I LOVE to make lists. I make them about anything, but usually about favorite things of mine.
My list addiction started years ago when I was working at a toy shop. It was a really cool shop, not your typical chain toy store, but rather one that catered towards old skool toys like metal wind up toys, smurfs, silly putty, and some very cool and unique puppets. They also carried various instruments from around the world, like african drums, pan flutes, etc. Never a dull day working there. And I've always been a kid at heart, so while I wasn't working, I was playing with all the fun things in the shop.
Unfortunately, things took a turn for the worse when the couple who owned the store of ten years, decided to retire and move. It was sad to see them go, they were so wonderful to work for and put so much heart and pride into the shop, and they gave the shop a sort of mom and pop feel to it, very welcoming. But after 10 years in the business, they wanted a change.
Enter the new owner, a young guy who completely lacked any and all business skills, couldn't seem to care less about the customers, or the actual store for that matter, and ran the store into the ground within about a years time. So while he was off getting stoned, avoiding all the angry companies that were after him for all the money he owned them that I got stuck having to deal with, I was basically left in the store with nothing to do. The new owner got rid of the majority of items in the shop, and the little amount of items he carried in the shop, was more to what he liked (mostly hippy stuff) rather than what the store was known for, so the regulars started shopping elsewhere, and the new customers didn't stick around for long.
So this was around the time I really started to get addicted to making lists. I would work 8 to 9 hour shifts with a small handful of customers all day long, so I killed a lot of time making lists about various things. It's been years since I've worked at the toy store, but I still love to make lists to this day. So I thought I'd start posting some lists of mine to share here in my blog.
This list is my top 31 favorite 1 hit wonders of the 80's.
Some (er, okay most) of these songs fall into the 'so bad they're good' category, some are more club type hits rather than radio hits, cover songs, or from bands that maybe had more hits in other countries, but you get the idea.
Top 31 one Hit Wonders of the 80's (in random order) by Jane Diamond
31. "Love and Pride" by King
30."Cars" Gary Numan
29. "Tenderness" by Genereal Public
28. "Space Age Love Song" by A Flock of Seagulls"
(this one was more of a 2 hit wonder, but I think this song is so much better than "I Ran")
27. "Heat of the Moment" by Asia
26. "Birds Fly - Whisper to a Scream" by The Icicle Works
25. "Obsession" By Animotion
24. "Dominatrix Sleeps Tonight" by Dominatrix
23. "Come on Eileen" by Dexy's Midnight Runners
22. "Inside Out" by The Mighty Lemon Drops
21. "State of Shock" By Michael Jackson and Mick Jagger
20. "People Who Died" by Jim Carroll
19. "Politics of Dancing" by Re-Flex
18. "Too Shy" by Kajagoogoo
17. "Red Red Wine" UB40
16. "Pop Musik" by M
15. "Video Killed the Radio Star" by The Buggles (first video ever aired on MTV)
14. "Wot?" by Captain Sensible
13. "Let's Go All The Way" by Sly Fox
12. "In A Big Country" by Big Country
11. "99 Luft Balloons" by Nena
10. "Something About You" by Level 42
9. "Go!" by Tones On Tail
8. "Can't You See" by Vicious Pink
7. "Relax" by Frankie Goes To Hollywood
6. "Turning Japanese" by The Vapors
5. "Der Kommisar" by After The Fire
4. "Close to the Edit" by Art of Noise
3. "Pass the Dutchie" by Musical Youth
2. "World Destruction" by Time Zone
1. "Shiny Shiny" by Haysi Fantayzee
What are your favorite one hit wonders of the 80's?
Comment me back and let me know!
Cheers from Catland!
- Jane
