One Hit Wednesday

Big Country was a scottish rock band formed in 1981.
The band's music was most recognisable for the sounds it infused with Scottish folk styles. They acheived moderate success in the U.K. over the years, but only charted one hit in the U.S. 'In a Big Country' peaked at #17 in December of '83.
The band was dormant for many years, but recorded their first single in 11 years in August of 2011.

Dexy's Midnight Runners are a British pop group formed in 1978. With moderate success throughout the early to mid 80's, charting 12 hits in the U.K., the band only charted 1 song in the U.S. Top40. Come on Eileen hit #1 in the U.S. in April of '83.
The band is still together and is scheduled to release a new album in June of 2012.

Jack Wagner is an acomplished actor most notably for his roles in soap operas such as General Hospital, Santa Barbara, and the Bold and the Beautiful. He is also a seasoned musician and vocalist. His first single, All I Need peaked at #2 in January of '85. With 5 albums to his credit, he has yet to chart again. He is scheduled to release a new single in 2012. 






Thomas Dolby was born in 1958 in London, England. He is a singer/song writer, musician and producer. He has also done a lot of session work behind the scenes. Over the years he has released 5 full length albums and numerous singles. But only one single has worked its way into the U.S. Top40; She Blinded Me WIth Science was a #5 hit in May of 1983. Dolby is still very active today and released his 5th album in 2011.

John Schneider was most widely know for his acting and role as Bo Duke on the television show The Dukes of Hazzard and more recently on the show Smallville. John has also had a stellar career as a country music singer. He has numerous albums and singles over his career. One track found it's way to the Billboard pop charts. His rendition of Elvis' It's Now or Never reached #14 in the summer of '81. John has 10 Top10 Country Hits including 4 #1's. He is still active in music and television and released a new single in 2010.

One Hit Wednesday

Device was a short-lived American pop-rock trio formed by singer/songwriter, keyboardist and bassist Holly Knight. Device's only album, 22B3, was released in the spring of 1986. It produced a Top 40 single in the U.S. with "Hanging on a Heart Attack," which peaked at #35 on the Hot 100. Knight wrote songs for such artists as Pat Benatar, Cheap Trick, Scandal, Heart and Tina Turner.
Holly wrote, or co-wrote the popular songs; Rag Doll (Aerosmith), Love is a Battlefield & Invincible (Pat Benatar), The Warrior (Scandal), Better Be Good To Me (Tina Turner), Love Touch (Rod Stewart), Obsession (Animotion), Never (Heart) and many more.

Marshall Crenshaw  is an American singer, songwriter and guitarist born in Detroit, MI in 1953. With many albums to his credit and well-known throughout the music inustry, his lone hit on the Billboard charts was "Someday, Someway" from 1982. It hit #36 in July of that year. Crenshaw got his start playing the role of John Lennon in the musical Beatlemania. He has also appeared in several movies and still records today. He released his latest album, "Jaggedland" in 2009.

Kajagoogoo is a British Pop band formed in 1979. Originally a four member group called Art Nouveau, they added Limahl (Christopher Hamill) as their lead singer in 1981 and changed their name. Nick Rhodes of Duran Duran,  would produce their first album which yielded "Too Shy" as their debut single. The song would reach #1 in the UK and #5 here in the US. The band released 2 more albums with minimal success here in the US and broke up in 1986. In 2008 the original 5 members re-united and have been touring and recording since. Kajagoogoo just released their first single in 25 years on June 12, 2011. You can see it here on YouTube.

Saga is a progressive rock quintet, formed in Canada in 1977.
To date, Saga has 21 albums to their credit and are still touring and recording today. Over the years they have fared well in Canada and Germany, but only reached the Top 40 once in the US. "On The Loose" hit #26 in 1982.







Re-Flex were a British New Wave/synthpop band active from 1981 to 1985. Their debut single "The Politics of Dancing" achieved international success charting in the Top 20 in many countries. Here in the US it hit #24 in 1983. EMI dropped Re-Flex before they could release their second album. The band continued to record and has never officially broken up. In 2008 they released a 6-CD box set called Re-Fuse that contains a remastered version of "Politics" and 5 previously unreleased albums!

One Hit Wednesday

Tracey Ullman is an English-born stage and television actress, comedienne, singer, dancer, screenwriter and author. In 1983, her debut album featured her cover version of Kirsty MacColl's 'They Don't Know' which went to #8 in Feb. of '84. Tracey Is probably best known as a 'Sketch Comic' and for her numerous television appearances, both in the UK and US. She had her own variety show from '87-'90, in which the hit series 'The Simpsons' was spun-off from. She also had a hand in launching the career of Paula Abdul as Abdul was Ullman's choreographer on her television show. Abdul used alot of her own music on the show for the dance numbers.

Nena (Both her name and the name of her band) is a German singer and actress who released her debut album in 1983. The album yielded the song '99 luftbaloons' which became a #2 hit here in the US. And Although an 'english' version was released and went to #1 in the UK, it was the original German version that charted here in the US. Both versions were played frequently on US radio. With numerous album releases and hit singles in Germany, this remains Nena's only hit in the English speaking world.



Agnetha Faltskog is a Swedish recording artist and entertainer
best known as the lead vocalist for the super group ABBA. In 1983 she released a post-ABBA solo album which produced her first, and only, Top 40 hit in the US. The song 'Can't Shake Loose' hit #29 in August of 83. All-in-all Agnetha has released eleven solo albums including 4 post ABBA. Although she has yet to re-chart in the US, she has numerous hits in other countries. She re-joined ABBA when the band re-united in 2004 and is still performing with them today.


Charlene  was an American R&B singer who originally released the song 'I've Never Been To Me' in 1976. The song charted at #97 and did not fair well initially. After leaving the music business all-together in 1982, a Florida radio DJ began playing the song at his girlfriends request. The song gained popularity and quickly caught on around the nation. It eventually would peak at #3 here in the US and would become a #1 hit in the UK. Several covers have been done over the years and VH1 considered the song the number 75 one-hit wonder of all time in 2002.


Toni Basil is an American singer-songwriter, actor, filmmaker, film director and choreographer. She recorded her first songs in 1966 including a track called 'Breakaway' for the movie of the same name. In 1982 she released 'Mickey' which became an international hit and was #1 in the US. The song is actually a cover of a song called 'Kitty' which was recorded by the UK band 'Racey' in 1979. With some slight modifications to the arrangement and the addition of the 'Oh Mickey you're so fine' chant, Toni had herself one of the biggest one-hit songs ever. The song ranked as the #6 one-hit wonder of the 80s by VH1 in 2003.

One Hit Wednesday

Baltimora were an Italian New Wave dance outfit active in the mid to late 80s. They released 2 albums and broke up shortly after the second one. The song 'Tarzan Boy' was a world-wide hit and placed #13 in '85 in the U.S. The song re-surfaced in '93 and charted again at #51, due to its appearance in a Listerine commercial and the movie Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III.

Andy Taylor is best known as a member of Duran Duran and The Power Station. He was also a prominant songwriter and producer. In '86 he released a solo single called 'Take It Easy' which charted at #24 on the Billboard Hot 100. He went on releasing many more solo singles and albums as well as performing with, and writing and producing for many other artists. He rejoined Duran Duran in 2001 but again parted in 2005. He released an autobiography in 2008.



Dennis De Young is best known for being a founding member, and lead vocalist, of the rock band Styx. DeYoung left the band briefly in '84 during a time when the band wasn't 'doing much'.
He released a solo album during this period called 'Dessert Moon'. The title track from that album went to #10 in September of '84. He released a second album and contributed a couple of songs to movie soundtracks before rejoining Styx in '90. DeYoung departed the band once and for all in 1999 and has done numerous appearances and shows as a soloist since.



Talk Talk  was an English band, active from 1981 to 1991. They released 5 albums during that period, charting four singles in the Hot 100, but only one hit the top 40. The song "It's My Life" hit #31 in '84. The group 'No Doubt' covered the song and took it to #10 in 2003.




Bobby McFerrin is an American vocalist and conductor.
Best known for his hit song 'Don't Worry, Be Happy' from '88. The Song hit #1 in July of that year and was a feature track in the movie 'Cocktail'. One of McFerrin's claim-to-fame is his ability to perform both the main melody and the accompanying parts of songs. He also makes use of percussive effects created both with his mouth and by tapping on his chest. He's won numerous Grammy awards mostly in the Jazz Vocalist categories and still continues to conduct and perform today.
McFerrin has the rare distinction of being a #1 one-hit-wonder.
And although I say rare, it actually happened 11 times in the decade.

One Hit Wednesday

Peter Schilling was born on January 28, 1956 in Stuttgart, Germany. He is a German synthpop musician whose songs often featured science-fiction themes. His 1983 album, Error in the System, generated his only international hit single, "Major Tom (Coming Home)", a retelling of David Bowie's classic 1969 song "Space Oddity". The song hit #14 in September of that same year.

David & David was an American rock duo composed of Los Angeles-based studio musicians David Baerwald and David Ricketts. They were best known for their debut single "Welcome to the Boomtown" from the album Boomtown. The single reached #37 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1986 and #8 on the Billboard Top Rock Tracks chart. David & David disbanded shortly after Boomtown and Baerwald and Ricketts continued to work with other musicians.

OXO was an American new wave pop band formed by Ish 'Angel' Ledesma in 1983. Formerly the lead singer of Foxy, Ledesma formed OXO with guitarist Orlando, bass player Frank Garcia, and drummer Freddy Alwag.
Their only Top 40 hit was "Whirly Girl," which, according to Ledesma, was originally entitled "Worldly Girl." The song was written about Ledesma's wife. The song hit #28 in '83. The band broke up after just one album.

Frank Zappa was an American composer, singer-songwriter, electric guitarist, record producer, and film director. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa wrote rock, jazz, electronic, orchestral, and musique concrète works. He also directed feature-length films and music videos, and designed album covers. In May 1982, Zappa released his biggest selling single with "Vally Girl" which hit #32 on the charts. A duet with his daughter, Moon Unit, it was his only Top 40 hit. Frank passed away December 4, 1993.



Sly Fox was an American short-lived 1980s pop duo, consisting of Gary "Mudbone" Cooper & Michael Camacho.
The group's sole album Let's Go All the Way was released on Capitol Records in 1985, and the title track "Let's Go All the Way" became a Top 10 hit in both the US and UK. It peaked at #7 here in the U.S. The duo only released the one album and broke up in 1988.


 

One Hit Wednesday

Buckner & Garcia is a duo consisting of Jerry Buckner and Gary Garcia from Akron, Ohio. Their first collaboration was in 1980, when they wrote a novelty Christmas song, "Merry Christmas in the NFL," about Howard Cosell as Santa Claus.
However, the duo is best known for the song "Pac-Man Fever", which became a large novelty hit in 1982, peaking at #9 in the United States. Later that year the duo was signed by Columbia Records and was asked to do an entire album of 'video game' songs, which they did. one was all we could take.




Boys Don't Cry were a British studio band who formed in 1983 and released 2 albums and several non-album singles before calling it quits in 1988. The song 'I Wanna Be A Cowboy' was the first single from their eponymous first album and hit #12 in 1986. Considered by most as a novelty song, it also charted high on the Dance and R&B charts as well as being a top 10 hit in several other countries. It was one-and-done for Boys Don't Cry as they rode off into the sunset ;-)

The Other Ones were formed in Australia in the mid 80s. They released one self-titled album in late '86 releasing 2 singles. The second one, 'Holiday' hit #29 on the Billboard Hot 100 in August of '87. The song was a hit world-wide and The Other Ones would become a trivial part of history as they were never heard from again.

Midnight Oil (or the 'Oils' to their fans) were an Australian band formed circa 1971. They have a long history and many albums to their credit. They officially broke up in 2002 so the lead singer could pursue a political career. Highly acclaimed and having won several prestigious awards in Australia, they managed to only chart one song in the Top 40 here in the U.S. 'Beds Are Burning' hit #17 in May of '87.





Scandal was formed in New York City in 1981. Fronted by female vocalist Patty Smyth, the band released 2 albums before breaking up in late 1984. 2 of the first 3 singles off their first album charted but they didn't hit the Top 40 until the first single from their second album, 'The Warrior', hit #7 in the summer of '84. Issues within the band and with the record label caused the band to dissolve following a very successful 'Warrior' tour that summer.

One Hit Wednesday

The Vapors were a new wave band from England that only lasted between 1979 and 1981. Due to 'lack of label promotion' the band disbanned after their 2nd album in 1981. They managed to release 7 singles from their 2 albums before calling it quits. The track 'Turning Japanese' from their first album hit #36 in the U.S. and was their only hit stateside.

As a side note, the term 'turning japanese' supposedly was a euphemism for masturbation.

If you press play, you will turn Japanese (I really think so)


When In Rome was another English band that had a short life-span. They too only lasted 2 years from 1988 to 1990. They released one album and charted only 'The Promise' at #11 on the Billboard Hot 100. The band did re-unite in 2006 and are performing today.

Martin Briley is a singer, songwriter, guitarist and keyboardist.
The list of artists that he has written songs for is staggering. As is the list of artists he has performed with, both on tour, and as a session musician. Ocassionally he has released his own albums and was fortunate with the track 'Salt in My Tears', from his 2nd album, to hit the Top 40. It hit #36 in the summer of '83.

Sylvia is more widely known as a country singer-songwriter rather than a pop star, but in 1982 she hit both pop and country charts with her song 'Nobody'. It was a #1 country hit and got all the way up to #15 on the Hot 100. She's still in the business today and has numerous country hits and accolaids under her belt.

Icicle Works were an English alternative rock band that released 5 albums between 1982 and 1990. The only track to have any success in the U.S. was 'Birds Fly (Whisper To A Scream)' off their first album. Actually, the U.S. version of the song was re-titled 'Whisper To A Scream (Birds Fly)' and was a totally different track than the former. The U.S. version of the album was different as well. The revamped U.S. track hit #37 in 1984.

One Hit Wednesday

Scritti Politti was a British band formed in 1977.
Initially a post-punk rock group, they found success as a mainstream pop group in the early to mid 80s. Especially in the UK where they charted 14 singles. In the U.S however, they could only amass a single Top 40 hit with "Perfect Way" in 1985. A Variation of the band is still together today.

'Perfect Way' on YouTube


Scarlett and Black were a pop duo from the UK who released one self-titled album in 1987. The album yeilded but one U.S. hit with "You Don't Know" which climbed to #20 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts.


'You Don't Know' on YouTube

Devo was formed in 1973 in Akron, Ohio. Their style shifted over time dabbling in punk, art rock, post-punk & new wave. They developed a very large cult following & influenced many styles over the years. This band is worth a trip to their wikipedia page to see their historical mark left on the world of music. In 1980 they had their lone Top 40 hit with "Whip It". They released their first studio album in 20 years in 2010, called 'Something For Everyone'. Check out samples on Amazon.

'Whip It' on YouTube



Greg Guidry was primarily a songwriter throughout the 70s and early 80s for such artists as Climax Blues Band, Robbie Dupree, Exile, and others. In '82 he released his first album entitled 'Over The Line' which produced a #17 song, 'Goin' Down', in Feb. of the same year. He continued writing for others and didn't release a second album until 2000. He passed away on July 28, 2003 in a car fire.

'Goin' Down' on YouTube

Taco (Taco Ockerse) is an Indonesian-born Dutch singer, actor & entertainer. His 1983 song 'Puttin' on the Ritz', with accompanying video, was a tribute to Irving Berlin, Fred Astaire, Al Jolsen and others, whom Taco admired greatly. The song was a big hit worldwide and is his only appeareance in the Top 40 reaching #4. Taco has appeared in many movies and still acts and performs today. Mostly in his home country of Germany.

'Puttin' on the Ritz' on YouTube

One Hit Wednesday

Gary Numan (Gary Anthony James Webb) was considered a pioneer in the synthpop and electronic era. Numan used synthesizers fed through guitar effects pedals to achieve a distorted, phased, metallic tone. He faired well on the UK charts over his career, but somehow only charted "Cars" in the U.S. In June of 1980, the song reached #9 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Gary Numan - Cars on YouTube

Moving Pictures was formed in Sydney, Australia in 1978. This was their only hit in America and actually is one of those rare songs to chart twice. Initially it peaked at #29 in Feb of '83 and re-entered the charts and peaked at #46 in '89.

Moving Pictures - What About Me on YouTube





Timbuk 3 was formed in 1984 in Madison, Wisconsin. Although they recorded several album between '84 and '95, when the band split up, they only charted one single on the Billboard Hot 100. 'The Future's So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades' hit #19 in 1986.

Timbuk 3 - The Future's So Bright on YouTube




Living In A Box were a Brittish Pop band from Sheffield, England. Although they charted 2 songs in the Billboard Hot 100, only "Living In A Box" reached the Top 40 peaking at #17 in 1987.

Living In A Box - Living In A Box on YouTube





Love And Rockets was formed in 1985 from a group of musicians who all had been in a previous band called 'Bauhaus'. As 'Love And Rockets' they scored a #3 hit with "So Alive" in 1989 as the band moved away from their post-punk, psychedelic sound and more towards an AOR sound. This track, however, charted on several U.S. charts, including the Billboard Dance Charts.

Love And Rockets - So Alive on YouTube

One Hit Wednesday

Something I thought might be fun is posting some of the many one hit wonders that came out of the 80s. Based on the Billoard definition of a one hit wonder, whereas an artist registers only one song in the Top 40 portion of the Billboard Hot 100 charts, spanning their entire career. I figure I could do 4 or 5 every Wednesday and we can call it 'One Hit Wednesday'. Sounds good to me so here we go!

Anni-Frid Synni Lyngstad (Frida) was a member of  Abba.
In 1983 she released the single "I Know There's Something Going On" as the lead single from her debut solo album 'Something's Going On'. The song peaked on the Billboard Hot 100 at #13 the week of March 26, 1983. The track topped the charts in 4 countries and was a top 10 hit in several others. It was the only single Frida ever charted. Phil Collins produced the record, played drums and sang backup vocals on the track.

Watch on YouTube

Karla Bonoff was primarily known as a songwriter rather than a performer, but occassionaly released her own material. In '82 she released her only single to ever hit the Top 40. It was called 'Personally' and reached #19 in August of '82. The track was from her album entitled 'Wild Heart of the Young'.

Watch On YouTube

 


Cock Robin was an American band formed in California in '82.
Largely ignored by their home country, Cock Robin found huge success in other countries and had several hits. Stateside though, "When Your Heart Is Weak" was the band's only chart single, where it reached #35 in August of '85.

Watch on YouTube






Double was a duo formed in Switzerland in 1983. The track "The Captain of Her Heart" was an international hit charting in the top 20 in 11 different countries. Unfortuanately, it was their only charted single in the U.S. It reached #16 in September of '86.

Watch on YouTube







Wa Wa Nee was an Australian pop band formed in 1985.
They had 4 singles chart in the Australian top 20 from their debut album also called "Wa Wa Nee". However, only one of those tracks, "Sugar Free", charted in the U.S. The song peaked at #35 on the Billboard Hot 100 the week of November 14, 1987.

Watch on YouTube