Musical Monday - Mickey by Toni Basil

#1 on the Billboard Hot 100: The week of December 11, 1982.

#1 on the Cash Box Top 100: Never.

#1 on the U.K. Chart: Never.

Mickey is one of the iconic songs of the 1980s. If one were to make a list of songs that exemplified the pop culture of the decade, this song would almost certainly be on it. The odd thing about it is just how limited its cultural impact seems to have been outside of becoming an earworm that has stuck around for decades after its release.

Despite becoming an emblematic marker of the era, Mickey only spent one week at the top of the Billboard charts. That's not a knock on the song - there are many great songs that never become number one hits, so even one week at the top of the charts is a major accomplishment - but for a song that became one of the iconic touchstone for the time period, that's not really much of a commercial splash. Unlike most other iconic songs, Mickey doesn't seem to have inspired many (or even any) imitators trying to replicate its sound and style. Finally, the song essentially constitutes Toni Basil's entire music career. She never had another particularly notable hit, although she did have a reasonably successful career as an actress and choreographer.

And that's the oddity of Mickey. it is undeniably one of the most significant songs of the 1980s, and yet it seems to have had no cultural impact beyond its own existence.

Previous Musical Monday: Beat Surrender by the Jam

Subsequent Musical Monday: Save Your Love by Renée and Renato

Previous #1 on the Billboard Hot 100: Truly by Lionel Richie

Subsequent #1 on the Billboard Hot 100: Maneater by Hall and Oates

List of #1 Singles from the Billboard Hot 100 for 1980-1989
List of #1 Singles from the Cash Box Top 100 for 1980-1989
List of #1 Singles on the U.K. Chart for 1980-1989

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