3 New One-Hit Wonders From the 2020s

A one-hit wonder can come from anywhere. It can come from any time—even right now. Indeed, so far in the current decade of the 2020s there have been a handful of one-hit wonders to rise to the top of the charts. Who knows, perhaps the songs’ authors will follow them up at some point with another chart-topper and become a vaunted two-hit wonder.

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But for now it’s the one track for these artists. And here below, we wanted to dive into three examples. A trio of recent one-hit wonders for your listening pleasure. Yes, these are three new one-hit wonders all the way from the 2020s.

[RELATED: 3 One-Hit Wonders That Dominated the Airwaves in the 1990s]

“Dance Monkey” by Tones and I from The Kids Are Coming (2019)

This song has been out for only a handful of years and yet it already has 2.2 billion streams on YouTube alone. With a distinct, high-register voice, the Australian-born Tones and I wiggles her way into your ears and finds a home. It’s a song with a sound you’ll never forget. And it helped propel her to fame, including song features and world tours with the likes of rapper Macklemore. On this track, which hit No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100, Tones and I belts,

They say, oh my God I see the way you shine
Take your hand, my dear, and place them both in mine
You know you stopped me dead while I was passing by
And now I beg to see you dance just one more time

“ABCDEFU” by Gayle from A Study of the Human Experience Volume One (2021)

A bitter song of vengeance, this track, which hit No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100, begins with Gayle singing a few curses at her ex. She sings passionately about how she loved the person before but now it’s quite the opposite. And not only does she loathe the person, she doesn’t want to hear anything about his mom, his sister, his car, or anything else he’s associated with (except the dog). Gayle gets it all off her chest on this number, offering,

F*ck you and your mom and your sister and your job
And your broke-a** car and that sh*t you call art
F*ck you and your friends that I’ll never see again
Everybody but your dog, you can all f*ck off

“Rich Men North of Richmond” by Oliver Anthony (Single, 2023)

With a giant, twangy voice, Oliver Anthony burst on the scene thanks to this song about the rich people out there who are making the rest of our lives worse. Singing with a backdrop of green trees, Oliver Anthony with his big ol’ red beard sings about how the government doesn’t look out for working people. He garnered hundreds of millions of streams and a record career thanks to this tune, which hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. And on it, he sings,

I’ve been sellin’ my soul, workin’ all day
Overtime hours for bullsh*t pay
So I can sit out here and waste my life away
Drag back home and drown my troubles away

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