Rebbie Jackson - "Centipede"

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

Tom Tom Club - "Genius of Love"

Tom Tom Club
"Genius of Love"
#31 (April 24, 1982)

Tom Tom Club scored their only Top 40 hit "Genius of Love", a funky, new wavish number from their self-titled debut album. Tom Tom Club themselves featured Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth, better known as drummer and bassist of the Talking Heads, who I'm a fan of. And I must say, "Genius of Love" is a number that is not typical of the Talking Heads' style.

However, I still enjoy "Genius of Love" for some reason. I just love some of those random lyrics (ex.: "James Brown...James Brown!"). Also worth watching is the psychedelic animated music video for the song. Just click the embed below:

Greg Guidry - "Goin' Down"

Greg Guidry
"Goin' Down"
#17 (May 1, 1982)

"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 - "Nice Girls"

Eye to Eye
"Nice Girls"
#37 (July 24, 1982)

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"

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.)

Tom Johnston - "Savannah Nights"

Tom Johnston
"Savannah Nights"
#34 (January 12, 1980)

In 1977, Tom Johnston left the Doobie Brothers to pursue a solo career of his own. He went on to release his first solo album, 1979's Everything You've Heard Is True. It was this album that spawned a trumpet-filled, upbeat 80s number, "Savannah Nights", that would go on to reach #34 on the Hot 100 in 1980.

Later, in 1982, Doobie Brothers member Patrick Simmons would score his own solo Top 40 hit "So Wrong". In both cases, it would be their only one.

After one more solo album, Still Feels Good (1981), Johnston eventually returned to the Doobies in 1987. And "Savannah Nights" remains his only solo Top 40 hit.

Sugarhill Gang - "Rapper's Delight"

                  

The Sugarhill Gang
"Rapper's Delight"
#36 (January 12, 1980)

Composed of Wonder Mike, Master Gee, and Big Bank Hank, the Sugarhill Gang scored their only Top 40 hit with the hip hop classic "Rapper's Delight". Using a sample of Chic's "Good Times" as the basis for the track, it hit #36 in 1980 and eventually marked them up as one of the first one hit wonders of the year.

However, the track, groundbreaking as it is, never faded into obscurity like a lot of other one hit wonders and has been sampled countless times by many artist ranging from 50 Cent to future one hit wonder Big Audio Dynamite (I'll tackle them later...). It was later marked #248 in Rolling Stone's "500 Greatest Songs of All Time".