Best One-Hit Wonder of the 1970s/1980s
One smash song does not a lasting music career make, and nobody knows that better than the dozens of artists of the 1970's and 1980's now labeled as "one-hit wonders." But here at Great Pop Culture Debate, we don't consider that term disparaging. Having one hit song is a hell of a lot better than MOST music artists achieve, and we want to celebrate these temporary sensations who managed to capture musical magic for one brief moment of time. Songs discussed include: You Spin Me Round by Dead or Alive; Tainted Love by Soft Cell; Come On Eileen by Dexy’s Midnight Runner; Don’t You Forget About Me by Simple Minds; 867-5309 Jenny by Tommy Tutone; Funkytown by Lipps Inc.; I Melt With You by Flock of Seagulls; Hey Mickey by Toni Basil; Black Velvet by Alannah Myles; and more.
Join Great Pop Culture Debate Host Eric Rezsnyak and panelists Derek Mekita, Heather Maclean, and Karissa Kloss as they attempt to name the BEST one-hit wonder of the 1970's & 1980's.
Want to play along at home? Click here for the listener bracket. Make your own copy, and follow along at home to see if your picks match up with ours!
To listen to Round 1, showing how we got to the Sweet 16 down from the Top 32, become a Patreon supporter of the podcast today to access the exclusive Part 1 episode.
RELATED CONTENT
Best One-Hit Wonder of the 1990s/2000s
GPCD Quiz: Best One-Hit Wonders of the 70s & 80s
Round 2 Match-Ups:
Match-Up 1: “Take On Me” by A-ha! (1) vs. “Mickey” by Toni Basil (4)
Match-Up 2: “She’s Like the Wind by Patrick Swayze (6) vs. “867-5309/Jenny” by Tommy Tutone (2)
Match-Up 3: “Tainted Love” by Soft Cell (1) vs. “Stuck in the Middle With You” by Stealers Wheel (4)
Match-Up 4: “Play That Funky Music” by Wild Cherry (6) vs. “Don’t You (Forget About Me)” by Simple Minds (2)
Match-Up 5: “You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)” by Dead or Alive (1) vs. “Black Velvet” by Alannah Myles (5)
Match-Up 6: “Funkytown” by Lipps Inc. (3) vs. “Video Killed the Radio Star” by The Buggles (2)
Match-Up 7: “Come On Eileen” by Dexy’s Midnight Runner (1) vs. “I Melt With You” by Modern English (4)
Match-Up 8: “Relax” by Frankie Goes to Hollywood (6) vs. “It’s Raining Men” by The Weather Girls (2)
Want to listen to the songs we discuss? We made a playlist of all the Top 32 songs, plus some bonus one-hit wonders our panelists wanted you to check out.
Have a say in future episodes!
Finally, if you want to have a say in what episodes we tackle next, vote in our Topic Polls! And we would love to have you pick your faves in the polls currently open for your votes!
Subscribe to our weekly newsletter!
Every Monday we tell you about the new movies, TV shows, albums, and video games coming up this week, PLUS we spotlight podcast episodes, polls, and more! Subscribe today!
EPISODE CREDITS
Host: Eric Rezsnyak
Panel: Derek Mekita, Heather Maclean, Karissa Kloss
Producer: Mike Rapin
Editor: Jeffery Perry