This weekend a song came on the satellite radio that triggered some mega Gen X memories for me. It was by a duo called Ebn Ozn, and the second I heard it I was back in the old hallways of my high school.

The 80s seemed to have a ton of One Hit Wonders who gave us some huge hits, like “Take On Me”, “Betty Davis Eyes” “99 Luftballoons,” and more. Yet, these songs in themselves were such massive hits, the bands behind them will still be remembered.

I was such a music junkie, I remember some other hits you don’t always hear today. These are bands who popped up in the hard rock, punk, pop or new wave circles, cranked out a hit and disappeared from the face of the earth, as far as the average listener was concerned.

For example, there’s the aforementioned Ebn Ozn with the hit “AEIOU and Sometimes Y”:

Do you remember that one? How about these others:

Plastic Bertrand “Ca Plane Pour Moi”

This one came out in the late 70s, but was all over the school dance lists in the 80s. I still enjoy this French-language one they love to play at minor league hockey games.

The Proclaimers “(I’m Gonna Be) 500 Miles”

Thanks to the cute side of mental illness only Johnny Depp could pull off, this hit was featured in the film Benny and Joon…and exploded. Yes, you will have it in your head the rest of the week. You’re welcome.

The Plugz “Hombre Secreto”

The Plugs were a late 70s and early 80s meld of Latin and Punk sounds, headed by Tito Larriva. Larriva went on to have a ton of success with bands like Tito Y Tarantula. I always liked these guys because Larriva and member Charlie Quintanilla (who played with Social Distortion in the early 2000s) were from around my neck of the woods. It was when Alex Cox included this one in his punk cult classic Repo Man, it got a lot of attention.

Neneh Cherry “Buffalo Stance”

I read a comment on this one that it sounds exactly “like the 80s turning into the 90s”. That is a great way to sum it up, as Cherry was a great bridge between these decades. She pretty much laid the groundwork for some of the big female artists of the 90s as well as for her brother, Eagle Eye Cherry, who had some cool laid back hits later on.

There are plenty more hits you can take a deep dive into from the 80s that go beyond the standard retro playlist. Hope these triggered some good times for all you fellow Gen-Xers as well.