3 One-Hit Wonders From the 1990s That Secretly Changed Music Forever

It’s important to know your history. When it comes to music, it’s essential for fans to look back nearly as much as they look forward. Ideas, movements, sounds, and styles—they all build upon each other. So, it’s fundamental to know where things came from.

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That’s just what we wanted to do below. We wanted to explore three songs from back in the day that helped to change the trajectory of popular music for good. Indeed, these are three one-hit wonders from the 1990s that secretly changed music forever.

“Macarena (Bayside Boys Remix)” by Los Del Rio from ‘A Mí Me Gusta’ (1993)

When it comes to human history, there is before “Macarena” and after “Macarena”. The song, which was catchy in its own right, helped to create a dance craze that took over the world in the late 1990s and early 2000s (just ask Dr. Evil)—so much so that people are still performing the movements today. In earlier decades, there were songs that created dance crazes (see: “The Twist”), but none were quite as ubiquitous as “Macarena” was in the mid-1990s. It was historic!

“Firestarter” by The Prodigy from ‘The Fat Of The Land’ (1996)

The 1990s was a diverse decade for music. What began with Dr. Dre and grunge in the beginning of the era morphed into boy bands and pop in the latter half. But in between, there was The Prodigy. The group helped to bring electronic music to the forefront. As genres and subgenres were splitting in the decade, people were creating new sounds. Electronic music was one of those new musical movements and The Prodigy led the way with their hypnotic, pounding party singles like “Firestarter” in 1996.

“MMMBop” by Hanson from ‘Middle Of Nowhere’ (1997)

As noted above, the 1990s was a decade of change. Though fans got into rap and rock in the early part of the decade, so many of those genres’ heroes died tragically (see: Kurt Cobain, Tupac Shakur). Audiences were ready for something a little less dangerous. Enter: the family boy band Hanson and their sticky 1997 song “MMMBop”. The bright sensation led to more boy bands in later years, including The Backstreet Boys and *NSYNC.

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