3 One-Hit Wonders That Make You Rewind To Hear What They Just Said

We’ve all been there—you’re minding your business, just listening to the radio, when all of a sudden you look up and wonder, “Huh?” You were just going about your day when out of nowhere you heard someone say something you almost couldn’t believe.

Indeed, sometimes a singer can drop a lyric or two that raises your eyebrows and makes you scratch your head—you don’t know if you’re shocked or impressed. That’s what we wanted to highlight here. These are three one-hit wonders that make you rewind to hear what they just said.

“In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida” by Iron Butterfly from ‘In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida’ (1968)

This classic rock song from the late 1960s is so badass that the rapper Nas sampled it some 30 years later for one of his most famous songs, “Hip Hop Is Dead”. But before all that, Iron Butterfly was blowing minds with their heavy, rhythmic offering. Still, even though it packs a punch, the track also packs some mystery. Like, what are they even saying? You almost need a mail-order decoder ring to figure out that “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida” is a reference to the Garden of Eden. But when you do finally realize it, you say, “Ohhhhh!” It al makes sense.

“I Touch Myself” by Divinyls from ‘Divinyls’ (1991)

This NSFW song is a shocker when you hear it the first time. Over the years, some of that surprise has worn off. But in its day? This was quite the stunner. A track about self-pleasure? And one so out in the open? Of course, over centuries, people have been writing songs with implied explicit meanings. But to be so bold and brash? We have to admit, The Divinyls made us blush!

“Because I Got High” by Afroman from ‘Because I Got High’ (2000)

Speaking of saying the quiet part out loud, on this song from 2000, Afroman went out on a limb and sang about what so many were already doing—getting stoned. All over the country, college students played this number in their dorms and with it, Afroman became a musical cult hero. You may have seen him in the news lately but none of that fame would have come without this fun song first.

Photo by Paul Archuleta/FilmMagic