3 One-Hit Wonders From the 1980s That Use Surprisingly Weird Instruments

Trying to stand out as a musician in the 1980s was like trying to be the weirdest clown at clown school. And we mean that in the best of ways! The decade was full of strange and wonderful stuff. So, to stick out, you had to be that much stranger and that much more wonderful.

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Here below, we wanted to dive into three songs that did just that—a trio of tracks from back in the day that knew how to succeed simply by being different. Indeed, these are three one-hit wonders from the 1980s that use weird instruments.

“Life In A Northern Town” by The Dream Academy from ‘The Dream Academy’ (1985)

For those who have never been in a recording studio, making a complete song can be a long, arduous task. Even if you have the melody and the lyrics, there are layers and layers of music to put down to make a complete work. That’s just what The Dream Academy displayed on this eerie, synth-driven, traditional-sounding tune, “Life In A Northern Town”. Underneath the vocal harmonies, the band’s Kate St. John plays a thing called a cor anglais, which is a double-reed woodwind instrument similar to the oboe. For a visual sense, check out the group playing the song live in 2016.

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

It’s not every day a song with a fiddle races up the pop charts, but that’s exactly what happened in 1982 when “Come On Eileen” by the British-born group Dexys Midnight Runners hit shelves. The song from the early 1980s rocketed up the Billboard Hot 100 and hit No. 1 on the vaunted list. Indeed, making the top spot is amazing enough, but to do it with traditional instruments like a fiddle—well, that’s another kind of win altogether!

“Running Up That Hill” by Kate Bush from ‘Hounds Of Love’ (1985)

When considering what’s “weird” in the 1980s, it’s all relative. The decade was all about strange synths and drum machines and Moogs and other things. But Kate Bush’s 1985 hit “Running Up That Hill” stands out above all the others. The song features the Fairlight CMI digital synthesizer and the LinnDrum drum machine. But even those don’t compare to the balalaika, a mandolin-like Russian string instrument played at the offering by Kate’s brother Paddy.

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