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

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To finish up the 35's . . .

E.U. - Da' Butt (#35 - 5/21/1988)
Spike Lee's alter ego Mars Blackmon makes an appearance. It's gotta be da shoes.
Under-rated and largely forgotten song.  Not sure how lyrics like these would go over in today's world.

Walked in this place surprised to see

A big girl gettin' busy, just rockin' to the go-go beat

The way she shook her booty sho' looked good to me

I said "come here big girl, won't you rock my world?"

Show that dance to me

 
Marshall Crenshaw was live on the radio this week for Cubs' opener.  Hadn't thought of that song in years and now got it twice in a week. 
Heard "Someday Someway" like three times on Sirius in recent days. I never knew what the song was about as a kid ... now I can grok it at a higher level.

 
SUGARHILL GANG - Rapper's Delight (#36 - 1/12/1980)
Can't say I was much into rap as a 13 year old.
Essentially the rap equivalent of "Rock Around The Clock" in terms of early influence.
Fun sample of Chic's "Good Times" classic guitar line.

There used to be a Mid-South wrestler in the early-to-mid 80s named "Master Gee" that used to use this as his theme music. I don't know if Master Gee ever wrestled for any of the nationally broadcast outfits (WWF, NWA out of Atlanta, WCCW out of Dallas, etc.).

 
Let's knock out all the 34's . . .

TOM JOHNSTON - Savannah Nights (#34 - 1/12/1980)
From the Doobie Brothers

SNEAKER - More Than Just The Two Of Us (#34 - 1/23/1982)
Remember it playing on adult contemporary stations.

HONEYMOON SUITE - Feel It Again (#34 - 5/10/1986)
They had other popular tracks that I probably liked better . . .

New Girl Now
What Does It Take
Bad Attitude
Burning In Love
Love Changes Everything

Really enjoyed them. They don't get played all that much these days. Too bad.

DE LA SOUL - Me Myself And I (#34 - 7/22/1989)
I remember riding around with folks with this song cranked up.

SHARON BRYANT - Let Go (#34 - 10/14/1989)
Nope. Doesn't ring any bells.

 
Fun sample of Chic's "Good Times" classic guitar line.
"Good Times" was so good that the guitar line and bass line were both copied in that same year, with Queen obviously doing the latter with "Another One Bites The Dust".

 
Not gonna get a lot of hits on the #32's . . .

JESSE WINCHESTER - Say What (#32 - 6/13/1981)
I noticed the video was from a "Best of" CD. Apparently he's been around since 1970. Who knew?

JIM STEINMAN - Rock And Roll Dreams Come Through (#32 - 8/15/1981)
Of Meatloaf fame.

SILVER CONDOR - You Could Take My Heart Away (#32 - 9/19/1981)
Can't say that it sounds very familiar.

FRANK ZAPPA - Valley Girl (#32 - 9/11/1982)
I guess releasing 112 albums gets you OHW status.

ROBERT ELLIS ORRALL WITH CARLENE CARTER - I Couldn't Say No (#32 - 5/21/1983)
Not very memorable.

PAT METHENY GROUP WITH DAVID BOWIE - This Is Not America (#32 - 3/23/1985)
Decent track, but Bowie has a lot more to offer. Metheny's only charting number.

OPUS - Live Is Life (#32 - 3/29/1986)
I hear this one probably once a year in the oddest places. Like at the dentist, getting my oil changed, or waiting for my food to be done at the local sub shop.

Overall, I doubt anyone is going to jump on any of these as being great songs or things they had forgotten about and are glad to have heard them again.

 
The Steinman song is kind of weak, but a Meat Loaf vocal plus a Todd Rundgren guitar and production could have probably made it tons better....
It's definitely no "Total Eclipse Of The Heart".

Tony Kornheiser always talks about how he and Steinman went to school (or maybe camp) together.

 
Let's knock out all the 34's . . .

HONEYMOON SUITE - Feel It Again (#34 - 5/10/1986)
They had other popular tracks that I probably liked better . . .

New Girl Now
What Does It Take
Bad Attitude
Burning In Love
Love Changes Everything

Really enjoyed them. They don't get played all that much these days. Too bad.
Big fan of this band, Derry Graham is/was an underrated lead guitarist. Probably would be better without all the heavy synths, but what can you do. New Girl now is my favorite track of theirs, I love that guitar/bass break/bridge in the middle leading up to the guitar solo, but those others you've listed are good too.

 
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At least let me get to a quasi-respectable point to take a break.

BERNADETTE PETERS - Gee Whiz (#31 - 5/30/1980)
Remake of a 1961 Carla Thomas song.

THE OUTLAWS - (Ghost) Riders In The Sky (#31 - 3/7/1981)
Another remake. This song has been redone more times than I could count. This one was a staple in Anarchy's rotation in 1981. Loved this version. It's got a lot of guitar, so that pretty much is all I need to perk my ears up.

REX SMITH & RACHEL SWEET - Everlasting Love (#31 - 8/1/1981)
Make it a triple shot of cover songs. Another one that's been redone countless times. Not sure what made this version Top 40 worthy.

TOM TOM CLUB - Genius Of Love (#31 - 4/24/1982)
I still listen to this one. Mariah Carey borrowed the riff for Fantasy.

 
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And to wrap up the 31's . . .

LARRY ELGART & HIS MANHATTAN ORCHESTRA - Hooked On Swing (#31 - 7/24/1982)
If you were around then, this song was all over the place. Definitely has fallen by the way side these days.

TALK TALK - It's My Life (#31 - 5/19/1984)
Popular on the 80's Collection CD packages. Surprised none of their other songs charted (they had 16 songs chart in England). Covered by No Doubt.

ALISON MOYET - Invisible (#31 - 6/1/1985)
I remember it well. Just never got into it.

BRYAN FERRY - Kiss And Tell (#31 - 4/30/1988)
From the band Roxy Music. Song from the Big Lights, Big City soundtrack. Never watched the movie.

DENISE LOPEZ - Sayin' Sorry (Don't Make It Right) (#31 - 8/20/1988)
Don't recall this one.

 
Not gonna get a lot of hits on the #32's . . .

JIM STEINMAN - Rock And Roll Dreams Come Through (#32 - 8/15/1981)
Of Meatloaf fame.

Overall, I doubt anyone is going to jump on any of these as being great songs or things they had forgotten about and are glad to have heard them again.
Underrated gem IMHO. Steinman's bombast is not everyone's cup of tea, but the backing band nails it here.

(cribbing from Tim's OHW wonder thread)

“Rock & Roll Dreams Come Through” was originally written for Meat Loaf. Meat Loaf came down with vocal problems due to drugs & alcohol abuse and was unable to record with Steinman at the time. Instead, Steinman pressed forward and recorded an album of his songs under his own name as the artist. Steinman sang on most of the tracks, but brought on Rory Dodd to sing a few -- including “Rock & Roll Dreams Come Through”.

Rory Dodd would later go on to memorably back up Bonnie Tyler on another Steinman song, “Total Eclipse of the Heart.” Yep ... Dodd is the “turn around, bright eyes” guy. 

Now, Rory Dodd is not Meat Loaf ... but I think he's down-to-earth, earnest, and rock-solid on this track. He's got the right touch of vulnerability and desperation in his tone here.

 
Sprinted through a bunch of songs yesterday and today. Will get back to some stories soon. Still have 195 songs to go. There are still a number of songs people won't really know well in the 20's, but then things should start picking up. There are quite a few songs remaining that I would have thought would have been brought up in Tim's thread that haven't been mentioned over there. Which makes me wonder if they aren't that popular, if people don't remember them, or if there is a perception that the songs aren't OHW's.

 
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Sprinted through a bunch of songs yesterday and today. Will get back to some stories soon. Still have 195 songs to go. There are still a number of songs people won't really know well in the 20's, but then things should start picking up. There are quite a few songs remaining that I would have thought would have been brought up in Tim's thread that haven't been mentioned over there. Which makes me wonder if they aren't that popular, if people don't remember them, or if there is a perception that the songs aren't OHT's.
I have 22 left to rank...2 of them have already come up here, but I will still post them in order...

 
Finishing up the #30's . . .

FRANKIE SMITH - Double Dutch Bus (#30 - 8/15/1981)
Didn't get any traction in my neck of the woods.

JUNIOR - Mama Used To Say (#30 - 4/24/1982)
Neither did this one.

PATRICK SIMMONS - So Wrong (#30 - 5/7/1983)
Another Doobie Brothers contributor. I was a big MTV viewer in 1983 yet don't remember this one airing.

KATE BUSH - Running Up That Hill (#30 - 11/30/1985)
I would have thought her duet with Peter Gabriel on Don't Give Up would have been a bigger hit.

J.J. FAD - Supersonic (#30 - 6/18/1988)
I was legal then, so I remember this one from the club scene.

Following up on my night of hedonism from my last story, we jump ahead 20 years into the future. And Facebook is all the rage and everyone and their brother is coming in as a friend request. I'm married with kids. I am coaching a ton of youth sports teams. I have a bunch of business contacts. I have in-laws. I have extended friends and family. I am part of my wife's circle of church goers. As The Kinks would say, I am a well-respected man about town doing the best things so conservatively.

I got a friend request from someone from college who I hadn't heard from or thought about in years. Not thinking much about it, I accepted the request because that's what people do. And the guy posted on my wall how good it was to get reconnected and shared sordid details reminiscing about that crazy night, how I was an absolute wild man hooking up with smoking hot strippers, and that he will never forgot that night.

And this went out to everyone I knew. The sad part was I had no memory of any smoking hot strippers. At that point I needed a damage control specialist / publicist to get me out of that mess. Eventually things settled down, but boy was I in a lot of hot water for awhile. Don't be fooled. What happens in Vegas does usually stay in Vegas. Hopefully that's all behind me now.

 
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The LARSEN-FEITEN BAND - Who'll Be The Fool Tonight (#29 - 10/11/1980)
Can't say I remember this one.

MOVING PICTURES - What About Me (#29 - 2/12/1983)
No extra charge for the Spanish subtitles. I remember seeing the video a handful of times.

ANGNETHA FALTSKOG - I Can't Shake Loose (#29 - 11/5/1983)
One of the "A's" in ABBA. Looks and sounds like Olivia Newton-John. Not sure which is more surprising . . . that someone offered ABBA $1 billion for a 100 date reunion tour in 2000 . . . or that they turned it down.

THE STYLE COUNCIL - My Ever Changing Moods (#29 - 6/9/1984)
Paul Weller's bridge between The Jam and a successful solo career. Amazingly, between his bands and solo work, he charted 65 Top 40 singles in England (four #1's with The Jam). And this was his only song to crack the Top 40 in the States.

AUTOGRAPH - Turn Up The Radio (#29 - 3/16/1985)
Nothing screams the 80's more than big hair on wannabe hard rockers. Of GTA Vice City fame. Another one of my 80's guilty pleasures.

 
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THE OTHER ONES - Another Holiday (#29 - 10/17/1987)
I was introduced to this song by the woman from the story below. It was my entry from last year's What's The Dumbest Thing You've Ever Done FFA thread.

I will go back 30 years to when I was 21 and in college for my entree into the pantheon of the galatically stupid. I was never big on chasing skirts and wasn't that into the dating scene. At the time, I was fixated on a girl from school, so my social antenna was clearly broken. I was going cross country to see my sister in California, who was in the middle of a wildfire. Entering the airport in NYC, a beautiful girl asked for my help to find her flight, which of course was the same as mine. Text book Hollywood style meeting. Extended conversation broke out. 

Really toned blonde on the tall and lean side. Late 20s. Aerobics / fitness instructor from Australia from a wealthy family on 6-week holiday by herself visiting the States. Accent to die for. Totally down to earth, no filter, and she said whatever came to mind (bordering on TMI). Just wrapped up 2 weeks on the East Coast, moving on to 2 weeks on the West Coast. Still had another 2 weeks unplanned. Asked me for suggestions on where she could spend the other 2 weeks. Said her 3 favorite pastimes were drinking beer, sex, and shopping. Nothing like a good pint and a plunder.

Yada yada yada . . . out of the blue our flight was cancelled. Playing the knight in shining armor, I got us onto a different flight, but it wasn't for a couple more hours. So on to lunch and beer. Our seats on our new flight weren't together, but the person sitting next to me said she and I made such a cute couple and were clearly in love that the person switched seats so she could sit with me. Insert more great conversation. Flight ends in LA. (Now at a total of 10+ hours together since first contact). 

My sister lived in the middle of the wildfires. I tried calling and her line was down (no cell phones then). I was supposed to meet her somewhere that literally had burned down earlier that day. The Aussie girl made 1,001 attempts to get me to do stuff with her. But I was oblivious. And I mean absolutely, 100% impervious like you cannot believe. I wasn't thinking about the girl, I was thinking about the safety and well being of my sister.

First Aussie girl asked me to dinner. Then to stay in LA and show her around. She begged me to stay with her IN HER HOTEL ROOM. She asked me to change my plans so I could go with her on the rest of her trip. She offered to meet me wherever I wanted once I checked in with my sister. Aussie girl offered to reschedule her plans to be able to see me more. She even gave me her home address and number and begged me to come visit her in Australia.

After all that, I was STILL oblivious and declined all her offers and said I really had to go. (I had made some calls and some people had said my sister was missing and unaccounted for). Aussie girl gave me a HUGE 30+ second kiss / hug / embrace goodbye and asked if was there anyway she could get me to change my mind. She wrote down her hotel info and said call her once I got a hold of my sister. Aussie girl even offered to come see me where my sister was located.

Ended up searching for and finding my sister but it took awhile. Couldn't find the paper that had Aussie girl's hotel info and called a couple hotels that sounded similar to the name I thought she said. Couldn't find her. (To magnify how dumb I was, my intent in calling was to let her know my sister was ok.) Helped my sister get whole and reconstituted and then went home.

First day back at school it finally hit me. In the middle of class I blurted out (loudly) I AM SO F'ING STUPID. Yes, boys and girls, I was THAT DENSE that I missed all the signals. I ended up having an on again, off again relationship with the girl I mentioned up top for probably 3 years (but ultimately it didn't last). I wrote Aussie girl a couple of times and apologized profusely for my seeming lack of interest but I never heard back from her. Once in a while I think back to how my life could have turned out differently if I wasn't so clueless.

 
Now the #28's . . .

THE JAMES LAST BAND - The Seduction (Love Theme) (#28 - 5/24/1980)
From the American Gigolo soundtrack.

EDDIE SCHWARTZ - All Our Tomorrows (#28 - 2/20/1982)
I remember the Joe Cocker version more than the original.

LESLIE PEARL - If The Love Fits Wear It (#28 - 8/14/1982)
Makes you wonder how some of these songs charted, yet others that people really wanted to chart did not.

OXO - Whirly Girl (#28 - 4/23/1983)
Remember it being popular for about 20 minutes.

JIM CAPALDI - That's Love (#28 - 6/18/1983)
Better known from his days with the band Traffic.

THE FIRM - Radioactive (#28 - 4/13/1985)
Super group comprised of Paul Rodgers, Jimmy Page, Chris Slade, and Tony Franklin. Lasted for a year or two and put out 2 albums. If only their other songs were as catchy. 

 
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OXO - Whirly Girl (#28 - 4/23/1983)
Remember it being popular for about 20 minutes.
I dated the same girl for about half of college, and learned a few weeks in that this was one of her dozen or so favorite songs. All of them were variations on a theme - basically wires stuck straight into one's amygdala. "Walking on Sunshine", "Donna Everywhere", "Pop Goes the World" ... just a textbook list of upbeat, inoffensive pop.

Not long after that, I learned that she was severely bipolar and fell back on these same songs every time she needed to adjust her meds.  :unsure:  We stayed together for 2 years regardless. I'd like to think I'd have been just as supportive to anyone who wasn't a stacked 5'10" blonde, but I'm not fooling myself.

I kid you not, she's been married for the past 14 years to ... my best friend from high school. I've lived an odd life.

 
SUGARHILL GANG - Rapper's Delight (#36 - 1/12/1980)
Can't say I was much into rap as a 13 year old.
Essentially the rap equivalent of "Rock Around The Clock" in terms of early influence.
Fun sample of Chic's "Good Times" classic guitar line.

There used to be a Mid-South wrestler in the early-to-mid 80s named "Master Gee" that used to use this as his theme music. I don't know if Master Gee ever wrestled for any of the nationally broadcast outfits (WWF, NWA out of Atlanta, WCCW out of Dallas, etc.).
George Wells

He was Jake The Snake's jobber at Wrestlemania 2.

Played 8 years in the CFL.

 
The Firm was disappointing considering the talent.  Page’s best work, post Zep was on the Coverdale-Page album, which, I think is treated unfairly by Zep fans because of the mini-spat between Plant and Coverdale...

“Satisfaction Guaranteed” got decent play on the classic rock stations...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VnjJVwaivKg...and is a decent song
When I went to download tunes from these 3 albums the only one I got 2 from was the coverdale album. Much catchier stuff even if he did sound like a Plant copy.

 
Finishing up the #30's . . .

JUNIOR - Mama Used To Say (#30 - 4/24/1982)
Neither did this one.

PATRICK SIMMONS - So Wrong (#30 - 5/7/1983)
Another Doobie Brothers contributor. I was a big MTV viewer in 1983 yet don't remember this one airing.

KATE BUSH - Running Up That Hill (#30 - 11/30/1985)
I would have thought her duet with Peter Gabriel on Don't Give Up would have been a bigger hit.
These three are solid tracks. "Mama Used to Say" was one of the better post-disco grooves that came out in the early 80s ... and the seamless move from the gruff "like Mama used to say" to the high-range "take your time" refrain is really cool to listen to.

I remember "So Wrong" but did not realize that it was a Patrick Simmons release. I haven't heard that song in a long, long time ... but my memory is that co-Doobie Michael McDonald has some prominent backing vocals on this track. McDonald was doing a ton of studio work in those days as his own solo career was building up.

A lot of Kate Bush's work is an acquired taste, but she is an unquestioned talent. The studio version of "Running Up that Hill" is decent, but the instrumentation could use a little oomph. Enter David Gilmour. This live version at the 1987 Secret Policeman's Ball shows is the definitive one for me.

 
I dated the same girl for about half of college, and learned a few weeks in that this was one of her dozen or so favorite songs. All of them were variations on a theme - basically wires stuck straight into one's amygdala. "Walking on Sunshine", "Donna Everywhere", "Pop Goes the World" ... just a textbook list of upbeat, inoffensive pop.

Not long after that, I learned that she was severely bipolar and fell back on these same songs every time she needed to adjust her meds.  :unsure:  We stayed together for 2 years regardless. I'd like to think I'd have been just as supportive to anyone who wasn't a stacked 5'10" blonde, but I'm not fooling myself.

I kid you not, she's been married for the past 14 years to ... my best friend from high school. I've lived an odd life.
This story sort of reminds me of a situation I got myself into when I was in college. I had a guy friend that I had known for quite a while and we spent a lot of time together. He got engaged, and I got to know his fiancee quite a bit. At one point, I started dating someone, and it came out that she had been seeing my friend before she had started seeing me (he was already engaged). Not exactly what you want to hear from someone you just started dating ("it wasn't really much of anything, it was pretty much just physical. It was just a fling.")

That didn't really sit well with me, but I didn't say anything initially. It later came out that my friend had hooked up with most of my new girl's friends and my guy friend was pretty much a dog hooking up with anything that had a pulse. I still didn't say anything and hoped the situation would resolve itself.

I was always a good wing man and helped a brother out when I could. But my buddy started having me spend time with his fiancee so he could go out with other women. He claimed he had to work late or was helping other people with some life crisis.

His fiancee told me over and over how great her future husband was and she was so blessed that he was "the one." She couldn't find a better, kinder, gentler husband who was about as close to perfect as you could get. He was Mr. Wonderful.

For better or for worse, I started dropping hints that maybe he wasn't "all that" and maybe she was overlooking some of his attributes and maybe he wasn't quite so squeaky clean. While I didn't come out and tell her all that I knew, I started mentioning to her things that didn't fir his stories. I would tell her I just came from where he claimed to be and he wasn't there. Ultimately she did some digging and figured it out. Of course, she was peeved that I never told her from the beginning and my guy friend was even more mad that I didn't 100% cover for him. Not surprisingly, they both dumped me as a friend, but I at least could live with myself rather than let them get married. They wouldn't have lasted more than a couple of months.

 
Another good tune largely forgotten in time.

Before the emergence of mp3s, it took me FOREVER to find this on CD.  Ended up finding it at a great old record store (anyone remember those) just north of Pittsburgh called Record-Rama
Wow....I had forgotten about this song completely...it came back to me when I heard the chorus....that is a forgotten classic...that singer has good pipes...

 
I dated the same girl for about half of college, and learned a few weeks in that this was one of her dozen or so favorite songs. All of them were variations on a theme - basically wires stuck straight into one's amygdala. "Walking on Sunshine", "Donna Everywhere", "Pop Goes the World" ... just a textbook list of upbeat, inoffensive pop.
TIL that another of the OHWs on Bipolar Girl's list made it all the way to #9. I was expecting to be able to pick up this conversation again in a day or two at most.

 
The 27's are pretty lacking . . .

UTOPIA - Set Me Free (#27 - 4/19/1980)
As is often the case, a lifer in the industry charts a song that isn't really at the top of the quality spectrum.
Nazz had 3 albums. Utopia put out 10 albums. Todd Rundgren released 25 albums and had 4 solo Top 40 songs.
But I was surprised that this one wasn't one of them, as it was a bit of an anthem where I lived . . . Bang The Drum All Day.

JIMMY HALL - I'm Happy That Love Has Found You (#27 - 11/20/1980)
Another one that sounds vaguely familiarly but doesn't stand out to me.

JEFF LORBER & KARYN WHITE - Facts Of Life (#27 - 2/21/1987)
Has the generic late 80's bass line and cheesy synth sound.

WORLD PARTY - Ship Of Fools (Save Me From Tomorrow) (#27 - 4/25/1987)
I was a World Party fan in that era. Played them a lot on my radio show.

PARTLAND BROTHERS - Soul City (#27 - 6/27/1987)
This hit #27? For reals?

JONATHAN BUTLER - Lies (#27 - 8/29/1987)
Another one with a similar bass line and keyboards. The songs ok, but there were a bunch of songs from that year or so that sounded a lot alike.

 
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I dated the same girl for about half of college, and learned a few weeks in that this was one of her dozen or so favorite songs. All of them were variations on a theme - basically wires stuck straight into one's amygdala. "Walking on Sunshine", "Donna Everywhere", "Pop Goes the World" ... just a textbook list of upbeat, inoffensive pop.

Not long after that, I learned that she was severely bipolar and fell back on these same songs every time she needed to adjust her meds.  :unsure:  We stayed together for 2 years regardless. I'd like to think I'd have been just as supportive to anyone who wasn't a stacked 5'10" blonde, but I'm not fooling myself.

I kid you not, she's been married for the past 14 years to ... my best friend from high school. I've lived an odd life.
Pop Goes The world 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3zUUtf7gOe8

this video is hilarious in a “what the hell did I just watch?” way...

 

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