3 One-Hit Wonders From 1979 That Every Radio Listener Remembers

The year 1979 seemed to have quite a few one-hit wonders on the radio and climbing the charts. It was an important year, after all. The decade was coming to a close, new wave was at its creative peak, and everyone was ready for a new era of popular music. Naturally, some artists got their big break that year, but some never scored another hit again. Let’s look at a few one-hit wonders from 1979 that used to be radio favorites!

“Street Life” by The Crusaders from ‘Street Life’

This jazz-funk classic dropped in 1979 and became a noteworthy hit in both the US and UK. The Crusaders’ “Street Life” peaked at No. 5 in the UK and No. 36 in the US. Surprisingly, it was the group’s only song to make it to the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Personally, I think songs like “Put It Where You Want It / Mosadi (Woman)” and “Scratch / Way Back Home” from earlier in the 70s should have at least made it to the Top 40.

“I Don’t Like Mondays” by The Boomtown Rats from ‘The Fine Art Of Surfacing’

This new wave pop hit from Irish band The Boomtown Rats has a pretty dark origin story. “I Don’t Like Mondays” takes its name from a statement a 16-year-old girl in California made earlier in 1979 after committing what is believed to be the first elementary school shooting in the United States. The bleakness of the situation apparently inspired Bob Geldof and Johnnie Fingers, though Geldof would later say his intention was not to “attempt to exploit tragedy.”

“I Don’t Like Mondays” would become an international success, peaking at No. 1 on the UK Singles chart and No. 73 on the Hot 100 chart. None of the band’s subsequent singles would make it to the Hot 100.

“Video Killed The Radio Star” by The Buggles from ‘The Age Of Plastic’

Ah, an anthem for the times. “Video Killed The Radio Star” by The Buggles basically defined radio in 1979 and remains one of the most famous one-hit wonders of the era. It’s a new wave synth-pop song that concerns itself with the mixed views and opinions humanity seemed to have about the rapid growth of technology at the time. The music video for this song would become closely associated with MTV, as it was the very first video shown on the program when it debuted in the US in 1981.

“Video Killed The Radio Star” reached No. 1 throughout Europe and No. 40 in the US. They would never reach the Hot 100 chart again.

Photo by Gary Gershoff/Getty Images

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