Some of the best songs from the 1980s came from an artist or group that never replicated that success. Still, the one hit they did have remains a classic, even years later. These are three of the best one-hit wonders from the 1980s, which all came out in 1986.
โFriends And Loversโ by Gloria Loring and Carl Anderson
Gloria Loring only had one hit, and itโs โFriends And Loversโ. The song, which she sings with Carl Anderson, was written by Jay Gruska and Paul Gordon.
Videos by American Songwriter
โFriends And Loversโ was written for the soap opera, Days Of Our Lives, starring Loring. The song says, โWhat would you think if I told you / I’ve always wanted to hold you? / I don’t know what we’re afraid of / Nothing would change if we made love / So I’ll be your friend / And I’ll be your lover / ‘Cause, I know in our hearts we agree / We don’t have to be one or the other / Oh no, we could be both to each other.”
Anderson sang background vocals on plenty of other artistsโ songs. โFriends And Loversโ remains his biggest hit as a solo artist.
“C’est La Vie” by Robbie Nevil
“C’est La Vie” is Robbie Nevilโs debut single and his only big hit. On his eponymous freshman record, “C’est La Vie” was written by Nevil, along with Duncan Pain and Mark Holding.
A song about taking life as it comes, “C’est La Vie” says, โC’est la vie, c’est la vie / That’s just the way it goes / That’s life) Oh yeah / C’est la vie, c’est la vie / That’s just the way it goes / That’s life.”
Nevil had other moderate hits after “C’est La Vieโ, including โDominoesโ, which follows โCโest La Vieโ. But itโs โCโest La Vieโ that remains his biggest hit. Ironically, Nevil didn’t want this to be his first single. He wrote it with Kool & the Gang in mind instead.
โBaby Loveโ by Regina
Regina, whose real name is Regina Richards, got her start by fronting the band Regina Richards and Red Hot in the late 1970s. In 1986, Regina released Curiosity, her only solo album. The record includes โBaby Loveโ. The song, written by Richards, Mary Kessler, and Stephen Bray, is her biggest hit.
โBaby Loveโ says, โWords don’t mean so much to me / I’d rather wait and see / See what happens when the lights go down / With your arms around me / Time to leave the world behind / Save it for another time / ‘Cause I don’t remember where I am when / You start to love me / Baby love, you are my / Baby love, just call it / Ooh, baby, baby, love / Ooh, sweet and tasty baby, baby, love.โ
Photo by: Gary Null/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images








