One-hit wonders come and go in every decade. Some of them are built to last and age quite well. Others fade away with time. That’s just how music and collective mainstream memory go. However, a few standout tunes from the 2000s seem to keep going in and out of style, but they’ll probably never truly be forgotten. Let’s look at just a few one-hit wonders from the 2000s that listeners still jam out to today!
“Blue” by Eiffel 65
It has been remixed, reimagined, used in film and television, and otherwise appeared in pop culture off and on since its release in 1998. I’m talking about “Blue (Da Ba Dee)” by Italian outfit Eiffel 65. This Eurodance hit was absolutely everywhere for years, and it still pops up every now and then in modern-day pop culture. And few can help but sing along to it, myself included.
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Eiffel 65 enjoyed continued success in Italy for a number of years, but “Blue” was their only charting hit in the US, where it peaked at No. 6.
“Butterfly” by Crazy Town
Rap-rock and nu metal really had their heyday in the early 2000s. “Butterfly” by Crazy Town, released in the year 2000, is one of the most obvious examples of that craze. This song was a huge hit and peaked at No. 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100, among other countries’ charts.
Almost as quickly as they arrived, Crazy Town disappeared from the charts. After “Butterfly” peaked at No. 1 across numerous charts, they never hit the Hot 100 again. “Drowning” from 2002 made it to the Alternative Airplay chart, but that was it.
“Sandstorm” by Darude
Few songs are as instantly recognizable as the wholly instrumental Eurodance track “Sandstorm” by Darude. This legendary 1999 trance song makes our list of one-hit wonders that haven’t gone out of style, simply because it continues to find relevance in pop culture, decades after it was first released. It became a bit of an internet meme for a while, and even today, it’s hailed as one of the greatest dance songs of all time.
And, shockingly enough, “Sandstorm” is Darude’s only major hit. This track is one of many charting hits in the Finnish DJ’s native country. In the US, though, “Sandstorm” is his sole Hot 100 charting hit, where it peaked at No. 83.
Photo by EMMI KORHONEN/Lehtikuva/AFP via Getty Images
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Kyu Sakamoto. (1941-1985) Japanese singer, best known outside Japan for his international hit song "Ue o Muite Aruko" (known as "Sukiyaki" in English-speaking markets), which was sung in Japanese and sold over 13 million copies. It reached number one in the United States Billboard Hot 100 in June 1963, making Sakamoto the first Asian recording artist to have a number one song on the chart. (Photo by Sjöberg Bildbyrå/ullstein bild via Getty Images) -
Picture taken in 1974 in Stockholm shows the Swedish pop group Abba with its members (L-R) Benny Andersson, Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Agnetha Faltskog and Bjorn Ulvaeus posing after winning the Swedish branch of the Eurovision Song Contest with their song "Waterloo". – Sweden's legendary disco group ABBA announced on April 27, 2018 that they have reunited to record two new songs, 35 years after their last single. The quartet split up in 1982 after dominating the disco scene for more than a decade with hits like "Waterloo", "Dancing Queen", "Mamma Mia" and "Super Trouper". (Photo by Olle LINDEBORG / TT News Agency / AFP) / Sweden OUT (Photo credit should read OLLE LINDEBORG/AFP via Getty Images)
