3 One-Hit Wonders That Sum up the 1990s

The 1990s are an easy decade to remember. There’s Nickelodeon, wide-leg jeans, skateboarding, and Michael Jordan. Did we leave anything out? Of course… the music. Sometimes, when you think back on a decade, you can just hear it. The songs that are in the department store as you shop, the grocery store as you browse, and the radio as you drive home.

We wanted to take a look at three songs from the 1990s that simply sound like the decade. More specifically, we wanted to highlight three one-hit wonders from the era that fit the time like a glove. Indeed, these are three one-hit wonders that just sum up the 90s.

“Breakfast At Tiffany’s” by Deep Blue Something from ’11th Song’ (1995)

In between the rap tunes of Dr. Dre and the rock songs of Nirvana, there was a slice of popular music in the 1990s that can be summed up entirely by Deep Blue Something’s “Breakfast at Tiffany’s”. The recording, which hit No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100, is bright, catchy beyond belief, and almost rom-com-esque. The befuddled lead singer got himself into a jam again with the object of his affection! Still, you can put the song on and just be transported to the 1990s, the only decade when chain wallets and cargo pants were taken seriously.

“Jump Around” by House Of Pain from ‘House Of Pain’ (1992)

A timeless rap song that gets the audience hyped and ready to, well, jump around. The track, which hit No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100, is still played today in basketball stadiums far and wide. Every time there is a jump ball, the PA system plays the chorus from House of Pain. But rightly so, it’s a track that lives in our psyches and maybe even in our hearts. Whether you learned it as a young rap fan, a young athlete, or someone who just lived in the 90s, it’s a classic to be sure.

“Tubthumping” by Chumbawamba from ‘Tubthumper’ (1997)

May we ask.. what IS this song? Well, whatever it is, the thing was a phenomenon in the late 1990s. So much so that hearing it today can only make you think you’re actually back in that decade, charging your Super Soaker and getting ready for the new episode of Family Matters. Incredibly, Chumbawamba’s song, which at times was just a list of alcohols, hit No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100, and it remains seared into our memory banks. But that’s the great thing about music. You can listen, close your eyes, and be wherever or whenever you want

Photo by Patrick Ford/Redferns