One-Hit Wonders of the ’80s: 1980 – Lipps Inc.

“Funkytown” by Lipps Inc.

I think I hear a thunderous cheer of people screaming “Finally a song I’ve heard of!”
Never mind 1980. This is probably one of the most well known one-hit wonders of all the ’80s.

Lipps Inc. released their debut album Mouth to Mouth in late 1979. The second single from this album, “Funkytown”, spent four weeks at number one on both the Billboard Hot 100 and on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play charts in the US, and went Platinum.

The Minneapolis, Minnesota band Lipps Inc. was founded by Steven Greenberg. He recruited lead vocalist Cynthia Johnson, the 1976 Miss Black Minnesota winner. After “Funkytown”, the Lipps Inc. did not achieve further success. Cynthia Johnson left the band in 1983. By the time Lipps Inc. threw in the towel, though, they’d begun to open things up on the Minneapolis music scene, not to mention giving valuable early experience to several future members of Prince’s band the Revolution. Greenberg eventually moved into web design, and owns a profitable company, called Designstein, which is based in Minneapolis.

Here is Lipps Inc.’s moment of glory:

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