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*** 1980's One Hit Wonders . . .​​​​ #1 - LIPPS, INC. - Funkytown *** (1 Viewer)

#52 - DELBERT MCCLINTON - Giving It Up For Your Love (#8 - 2/21/1981 - 19 Weeks)
McClinton has been active in the music biz since 1962 and has released 28 albums. This was his only song to hit the Top 40 (although he had 3 others crack the Hot 100). Oddly enough, he did not have a song hit the Billboard Blues chart until 35 years into his career, but he's had 7 songs hit #1 or #2 on the blues chart since. Hats off to him, at 78 years old, he is still touring.

The song was written by Jerry Williams, who recorded 31 albums himself. He never had a song hit the American charts. Not sure how McClinton ended up with the song, but it was the only major hit between the two of them.

On deck, a song that asks how do rumors get started . . .

 
Anarchy99 said:
#53 - ROCKY BURNETTE - Tired Of Toein' The Line (#8 - 7/26/1980 - 19 Weeks)
Another one of my personal faves that many (most?) people won't remember (or may rather just simply forget). Burnette put out 3 albums in the late 70's / early 80's. He resurfaced briefly in both the mid-90's and again in the mid 2000's. After 12 years, Burnette is rumored to be releasing another album this year. Ricky Nelson covered the song the year after Burnette released his version.

His father Johnny Burnette was also a performer, most known for his song You're Sixteen, which was an even bigger hit for Ringo Starr. The elder Burnette died tragically, drowning in a freak boating accident at age 30. He came from the same town and knew Elvis. The Beatles recorded one of his songs, Lonesome Tears In My Eyes.

Coming up next, a song originally written and recorded by Swedish performer Jerry Lee Williams that became the biggest hit for a Texas blues rock and electric blues singer.
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Johnny Burnette was a huge influence on both Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page, and his version of The Train Kept A-Rollin' was the foundation on which The Yardbirds, Led Zeppelin, and Aerosmith based their versions. (Also, here's Beck, Page and Joe Perry ALL jamming on the song, along with some other guys).

 
#51 - TIMEX SOCIAL CLUB - Rumors (#8 - 8/16/1986 - 19 Weeks)
Timex Social Club was a blip on the musical radar for a brief period in 1986-87. The band was formed in 1982 and released their only album 4 years later. Rumors became a hit and the group opened Run DMC's Raising Hell tour, which also had the Beastie Boys, LL Cool J, and Whodini on the bill. They also opened for other performers including New Edition, Midnight Star, the S.O.S. Band, Kool & The Gang, and Jermaine Jackson. On the heels of their success with Rumors, the band promptly disbanded. 

The lead singer of Timex Social Club was Samuelle Prater, and he immediately was installed as the singer of a new group called Club Nouveau . . . who quickly hit #1 with their version of Lean On Me. Club Nouveau came perilously close to making this countdown as well, but they had another song peak at #39 and just barely avoided the OHW label. They actually re-recorded Rumors for inclusion on Club Nouveau's Greatest Hits album.

After being dormant for almost 25 years, Timex Social Club reformed with several replacements and has been performing sporadically since 2011. I do not believe they have released any new music (at least not on a major label), and I 'm not really sure what songs they would be performing at this point given that they only recorded 9 songs back in the day.

Club Nouveau (also with Prater) also plays a few dates each year and just had an appearance with 8 other acts in California last week. They haven't released an album since 1995 but also plays a handful of shows each year.

Coming up, we feature our first song in the 80's OHW Top 50, this one a spin-off group from The Jets (that also only lasted for one album).

 
#50 - BOYS CLUB - I Remember Holding You (#8 - 1/14/1989 - 21 Weeks)
Our first Top 50 song is another group formed from another group. Boys Club was a spin-off band featuring Gene Hunt, who was a founding member of Minneapolis band The Jets (but went under the name Eugene Wolfgramm then). Boys Club made no bones about trying to emulate the sound of George Michael and Wham!.

I'm not sure how all that came to fruition, but Hunt left The Jets to form Boys Club. They released one album that produced their one hit and a much less popular number, The Loneliest Heart, which hit #39 on the Adult Contemporary chart. Boys Club was featured in the first episode of the New Mickey Mouse Club, that later produced the likes of Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Justin Timberlake, Keri Russell, and Ryan Gosling.

Boys Club called it a day almost immediately and never put out anything else. I don't believe they ever got back together. Their one other claim to fame is they were one of the first performers to embark on a mall tour. Hunt went back to record one more album with The Jets, but that also didn't last long. He stuck around for one Jets album and then left the band. He pretty much fell off the radar in 1990.

The Jets lasted almost through the 1990's but then fell out of favor. At some point, their manager ran off with most of their profits and the band gave up on the music business entirely. They reunited several times over the past 10 or so years, but it appears Hunt was not apart of the reunion.

On deck, another performer whose biggest hit was her first release . . . in this case another popular dance number that hit #1 on the dance chart in 1983.

 
#49 - SHANNON - Let The Music Play (#8 - 2/25/1984 - 24 Weeks)
Shannon Brenda Greene went by Shannon as her stage name and initially put out three albums in the early to mid-80's. Apparently the song is the first-of-its-kind in the freestyle dance genre . . . whatever that may be. I remember the song well and it got tons of airplay in my neck of the woods.

Like many others in this countdown, her career died down in the 90's but she was able to make a mild comeback in the 00's. Not sure what compelled her, by at one point she covered Urgent by Foreigner. Definitely took the song in a different direction . . . which hit #68 on the R & B chart. Her last album was released in 2006.

Our next artist sings about "having it all," a song about a romantic relationship similar to the one in a Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall movie.

 
#48 - BERTIE HIGGINS - Key Largo (#8 - 4/17/1982 - 29 Weeks)
Another in the long line of artists featured here whose biggest hit was his first release. Higgins debut album hit #8 on the album chart fueled by the success of Key Largo. The song was released several months before the album dropped. Just Another Day In Paradise was the follow up single, which hit #10 on the adult contemporary chart but fell short of the Top 40. Higgins would go on to release a dozen albums of new material and a bunch of compilations and career retrospectives. Higgins, now 74, has remained active in the music and entertainment industry. He was inducted into the Florida Music Hall of Fame with a lifetime achievement award in 2016, along with Jimmy Buffett, Julio Iglesias, and Tom Petty (some pretty good company).

He also received several other honors that don't exactly fit the mold of 80's country and pop singer. He was knighted, received an honorary doctorate degree from Hannover University, was inducted into the Mozart and Beethoven societies, and was inducted into the Florida Artists Hall of Fame.

Coming up, a a British synth-pop duo with a song EVERYONE will know. 

 
#47 - SOFT CELL - Tainted Love (#8 - 7/17/1982 - 43 Weeks)
Another cover song, this one originally performed by Gloria Jones in the mid-60's. HERE is the Soft Cell version with the Where Did Our Love Go segment included. Soft Cell was more popular "across the pond," as they had 13 Top 40 songs in the UK. 

Other artists have taken a stab at Tainted Love, including Marilyn Manson, Black Rainbow, Coil, Scorpions, Social Distortion, and Front 242.

The Soft Cell duo of vocalist Marc Almond and instrumentalist David Ball met in 1977, when they released an EP that did very little in terms of sales. Then in 1981, MTV launched, the new wave sound took off, and Tainted Love was released and hit #1 in 17 countries. However, the U.S. market was much slower to develop, as the song didn't chart until 19 weeks after its release. When it finally hit the Billboard Hot 100, the song struggled initially. It peaked at #64 in the early going and was set to fall off the single chart altogether after 2 months near the bottom of the Hot 100. Then it finally caught on in the States. The single had been released the first week of July 1981. It peaked at #8 in the US a year after it was released. It ended up spending 43 total weeks in the Hot 100, which set a new record at the time.

The Soft Cell story mirrors many others on the countdown. After their global success with Tainted Love, things mostly went downhill from there. They released a total of 4 albums in 4 years but fame, fortune, and drug use took its toll. The band disbanded in 1984 . . . and like so many others, they reunited in 2001. The band released a greatest hits package and a box set last year, played one final show at the O2 in London in 2018, and have now said they are done forever. 

After Soft Cell broke up in the 80's, Almond released 25 studio albums and 8 live albums as a solo artist. Something's Gotten Hold of My Heart hit #1 in the UK in 1989 (one of Almond's 9 UK Top 40 solo hits). His only solo song to hit the Hot 100 in the States was Tears Run Rings, which reached #67 in 1988.

Ball bounced around after Soft Cell and was in and out of several British bands, the most successful being The Grid. They've put out a half dozen albums post Soft Cell and had a #3 hit in the UK with Swamp Thing.

Up next, the first #7 entry, which hopefully will get us right on track.

 
#46 - THE BREAKFAST CLUB - Right On Track (#7 - 5/30/1987 - 19 Weeks)
Our first entry of the #7 songs, I remember the song but would not have guessed it peaked that high. The band was formed in 1979 and rotated through 13 musicians across their 11 years together. Notable band members at one point or other included Madonna as a drummer and future American Idol judge Randy Jackson on bass. Madonna was part of the original lineup and left after a year or two to pursue a solo career (she was dating band mate Dan Gilroy at the time).  The group only released one album in the 80's, although they recorded another one that took 30 years to finally get released. The other less famous band members didn't really do much on the pop scene after the band broke up.

Around the corner, we shoot a rubberband at the stars and come down with the #45 song off the debut album from a Texas band. 

 
Anarchy99 said:
#46 - THE BREAKFAST CLUB - Right On Track (#7 - 5/30/1987 - 19 Weeks)
Our first entry of the #7 songs, I remember the song but would not have guessed it peaked that high. The band was formed in 1979 and rotated through 13 musicians across their 11 years together. Notable band members at one point or other included Madonna as a drummer and future American Idol judge Randy Jackson on bass. Madonna was part of the original lineup and left after a year or two to pursue a solo career (she was dating band mate Dan Gilroy at the time).  The group only released one album in the 80's, although they recorded another one that took 30 years to finally get released. The other less famous band members didn't really do much on the pop scene after the band broke up.

Around the corner, we shoot a rubberband at the stars and come down with the #45 song off the debut album from a Texas band. 
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I like(d) this song at the time. I think I had the 12" version in fact.

 
Anarchy99 said:
#49 - SHANNON - Let The Music Play (#8 - 2/25/1984 - 24 Weeks)
Shannon Brenda Greene went by Shannon as her stage name and initially put out three albums in the early to mid-80's. Apparently the song is the first-of-its-kind in the freestyle dance genre . . . whatever that may be. I remember the song well and it got tons of airplay in my neck of the woods.

Like many others in this countdown, her career died down in the 90's but she was able to make a mild comeback in the 00's. Not sure what compelled her, by at one point she covered Urgent by Foreigner. Definitely took the song in a different direction . . . which hit #68 on the R & B chart. Her last album was released in 2006.

Our next artist sings about "having it all," a song about a romantic relationship similar to the one in a Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall movie.
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The song isn't very good but I have always liked it.  

 
#45 - EDIE BRICKELL & NEW BOHEMIANS - What I Am (#7 - 3/4/1989 - 19 Weeks)
Before she was Mrs. Paul Simon, Edie Brickell was a New Bohemian. The band released two albums in their first run, and like many others on the countdown, their first single turned out to be their biggest seller. The two albums produced 5 songs that hit the various Billboard charts, but only What I Am hit the Top 40.

The band was originally a three piece but added Brickell (a year out of high school) and a couple other members in 1985. They were popular on the local Texas club music scene. Their debut album, Shooting Rubberbands at the Stars, hit double platinum and the band opened for part of Don Henley's 1990/91 tour.  

She was only 22 years old when she met Paul Simon, who was 47 at the time, when the two both appeared on SNL in 1988. The pair started dating, were married a few years later, and had three kids together. But that pretty much put an end to the New Bohemians, as they disbanded in 1990 just after their second album was released.

Brickell pressed on as a solo performer for 15 years before reconstituting the New Bohemians. She also formed a new band called The Gaddabouts and later recorded an album with actor / performer Steve Martin. She also cut an album with Simon's son Harper under the band name The Heavy Circles. Not sure how many groups feature the offspring and the spouse of a recording legend.

Former Bohemian keyboardist Carter Albrecht was shot and killed in 2007. He was under the influence, started arguing with his girlfriend, and banged on the door of her next door neighbor. The neighbor fired a shot though his door that hit Albrecht in the head.

Shooting at the walls of heartache (pardon the ill timed pun), the countdown moves forward with another musician with a famous husband.

 
Anarchy99 said:
#45 - EDIE BRICKELL & NEW BOHEMIANS - What I Am (#7 - 3/4/1989 - 19 Weeks)
Before she was Mrs. Paul Simon, Edie Brickell was a New Bohemian. The band released two albums in their first run, and like many others on the countdown, their first single turned out to be their biggest seller. The two albums produced 5 songs that hit the various Billboard charts, but only What I Am hit the Top 40.

The band was originally a three piece but added Brickell (a year out of high school) and a couple other members in 1985. They were popular on the local Texas club music scene. Their debut album, Shooting Rubberbands at the Stars, hit double platinum and the band opened for part of Don Henley's 1990/91 tour.  

She was only 22 years old when she met Paul Simon, who was 47 at the time, when the two both appeared on SNL in 1988. The pair started dating, were married a few years later, and had three kids together. But that pretty much put an end to the New Bohemians, as they disbanded in 1990 just after their second album was released.

Brickell pressed on as a solo performer for 15 years before reconstituting the New Bohemians. She also formed a new band called The Gaddabouts and later recorded an album with actor / performer Steve Martin. She also cut an album with Simon's son Harper under the band name The Heavy Circles. Not sure how many groups feature the offspring and the spouse of a recording legend.

Former Bohemian keyboardist Carter Albrecht was shot and killed in 2007. He was under the influence, started arguing with his girlfriend, and banged on the door of her next door neighbor. The neighbor fired a shot though his door that hit Albrecht in the head.

Shooting at the walls of heartache (pardon the ill timed pun), the countdown moves forward with another musician with a famous husband.
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Just an outstanding writeup and thanks.  This is one my top 50-100 songs (excluding those from my favorite band) of all time.  The auto-wah/envelope filtered guitar solo is terrific and has to be covered note-for-note;** it was done on a session basis by a really talented guy, Robbie Blunt, who toured and recorded with Robert Plant (and Phil Collins on drums!) at the start of Plant's solo career.  The bass part is also very funky with plenty of triplets and sixteenth-note fills.  The lyrics admittedly might have needed at least one more polish.   

**Some friends and I saw Edie and the band live, on some whim, shortly after the album came out but just before the song took off as a single.  It was one of my earlier concerts.  In the pre-Internet era, another guy who played drums and I couldn't figure out why the guitarist really didn't play the solo correctly or even all that well.  Answer (and pretty obvious in retrospect): he wasn't the guy who recorded it. 

 
Aerial Assault said:
Just an outstanding writeup and thanks.  This is one my top 50-100 songs (excluding those from my favorite band) of all time.  The auto-wah/envelope filtered guitar solo is terrific and has to be covered note-for-note;** it was done on a session basis by a really talented guy, Robbie Blunt, who toured and recorded with Robert Plant (and Phil Collins on drums!) at the start of Plant's solo career.  The bass part is also very funky with plenty of triplets and sixteenth-note fills.  The lyrics admittedly might have needed at least one more polish.   

**Some friends and I saw Edie and the band live, on some whim, shortly after the album came out but just before the song took off as a single.  It was one of my earlier concerts.  In the pre-Internet era, another guy who played drums and I couldn't figure out why the guitarist really didn't play the solo correctly or even all that well.  Answer (and pretty obvious in retrospect): he wasn't the guy who recorded it. 
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I think I saw them 3 times altogether. The first time was a sparsely attended club show almost a year before their first album came out. They closed the show with Walk On The Wild Side. My memory is pretty fuzzy, but I seem to recall interviewing them for my college radio show / radio station (again they were nobodies at the time . . . I shot the breeze with lots of groups that I couldn't begin to remember them all).

The next time was opening for Don Henley in 1990, which met with some interesting results. I thought they were better than Henley (and at least put forth way more effort), but a bunch of drunk rowdy fans were not as kind and started booing them. I could swear Paul Simon was there off stage.The last time I saw them was another club show probably just before they called it quits (which was packed compared to the first time), where I seem to remember them playing Moonage Daydream (which completely caught me off guard being a huge Bowie fan).

And apparently I misspoke earlier, as it appears the New Bohemians played some shows intermittently in the period I said they went AWOL. They essentially last performed at Farm Aid in 1992 and then were set to move on, but they apparently kept playing every now and again (shows in 1994, 1999, 2000, 2001, etc.). Edie put out a solo album in 1994, so I am not sure if the performances were actually with the New Bohemians or not. She played SNL again in 1994. Almost all the shows across many years were in Texas, so maybe the New Bohemians just played together when the spirit moved them.

Anyone remember The Arsenio Hall Show?

 
#44 - SCANDAL - The Warrior (#7 - 9/22/1984 - 21 Weeks)
Scandal featured Patty Smyth on vocals . . . the future Mrs. John McEnroe (of tennis fame). Scandal was formed in 1981 by guitarist Zach Smith (not the Ohio State football coach), who wrote most of the band's songs. The band released a self-titled EP in 1982, which featured the MTV hit Goodbye To You (but only reached #65 in the Hot 100) and also Love's Got A Line On You (which reached #59 on the singles chart). Yes, boys and girls, that really is JON BON JOVI playing guitar, as he was a member of Scandal before starting his own band. Time will tell if he made the right decision. The EP reached #39 on the albums chart.

By the time Scandal released a full-length album in 1984, most of the band had been swapped out, Bon Jovi departed, and The Warrior became a hit. The album hit #17 and went platinum. Scandal BARELY made the list, as both Hand's Tied and Beat Of A Heart each peaked at #41. (That seems odd to me as Goodbye To You and Love's Got A Line On You were played a ton on MTV and received gobs of radio airplay.

Scandal called it a day in late 1985. If the story is accurate, Smyth was invited by Eddie Van Halen to replace David Lee Roth in Van Halen. However, she was 8 months pregnant at the time and declined. She released a solo album in 1987 with Never Enough as the name of the album and the first single. Despite heavy airplay, it only reached #61 in the Hot 100. She recorded another album in 1992 that yielded her biggest hit, Sometimes Love Just Ain't Enough (#2 in the Top 40) and No Mistakes (#33 in the Top 40) . . . with both songs featuring Don Henley.

After almost 20 years, Scandal got back together in 2004 for VH1's Bands Reunited show and went on a brief tour. The reconfigured band has played a handful of shows pretty much every year since then (last time in 2018).

Smyth met current husband John McEnroe 25 years ago and they live in NYC. Oddly enough, McEnroe has dabbled as a guitarist since giving up tennis . . . Suffragette City, Purple Haze (with Rob Thomas), Whole Lotta Love (with his wife), Precious (with The Pretenders), and Sharp Dressed Man (with Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top).

Two of the Scandal's original members have already passed away. I believe Zach Smith, the guitarist from the band, later ended up in a band called The Fairwell many years later with Zach Myers, guitarist from Shinedown.

I'll be sure that you will be singing our next song night and day.

 
Anarchy99 said:
#44 - SCANDAL - The Warrior (#7 - 9/22/1984 - 21 Weeks)
Scandal featured Patty Smyth on vocals . . . the future Mrs. John McEnroe (of tennis fame). Scandal was formed in 1981 by guitarist Zach Smith (not the Ohio State football coach), who wrote most of the band's songs. The band released a self-titled EP in 1982, which featured the MTV hit Goodbye To You (but only reached #65 in the Hot 100) and also Love's Got A Line On You (which reached #59 on the singles chart). Yes, boys and girls, that really is JON BON JOVI playing guitar, as he was a member of Scandal before starting his own band. Time will tell if he made the right decision. The EP reached #39 on the albums chart.
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Wow, hard to believe “Goodbye To You” wasn’t a Top 40 hit. That song was everywhere.

 
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Anarchy99 said:
#44 - SCANDAL - The Warrior (#7 - 9/22/1984 - 21 Weeks)
Scandal featured Patty Smyth on vocals . . . the future Mrs. John McEnroe (of tennis fame). Scandal was formed in 1981 by guitarist Zach Smith (not the Ohio State football coach), who wrote most of the band's songs. The band released a self-titled EP in 1982, which featured the MTV hit Goodbye To You (but only reached #65 in the Hot 100) and also Love's Got A Line On You (which reached #59 on the singles chart). Yes, boys and girls, that really is JON BON JOVI playing guitar, as he was a member of Scandal before starting his own band. Time will tell if he made the right decision. The EP reached #39 on the albums chart.

By the time Scandal released a full-length album in 1984, most of the band had been swapped out, Bon Jovi departed, and The Warrior became a hit. The album hit #17 and went platinum. Scandal BARELY made the list, as both Hand's Tied and Beat Of A Heart each peaked at #41. (That seems odd to me as Goodbye To You and Love's Got A Line On You were played a ton on MTV and received gobs of radio airplay.

Scandal called it a day in late 1985. If the story is accurate, Smyth was invited by Eddie Van Halen to replace David Lee Roth in Van Halen. However, she was 8 months pregnant at the time and declined. She released a solo album in 1987 with Never Enough as the name of the album and the first single. Despite heavy airplay, it only reached #61 in the Hot 100. She recorded another album in 1992 that yielded her biggest hit, Sometimes Love Just Ain't Enough (#2 in the Top 40) and No Mistakes (#33 in the Top 40) . . . with both songs featuring Don Henley.

After almost 20 years, Scandal got back together in 2004 for VH1's Bands Reunited show and went on a brief tour. The reconfigured band has played a handful of shows pretty much every year since then (last time in 2018).

Smyth met current husband John McEnroe 25 years ago and they live in NYC. Oddly enough, McEnroe has dabbled as a guitarist since giving up tennis . . . Suffragette City, Purple Haze (with Rob Thomas), Whole Lotta Love (with his wife), Precious (with The Pretenders), and Sharp Dressed Man (with Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top).

Two of the Scandal's original members have already passed away. I believe Zach Smith, the guitarist from the band, later ended up in a band called The Fairwell many years later with Zach Myers, guitarist from Shinedown.

I'll be sure that you will be singing our next song night and day.
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Three thoughts:

1. when I saw your previous clue ("Shooting at the walls of heartache"), I assumed that you were referring to Smyth's solo career -- because I was absolutely certain that "Goodbye To You" was a top-40 hit (and that "No Mistakes" wasn't).

2. prior to inviting Smyth to join his band, Eddie Van Halen made an appearance with Scandal at a 1984 concert.

3. Fun fact: Scandal released a version of "Only The Young" a year before Journey did. The song would have been a sure-fire top-40 hit if Scandal had released it as a single, which makes me wonder if they had some kind of agreement with Journey to keep it semi-hidden?

 
[scooter] said:
3. Fun fact: Scandal released a version of "Only The Young" a year before Journey did. The song would have been a sure-fire top-40 hit if Scandal had released it as a single, which makes me wonder if they had some kind of agreement with Journey to keep it semi-hidden?
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That’s a nice surprise, never heard that version before.

I saw Journey live last year, and this was their 2nd song in their set after opening with “Separate Ways.” Those guys put on a fantastic show. Schon & Cain still make their music sound effortless.

 
Leroy Hoard said:
This has come up before. My theory is that some of us watched MTV more than listened to top 40 stations at some point. I know once I got cable it for a while became my main source of music. 
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That's an excellent theory. Almost every song on this list I see the visuals before I hear the music. Conversely, whenever I hear huge songs like Amanda or Somebody's Baby, it is kind of a blank because Tom Scholz and Jackson Browne refused to make videos. 

 
Anarchy99 said:
#44 - SCANDAL - The Warrior (#7 - 9/22/1984 - 21 Weeks)
Scandal featured Patty Smyth on vocals . . . the future Mrs. John McEnroe (of tennis fame). Scandal was formed in 1981 by guitarist Zach Smith (not the Ohio State football coach), who wrote most of the band's songs. The band released a self-titled EP in 1982, which featured the MTV hit Goodbye To You (but only reached #65 in the Hot 100) and also Love's Got A Line On You (which reached #59 on the singles chart). Yes, boys and girls, that really is JON BON JOVI playing guitar, as he was a member of Scandal before starting his own band. Time will tell if he made the right decision. The EP reached #39 on the albums chart.

By the time Scandal released a full-length album in 1984, most of the band had been swapped out, Bon Jovi departed, and The Warrior became a hit. The album hit #17 and went platinum. Scandal BARELY made the list, as both Hand's Tied and Beat Of A Heart each peaked at #41. (That seems odd to me as Goodbye To You and Love's Got A Line On You were played a ton on MTV and received gobs of radio airplay.

Scandal called it a day in late 1985. If the story is accurate, Smyth was invited by Eddie Van Halen to replace David Lee Roth in Van Halen. However, she was 8 months pregnant at the time and declined. She released a solo album in 1987 with Never Enough as the name of the album and the first single. Despite heavy airplay, it only reached #61 in the Hot 100. She recorded another album in 1992 that yielded her biggest hit, Sometimes Love Just Ain't Enough (#2 in the Top 40) and No Mistakes (#33 in the Top 40) . . . with both songs featuring Don Henley.

After almost 20 years, Scandal got back together in 2004 for VH1's Bands Reunited show and went on a brief tour. The reconfigured band has played a handful of shows pretty much every year since then (last time in 2018).

Smyth met current husband John McEnroe 25 years ago and they live in NYC. Oddly enough, McEnroe has dabbled as a guitarist since giving up tennis . . . Suffragette City, Purple Haze (with Rob Thomas), Whole Lotta Love (with his wife), Precious (with The Pretenders), and Sharp Dressed Man (with Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top).

Two of the Scandal's original members have already passed away. I believe Zach Smith, the guitarist from the band, later ended up in a band called The Fairwell many years later with Zach Myers, guitarist from Shinedown.

I'll be sure that you will be singing our next song night and day.
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Love Patty Smyth's voice. Not sure how well she would have fit with Van Halen, though I would have liked hearing how Right Now would have sounded with her instead of Sammy Hagar.  

 
I'm a little surprised that Scandal got some discussion when some of the other performers included in here essentially generated none. Had I known people didn't know about Only The Young, I would have included that in the write up. In any event . . .

#43 - AL B. SURE! - Nite And Day (#7 - 7/16/1988 - 21 Weeks)
Another artist that followed the same 80's script. First song = big hit. Debut album = triple platinum. Initial longevity = 5 years / 3 albums. Resurfaces = 17 years later. Not really sure if this one fits the OHW definition or not, as he was listed as a performer on Quincy Jones' song The Secret Garden that hit #31 in 1990. But I'll give OHW status to him.

His first album In Effect Mode topped the R&B album chart for 7 weeks. Nite And Day and Off On Your Own (Girl), the follow up single, both topped the R&B singles chart. He remained popular into the early 90's and then moved more into TV development over performing. There's not a lot of info available past 2009. This song isn't exactly in my wheelhouse, so if anyone else has anything else to add, by all means feel free.

Up next, we stick with the R&B genre, but this one comes from an all female group from Los Angeles . . . but they were one of the few artists that did not reform at some point in the future.

 
Anarchy99 said:
I'm a little surprised that Scandal got some discussion when some of the other performers included in here essentially generated none. Had I known people didn't know about Only The Young, I would have included that in the write up. In any event . . .

#43 - AL B. SURE! - Nite And Day (#7 - 7/16/1988 - 21 Weeks)
Another artist that followed the same 80's script. First song = big hit. Debut album = triple platinum. Initial longevity = 5 years / 3 albums. Resurfaces = 17 years later. Not really sure if this one fits the OHW definition or not, as he was listed as a performer on Quincy Jones' song The Secret Garden that hit #31 in 1990. But I'll give OHW status to him.

His first album In Effect Mode topped the R&B album chart for 7 weeks. Nite And Day and Off On Your Own (Girl), the follow up single, both topped the R&B singles chart. He remained popular into the early 90's and then moved more into TV development over performing. There's not a lot of info available past 2009. This song isn't exactly in my wheelhouse, so if anyone else has anything else to add, by all means feel free.

Up next, we stick with the R&B genre, but this one comes from an all female group from Los Angeles . . . but they were one of the few artists that did not reform at some point in the future.
Click to expand...
I was all ready to hate this ...but it's pretty catchy in an 80s sort of way 

 
#42 - MARY JANE GIRLS - In My House (#7 - 6/8/1985 - 22 Weeks)
One of the few groups that did not reform after their brief rise to fame in the 80's. The band was formed in 1979 under the tutelage of Rick James (of Super Freak fame). They released two albums in their 8 years as a band. In My House topped the dance chart. The MJG's were very close to not being a OHW, as their remake of Walk Like A Man (Four Seasons) hit #41, while Wild And Crazy Love hit #42. James wrote and produced In My House.

The band had five women in it. Morris Day recruited one of them to be in his all girl band, The Day Zs (which released one album in 1990 and folded). Another sang on Paula Abdul's debut album Forever Your Girl and sued, claiming that she shared lead vocals and was not given credit (she lost). One of the other members in the group recorded an album with James. One became a back up singer for Barry White. At one point, two of them later became back up singers for Neil Diamond.

Over the years, there were several lawsuits over the group's name. Mary J. Blige bought or tried to buy the rights to MARY JANE GIRLS and wanted to make a band comprised of women of all different ethnicities. (He full name was Mary Jane Blige.) At one point Rick James was invloved in a different suit, claiming the name was his. His estate later also claimed he owned the name.

Coming around the bend, another classic 80's pop rock duo that faded quickly. Because we all need heaven on earth today.

 
#41 - SLY FOX - Let's Go All The Way (#7 - 4/12/1986 - 25 Weeks)
Our final #7 entry and another Anarchy fave from the 80's. Sly Fox was essentially the duo of Gary "Mudbone" Cooper and Michael Camacho (with a half dozen musicians added when the two briefly toured). They released just one album (in 1985) that hit #31 on the Billboard 200. They released a few other songs that did not perform anywhere near as well, and they had creative differences that caused problems. They tried to record a follow up album in 1989 but could only lay down 4 tracks before not getting along again and then moved on.

Cooper went to tour with George Clinton while Camacho opted to try for acting roles instead. Both have stayed quasi-active in music but on a much smaller (and less popular) scale.

Others have taken a stab at recording the song, including Insane Clown Posse, The Wondergirls with Robbie Williams (from Iron Man 3), Phixx, Speed X, and Ian McNabb. The Sly Fox version appears in the game Grand Theft Auto V.

Up next, a song that is a remake of a song in the OHW countdown . . . meaning ONE song yielded TWO OHW's. Mind blown.

 
Aerial Assault said:
Just an outstanding writeup and thanks.  This is one my top 50-100 songs (excluding those from my favorite band) of all time.  The auto-wah/envelope filtered guitar solo is terrific and has to be covered note-for-note;** it was done on a session basis by a really talented guy, Robbie Blunt, who toured and recorded with Robert Plant (and Phil Collins on drums!) at the start of Plant's solo career.  The bass part is also very funky with plenty of triplets and sixteenth-note fills.  The lyrics admittedly might have needed at least one more polish.   

**Some friends and I saw Edie and the band live, on some whim, shortly after the album came out but just before the song took off as a single.  It was one of my earlier concerts.  In the pre-Internet era, another guy who played drums and I couldn't figure out why the guitarist really didn't play the solo correctly or even all that well.  Answer (and pretty obvious in retrospect): he wasn't the guy who recorded it. 
Click to expand...
Robbie Blunt definitely has a unique sound. Love his work on Big Log.

 
Anarchy99 said:
#41 - SLY FOX - Let's Go All The Way (#7 - 4/12/1986 - 25 Weeks)
Our final #7 entry and another Anarchy fave from the 80's. Sly Fox was essentially the duo of Gary "Mudbone" Cooper and Michael Camacho (with a half dozen musicians added when the two briefly toured). They released just one album (in 1985) that hit #31 on the Billboard 200. They released a few other songs that did not perform anywhere near as well, and they had creative differences that caused problems. They tried to record a follow up album in 1989 but could only lay down 4 tracks before not getting along again and then moved on.

Cooper went to tour with George Clinton while Camacho opted to try for acting roles instead. Both have stayed quasi-active in music but on a much smaller (and less popular) scale.

Others have taken a stab at recording the song, including Insane Clown Posse, The Wondergirls with Robbie Williams (from Iron Man 3), Phixx, Speed X, and Ian McNabb. The Sly Fox version appears in the game Grand Theft Auto V.

Up next, a song that is a remake of a song in the OHW countdown . . . meaning ONE song yielded TWO OHW's. Mind blown.
Click to expand...
Another song that I shouldn't like but do.  

 
#40 - PSEUDO ECHO - Funky Town (#6 - 7/18/1987 - 15 Weeks)
Our first entry in the overall Top 40 80'S OHW's and our first song at #6 . . . also one of Anarchy's favorite songs of the 80's out of all options (not just OHW's). Originally recorded by Lipps, Inc., Pseudo Echo added a lot of guitar to make the song a lot more rocking. That was right in my wheel house . . . upbeat pop + rocking sound + lots of guitar = $$$ in my book.

Formed in Australia in 1982 when the band members were in high school, Pseudo Echo followed in the footsteps of many others . . . 3 albums in the 80's, none in the 90's, and a couple in the 2000's. Not surprisingly, the band was popular in their native Australia than in the States. Their first three albums all reached the Top 20 and produced 8 Top 40 songs "Down Under."

After touring in 1990, the band broke up and its members went in different ways. The lead singer moved more in a production role before starting several other bands that didn't do much, although he ended up in a band called Origene that charted two songs in the Billboard Dance chart in the 2000's. 

A reconstituted Pseudo Echo played some dates together in 1998 and found they were still popular. They cashed in during the retro 80's wave in the 2000's and toured with several 80's revival shows. They recorded and released their performance at the Viper Room in Hollywood in 2015 (which by then was basically the lead singer with an entirely different backing band).

Up next, a song that probably shouldn't be considered a OHW but fits the definition I laid out initially . . . a duet between the lead singers from two Rock 'N' Roll Hall of Fame bands paired together for a ballad from a movie.

 
Anarchy99 said:
#40 - PSEUDO ECHO - Funky Town (#6 - 7/18/1987 - 15 Weeks)
Our first entry in the overall Top 40 80'S OHW's and our first song at #6 . . . also one of Anarchy's favorite songs of the 80's out of all options (not just OHW's). Originally recorded by Lipps, Inc., Pseudo Echo added a lot of guitar to make the song a lot more rocking. That was right in my wheel house . . . upbeat pop + rocking sound + lots of guitar = $$$ in my book.

Formed in Australia in 1982 when the band members were in high school, Pseudo Echo followed in the footsteps of many others . . . 3 albums in the 80's, none in the 90's, and a couple in the 2000's. Not surprisingly, the band was popular in their native Australia than in the States. Their first three albums all reached the Top 20 and produced 8 Top 40 songs "Down Under."

After touring in 1990, the band broke up and its members went in different ways. The lead singer moved more in a production role before starting several other bands that didn't do much, although he ended up in a band called Origene that charted two songs in the Billboard Dance chart in the 2000's. 

A reconstituted Pseudo Echo played some dates together in 1998 and found they were still popular. They cashed in during the retro 80's wave in the 2000's and toured with several 80's revival shows. They recorded and released their performance at the Viper Room in Hollywood in 2015 (which by then was basically the lead singer with an entirely different backing band).

Up next, a song that probably shouldn't be considered a OHW but fits the definition I laid out initially . . . a duet between the lead singers from two Rock 'N' Roll Hall of Fame bands paired together for a ballad from a movie.
Click to expand...
Good cover imo, but not close to the original. 

 
Anarchy99 said:
#40 - PSEUDO ECHO - Funky Town (#6 - 7/18/1987 - 15 Weeks)
Our first entry in the overall Top 40 80'S OHW's and our first song at #6 . . . also one of Anarchy's favorite songs of the 80's out of all options (not just OHW's). Originally recorded by Lipps, Inc., Pseudo Echo added a lot of guitar to make the song a lot more rocking. That was right in my wheel house . . . upbeat pop + rocking sound + lots of guitar = $$$ in my book.

Formed in Australia in 1982 when the band members were in high school, Pseudo Echo followed in the footsteps of many others . . . 3 albums in the 80's, none in the 90's, and a couple in the 2000's. Not surprisingly, the band was popular in their native Australia than in the States. Their first three albums all reached the Top 20 and produced 8 Top 40 songs "Down Under."

After touring in 1990, the band broke up and its members went in different ways. The lead singer moved more in a production role before starting several other bands that didn't do much, although he ended up in a band called Origene that charted two songs in the Billboard Dance chart in the 2000's. 

A reconstituted Pseudo Echo played some dates together in 1998 and found they were still popular. They cashed in during the retro 80's wave in the 2000's and toured with several 80's revival shows. They recorded and released their performance at the Viper Room in Hollywood in 2015 (which by then was basically the lead singer with an entirely different backing band).

Up next, a song that probably shouldn't be considered a OHW but fits the definition I laid out initially . . . a duet between the lead singers from two Rock 'N' Roll Hall of Fame bands paired together for a ballad from a movie.
Click to expand...
The cover itself is just OK, but the video is definitely top-10 all time for "Rocking A Keytar". :lol:

 
[scooter] said:
The cover itself is just OK, but the video is definitely top-10 all time for "Rocking A Keytar". :lol:
Click to expand...
Came in to post this. I remember them jumping toward the camera, keytars on hips

 
#39 - ANN WILSON & ROBIN ZANDER - Surrender To Me (#6 - 3/11/1989 - 19 Weeks)
The last of the #6 songs in the countdown. As I mentioned yesterday, this one seems kind of sketchy to be considered in the OHW categoty. Ann Wilson has been the voice of Heart and Robin Zander has fronted Cheap Trick for decades. The song was included on the Tequila Sunrise soundtrack, a film that included Mel Gibson, Michelle Pfeiffer, Kurt Russell, Raul Julia, and J. T. Walsh.

Surrender To Me is a power ballad written by Richard Marx (remember him???). In addition to recording 14 of his own Top 40 hits, Martz also wrote What About Me (Kenny Rogers), Edge Of A Broken Heart (Vixen), This I Promise You (NSYNC), Dance With My Father (Luther Vandross), and Nothing To Hide (Poco), all of which hit the Top 40.

Heart has had 20 Top 40 singles and hit #1 twice (These Dreams and Alone). The hair in the Alone video is just plain EPIC. Cheap Trick hit the Top 40 on 8 occasions, with their biggest single being The Flame that topped the charts in 1988.

Tequila Sunrise took in nearly $106 million at the global box office but earned mixed reviews.

Since it's been a while since I added a story, my one rock star moment ever featured none other than Cheap Trick. As I mentioned previously, I often set up equipment for concerts, and Cheap Trick came to play at my college. A buddy of mine played guitar and also helped set up equipment. We aided in getting ready for the gig and were setting levels and making sure everything was working correctly right before the band was going to do a soundcheck. I started playing the intro to Ain't That A Shame on drums. Oddly enough, that song was my go to song to test out the drums for pretty much any show I had helped out in, and it never really dawned on me that this particular time it was for Cheap Trick. My friend started playing the guitar part when guitarist Rick Nielsen plugged in one of his 400 guitars (he owns that many), as did bassist Tom Petersson, and Robin Zander came on to sing. We all jammed to the song and Nielsen and my friend traded guitar licks. I happily ceded the drum kit to drummer Bun E. Carlos immediately after. We all had a good laugh afterwards.

Up next, a famous actor with a Top 5 song about respect . . . recorded around his busy schedule of wine cooler commercials, TV shows, and movie roles. Yippee Ki-Yay!

 
Anarchy99 said:
#39 - ANN WILSON & ROBIN ZANDER - Surrender To Me (#6 - 3/11/1989 - 19 Weeks)
Surrender To Me is a power ballad written by Richard Marx (remember him???). In addition to recording 14 of his own Top 40 hits, Martz also wrote What About Me (Kenny Rogers), Edge Of A Broken Heart (Vixen), This I Promise You (NSYNC), Dance With My Father (Luther Vandross), and Nothing To Hide (Poco), all of which hit the Top 40.
Click to expand...
He's a whore - look at the things that he writes.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Anarchy99 said:
#39 - ANN WILSON & ROBIN ZANDER - Surrender To Me (#6 - 3/11/1989 - 19 Weeks)
The last of the #6 songs in the countdown. As I mentioned yesterday, this one seems kind of sketchy to be considered in the OHW categoty. Ann Wilson has been the voice of Heart and Robin Zander has fronted Cheap Trick for decades. The song was included on the Tequila Sunrise soundtrack, a film that included Mel Gibson, Michelle Pfeiffer, Kurt Russell, Raul Julia, and J. T. Walsh.

Surrender To Me is a power ballad written by Richard Marx (remember him???). In addition to recording 14 of his own Top 40 hits, Martz also wrote What About Me (Kenny Rogers), Edge Of A Broken Heart (Vixen), This I Promise You (NSYNC), Dance With My Father (Luther Vandross), and Nothing To Hide (Poco), all of which hit the Top 40.

Heart has had 20 Top 40 singles and hit #1 twice (These Dreams and Alone). The hair in the Alone video is just plain EPIC. Cheap Trick hit the Top 40 on 8 occasions, with their biggest single being The Flame that topped the charts in 1988.

Tequila Sunrise took in nearly $106 million at the global box office but earned mixed reviews.

Since it's been a while since I added a story, my one rock star moment ever featured none other than Cheap Trick. As I mentioned previously, I often set up equipment for concerts, and Cheap Trick came to play at my college. A buddy of mine played guitar and also helped set up equipment. We aided in getting ready for the gig and were setting levels and making sure everything was working correctly right before the band was going to do a soundcheck. I started playing the intro to Ain't That A Shame on drums. Oddly enough, that song was my go to song to test out the drums for pretty much any show I had helped out in, and it never really dawned on me that this particular time it was for Cheap Trick. My friend started playing the guitar part when guitarist Rick Nielsen plugged in one of his 400 guitars (he owns that many), as did bassist Tom Petersson, and Robin Zander came on to sing. We all jammed to the song and Nielsen and my friend traded guitar licks. I happily ceded the drum kit to drummer Bun E. Carlos immediately after. We all had a good laugh afterwards.

Up next, a famous actor with a Top 5 song about respect . . . recorded around his busy schedule of wine cooler commercials, TV shows, and movie roles. Yippee Ki-Yay!
Click to expand...
Weird - must have missed that one - don't know it and I've seen the movie. Ann seemed to like those duets with classic rock frontmen, just a few years after "Almost Paradise" with Mike Reno of Loverboy (sorry if this wasn't mentioned yet).

 
zamboni said:
Weird - must have missed that one - don't know it and I've seen the movie. Ann seemed to like those duets with classic rock frontmen, just a few years after "Almost Paradise" with Mike Reno of Loverboy (sorry if this wasn't mentioned yet).
Click to expand...
SPOILER ALERT!

 
Anarchy99 said:
SPOILER ALERT!
Click to expand...
Turns out Loverboy still has not made it into the Rock and Roll hall of fame. I now know this because I too assumed at first he was going to be half the duo with Wilson for that song (chasing down your clue) and checked on their status. Just not enough room for more leather pants and silk headbands in the building I suppose.

 
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