4 Pop Icons From the 80s You Probably Recognize (Even if You Can’t Name Them)

There’s nothing wrong with being a one-hit wonder. Here are a few 80s singers that were pop icons in their own right, even if they only have one or two hits that you’re familiar with.

Tiffany

Remember “I Think We’re Alone Now”? Yes, the voice behind that track is Tiffany, who actually didn’t realize what the song was about when she first heard it. She was only 14 or 15 when she recorded the track.

“I don’t think I realized that the song was about the prohibition of teenage sex, but we got away with it,” she told The Guardian. “The lyrics are what teenagers think about: going behind a bush and kissing and whatever. People have since told me: ‘Oh me and my husband were in the car listening to it and…’ And I think: ‘Way too much information!’”

Tiffany also had another No. 1 hit called “Could’ve Been”, which was No. 1 in the US while “I Think We’re Alone Now” was No. 1 in the UK.

Michael Sembello

Don’t think you know Michael Sembello? You’ve definitely heard his work.

The session musician and singer from Pennsylvania has a Golden Globe for his song “Maniac”, which was a part of the Flashdance soundtrack. He almost won an Oscar for the song as well, but because he didn’t write the danceable hit for the movie originally, it was disqualified from the running.

“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,” he once explained, according to Songfacts.

In addition, Sembello has also co-written songs for Diana Ross and Michael Jackson.

The Outfield

You might not know The Outfield, but you definitely know the hit “Your Love” by the English pop rock band. Ironically, this group, which was formed in 1984 in London, found more commercial success in the US than they did in the UK. The members of the band, John Spinks, Tony Lewis, and drummer Alan Jackman, also didn’t know what an outfield was, apparently, until they came to the US.

Matthew Wilder

Remember “Break My Stride”? You can thank musician and record producer Matthew Wilder for that one. Although Wilder didn’t achieve much commercial success after his debut album, 1983’s I Don’t Speak The Language, he did end up producing for modern acts like No Doubt, 702, Christina Aguilera, Kelly Clarkson, and Miley Cyrus. He also co-wrote the songs for the Disney movie Mulan with lyricist David Zippel.

Photo by: Ron Eisenberg/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

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