I always wondered about one hit wonders (OHW). If a song achieves popularity and so does the person who sings it, why do they just seem to vanish without charting any more tunes? It seems like a shame to get to the top, only to slide down to obscurity again. Nevertheless, some of these flashes in the pan have staying power, in my opinion. I really like these OHW songs from the 1980s, especially the two that come from film soundtracks. So let's take a closer look at them as we merrily count down to 2025!
Videos by Wide Open Country
4 1980s One Hit Wonders
'Maniac' by Michael Sembello (1983)
The song "Maniac" came from the movie Flashdance, which made actress Jennifer Beals a star. Its relentless beat added a dash of drama to the film. The song had an unusual origin per Songfacts.
"[Michael] Sembello wrote this with his songwriting partner Dennis Matkosky, who got the idea when he saw the William Lustig movie Maniac, which is about a serial killer who stalks his victims in New York City. Sembello told Songfacts: 'He came up with the original kernel of inspiration and to me with the basic idea and groove...'"
Sembello encountered a major disappointment with the song along the way. Per the outlet, "It was nominated for an Academy Award and was disqualified according to 'academy rules' because the song was changed from the original and was not originally written solely for the film, which pisses me off to this day."
They got it just right, though. I have always loved this song. It does not sound dated at all, despite its age.
'She Blinded Me With Science' by Thomas Dolby (1982)
Thomas Dolby told Songfacts in 2011 that he wrote this idiosyncratic tune so he could direct the video in the mode of silent movie icons like Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin. Dolby shared with the outlet that, "This was just when music videos were starting to come to the fore, and I was very keen to try out my talent as a music video director." As for the offbeat song that spurred the video, Dolby said it was "probably about the most frivolous song that I've ever written. When I play it now, I still get a big kick out of it. I mean, I'm perfectly proud of the song, and it's got a great groove and loaded with hooks."
'St. Elmo's Fire (Man In Motion)' by John Parr (1985)
This song penned by John Parr and David Foster was famously used in the film, St. Elmo's Fire, but the story behind it goes much deeper. Per Songfacts, "David Foster and John Parr wrote this song specifically for the movie St. Elmo's Fire, but the song itself is about a Canadian athlete named Rick Hansen, who was paralyzed from the waist down after a car crash when he was 15...it became his anthem."
Parr explained the way this song took shape. "I wrote the lyric when we were working on the movie. David showed me a video of Rick Hansen and I was inspired to write the story of his planned epic journey to circumnavigate the globe in his wheel chair. I wrote the lyric ambiguously, so the film company would think "all I needs these pair of wheels" referred to Demi Moore's jeep when actually I am referring to Rick's wheelchair...."
'Somebody's Watching Me' by Rockwell (1984)
Rockwell is not actually Rockwell. He is Kennedy Gordy, son of Berry Gordy, the mastermind and founder of Motown, per Songfacts. Per the outlet, "The Motown brain trust came up with the name 'Rockwell.' Prince and Madonna were doing very well using one name, and inspiration struck when someone saw a photo of a Norman Rockwell painting." The backing vocals include megastar Michael Jackson, who at the time was still basking in the seismic success of his culture-changing album, Thriller.
