I'd like to thank the website underscoopfire.com for providing the fifteen bands on this and how many other blogs it takes. I've already written multiple versions of the greatest one hit wonders of the 80s, so for this blog I wanted to branch out a bit. Thanks to underscoopfire.com for giving me the 15 bands and I'd like to say job well done. I took those bands and ranked them from #15 to #1. If you can't wait to see the bands, go to the above website. I'll be counting down the bands
This is the criteria Scoop, as I'll call him or her, used to determine this list:
"First, let me give you a little explanation of how I classified the following bands. To become a Two Hit Titan of the 80s in my book, the artists must have charted two songs (no more than three) in the top ten of the US Billboard Hot 100 charts. These two hits must be there only songs to chart in the top ten at any point in their career. Also, many of these bands (even the one hit wonders) have had success in other countries, but for our purposes, we will focus on their success in the US."
While that's a perfectly good rationale, the question I have is what is a hit? Does it have to land on Billboard's charts, does it have to be well known, does it have to make a lasting cultural impact? Just what does a song need in order to be a hit? Technically many of Led Zeppelin's songs weren't hits as they weren't released as singles. Although I can't think of a band that has more great songs- no not the Beatles. For Corey Hart "It Ain't Enough" wasn't a "hit", but does that mean it's not a hit? For the purposes of this blog I'm counting any great song as a hit, even if it wasn't ever a traditionally defined "hit".
Originally Corey Hart was # 15 on this list. After listening to several songs from both The Cutting Crew and Tone Loc, I moved Hart past both of them. My new #15 artist is Tone Loc. His two most famous, and frankly only good songs, are ones he collaborated on with Young MC. In terms of a hit, should Loc or Young MC be considered to have had the hit? Would Loc have gained any measure of fame without the help of Young MC? I'm not sure, but Young MC was fine solo as he hit #7 with his song "Bust A Move". But it didn't really matter as both disappeared fairly quickly.
Those two made me think of MC Hammer, who believe it or not, actually had 5 hits. Give yourself a pat on the back and then go out and get a life if you can name all 5 songs. They are "U Can't Touch This", "Have U Seen Her", "Pray", "Too Legit To Quit" and "Addams Groove".
"Wild Thing":
"Funky Cold Medina":
Let's give a little love to "Bust A Move"- which is probably the best of the 3 songs:
#14 is Terence Trent D'arby, originally he was #10 on my list. After I listened to his music I realized he only had those two magnificent and sublime classics. The rest of his musical output isn't very good. He suffered much the same fate as Tone Loc. But to paraphrase a famous movie, we'll always have those two amazing songs.
My now # 13 band proves that lightning can strike in the same place as they had two "hits". However they also had another pretty good song, see below. "(I Just) Died In Your Arms":
"Wishing Well":
Just how many children were conceived to this song? "Sign Your Name" (Live):
"I've Been In Love Before":
Not the greatest song ever, but a perfectly good song "Any Colour":
For artist # 12, Corey Hart, the songs Scoop lists are "Sunglasses At Night" (which was a song that I thought was silly when it was originally released and it's still silly) :
No doubt this is his best song, "Never Surrender":
According to Scoop's criteria, this song isn't a "hit". However I think this is a great song. "It Ain't Enough":
themusicaddict
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