10 Greatest Rock Music One Hit Wonders

2. Turning Japanese - The Vapors

Towards the end of the '70s, the punk revolution was slowly but surely transitioning into new wave. As soon as The Sex Pistols broke up and the Clash started to experiment with other genres of music, everyone from Devo to Blondie were trying their hand at a more synthesized version of punk rock that was a bit more polished but no less strange. That didn't mean that there wasn't room for some regular punk to cross over still.

Then again, The Vapors' hit Turning Japanese doesn't really feel like it belongs in the punk category from skin to core. Although it definitely has those sharp guitars and one of the most confusing choruses of all time, there's a lot more post punk and nervy energy to this one than something like Devo. You can tell that these guys have clearly listened to acts like the Clash, only they never had any problems with being mainstream.

Pretty much anyone can see why this was song was going to be a one hit wonder for them though, since this is the kind of song that no one could take seriously after it was released. But who knows? If things had gone differently, there's probably an alternate universe where The Vapors got the same type of spotlight that acts like the Jam got back in the day.