From forgotten hits to songs that I’m still shocked didn’t qualify, I’m diving into EVERY one-hit wonder of the 1990s according to the Billboard Hot 100. 90s pop, R&B, hip-hop, alternative rock, Eurodance, country, novelty songs, jock jams that inspire theft accusations, and everything inbetween. Plus I dig into some bizarre Billboard chart technicalities, and finally rank the best and worst one-hit wonders of the decade. Fellow Mambo No. 5 truthers rise up.
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TIMESTAMPS
00:00 Intro
00:50 Remnants of the 80s
02:21 90s R&B
04:36 90s Dance Music
07:37 Novelty Songs
08:18 Posse Cuts
09:10 Country’s Actually Interesting This Time
10:54 Honorable Mentions
13:02 90s Rap
13:43 Movies & TV
15:18 Remixes
15:54 Covers
16:16 90s Rock
18:52 90s Teen Pop
19:12 Famous By Another Name
19:42 Oasis
19:58 …No
21:14 Top 10
24:28 Bottom 10
Music by Epidemic Sound:
ROYALTY FREE ASSETS USED
Photo by Elina Fairytal
Photo by Engin Akyurt
Photo by Atlantic Ambience
Photo by Todd Trapani
Photo by Nascimento Jr.
Photo by Luis Becerra Fotógrafo
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No tq Westside
Out of 90s one hit wonders the biggest tragedy to me is easily Faith No More, considering they basically invented what would become one of the biggest genres of the mid to late 90s and early 2000s they get basically no credit for it from anyone other than the people in that genre and music nerds. It also sucks that their one hit was "Epic" because they have so many better songs to be hits that just didn't crack the top 40.
tubthumping is definitely a jock jam! I vividly remember hearing it play at hockey games when I was little.
I'm surprised that multiple times an artist is a U.S. one hit wonder – but I don't know the song that was a hit, I'm way more familiar with ANOTHER of their songs. Perhaps because I'm Australian, perhaps because I started listening to alternative radio (Triple J) halfway through the 90s.
Shaq did not have a hit though. He had a record that flopped.
production on short d man is actually insane, bad take
I can't believe you have dissed "Short D'ck Man" it is the song of my people!!!
I've listened to Vengaboys so much this year idk. Hearing it and thinking six flags is like imagining an elevator while listening to girl from ipanema.
Might we say RIP to the man behind Jive Bunny who passed away recently
What do you mean you don't like the funny He-Man song?
Almost every song you have listed as New Jack Swing wasn’t 🤣 (that includes BBD).
This man literally said that Big Daddy Kane, Queen Latifah, Cypress Hill, Public Enemy, Old Dirty Bastard, Q Tip, Big Pun and the Fugees were all one hit wonders. This is the whitest man in America and its not even close. More than half of the albums these songs appeared on are considered top 100 hip hop albums of all time. Just because you grew up in flyover country and only know non white people in passing doesn't cut the mustard for understanding a breadth of music.
I disagree with Fatboy Slim not being in no
No reel big fish? 😢
What kind of of person doesn't like green jelly's three little pigs?
It's so weird to see MPeople being called one-hit wonders. By your definition, they were – in the States – but they had 10 top-10s in the UK and another 9 top-40 hits. Their cover of "Don't Look Any Further" should've been huge in the States.
Great to see Imani Coppola mentioned. I really liked her follow-up non-hit, 'I'm a Tree', too.
I'm with you on Lou Bega; a great, fun track. There was a DJ mix done by Ultimix (I think) that segued between the original and the dance version that was absolutely brilliant!
Disagree with about half of the worst list, though.
Vengabus SLAPS though, it's just dumb fun
Weird to think of Jann Arden as a 1hw when she’s holding up the playlists of every single white Canadian mom to this day
New Radicals are coming out with a new album in 2027 with an actual follow-up to "You Get What You Give". We could potentially see them crawl out of One-Hit-Wonder territory!
Do a 2000s version! Please !
27:39 holy shit hahaha my dad had the whole 20 Fingers "album" and it was INSANE
Pretty sure Whoomp did better because it sampled the Kano song which was already a popular dance track. So props to 95 South for being more original with Whoot
Prodigy is one hit wonder in the US???? Jeez, guys, what's up with you?
No one is playing Vengabpys on 2026 but they will be playing them in 2028 and they will definitely be playing them in 2038. Boom boom, we like to party and Up & Down are all great. It's campy but that was the point. The 70s were campy and the 90s prefecture captured that while not merely retreading it. Voila!