If you’re going to be known for one song, it better be a keeper. The London-based band Sniff ‘n’ the Tears had only one big hit during their career – but what a hit it was. “Driver’s Seat” was the tune and it originally appeared on Sniff ‘n’ the Tear’s debut album, Fickle Heart, in 1978. But it really took off the following year. In the summer of ’79, “Driver’s Seat” cracked the US Top 20 and received substantial airplay on both AM and FM stations. The story didn’t quite end there, however. In 1992, the song topped the Dutch charts after being used in an ad campaign. And five years later, a new generation of Americans was introduced to “Driver’s Seat” when it was featured in the film Boogie Nights. The track has also been sampled repeatedly by other artists over the years.

Most people know Curt Smith as one half of the English duo Tears For Fears. One of the biggest bands of the mid 1980s bar none, Tears For Fears was actually formed several years earlier from the ashes of a lesser-known group called Graduate. Led by Smith and Roland Orzabal and augmented by various other musicians, they released their debut album, The Hurting, in early 1983. A moderate success, the disc contrasted catchy, slick tunes with lyrics that often addressed deep pain. Sample song titles: “Mad World,” “Suffer the Children,” “Watch Me Bleed” and “Start of the Breakdown.” You get the idea.