3 One-Hit Wonders That Dominated the 2000s

Sometimes when we think of one-hit wonder songs, we think of the wacky musical decades of the 1970s or 1980s. But the phenomenon of one-hit wonders has been happening ever since popular music has been charted, put to wax, and released to the public. There are one-hit wonders being written today and tomorrow.

Here below, we wanted to explore three modern day one-hit wonders. A trio of tracks from the 2000s that dominated the airwaves. Indeed, these are three one-hit wonders that dominated the world of popular music at the turn of the 21st century.

[RELATED: 3 Two-Hit Wonder, Foreign-Born Bands that Ruled the 1970s]

“Who Let the Dogs Out” by Baha Men from Who Let the Dogs Out (2000)

A song that today is referenced every time someone talks about dogs, or someone being out, or generally anything that reminds of the bombastic chorus. A song that was ubiquitous in the 2000s and today is sometimes parodied, this track from Baha Men nevertheless did good business upon its release, hitting No. 40 on the Billboard Hot 100. What’s more, because of its memorable chorus, the track has had long legs ever since. It even appeared on several movie soundtrack albums, including for the Men in Black II film. And on the tune, the Bahamanian band sings,

Who let the dogs out?
Who, who, who, who, who?
Who let the dogs out?
Who, who, who, who, who?
Who let the dogs out?
Who, who, who, who, who?
Who let the dogs out?

“Collide” by Howie Day from Stop All the World Now (2004)

For a number of years, the Bangor, Maine-born Howie Day was one of the best kept secrets in music. The acoustic guitar player would play solo and use a looper pedal and perform lush shows around the East Coast. Then his music hit streaming services like Napster and he began to blow up around the college scene. That led to his 2004 album Stop All the World Now and its hit single “Collide,” which hit No. 20 on the Billboard Hot 100. And on the heartfelt tune, he sings,

The dawn is breaking
A light shining through
You’re barely waking
And I’m tangled up in you
Yeah

I’m open, you’re closed
Where I follow, you’ll go
I worry I won’t see your face
Light up again

Even the best fall down sometime
Even the wrong words seem to rhyme
Out of the doubt that fills my mind
I somehow find
You and I collide

“Crazy” by Gnarls Barkley from St. Elsewhere (2006)

In a way, it seems strange to include Gnarls Barkley on a one-hit wonder list. Their two albums were so beloved and in a way they were a supergroup duo, comprised of CeeLo Green and producer Danger Mouse. But their 2006 hit single “Crazy” was the only track from the band to hit the Top 40 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song, which hit No. 2 on the chart, was one of the biggest songs of the 2000s, heard in shopping malls, on the radio, and on nearly everyone’s car speakers. And on the reflective song, Green sings,

I remember when
I remember, I remember when I lost my mind
There was something so pleasant about that place
Even your emotions have an echo in so much space

And when you’re out there without care
Yeah, I was out of touch
But it wasn’t because I didn’t know enough
I just knew too much, hm

Does that make me crazy?
Does that make me crazy?
Does that make me crazy?
Possibly

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