"You work all your life for that moment in time, it could come or pass you by
It's a push-shove world, but there's always a chance
If the hunger stays the night
There's a cold kinetic heat, struggling, stretching for the beat
Never stopping with her head against the wind"
I really appreciate one-hit-wonders. I like the fact that these little songs by people that we've usually never head of, can collectively make such a huge impact. Then they keep it too. A great one-hit-wonder now will be, not only remembered in thirty years, but it might also be getting pretty decent airplay as well. In 1983, the Flashdance soundtrack was loaded with goodies that fell into this category.
Michael Sembello's "Maniac" might be the best song on the soundtrack. Full of so much energy- and that's before you see the video that's mostly ripped straight from the film. Jennifer Beals (or her body double) dances her ass off to the hard driving synth. I watched the movie for the first time in decades recently and I was happily surprised by how good it still is. Flashdance has 35 years worth of hype attached to it and I think that it really does live up to it.
"Maniac" is the kind of song that just makes you feel good when you hear it. Sometimes it really is that simple and that's all that a one-hit-wonder really needs. Check out the video below.