Why do so many one-hit wonders come from the 80s new wave scene? Is it just that there were so many of these acts recording at the same time, so individual songs had a better chance of finding success than whole bands?

It’s debatable whether Flock of Seagulls should be considered a one-hit wonder. They placed four songs on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, though only ‘I Ran (So Far Away)’ reached the top ten. And ‘I Ran (So Far Away)’ is actually the fifth highest-charting song in their native UK, suggesting it might not even be the one hit.

But from my thoroughly American perspective, they fit the bill.

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