50 One-Hit Wonders of the '80s: Trivia Questions and Answers

Somebody flips on the oldies station, and there it is — that one song. You know every word of the chorus, you can picture the video. But the band’s name? Long gone. You never needed it.

That is the gift of the one-hit wonder: one unforgettable record, and then the act seems to vanish. Here are fifty of the brightest flashes from the 1980s, the answer under each clue. See how many you can name before the synth line gives it away.

The Ones That Went All the Way to Number One

Each of these reached the very top of the Billboard Hot 100.

1. What 1982 cheerleader chant had its singer dancing in her old high-school uniform?

“Mickey,” by Toni Basil — her only Top 40 hit.

2. Which 1982 foot-stomper by a dungaree-clad Birmingham band hit number one in 1983?

“Come On Eileen,” by Dexys Midnight Runners. It bumped Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean” off the top spot.

3. In 1986, which Austrian gave America its first German-language number one, rapping about a composer?

“Rock Me Amadeus,” by Falco — a salute to Mozart.

4. Which 1980 Minneapolis disco anthem, sung by Cynthia Johnson, ruled number one for four weeks?

“Funkytown,” by Lipps Inc.

5. What 1988 number one was built from one man’s voice alone, with no instruments?

“Don’t Worry, Be Happy,” by Bobby McFerrin — the first a cappella number one, and a 1989 Grammy sweep.

6. Which smooth slow jam took Gregory Abbott to number one in early 1987?

“Shake You Down.”

7. A British band had a 1988 American number one that borrowed a cowboy-movie title. Name it.

“Wild, Wild West,” by The Escape Club.

8. Which 1988 number one welded Peter Frampton’s “Baby, I Love Your Way” to Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Free Bird”?

The “Baby, I Love Your Way / Freebird Medley,” by Will to Power.

9. A Canadian band was long broken up when their ballad hit number one in 1989. Name it.

“When I’m with You,” by Sheriff — first cut back in 1983.

New Wave and the Synthesizer Age

The decade ran on synthesizers; a few acts rode one straight into history.

10. Which cold 1980 synth hit was its English maker’s only American chart single?

“Cars,” by Gary Numan.

11. What 1981 synth remake of a Gloria Jones soul tune ran a then-record 43 weeks on the Hot 100?

“Tainted Love,” by Soft Cell.

12. Which 1980 new wave romp by a quirky Ohio band told you to “whip it good”?

“Whip It,” by Devo.

13. A professor barks the title in which 1982 mad-scientist video that reached the Top 5?

“She Blinded Me with Science,” by Thomas Dolby.

14. Which 1983 synth hit by a Canadian band had a medieval-fair maypole video?

“The Safety Dance,” by Men Without Hats.

15. What 1985 record had Pete Burns spinning you right round, Stock-Aitken-Waterman’s first UK number one?

“You Spin Me Round (Like a Record),” by Dead or Alive.

16. Which 1983 single, sung by Limahl and co-produced by Nick Rhodes, went “shy, shy, hush, hush”?

“Too Shy,” by Kajagoogoo.

17. A British band hit the Top 25 in 1984 with a title joining politics and dancing. Name it.

“The Politics of Dancing,” by Re-Flex.

18. Which 1985 synth hit, traded man-to-woman, called itself an “obsession”?

“Obsession,” by Animotion.

19. A young Aimee Mann, rat-tail and all, fronted which eerie 1985 hit?

“Voices Carry,” by ’Til Tuesday.

Accents From Overseas

Sometimes the biggest American hit of the year arrived with a foreign postmark.

20. Which 1984 German-language hit imagined 99 balloons setting off a war?

“99 Luftballons,” by Nena — a number two, later redone in English as “99 Red Balloons.”

21. A synth remake of a 1929 Irving Berlin tune reached number four in 1983. Who sang it?

Taco, with “Puttin’ on the Ritz.”

22. Which 1983 hit brought Bowie’s astronaut, Major Tom, back home?

“Major Tom (Coming Home),” by Peter Schilling.

23. A broken-up British band’s cover of a Falco song hit the U.S. Top 5 in 1983. Name it.

“Der Kommissar,” by After the Fire.

24. Which bouncy 1985 Italo-disco hit had everyone yelping a jungle-man chorus?

“Tarzan Boy,” by Baltimora.

25. Birmingham teenagers took which reggae tune to number ten in 1983?

“Pass the Dutchie,” by Musical Youth.

26. Which 1985 record used stuttering samples for an anti-war point about a Vietnam soldier’s average age?

“19,” by Paul Hardcastle.

27. A song from the stage musical Chess reached number three in 1985. Name it.

“One Night in Bangkok,” by Murray Head.

28. Which 1983 hit was named for an electrified market street in London’s Brixton?

“Electric Avenue,” by Eddy Grant.

Dance Floors and Drum Machines

R&B, freestyle and the first stirrings of a new groove — these filled the clubs.

29. A Portland husband-and-wife act hit number three in 1986 with a jittery dance track. Name it.

“I Can’t Wait,” by Nu Shooz.

30. Which breathless 1986 hit counted out “two hearts that beat as one”?

“Two of Hearts,” by Stacey Q.

31. A Miami trio scored one of freestyle’s first Top 40 hits in 1987. Name it.

“Fascinated,” by Company B.

32. Which 1986 Berkeley hit was all about the gossip going around?

“Rumors,” by Timex Social Club.

33. A 1986 song stops singing so the narrator can calmly scold his cheating girlfriend. Name it.

“The Rain,” by Oran “Juice” Jones — an early Def Jam number one.

34. Which 1988 Teddy Riley production had everyone celebrating payday?

“Just Got Paid,” by Johnny Kemp.

35. A paranoid 1984 hit borrowed an uncredited Michael Jackson chorus. Name the singer and song.

Rockwell, with “Somebody’s Watching Me” — really Kennedy Gordy, son of Motown’s Berry Gordy.

Guitars, Oddballs and Earworms

A good hook doesn’t care whether it comes from a guitar, a gimmick or a telephone.

36. Which 1982 rocker turned a phone number into a hit, leaving real people fielding calls for years?

“867-5309/Jenny,” by Tommy Tutone.

37. A rowdy 1986 bar-rocker hit number two, blocked only by “Livin’ on a Prayer.” Name it.

“Keep Your Hands to Yourself,” by the Georgia Satellites.

38. Which 1983 hit by a Scottish band made its guitars wail like bagpipes?

“In a Big Country,” by Big Country.

39. A 1980 British single is remembered for a chorus about “turning” a nationality. Name it.

“Turning Japanese,” by The Vapors.

40. Which 1982 novelty hit had the composer’s teenage daughter chattering in Valley slang?

“Valley Girl,” by Frank Zappa, with 14-year-old Moon Unit — his only Top 40 hit.

41. A 1986 British novelty had its singer daydreaming about life on the range. Name it.

“I Wanna Be a Cowboy,” by Boys Don’t Cry.

42. Which 1986 hit sounds sunny but was written as a grim nuclear joke?

“The Future’s So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades,” by Timbuk 3.

Love, Longing and the Late ’80s

And finally, the ones that still turn up on wedding dance floors and late-night radio.

43. Which cheerful 1985 hit sounds like a sunny morning, from a band fronted by a Katrina?

“Walking on Sunshine,” by Katrina and the Waves.

44. A London band with an odd name hit number two in 1988 with a heartbreak ballad. Name it.

“Shattered Dreams,” by Johnny Hates Jazz.

45. Which earnest 1988 synth vow became a lasting slow-dance favorite?

“The Promise,” by When in Rome.

46. A Scottish band hit the Top 25 in 1987 with a tune addressed to “Mary.” Name it.

“Mary’s Prayer,” by Danny Wilson.

47. Which dreamy, chiming 1988 hit by an Australian band became a college-radio staple?

“Under the Milky Way,” by The Church.

48. A 1987 Top 10 came from a band that once had a young Madonna on drums. Name it.

“Right on Track,” by Breakfast Club.

49. Which brooding 1983 synth plea by an Australian band begged an angel to come?

“Send Me an Angel,” by Real Life.

50. Finally: a British band, its 1987 single, and its debut album all shared one name. What was it?

“Living in a Box” — by the band Living in a Box, off the album Living in a Box.

Frequently asked questions

What exactly makes a song a one-hit wonder?

The loose rule is an act remembered for one single smash. A few of these groups actually slipped a second song onto the charts — Falco and Men Without Hats among them — but one record is what the world remembers.

Were any of these acts famous somewhere else?

Plenty. Soft Cell, Kajagoogoo, Dead or Alive and Nena were real stars back home in Britain or Europe; America just fell hard for one song apiece.

Are these good for a singalong?

Wonderful. Read the clue, let folks shout out the title, then cue up the record to settle any argument. For more, spin our 60s one-hit wonders trivia or our 1970s music trivia questions and answers.

Where can I check these facts?

Every artist, title and year here is drawn from the reputable sources listed just below.

Sources

• List of 1980s one-hit wonders in the United States — Wikipedia
• “Rock Me Amadeus” — Wikipedia
• “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” — Wikipedia

Name that tune? Play our trivia quizzes and see how many of these you can still sing word for word.