3 One-Hit Wonders From the 1980s That Changed Music History Forever

Some songs can change your life, and some songs can change the world. It’s amazing. A single lyric, a chorus, a way a chord dovetails into another—these are all things that can turn the world upside down. That’s just what we wanted to highlight below. We wanted to explore three songs from back in the day that impacted culture in a big way. Indeed, these are three one-hit wonders from the 1980s that changed music history forever.

“99 Luftballons” by Nena from ’99 Luftballons’ (1984)

When politicians don’t have the right answer, sometimes we have to look to musicians. And that’s just what happened in the mid-1980s. That’s when the German rock band Nena released an anti-war protest song inspired by a simple object. One of the band’s members was at a Rolling Stones concert one day. There, he watched balloons the band released fly out into the sky. What if, he thought. What if those balloons could send a message of peace to the other side. At the time, Germany was still divided by the Berlin Wall. But this song, in its own way, helped to ease those tensions. (The Berlin Wall fell five years later in 1989.)

“Tainted Love” by Soft Cell from ‘Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret’ (1981)

Music from the 1980s is often remembered for one thing above all else—synths. But the synth-driven musical movement the era is known for had to start somewhere, right? Well, it began in the early part of the decade, and one of the first synth-driven hit songs was “Tainted Love” by Soft Cell, from the group’s 1981 LP, Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret. The synth-driven cover of the 1965 Gloria Jones tune was a fan favorite. Of course, in years to come, more and more hit songs from the time period would feature the versatile synth. But Soft Cell helped to cement a legacy.

“Video Killed The Radio Star” by The Buggles from ‘The Age Of Plastic’ (1980)

Not only was this another synth-driven song to help the style blossom, but this song also marked a massive moment in time. As the title suggests, the business of music was changing. While the radio was the key source of music discovery in the past, outlets like MTV (aka television) were taking over at the dawn of the 1980s. Well, not only did The Buggles call it, but with their own music video, they added to the new wave.

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