3 One-Hit Wonder Lyrics From 1991 That Every 90s Kid Remembers

As the 80s faded into obscurity, the year 1991 ushered in a new era. One where rap music, R&B, and the occasional power ballad would shine. Here are some songs from 1991 with one-hit-wonder lyrics that still make us think of the 90s.

“Walking In Memphis” by Marc Cohn

“Put on my blue suede shoes / And I boarded the plane / Touched down in the land of the Delta Blues / In the middle of the pouring rain.”

Marc Cohn wrote “Walking In Memphis” when he was still a singer doing session work. He had the worry on his mind that he might never write a great song. A trip to Memphis, Tennessee, became his muse.

“I was 28 years old and not in love with my songs,” he told KeyboardMag.com. “James Taylor had written ‘Fire and Rain’ when he was 18, and Jackson Browne wrote ‘These Days’ when he was only 17. I thought: ‘I’m already ten years older than these geniuses. It’s never going to happen for me.’”

“Good Vibrations” by Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch

“Yo, it’s about that time / To bring forth the rhythm and the rhyme / I’ma get mine so get yours / I wanna see sweat comin’ out your pores.”

Before Mark Wahlberg became a famous actor, he also had an aspiring rap career. This was one of the songs he released as Marky Mark on his first album, Music For The People. This song went No. 1 in the US and three other countries: Denmark, Sweden, and Switzerland. In an interview on The Ellen Show, Wahlberg revealed that if Marky Mark had to make a reappearance for a charity event, “Good Vibrations” is definitely a song he would remember all the words to. After all, he did perform it “so many times.”

“Kiss Them For Me” by Siouxsie & The Banshees

“It glittered, and it gleamed / For the arriving beauty queen / A ring and a car / Now you’re the prettiest by far.”

This song was written about Jayne Mansfield, who was a Playboy model and actress in the 50s and 60s. “Kiss Them For Me” references the car accident in which she died, as well as other details about her, like her heart-shaped swimming pool. This song was Siouxsie and The Banshees’ last song on the Billboard Hot 100, and their most successful single in the US as well.

Photo by Ebet Roberts/Redferns