love Is A Reason”, didn’t chart at all. Then came the new version of “Take On Me” in 1985, and the band scored No. 1 hits across the board. Few Americans had heard of a-ha before their smash hit. It was a pleasant surprise to see them do so well with “Take On Me”.

“Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)” by Eurythmics

Annie Lennox and David A. Stewart took the world by storm when their 1983 tune “Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)” hit No. 1 on the Hot 100 chart. 

While both are considered legends in new wave and synth-pop today, the duo behind Eurythmics wasn’t really well-known on a mainstream level before “Sweet Dreams” topped the charts. In 1981 and 1982, only a handful of their singles charted at all, and only in the UK. Then came “Sweet Dreams”, and the band was at the top of the Hot 100, starting on September 3, 1983. The song would remain on the chart for 26 total weeks.

“Funkytown” by Lipps Inc.

Sometimes I forget that this disco-funk staple was actually released in the 80s and not the 70s. “Funkytown” by Lipps Inc. dropped in early 1980, and this underdog rightfully topped the charts in the 1980s. In fact, this song was a No. 1 hit almost across the board. It topped charts in Europe, Australia, Canada, and elsewhere.

Before scoring a massive global hit, this funky little outfit from Minneapolis had no charting success. Their debut single, “Rock It”, didn’t really chart at all. It was less than a year later when “Funktown” dropped and completely took over the charts.

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