In 1984, Apple released its first Macintosh computer. The Summer Olympic Games were held in Los Angeles, and the Winter Olympics took place in Yugoslavia. President Ronald Reagan was reelected, defeating Walter Mondale in a landslide. The PG-13 film rating debuted with the Cold War thriller Red Dawn. The year’s top-grossing films were Beverly Hills Cop, Ghostbusters, and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.
The music of 1984 was quite good. Many music critics, including author Michelangelo Matos, have made the case for ’84 being pop music’s greatest year ever. In 2020, 360°Sound interviewed Matos about his engrossing book Can’t Slow Down: How 1984 Became Pop’s Blockbuster Year.
Prince’s “When Doves Cry,” Madonna’s “Like a Virgin,” and Van Halen’s “Jump” are just a few of the classics to top the Billboard Hot 100 in ‘84. While those artists would have numerous hits throughout their career, the subject of this list is the musicians who had their one and only shining moment in the mid-‘80s. Note: To qualify as a 360°Sound one-hit wonder, an artist must have had just one entry in the Top 40 of the Hot 100.
Shannon – “Let the Music Play”
Songwriters: Chris Barbosa and Ed Chisolm
Genre: Freestyle
Billboard Hot 100: #8 on February 25
Easily one of the greatest dance tracks of the era, Shannon’s “Let the Music Play” created an unstoppable beat by syncing the Roland TR-808 drum machine with the Roland TB-303 synth bass, the latter of which would go on to define the sound of acid house. The song inspired the title of Steven Vass’s fascinating book, Let the Music Play: How R&B Fell in Love with 80s Synths. In our interview with Vass, he named “Let the Music Play” as one of the quintessential tunes of the boogie subgenre, a synth-heavy, danceable form of R&B. “Let the Music Play” is also considered a first in the freestyle genre, a form of electronic dance music that gained mainstream success in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s (Freestyle singer George Lamond’s “Bad of the Heart” made our 1990 one-hit wonders list).
Tracey Ullman – “They Don’t Know”
Songwriter: Kirsty MacColl
Genre: Pop
Hot 100: #8 on April 28
Actress and comedian Tracey Ullman forayed into music with her 1983 debut album You Broke My Heart in 19 Places, which mostly consists ‘60s pop covers. “They Don’t Know,” the second single from the LP, was originally written and recorded by singer-songwriter Kirsty MacColl in 1979, and MacColl sings backup on Ullman’s version. It’s a deliciously catchy track featuring a power-pop melody, layered harmonies, and Phil Spector-style production. The music video for “They Don’t Know” includes a cameo from Sir Paul McCartney, which made sense because Ullman had a starring role in Macca’s 1984 film Give My Regards to Broad Street.
Laid Back – “White Horse”
Songwriters: Tim Stahl and John Guldberg
Genre: Electro
Hot 100: #26 on May 12
Danish duo Laid Back released “White Horse” as the B-side to their single “Sunshine Reggae.” The A-side was big in Europe but didn’t get much traction in the States. However, DJs spun the flip side, and “White Horse” became a huge club hit. A minimalistic synth-funk banger, “White Horse” (a reference to heroin) topped the Billboard dance charts for three weeks in the spring of ’84. “If you wanna ride/ride the white pony” sing Tim Stahl and John Guldberg in their heavily accented monotone delivery (“white pony” being a reference to cocaine). Rolling Stone called it “perhaps the most unconvincing anti-drug song of all time.”
Talk Talk – “It’s My Life”
Songwriters: Mark Hollis and Tim Friese-Greene
Genre: New wave
Hot 100: #31 on May 19
Talk Talk’s “It’s My Life,” a lush, midtempo synth-pop tune, is one of the best singles of the 1980s. The lyrics deal with angst over a relationship, building to an unforgettable hook sung in frontman Mark Hollis’s idiosyncratic style. The music video for “It’s My Life” is composed mainly of footage from a BBC wildlife documentary, and in a statement against the vapidness of lip-synching, Hollis is seen with his hands in his coat pockets and his mouth shut tight. The follow-up single, “Such a Shame,” which is also excellent, charted higher than “It’s My Life” in many countries but only peaked at #89 in the states. Such a shame that Americans slept on Talk Talk. No Doubt’s respectable cover of “It’s My Life” hit #10 on the Hot 100 in early 2004.
Ollie and Jerry – “Breakin’…There’s No Stopping Us”
Songwriters: Ollie Brown and Jerry Knight
Genre: Dance-pop
Hot 100: #9 on August 4
Drummer Ollie E. Brown and bassist Jerry Knight were ace session players from Detroit, and they made up the rhythm section of Ray Parker Jr.’s band Raydio. Polydor record executive Russ Regan asked Brown to contribute a song to the soundtrack of Breakin,’ a breakdancing movie, so Brown collaborated with Knight in writing “Breakin’…There’s No Stopping Us.” The groovy dance-pop single, which was issued under Ollie and Jerry, peaked at #3 on the R&B charts and topped the dance charts for a week. Watch the music video closely and you’ll spot Jean-Claude Van Damme, who was an extra in the film.
Romeo Void – “A Girl in Trouble (Is a Temporary Thing)”
Songwriters: Debora Iyall, Peter Woods, Frank Zincavage, and David Kahne
Genre: New wave
Hot 100: #35 on October 27
A new wave/post-punk band from San Francisco, Romeo Void cracked the Top 40 with “A Girl in Trouble (Is a Temporary Thing),” the first single from their third and final album, Instincts. Singer Debora Iyall wrote the song as a pep talk for her best friend Christine, who was known as the “Teen Troublemaker,” letting her know that her struggles in life would pass. Romeo Void’s other well-known song is 1981’s “Never Say Never,” which peaked at #17 on the Billboard Dance/Disco chart but didn’t dent the pop charts.
Editor’s Note: “My Ever Changing Moods” by The Style Council, singer-songwriter Paul Weller’s soulful post-The Jam band, peaked at #29 on June 9, 1984. It was not included in this list because we have an article dedicated to the 10 essential singles of The Style Council.
