I've always had a guilty pleasure to listen to "No Letting Go". It usually just gets stuck in my head. I can remember listening to this to the radio, and having no idea what he was saying. I would just hum the chorus..."No letting go..." And I'd clap along to the beat.
Interesting to note, this song uses the same clapping beat (called the "Diwali Riddim") as both Sean Paul's "Get Busy" and one-hit wonder Lumidee's "Never Leave You".
Benny Mardones
"Into the Night"
#11 (September 6, 1980)
Benny Mardones is an interesting case of a one-hit wonder. He actually hit the top 40 twice - with the same song. So in this case, he's still a one-hit wonder, because he still only has one song.
You probably may be wondering: why it did reach the Top 40 twice anyway? Well, this is how it happened.
In 1989, KZZP, a radio station in Arizona, ran a segment titled "Where Are They Now?" (a question most people are asking about even 90s one hit wonders right now) The most popular question was "Whatever happened to the guy who sang 'Into the Night'?" Scott Shannon, then program director for Pirate Radio in Los Angeles, added "Into the Night" to its playlist. Radio stations across the country followed suit and "Into the Night" was once again a hit.
So now let's go to what I think of the song.
"Into the Night" is definitely in my top 5 of the best one-hit wonder of the 80s. Mardones's bluesy vocals match the mood of the song, and the chorus lifts me up. It's always a pleasure to scan through stations and find "Into the Night".
Apparently Usher did a version of the song. I won't say he butchered it, but I definitely prefer the Benny Mardones version.
Rebbie Jackson
"Centipede"
#24 (December 22, 1984)
From 1984 comes the only Top 40 hit by Michael Jackson's lesser known older sister, Rebbie Jackson. Rebbie really never got that much attention from the public, and ended up becoming a one-hit wonder, in stark contrast to her younger brother Michael.
"Centipede" is powered by drum hits, bass riffs and keyboard effects typical for an 80s song. But "Centipede" somehow stands out in a special way. Michael produced and wrote the song for Rebbie, and even screams "Centipede!" in the background of the song. In fact, "Centipede" sounds like it could be done by Michael himself with some reworked lyrics.
"Today, Rebbie is generally considered the “most normal” of all the Jacksons. That’s a pretty significant achievement right there. You can even argue it’s perhaps the greatest achievement of all." - David Waterman at toponehitwonders.com
"Goin' Down" is, along with Eye to Eye's "Nice Girls", one of the best one-hit wonders of the 80s.
Featuring a nice chorus and a typical 80s vibe, it is one of the most underrated songs of the 80s. It even has a room for a short electric guitar solo.
Sadly, on, July 28, 2003, Greg Guidry was found dead, his charred body found in a car parked in his garage. His death was ruled a suicide.
Eye to Eye's "Nice Girls" easily stands out as one of my favorite one-hit wonders of the 80s. Reminiscent of artists like Steely Dan, it's a nice upbeat track. I like the beat, and keyboards work well too.
Anyway, time for the more geeky info.
Composed of American singer Deborah Berg and English pianist Julian Marshall, Eye to Eye formed in 1980 after meeting at a dance ensemble performance. A recording contract followed, and Eye to Eye released their self-titled debut album in 1981. They would release one more album, then broke up in 1984, later reuniting in 2001.
Steve Forbert
"Romeo's Tune"
#11 (February 23, 1980)
Forbert reached #11 in 1980 with "Romeo's Tune", a 70ish love song aided by the piano. Compared as the "new Bob Dylan", he released 14 studio albums and still performs to this day.
(Sorry for the short post, words can't say what I feel about this song...for all of you who like Steve, enjoy the embed below.)
