The Most Cringe-Worthy One Hit Wonders From the 1980s

The 1980s was a decade known for many things: shoulder pads, big hair, and er, bad music. Don’t get me wrong, the '80s was the decade of Bon Jovi, Guns 'N Roses, and many other powerful rock bands, but there were also a lot of bands who were one and done.

Remember, this was the dawn of the MTV era, and everyone tried to put out a record. Check out some of the worst one hit wonders of the 1980s and '90s:

“Funky Town”- Lipps Inc. (1980). Near the end of the disco era, this surprise hit was dubbed “the song that saved disco." Really? This song made me cringe because, well, I didn’t want disco to be saved.

“Mickey”- Toni Basil (1982). If I wanted to hear a cheer, I’d go to a football game. This was a terrible song all around, and Toni Basil looked ridiculous dressed as a high school cheerleader in the video, because, seriously, wasn't she like 40 years old at the time?

“Puttin' on the Ritz”- Taco (1983). I never understood how this song got so big. Taco covered the famous Irving Berlin composition for this hit, but it was a bad reboot from start to finish. Bad music, bad singing, bad video.  In fact, his Taco gives me indigestion.

“99 Luftballons” –Nena (1984). This song got a ton of airplay on MTV for one simple reason: they didn’t have a lot of videos back then. T MTV was still a 24-hour music video station, back then, so they had a lot of air time to fill. That’s the only explanation I can come up with for this song’s success.

“Party all the Time"-Eddie Murphy (1985). Why do actors try to make it as singers? Ask Eddie Murphy, who bombed with the 1985 song "Party All the Time," truly one of the worst songs of all time. John Travolta did it before him in the '70s with ‘Let Her In,” and Don Johnson did it after him with “Heartbeat."  Stick to acting, fellas!

“Rock Me Amadeus”- Falco (1985). This song is pure '80s --  if you like that sort of thing. I just never understood the appeal of this song, especially when I see the video and Falco’s ridiculous get-ups. Watch it once and you’ll see why it was a one hit wonder.

“I Wanna Be a Cowboy”- Boys Don’t Cry (1986). I cringe to admit that I once owned this song. But after re-listening to it more than two decades later, I wondered if it's too late to get a refund.

“Ice Ice Baby”-Vanilla Ice (1990). Rob Van Winkle  stormed the scene in the early '90s (Yo, Vanilla!), and he was mocked for his wacky haircut and shaved eyebrow. His surprise hit song, “Ice Ice Baby," had one credible moment: the sample from the David Bowie’s “Under Pressure." Sorry to be cold as ice.

“Groove is in the Heart”- Deelite (1990). The '90s  ushered in  all kinds of new music, and  I think people were just confused. This was a popular dance song, but I used to share an office with a Deelite fan who did more dancing than working, so this song just brings back bad memories for me. How do you say dee-terrible?

“Rico Suave”- Gerardo (1991). The only good thing about this song was a shirtless Gerardo in the video. The boy was smokin’ hot. But the song? Oh my, it was so bad. So very, very bad.

“Baby Got Back”- Sir Mix a Lot (1992). If you were looking for comedic value, this song had it. But the video was ridiculous. The opening montage with the two gossiping girls is funny, but do we really need an entire song about a girl’s butt?

“Barbie Girl”- Aqua (1997). With lyrics like: "You can brush my hair, undress me everywhere,” this song is definitely not for little girls. And Ken’s voice is totally sleazy.