3 One-Hit Wonders From the 1990s That Are So Catchy, I Couldn’t Forget Them if I Tried

These one-hit wonders from the 1990s are insanely catchy. So much so that as I listened to them while writing this list, they’ve become stuck in my head as we speak in some weird mashup of wildly different songs. I’m not complaining… but I probably will be when they’re still ringing in my head 12 hours from now. Let’s revisit these classics, shall we?

Videos by American Songwriter

“Kiss Me” by Sixpence None The Richer from ‘Sixpence None The Richer’ (1998)

This glittery, sweet, almost bubblegum-like pop song was quite the hit back in 1998. I can see why. This is such a catchy classic, and after hearing that chorus just once, it’ll get stuck in your head forever.

“Kiss Me” is a Christian pop song that peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 upon its release. It did similarly well globally. Unfortunately for the band, “Kiss Me” remains their only Top 30 song on the Hot 100, though the follow-up single “There She Goes” did fairly well in 1999.

“Torn” by Natalie Imbruglia from ‘Left Of The Middle’ (1997)

Natalie Imbruglia’s cover of this pop classic has stood the test of time, and I really believe she should have been bigger than she was in the 1990s.

Imbruglia’s version of “Torn” was a smash hit in 1997 and even earned her a Grammy nomination. The song peaked at No. 42 on the Hot 100 chart but hit the Top 10 across multiple US subcharts and in the UK and numerous other countries. Imbruglia wouldn’t get close to the Top 40 in the US again, sadly.

“What Is Love” by Haddaway from ‘The Album’ (1993)

This entry on our list of insanely catchy 1990s one-hit wonders will never fail to inject dopamine into the brains of listeners, even if they aren’t Eurodance fans.

This synthy jam peaked at No. 11 on the Hot 100 and reached the Top 10 across the dance and club charts in the US, as well as a ton of European charts. Haddaway is an incredible talent and an icon in Eurodance history, so I’m shocked that he’s technically a one-hit wonder. “What Is Love” was his only Top 40 hit in the United States.

Photo by Paul Bergen/Redferns