3 One-Hit Wonders From the 1980s I’ll Never Ever Forget

When you close your eyes and think about it, what decade of music is the most memorable to you? Is it today, the 2020s? Was it back in the day when rock music first got going in a major way in the 1960s? Or is it another time—a time when music was at its most unique?

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Here below, we wanted to highlight three songs from perhaps the most memorable decade of music of all time—a time when popular songs sounded completely unique. Indeed, these are three one-hit wonders from the 1980s I’ll never forget.

“(I’ve Had) The Time Of My Life” by Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes from ‘Dirty Dancing’ (1987)

In a way, it’s unclear what it is about this song that makes it so memorable. Perhaps it’s just that breathy vocal delivery that makes the track’s lyrics feel as if they floated in on a cloud. Maybe it’s just the idea—the possibility—of having the time of your life, truly. Whatever it is, this song seeps into my bloodstream and remains there even now!

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

It’s always great (and rather memorable) to write a song about escaping. And this track from Dexys Midnight Runners is all about throwing off the shackles of a small oppressive town to find out what else is out there in the world. Forget the old structures and strictures. Cast them aside! It’s time to hit the road and discover what else is out there. And it’s that thrust that had this song hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

“I Ran (So Far Away)” by A Flock Of Seagulls from ‘A Flock Of Seagulls’ (1982)

Some one-hit wonders come to mind after a phrase or sentence is uttered in normal conversation. This is one of those songs. If you’re of a certain age, the moment someone says the words “I ran”, you think of this signature 1980s track. In your head, you sing the lyrics in that well-known drone that A Flock Of Seagulls perfected. It’s no wonder this tune made the Top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100, clocking in at No. 9 on the charts.

Photo by Fin Costello/Redferns