3 Rock Artists From the 1980s Who Disappeared After One Hit

The 1980s debuted a ton of one-hit wonders, and many of those artists virtually disappeared after they scored their sole major hit. Some of those artists, too, deserved way more love for their follow-up songs, but instead got radio silence from the charts. Let’s look at just a few one-hit wonders from the 1980s that disappeared, but deserved much better.

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Timbuk 3

Remember this American folk rock (and kind of new wave) outfit? They were together from 1983 to 1995, but their one hit you probably remember from them is their debut 1986 single, “The Future’s So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades”. That jam hit No. 19 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and did similarly well in Australia, the UK, and elsewhere. After that, though, the group never made it to the Hot 100 again. To many, it seemed like they disappeared.

In reality, Timbuk 3 continued to make music well into the 1990s. However, after the release of their second album, Eden Alley, in 1988, which hit No. 107 in the US, the band never really scored additional hits. A few songs here and there charted on the Mainstream Rock chart in the US and just barely made it to the Australian charts, but that was all they got. The music industry is a tough place, and I think this group deserved much better.

Rockwell

Rockwell’s Michael Jackson-assisted hit, “Somebody’s Watching Me”, ended up being his only Top 30 track on the Hot 100 chart. Released in 1983, the song peaked at No. 2. After a couple of minor hits that followed in the following few years, Rockwell virtually disappeared from the charts and the music industry as a whole. After deciding that the industry really wasn’t for him, the Motown singer eventually left music by the end of the 1980s and instead opted to focus on philanthropy. “Somebody’s Watching Me” is still a bop, though.

The Vapors

It doesn’t get more new wave than The Vapors. This English power pop outfit enjoyed some massive success with “Turning Japanese” in 1980. The new wave hit its peak at No. 36 in the US and would be their only charting song on the Hot 100. “Turning Japanese” made it all the way to No. 3 in the UK, but the song would be their only Top 40 hit across the pond. The Vapors would eventually break up in 1982, but have since reunited, so consider this outfit one that disappeared and then miraculously reappeared.

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