Released in 1994, the song was the first single off Ahmad’s debut album, Ahmad.The song peaked at No. R&B duo Zhané delivered one of the ultimate party classics of the '90s with "Hey Mr. With its slippery guitar-bass interplay and signature quiet-verse-into-explosive-chorus structure, “Cannonball” was The Breeders’ only considerable hit, though Kurt Cobain consistently championed the group’s artistic merits up until his death in 1994, even helping increase the group’s exposure by selecting them as Nirvana’s opening band on a 1992 tour. The ultra-laid-back allure of “Sex and Candy” was undeniable when N.Y.C.’s Marcy Playground released it in ’97, a simple, dreamlike tale of first laying eyes on a beautiful woman. Inspired by Possum Kingdom Lake near Toadies’ native Dallas, the lyrics are sufficiently creepy and foreboding, depicting a crazed murder at the lake (which its music video effectively demonstrates). 8. 'When the Night Feels My Song' by Bedouin Soundclash (2005) All other covers here are original single records or album covers. Slide 2 of 19. Perhaps the best example of a band that exploded onto the scene out of thin air, then vanished without a trace. No one ever, that's who. © 2021 Paste Media Group. It’s still kind of puzzling that Baz Luhrmann, predominantly a director and screenwriter known for films like Moulin Rouge and Romeo + Juliet, briefly crossed over into the music industry, because he’s not a musician in any respect. 25. But when B*Witched's management pushed member Edele Lynch to lead singer status, her bandmates felt left behind. It seemed this song was all The Verve Pipe had to offer, though, as the rest of their music consisted of safe, generic lite-rock that wanted to be radio singles but lacked the solid hooks. In fact, this one hit wonder group was led by singer Tony Burrows who made it a career to sing many one hit wonders in various groups. But it’s easy to forget often some of the one-hit wonders in the charts. Rednex Warning: if you read this piece, you’ll have ‘Save Tonight’ in your head forever. The coolest thing about Eagle-Eye Cherry might be that he doesn’t use a stage name: His real name is legitimately “Eagle-Eye Cherry.” As the son of famous jazzman Don Cherry and the half-brother of trip-hop singer Neneh Cherry, musical blood runs in his family, but the Sweden native’s only real smash was the light acoustic ballad “Save Tonight,” which has become synonymous with his name at this point. The 1990s marked the era of epic girl groups. That was the last I heard of him. The addictive nature of the track earned them a spot on the "TRL Live" tour and sent their debut album to platinum status, but the group's lackluster sophomore effort led them to disband a few years later. And while those bands are obvious hallmarks of the time, the music that really makes me miss the '90s and early '00s are … The sleepy, soft song “The Freshman” had lyrics that contained enough angst to vaguely fit into the post-grunge fallout, painfully detailing the suicide of his girlfriend. The list contains artists known primarily for one hit song in the United States, who are described as one-hit wonders by the media. So now, when I hear our songs, I feel very proud of the material, and the mark that was made. German jazz-popster Lou Bega revitalized this “jive dance” song for a new generation, originally composed in 1949 by Pérez Prado, by adding his own lyrics and structure to the tune. 90s One Hit Wonders . The most well-known fact about the English glam-rock revivalists Spacehog is that singer/bassist Royston Langdon was at one point married to Liv Tyler—few associate the band’s name with their only hit, the incredibly Bowie-esque “In the Meantime,” its falsetto vocal hook, surreal lyrics (“We love the all in you”) and liquid bassline catapulting it up the rock charts, even breaking into the Billboard Hot 100. 5” with different lyrics. 90s One Hit Wonders . 5 in the U.S. All the girl band one-hit wonders that you need to remember. King sample and for being famously featured in The Cable Guy, not only has a title that lengthy but is by an obscure band called Primitive Radio Gods. Rednex Warning: if you read this piece, you’ll have ‘Save Tonight’ in your head forever. It also became the most popular song from the movie American … All Saints really hit it big with second single "Never Ever," a sweeping ballad that topped the U.K. charts. Because everyone loves a good trip down memory lane, here are 20 of our favorite one-hit wonders from the '90s. That makes it a little fitting that their biggest (and only) hit was a song they wrote capturing the rage and frustration they felt at the commodification of the underground music scene they loved.. The band became one of the best-selling female groups in British history thanks to singles such as "Bootie Call" and "Pure Shores," and announced a comeback in 2016. After some contract issues they released a self-titled album in 2001 but drifted apart soon after. Given that this is a list of one-hit wonders, that’s saying some… It wasn't until I hit my teens that I became a music obsessive, thinking about music in a broader sense than I had as a child, when I had gravitated towards specific artists. Though certain songs, over time, became modestly known on rock stations, nothing ever found its way into the limelight like “Possum Kingdom.”. Spacehog appeared to readily accept their lack of future mainstream success and turned out increasingly artier material in the late ’90s. A one-hit wonder is a musical artist who is successful with one hit song, but without a comparable subsequent hit. And then there were '90s boy bands who were one-hit wonders, like All-4-One (remember them?) All this was undoubtedly even more frustrating for the original writers of the song, grungy contemporaries Ednaswap. Alexander promptly quashed the notion when he disbanded New Radicals shortly after “You Get What You Give” broke big on the charts. When it comes to the top tracks from the 1990s, some were novelties; some were unabashed sing-alongs.Alas, beyond these singles, the one-hit wonders of ’90s rock generally faded into obscurity. Hypnotic and detached, the gloomy song features a steady, unobtrusive beat akin to the falling of rain as well as some wordless vocals somewhat reminiscent of Lou Reed’s “Walk on the Wild Side.” Primitive Radio Gods would quickly fade into obscurity after the monster success of “Phone Booth” in the wake of logistical difficulties trying to release their next album and a failed attempt at a follow-up single. That didn’t stop the rest of the world from latching onto “Tubthumping,” featuring a raucous chorus, tasteful trumpet solo and unforgettable lyrics full of British idioms that confused Americans (“pissing the night away”) and references to good ol’ alcohol (the famous succession of whiskey, vodka, lager and cider drinks that has no doubt inspired many a fraternity drinking game). 2 of 18. The song’s sound created just about as much public interest as the legal debacle with The Rolling Stones that ensued: The Verve had sampled a piece of an orchestral adaptation of the veteran rock band’s song “The Last Time” for use in “Bitter Sweet Symphony.” Though the sample was small, the Stones deemed it too big anyway once they saw how well the single and corresponding album Urban Hymns was selling on a global scale. Not to be confused with The Verve, who we’ll get to later. A catchy song with an instantly singable chorus, this little ditty wound up as the theme song for a little show called Friends which a few people watched on TV. This list contains artists known primarily for one hit song in the United States, who are described as one-hit wonders by the media. From forgotten Disney stars to the British one hit wonders who will forever hold a place in our needy, sentimental hearts, here are all the girl bands of the 90s and 00s who we not so secretly wish were still a thing. The mostly-female alternative rock group The Breeders was formed as a supergroup of sorts in the late ’80s, an outlet for The Pixies bassist Kim Deal and Throwing Muses singer/guitarist Tanya Donelly, both of whom had grown frustrated playing second fiddle in their respective groups. The nineties hosted for some major one-hit wonders that got us moving like never before. This 1995 hit was the stand-out song for the Texas band and it reached number one in the UK. Let's celebrate one-hit wonders with our list of the 25 best Canadian one-hit wonders ever in the list below. Answer: Eagle Eye Cherry. Power-pop band The Rembrandts actually did have another decently successful single at the beginning of their career, “Just the Way It Is, Baby,” but the stature and influence “I’ll Be There for You” had on the 1990s completely eclipses it. The fact that “Possum Kingdom” even became a huge rock hit is strange, considering not only the darkness of its subject matter but the complexity and unusual structure of the song, featuring off-kilter riffs in irregular meters and the abrasive howl of “I will treat you well / My sweet angel / So help me Jesus” that serves as the song’s chorus. Year: 1996Billboard Hot 100 Peak: No. The album cover above was released on the heels of the success. First: Some of these bands have had other hits of moderate stature or may have charted more successfully abroad, but the common thread that runs through them all is that one song has ultimately wound up wholly defining them in the United States. 5." This didn’t stop the remaining members of Blind Melon from eventually carrying on without him a decade after his death, but commercial recognition never returned. “Standing Outside a Broken Phone Booth with Money in My Hand” (1996), Yes, this song, known mainly for its repetitive B.B. Flashback with these forgotten hits and vote up your favorite retro song. Add a relentlessly catchy chord progression and strong chorus to the mix, and it’s little surprise the song was the massive success it was. Zager and Evans disbanded in 1971. The music video is one of the more memorable ’90s videos as well, featuring a sad, outcast little girl in a bee costume who struggles to find her own definition of happiness. Though nothing was ever heard from Len again, the Constanzo siblings are actually still together and released a more hip-hop-oriented album, Diary of the Madmen, in 2005. is just too repetitive. 29. It is unusual for a recording artist to have a number one hit and then never have another chart single. B*Witched even went on tour with some of their other contemporaries, including Atomic Kitten and S Club 3. Flagpole Sitta - Harvey Danger. The term may also be applied to an artist who is remembered for only one hit despite other successes. Listen to 90’s Alternative Rock One Hit Wonders in full in the Spotify app. However, some one-hit wonders, like Psy's "Gangnam Style," have even predicted later trends in music. The Top 90 One-Hit Wonders Of The 2000s. From forgotten Disney stars to the British one hit wonders who will forever hold a place in our needy, sentimental hearts, here are all the girl bands of the 90s and 00s who we not so secretly wish were still a thing. Still, The Nixons were the least impactful band on this list. But they did have one hit off their third studio album 28. And they’re still one of the groups named as inspiration for more current bands like Fifth Harmony and Little Mix. Perhaps frustrated with being pegged as a one-hit wonder, Harvey Danger broke up in 2009. Often, people will only remember the name of the song, and not the singer/group behind it. The nineties hosted for some major one-hit wonders that got us moving like never before. I stand defiantly by that statement, so come at me if you disagree. Beyond their music, R&B sensations like 702 and Brownstone featured several eventual stars of reality TV shows. Consequently, the group, whose pop sensibility, elements of classic soul and provocative anti-celebrity messages hinted at greater potential, had their career cut short, with their second single “Someday We’ll Know” receiving next to no attention and their debut album remaining their only release. Most people wouldn’t recognize the song by the title or band name, but the first seconds of the irresistible “ahh-ahh-ahhhh” vocal melody is an instant throwback to the emergent early ’90s dance sound, while vocalist Bob Birch’s hazy, druggy rap delivery takes a backseat to the super-funky, vibrant club beat. Folds has certainly enjoyed more success than most artists dubbed “one-hit wonders,” continuing to release minor singles, both with his trio Ben Folds Five and as a solo artist, but nothing ever charted near on the level of his ’97 breakout “Brick.” The melancholy piano ballad, ostensibly about a man conflicted between staying with or leaving his pregnant girlfriend, established Folds as one of the most talented, versatile pianists in rock music, even though “Brick” itself features largely simple, subdued piano work. After the huge success of the song, Ahmad took a break from music — eventually graduating from … The subject matter of this song alone guaranteed “Closing Time” easy airplay, an ode to all the drunks out until last call at bars—and indeed the song is often played at bars right around “closing time” to this day. Slide 2 of 19. Sadly, any future chance for Blind Melon to capitalize on the success of “No Rain” for the band disappeared when Hoon overdosed on cocaine in 1995. It also became the most popular song from the movie American … However, the band continued to make grungy-poppy music together for another decade, announcing an indefinite hiatus in 2006. The 1990s were the Golden Age of One-Hit Wonders: Amidst the grunge stalwarts from the early part of the decade and the rise of teen pop toward the end, other random bands would strike gold with one song, become overnight sensations and just as quickly fade away into obscurity. A couple of quick notes before we begin, though. It was the golden age of pop, and hip hop and modern R&B came into their own. Below is our ode to some of the best ’90s-era artists who never managed to find mainstream staying power in the United States. 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