Can you identify these 15 famous one hit wonders from just one lyric?

1. “Valley Girl” by Frank Zappa
2. “Tequila” by The Champs
3. “Mickey” by Toni Basil
4. “Sea of Love” by Phil Phillips

Released in 1982, “Mickey” by Toni Basil is one of the most memorable one hit wonders. Toni, now 82, released a few other songs during the decade, but never found success like she did from “Mickey.” She later served as a choreographer on Legally Blonde and continues to dance in her ninth decade. Toni even made a surprise guest appearance on Dancing with the Stars.

1. “7 and 7 Is” by Love
2. “96 Tears” by ? and The Mysterians
3. “98.6” by Keith
4. “In the Year 2525” by Zager and Evans

“96 Tears” by ? and The Mysterians was the top song on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1966 and was ranked #213 on the Rolling Stone list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. The uniquely named band, ? and The Mysterians, included members Rudy Martinez (?), Bobby Balderrama, Frank Rodriguez, Frank Lugo, and Eddie Serrato on the hit. Three years after the iconic song, the band broke up.

1. “Tubthumping” by Chumbawamba
2. “Criminal” by Fiona Apple
3. “32 Flavors” by Alana Davis
4. “Coco Jamboo” by Mr. President

British rock band Chumbawamba released “Tubthumping” in 1997. Since then, it’s become an earworm and was included in many films and commercials. “Tubthumping” is British slang for aggressive political protesting and was inspired when Chumbawamba’s guitarist Boff Whalley watched his drunken next-door neighbor singing “Danny Boy” while stumbling to open his front door.

1. “Pop Pop Pop-Pie” by The Sherrys
2. “Bobby’s Girl” by Marcie Blane
3. “Telstar” by The Tornadoes
4. “Monster Mash” by Bobby Pickett

Bobby “Boris” Pickett‘s “Monster Mash” is a Halloween favorite that is played at seasonal festive parties to this day. He and Leonard Capizzi released it in 1962, and it took the top spot on Billboard for two weeks. It even appeared on the charts over the decades, which further cements the song’s greatness. Bobby earned a whopping $10 million from it.

1. “What is Love” by Haddaway 
2. “Come Baby Come” by K7 
3. “No Rain” by Blind Melon 
4. “Dreams” by Gabrielle

Blind Melon, which was founded by Rogers Stevens, Brad Smith, and Shannon Hoon, released their hit song “No Rain” in 1993. The song reached 20 on the charts and became well known for its music video, which featured a “Bee Girl” and was played often on MTV.

1. “Baby I Lied” by Deborah Allen
2. “99 Red Balloons” by Nena
3. “It’s My Life” by Talk Talk
4. “The Warrior” by Scandal

While Nena might be a major star in her home country of Germany, audiences in the UK and US only know the singer thanks to her global hit, “99 Red Balloons,” also known as “99 Luftballons.” The upbeat pop anthem became one of 1983’s biggest songs, with audiences enjoying both the English version and the native German.

At the time, Nena was the lead singer of the group of the same name, but she kept going by her mononym when they disbanded in 1987. As a solo artist, Nena, now 66, has released 13 studio albums, with plenty of success during the 00s.

1. “Tainted Love” by Soft Cell
2. “Love Plus One” by Haircut One Hundred
3. “Genius of Love” by Tom Tom Club
4. “If the Love Fits Wear It” by Leslie Pearl

Released in 1981, “Tainted Love” became a hit across the world. Soft Cell, the British new wave band, was founded in 1978 by Marc Almond and David Ball, who passed away in October 2025. The song’s success led it to be featured in films, sampled by artists like Rihanna, and included in an Emmy-winning commercial.

1. “Romeo’s Tune” by Tom Johnston
2. “New Romance (It’s a Mystery)” by Spider
3. “Steal Away” by Robbie Dupree
4. “Rapper’s Delight” by The Sugarhill Gang

“Rapper’s Delight” by The Sugarhill Gang introduced the genre of rap to a whole new audience. The band was founded by Henry “Big Bank Hank” Jackson, Michael “Wonder Mike” Wright, and Guy “Master Gee” O’Brien in 1979 in their hometown of Englewood, New Jersey. 35 years after “Rapper’s Delight” was released, it was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

1. “Ma Belle Amie” by Tee Set
2. “A Song of Joy” by Miguel Ríos
3. “Spirit In The Sky” by Norman Greenbaum
4. “Hey There Lonely Girl” by Eddie Holman

“Spirit In The Sky” by Norman Greenbaum is instantly recognizable from the iconic guitar riffs during the intro. Featured in films like Remember the Titans, Ocean’s Eleven, and Guardians of the Galaxy, it is a one hit wonder that stood the test of time. Norman, now 83, is still a musician, but hasn’t created a hit like that again.

1. “Maniac” by Michael Sembello
2. “Come on Eileen” by Dexys Midnight Runners
3. “So Wrong” by Patrick Simmons
4. “That’s Love” by Jim Capaldi

One of the best wedding dance floor songs there is! “Come on Eileen” by Dexys Midnight Runners won Best British Single at the 1983 Brit Awards. Written by the band’s lead singer, Kevin Rowland, the song’s Eileen is not a real person, but a “composite, to make a point about Catholic repression,” he shared with The Guardian.

1. “Take on Me” by a-ha
2. “Obsession” by Animotion
3. “Tragedy” by John Hunder
4. “One Night in Bangkok” by Murray Head

“Take on Me” by the Norwegian synth pop band a-ha was released in 1985 and reached international fame later that year. It went on to win six awards at the 1986 MTV Video Music Awards and land a-ha as a creator of a beloved one hit wonder.

1. “I Got a Line on You” by Spirit
2. “Morning Girl” by The Neon Philharmonic
3. “Gimme Gimme Good Lovin” by Crazy Elephant
4. “Oh Happy Day” by Edwin Hawkins Singers

Crazy Elephant was only together for three years. But during that time, they produced a song that many still sing today. “Gimme Gimme Good Lovin” song was released in 1969, and it became number 12 in both the US and UK’s Top 40 charts. The popular song earned a R.I.A.A. gold disk and sold millions of copies internationally.

1. “What About Me” by Moving Pictures
2. “Burning Heart” by Vandenberg
3. “Maniac” by Michael Sembello
4. “It’s Raining Men” by The Weather Girls

Released in 1982, “It’s Raining Men” dominated the 1980s, and it’s still regularly referred to as one of the decade’s biggest hits. However, the track nearly didn’t even reach the airwaves, with Donna Summer, Cher, Diana Ross and Barbra Streisand all turning down the opportunity to record it, and even The Weather Girls initially weren’t keen.

But, after Izora Armstead and Martha Wash turned it into a major success, the song became a classic. Reflecting on It’s Raining Men’s legacy in 2011, Martha said: “It’s definitely stood the test of time. Now you have the grandparents who love the song, the parents who love the song and the grandkids who love the song. They all get up and dance.”

1. “Fantasy” by Aldo Nova
2. “I Want Candy” by Bow Wow Wow
3. “Chariots of Fire” by Vangelis
4. “Let it Whip” by Dazz Band

New wave band Bow Wow Wow released their highly popular cover of the classic 1965 song 17 years later in 1982. “I Want Candy” was initially sung by The Strangeloves, but is better known by the 80s band.  

The lead singer at the time was Annabella Lwin, although she was fired from the group in 1983, with the artist reportedly only finding out the news when she read it in NME. Annabella returned to the band in 1989, but she has also had a successful solo career, with three studio albums, including one released in 1986, three years after she was fired.

1. “Funkytown” by Lipps Inc.
2. “Motortown” by Kane Gang
3. “Downtown” by One 2 Many
4. “New York’s A Lonely Town” by The Trade Winds

Want to head down to “Funkytown?” The members of Lipps Inc. did back in 1980, with the song becoming the band’s only No. 1 hit, with previous singles failing to chart at all. Sadly, despite the disco anthem still being popular until this day, the band didn’t last, disbanding in 1985, five years after the release of their hit.