3 One-Hit Wonders With Music Videos That Are So 1990s

In the history of humankind, there has never been a time like the 1990s when so many eyeballs were on televised music videos. No one turns on the television today to find their favorite music videos, but in the 1990s, it was a way of life.

Videos by American Songwriter

Below, we wanted to explore that very phenomenon. We wanted to dive into three great music videos by three great one-hit wonders that just ooze those great 90s vibes. Indeed, these are three one-hit wonders with music videos that are just so 90s.

“Flagpole Sitta” by Harvey Danger from ‘Where Have All The Merrymakers Gone?’ (1998)

Perhaps more than any song on the planet, this track might symbolize the 90s. It’s alternative rock, it’s also got pop sensibilities, and (importantly) it’s from Seattle, which is a city that might have impacted the decade more than any other in the United States (from grunge to Ken Griffey Jr.) Indeed, “Flagpole Sitta” and its music video are synonymous with the 90s. Just like Taco Bell.

“Save Tonight” by Eagle-Eye Cherry from ‘Desireless’ (1997)

Anyone who turned on MTV’s Total Request Live program in the late 90s saw this black-and-white music video from Eagle-Eye Cherry. Consequently, those same folks easily learned all the words to this catchy track, especially its chorus. You can probably recite it off the top of your head right now. And the video, with all its populist vibes, makes the process that much better.

“I Try” by Macy Gray from ‘On How Life Is’ (1999)

Music fans in the late 90s came to learn of and love Macy Gray’s voice. The raspy, elastic instrument is as unique as it gets, and the artist showcased that fact on her smash 1999 hit, “I Try”. The love song is sincere and supremely memorable. Just ask the billion people, give or take, who can rattle off the lyrics right now without missing a beat. It’s thanks, in part, to Gray’s music video, which was all over MTV in the late 90s and early 2000s, that we all have the words in our minds today.

Harvey Danger’s Flagpole Sitta (image via YouTube/No Sleep Records)