3 One-Hit Wonders From the 1990s We Know You’ve Memorized

Was there ever a better time to grow up and become a music fan than the 1990s? Sure, the 1960s had their rock revolution. The 1980s had the burgeoning genre of hip-hop. But the 1990s had it all. New genres, established genres, and perhaps the best examples of each, from rock to electronic to rap and much more.

But what the era also had was a slew of one-hit wonder songs that dominated the charts. So much so that many of them are still fondly remembered—and recited—today. Here below, we wanted to explore three such examples. Indeed, these are three one-hit wonders from the 1990s that you still have memorized today.

“What’s Up?” by 4 Non Blondes from ‘Bigger, Better, Faster, More!’ (1993)

This song, which was written by the iconic artist Linda Perry, boasts nearly two billion streams on YouTube alone. It would seem that if you’re going to release a hit, you might as well make a splash. And for anyone who grew up in the 1990s and listened to alternative radio, this tune from 4 Non Blondes was all over the airwaves. Today, it’s still showing up in pop culture as it made an appearance in the most recent Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie, Mutant Mayhem. It’s a stunning track that we can all conjure in our minds rather easily.

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

With a big, booming, alluring voice, Haddaway poses perhaps the most essential question in all of human history. Indeed, what is love, exactly? Whatever it is, the feeling surely bonds us in family, friendship, and respect. But because the song is so stirring and the thesis so important, Haddaway’s 1993 offering has become part of the inner workings of our eardrums. We know his song by melody and by heart, and we can envision it playing out with only the simplest of nudges.

“Life Is A Highway” by Tom Cochrane from ‘Mad Mad World’ (1991)

Just uttering the title of this track, you can feel yourself on the interstate rolling down the road toward some destination you yearn for. The titular refrain is delivered by songwriter Tom Cochrane with such skill and stickiness that it has become part of the sonic lexicon today. Life IS a highway and we DO want to ride it all day long. Sometimes, a track and sum up our collective human feeling and put it into a few words, and that’s exactly what’s happened here!

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