The One-Hit Wonders – The 80s Part 6.

You might be starting to notice that most of the acts that are being featured in this particular series are women that have rather big hair, but you should know by now that I am rather fond of that in 80s pop stars. And I think that the story of this song is interesting, not only because I like it of course, but also because it was the launchpad for someone else’s pop career to take off.

Fonda Rae is an American singer from New York, she came on to the scene with her first single in 1982, the rather oddly-titled “Over Like A Fat Rat”, which is one way to get yourself noticed. Fonda was also a member of Kid Creole’s group The Coconuts, although I’m not sure if she featured on their big hits in the early-80s like “Annie I’m Not Your Daddy”, if she did then technically she’s not a one-hit wonder, but now I’ve come this far, I’m going to continue, so there.

In October 1984 her single “Tuch Me” was released on the Streetwave label. I’m not sure what the curious misspelling is about, and I’ve also seen this one credited to “Wish Featuring Fonda Rae” and titled “Touch Me (All Night Long)”, but as it was just called “Tuch Me” when it appeared on the UK singles chart, that’s what I’ll go with. I’m not sure how much publicity there was at the time, and I’ve been unable to find a video.

However, there was a review of this one in No. 1 magazine, along with the lyrics. After the reviewer had finished giggling about “Over Like A Fat Rat”, and also briefly getting Fonda mixed up with Shannon, another American singer who was having some success around this time with some great songs including “Let The Music Play”, he concluded that “Tuch Me” was “another tasty steal”. I presume that’s a good thing. Honestly, these people and their strange phrases.

“Tuch Me” only reached no. 49 in the UK, although it did spend four weeks on the chart, and it wasn’t a hit in America at all, although it did make the R & B Chart. There is a version of this one that is almost ten minutes long, and it’s a great listen. And in 1985 this was also featured in the film A Nightmare On Elm Street 2. But Fonda would have no further hits. This isn’t where the story ends though.

In 1991, “Touch Me (All Night Long)” was covered by Cathy Dennis (with some reworked lyrics), and this went on to be her first and also biggest hit in the UK, and I was very pleased because Cathy went on to be one of my favourite pop stars from this era. I don’t know much about what happened to Fonda after her brief success, but her moment of fame is still a mid-80s dancefloor classic.