3 of the Most Bizarre (And Admittedly Catchy) One-Hit Wonders of All Time

When one thinks of hit songs, they typically think of radio-friendly and sonically risk-free pop songs. After all, for the last 40 years or so, the majority of songs to perform well on the charts consistently are typically pop songs. However, every so often, there comes along a well-performing chart single that differs from the rest of the chart-toppers. And relative to chart history, their success makes almost no earthly sense. While a plethora of notable musicians have scored chart success with avant-garde tracks, so have a good deal of one-hit wonders. That being said, here are three of the oddest and most bizarre—and admittedly catchy—one-hit wonders of all time.

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“I’m Too Sexy” by Right Said Fred

Nonsensical, promiscuous, and mindlessly upbeat are three adjectives that essentially sum up Right Said Fred‘s 90s dance single. Released in July of 1991, there is certainly a pop archetype this one hit wonders followed, but this song is bizarre in every sense of the word.

Despite not being a prototypical chart topper, it was a chart topper nonetheless. Months after its release, RSF’s “I’m Too Sexy” peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. It wasn’t just an in-and-out performance; rather, the track stayed on top for a total of three weeks.

“IN-A-GADDA-DA-VIDA” by Iron Butterfly

In a contemporary lens, every single aspect of this song suggests that this single shouldn’t have appeared in the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100. However, it was 1968, and tastes differed greatly. Consequently, the highly experimental counter-culture psychedelic rock single, “IN-A-GADDA-DA -VIDA” by Iron Butterfly, generated a fair amount of success.

Released in 1968, “IN-A-GADDA-DA-VIDA” debuted at No. 117 on the Billboard Hot 100 and later landed at No. 30. Now, you might not view this chart performance as a monster success, but after you listen to this song, you might think a bit differently.

“Macarena” by Los Del Rio

Los Del Rio‘s 1996 Latin dance-pop hit has become immortalized thanks to birthday parties, weddings, and other celebratory events. Regardless, it is pretty impressive that this unorthodox pop song had the chart run that it did.

Following the release of the single, Los Del Rio’s 1996 single peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. As a matter of fact, it didn’t just peak at No. 1, but it lived at No. 1 for a total of 14 weeks. As a result of its lengthy stay at the top, it was the No. 1 song on the chart of that year.

Photo of Iron Butterfly Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images