Remember back in the 90s when music seemed on the cutting edge and everything was transitioning from the 80s into the Attitude Era? It wasn’t just professional wrestling that could lay claim to that title, as the one hit wonders of the music industry managed to bring their own version of attitude to the screen in a variety of ways that made us all stand up and pay attention. At the time a lot of us thought that many of these bands and singers would keep going forward with their careers, and a few of them did, but in less than spectacular fashion. They had their 15 minutes of fame and then something went wrong and they had to either retool, revamp, or entirely recondition their act if anything was left. Some of them are still around but in all honesty the verve that they had coming into the game was spent just trying to stick around long enough for people to remember them. But the songs they came out with in the 90s what we absolutely loved were something that we can at least remember them by.
Let’s call it the glory days and remember when we were still young, when the one-hit wonders had a future that we could easily see.
20. Please Don’t Go – KWS
Does anyone even remember this song, let along the band? They counted this one single as their major hit, and then they seemed to disappear into the background. The group disbanded in 1994, only two years after they’d formed.
19. Steal My Sunshine – Len
This one song catapulted Len into the spotlight and became a favorite of many people that went to see their concerts and would request it in dance clubs. Some even went on to sing it as a karaoke favorite, but in 2005 the band took a seven year-long hiatus. They came back in 2012 and are still performing, but they’ve never been the same.
18. Whoomp There It Is – Tag Team
This was another group that only lasted for a couple of years but created a song that is still remembered fondly today. It was a big party song and is even at this point a fond piece of nostalgia for those that were growing up in the 90s. Plus, if you watch The Mighty Ducks 2 you’ll find that the movie makes good use of the song.
17. Sex and Candy – Marcy Playground
Marcy Playground is still performing and has been around since the early 90s but they’ve never really managed to get back to the kind of popularity that the enjoyed when this song came out. Sometimes it’s a little too much to expect to catch lightning in a bottle twice in a lifetime.
16. Groove Is In The Heart – Deee Lite
This band actually started up in the mid to late 80s and finally disbanded in 1996. This one hit is the only way that many people are able to remember them since it’s about the only real hit they came out with that reached a large number of people. It’s a fun song really, but it’s all they’ve got as far as a legacy.
15. Save Tonight-Eagle – Eye Cherry
Cherry came out with this one great song and then kind of faded into the background very quickly. He started in 1990 and went on until about 2003 until he took a seven year-long break. He started back up in 2010 and is still going, but it’s safe to say that the shadow of this song is still hovering over him.
14. Baby Got Back – Sir Mix-A-Lot
To his fans he’s not really a one-hit wonder, but Sir Mix-A-Lot has been banking on this one song for a long time and it still works for him since he doesn’t always manage to shove it down people’s throats. He bides his time a lot and comes back now and again as a means of nostalgic remembrance that pleases people for a short period of time.
13. I Try – Macy Gray
Macy Gray seems like the type of person that got into the music because she loves it more than she loves the fame, but this one song kind of ended up defining her career for a long while. She’s still active, but she has yet to really top this song. It’s a good song, what else can be said?
12. B*tch – Meredith Brooks
Brooks started in the 80s and managed to stretch her career all the way to 2007 but throughout all that time she got noticed for this one song and thankfully it’s one of the greats that people still tend to sing. It’s also been used in various movies as well so it obviously made an impact.
11. You Get What You Give – New Radicals
This band seemed primed and ready to go when they came on the scene, but only two years into their career they split up and were all done. They did produce this one song that managed to be seen as a part of the voice that helped to define the 90s, especially as it was leading into the new century.
10. Black Velvet – Alannah Myles
It’s a good guess that a lot of people don’t even know the name of this singer but would easily recognize the one hit that kind of put her on the musical map. She’s still performing well into her 50s now, but this one song seems to be the one that many people think of when she gets on stage.
9. One of Us – Joan Osbourne
For those that are hardcore fans of this woman they might be able to cite a lot more songs than this one that made her famous, but this is the one that hit the mainstream and stuck the most. In fact it’s been used in movies and even TV shows as a plot device and just as something pleasant to listen to.
8. Tub-Thumping – Chumbawumba
Chumbawumba started up in the 80s but didn’t make it past 2012. This song became their sort of swan song since it all started moving downhill from this point on. They had a couple of other songs that gained some attention in films, but otherwise the band was going nowhere fast after this track.
7. Jump Around – House of Pain
House of Pain was one of the coolest bands when they really got going with this song. It was one of those tracks that made people get up and move, so of course it was a popular track among a lot of crowds. But when the group split up and Everlast was born things were never the same.
6. How Bizarre – OMC
This is what happens when you have a low budget for filming and a great song to go with it. The song itself was something pretty cool since it was light, airy, and managed to move in just the right away that made people want to get up and dance. Unfortunately it was the only thing that they really managed to push that got any attention.
5. Informer – Snow
When a song is presented with subtitles that are there so you can understand what the singer is saying it’s kind of a good indication that they’re not interested in catering to the fans. Plus the fact that Snow kind of played up his on screen persona so well that people believed it was kind of off-putting. Jim Carrey performed a skit on In Living Color of this video called Imposter, which was pretty funny.
4. Breakfast at Tiffany’s – Deep Blue Something
If there was any quality that would allow this song on the list it would be that it’s kind of a comfort song that was easy to follow and easy to sing along to. There was no challenge to it and there wasn’t much else to think, but it was kind of like a stock song that you’d keep in your pocket when you wanted something pleasing to listen.
3. Jump – Kris Kross
It’s hard to call Kriss Kross a one-hit wonder since they came up with so many other interesting tracks, but to be honest this was the one that stood out the most when people talked about the duo. Chris Kelly passed away in 2013 unfortunately.
2. What’s Up? – 4 Non Blondes
This is just a fun song to get into whenever it comes on, and it does fairly frequently on the older stations that play a mix of many songs. But honestly and truthfully this is about the only song you might hear of theirs.
1. Bitter Sweet Symphony – The Verve
For such an inspirational song that was used in so many different ways you might imagine that this song would be The Verve’s ticket to fame and fortune. They lasted throughout most of the 90s and even came back for a two-year stint from 2007 to 2009, but it didn’t last.
Sometimes that one hit is all you get to be remembered by.
Follow Us
