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1980s One Hit Wonders Quiz

Can you name the one-hit musical acts behind these eighties songs?
Technically, most of these groups had other hits
However, the vast majority people will know only their one song
Quiz by Quizmaster
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Last updated: August 27, 2018
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First submittedMarch 3, 2010
Times taken25,323
Average score50.0%
Rating3.83
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Year
Song
Musical Act
1989
Bust a Move
Young MC
1988
Don't Worry, Be Happy
Bobby McFerrin
1986
(I Just) Died In Your Arms
Cutting Crew
1986
Rock Me Amadeus
Falco
1986
The Final Countdown
Europe
1985
Take on Me
A-Ha
1984
We're Not Gonna Take It
Twisted Sister
1984
You Spin Me Round
Dead or Alive
1983
Maniac
Michael Sembello
1982
867-5309/Jenny
Tommy Tutone
Year
Song
Musical Act
1982
99 Luftballons
Nena
1982
Come On Eileen
Dexys Midnight Runners
1982
Eye of the Tiger
Survivor
1982
I Ran (So Far Away)
A Flock of Seagulls
1982
I Want Candy
Bow Wow Wow
1982
Mickey
Toni Basil
1982
The Safety Dance
Men Without Hats
1981
Tainted Love
Soft Cell
1980
Funkytown
Lipps, Inc
1980
Whip It
Devo
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50 Comments
bebn123
+11
Level 60
Apr 24, 2013
Twisted Sister is definitely not a one-hit wonder. "I Wanna Rock" is one of the greatest rock anthems in the world!
dcmitchell
+5
Level 46
Apr 24, 2013
I agree. And I still think Europe was awesome. Of course I may be the only one.
TheWombat
+2
Level 73
Oct 16, 2013
Yes. Yes you are.
Yankee
+2
Level 51
Jul 22, 2014
I stand with dcmitchell. I don't know any other European songs (ha) but "The Final Countdown" was a good song.
AlexanderTheLarge
+1
Level 66
Aug 27, 2014
The Final Countdown was one of the worst songs of all time in my opinion. Way too cheesy for me to handle.
Fee
+3
Level 50
Jan 1, 2015
Didn't Europe have a minor hit with "Rock the Night"?

Regardless of the lyrics, you have to love the lead guitar on "The Final Countdown"

purduefan2
+2
Level 28
May 5, 2016
No they were great!
Cyclonus
+3
Level 82
Dec 27, 2016
Europe is a heavier band than people generally think they are based on their few hits. They're a legitimate hard rock band that sometimes borders on metal. and John Norum is a very good guitarist.
IsleAuHaulte
+1
Level 90
Sep 2, 2018
Jimi Hendrix is technically a 1-hit wonder in the U.S.A. "All Along the Watchtower" was his only Top 40 song.
kurtk
+6
Level 67
Apr 24, 2013
Along with Twisted Sister. Survivor is definately NOT a one hit wonder. They had 5 top ten songs!
IsleAuHaulte
+2
Level 90
Sep 2, 2018
If you say so. I don't remember a single note of that other crap.
CharlieZeb
+2
Level 64
Feb 11, 2020
"Is This Love" is my favorite Survivor song. It hit the top ten. "Burning Heart" was also from a Rocky movie, and it reached #2 on the chart.
DrUsual
+2
Level 28
Jul 20, 2022
This quiz sucks. Survivor had 5 Top 40 hits, Europe had 3, Dead or Alive had 2...I'm pretty sure Flock of Seagulls had 2 or 3.

And that's just restricting "hit" to mean "top 40 on the U.S Billboard Hot 100." If you include the UK Top 40 or the European Hot 100, a bunch of these other bands aren't one-hit wonders either.

TheWombat
+6
Level 73
Oct 16, 2013
I don't know about the USA, but in the UK and Australia A-HA had a load of hits: 'Take on Me', 'The Sun Always Shines on TV', 'Train of Thought', 'Hunting High and Low', 'Cry Wolf' and the theme to the Bond film 'The Living Daylights' spring to mind, and I didn't really like them.
bkemp2001
+2
Level 60
Mar 8, 2018
If memory serves me correctly, they are the biggest selling Norwegian band ever. The Sun Always Shines was my favorite off that album. Good stuff. The video for Take on Me is the thing that elevated that song to legendary, though.
kenpo17
+3
Level 66
Jun 21, 2018
a-ha isn't the only band on this list that's had multiple hits in Europe or elsewhere, and is really only a one-hit wonder in the USA. I believe you can say the same of Falco, Devo, and Nena as well.
KEG4018
+2
Level 58
Jul 16, 2015
Agreed that you could make a case that a few of these were not 1 hit wonders.
latesleeper
+1
Level 45
Apr 24, 2013
I am now making a playlist of these songs. Thank you!
Nytebreid
+1
Level 37
Apr 24, 2013
I think a lot of people will feel REAL ashamed if they look up how old the singer for BOW WOW WOW was at the time.
communisteggplant
+1
Level 73
Apr 9, 2014
Or that their manager was the same as the Sex Pistols...
kenpo17
+2
Level 66
Dec 3, 2018
I had no idea what you're talking about, but you're right! For those who are curious but too lazy to look it up: the cover of "I Want Candy" featured a nude photo of the singer (with none of the naughty bits showing, of course). She was only 15 years old at the time.
jmaddog
+2
Level 33
Apr 24, 2013
Twisted Sister, Europe, Devo: All had other hits.

But to even put Survivor on this list ruins the quiz.

kalbahamut
+2
Level 81
Apr 24, 2013
Four or five of these inspired Weird Al Yankovic songs. Some of them are on my Weird Al quizzes.
gelmundo
+3
Level 28
Feb 14, 2014
Several of these aren't one hit wonders. Soft Cell and Dexy's spring to mind immediately. The former being one of the best selling singles groups of the early 80s
maxvenble
+2
Level 46
Apr 30, 2014
This quiz lost credibility when it labeled Survivor as a One-hit Wonder.
Mardan
+2
Level 74
Oct 19, 2022
I was thinking the same. Burning Heart is arguably an even better song.
Yankee
+1
Level 51
Jul 22, 2014
I heard almost all of these songs going through my head....just couldn't think of the bands.
Polygal2017
+1
Level 49
Dec 23, 2014
"Tainted Love" is seriously the best song EVER. I love it so so much.
manchesterutd10
+1
Level 57
Sep 14, 2015
FOS was not a one hit wonder, Space Age Love Song is a banger
Darwin51
+1
Level 29
Nov 12, 2015
completely agree. I must defend Flock of Seagulls. I think of their songs and I Ran is not even in the top 3. Such an icon of alternative and they even had multiple hits on the pop charts. I'm not even a huge fan and I know this.
lucd13
+1
Level 69
Nov 30, 2016
I Ran is the only way I'd know FOS.
sisley
+3
Level 68
Nov 25, 2015
NONE of these were one hit wonders. ALL of them had other charting singles in the HOT 100/Top 40....but for your purposes, I see what you meant. The 2 that break this rule more than the others are DEVO (several chart hits and an actual career....and Survivor who had 8 Top 40 Hts, 5 of which were TOP 10!!!)
Bonzo007
+3
Level 65
Sep 3, 2016
Gotta agree this quiz needs a rethink as to what a one hit wonder really is - the clue's in the title BTW. Soft Cell? Apart from Tainted Love, there was...Say Hello, Wave Goodbye (#3 UK), Bedsitter (#4 UK), Torch (#2 UK) as well as having many of their songs covered by major artists. I was looking for things like Joe Dolce (Shaddapayourface) and other comedy type one-hits.
Matthew07
+2
Level 47
Sep 12, 2016
Notice how all of your supposed "hits" only charted in the UK. This is based on the USA, I think
bolivraga
+3
Level 55
Dec 21, 2017
Lipps Inc version of Funky Town was 1979. The version in 1986 that was big was by Pseudo Echo.
Margles1
+1
Level 41
Feb 22, 2018
Dead or Alive did a song called “Brand New Lover” that’s one of my favorite songs ever.

Just saying.

Sonia82
+1
Level 22
Apr 13, 2018
Europe, aha and dexys were not one hit wonders.
jtenks13
+1
Level 54
Apr 24, 2018
Devo is definitely not a one hit wonder
euphonial
+1
Level 45
May 31, 2018
Cutting Crew - "I've Been in Love Before" - beautiful tune
Daewedh
+1
Level 67
Aug 4, 2018
Survivor, Dead or Alive, Twisted Sister, Falco, A-Ha, A Flock of Seagulls all had at least one additional top 40 hit in the US.
McLerristarr
+1
Level 62
Sep 21, 2018
This quiz probably needs a note stating that it's for the US. Dexy's Midnight Runners had several hits in the UK, including another number one.
Margles1
+1
Level 41
Jun 28, 2019
Can you accept the spelling “Ah Ha”? I honestly thought I was thinking of the wrong group and I was racking my brains trying to remember the “right” answer.
Tomtrific
+1
Level 82
Aug 14, 2019
Soft Cell had ten top-40 hits in the UK (according to Wikipedia). I don't think of most of the bands listed here as "one-hit wonders", but then I'm not really all that familiar with any of their music.
Djilas
+1
Level 83
Dec 30, 2020
Opus - Live is Life? But maybe that's a no-hit wonder as far as US is concerned.
Dimby
+1
Level 79
Apr 25, 2024
This Canadian knows that song.
Ljummingen
+1
Level 21
Jan 19, 2021
Europe was not a one hit wonder
kogatora
+1
Level 94
Aug 5, 2021
I like the song but Safety dance is a blind spot for me. I always get stuck trying Men wearing hats whenever it comes up.
DictatorTal
+2
Level 88
Jan 29, 2023
Rock Me Amadeus is so damn good... y'all should listen to it if you never have. Better yet, just listen to it regardless.
Di66
+1
Level 51
Mar 20, 2024
I agree, some of these bands are not one hit wonders.
Dimby
+1
Level 79
Apr 25, 2024
Pop Goes the World was a pretty big worldwide hit for Men Without Hats. It's pretty dang catchy, to the point that multiple soccer teams have the song as their "hummable" (I guess you'd call it?) fan anthem.
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