These somewhat forgotten rock one-hit wonders were total jams back in the 1990s. We think they’re worthy of a revival today. And with social media platforms like TikTok popularizing age-old songs for a new audience, we don’t think it would be hard to bring these four iconic hits back. Let’s dive in, shall we?
1. “Got You Where I Want You” by The Flys
Sometimes, forgotten rock one-hit wonders make it big through film soundtracks. This alternative rock tune was featured in several different movie soundtracks in the late 1990s, and we definitely get why. “Got You Where I Want You” by The Flys is your typical cheesy, alt-rock song about trying to pick up women.
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It hasn’t exactly aged well, but there’s something about the overall vibe of the song and that whole era of alt-rock that is quite nostalgic. If anything, we can poke fun at it.
2. “My Own Worst Enemy” by Lit
This 1999 hit from Lit shouldn’t have been the California rock band’s only claim to fame. In fact, the band enjoyed quite a bit of local fame before “My Own Worst Enemy” put them on the map. This Blink-182-esque track would be the perfect theme song for summertime.
3. “Sex And Candy” by Marcy Playground
Out of all the forgotten rock one-hit wonders on this list, we’re particularly fond of the 1997 hit “Sex And Candy” by Marcy Playground. It’s a great little post-grunge track with some notable psychedelic rock elements.
It’s pretty shocking that Marcy Playground didn’t get more popular after this hit took off. They were often compared to Nirvana and had seen quite a bit of popularity in both the US (“Sex And Candy” hit no. 8 on the Hot 100 chart) and Canada. Sadly, they didn’t see much charting success after this song and their debut self-titled album were released.
4. “The Freshmen” by The Verve Pipe
Feeling down in the dumps? This iconic 1997 one-hit wonder will either hit you in the feels or make you feel even more depressed. Regardless, this song is a well-written rock classic from the late-1990s.
Another excellent post-grunge hit on our list, “The Freshmen” hit no. 5 on the Hot 100 and peaked at no. 1 on a few other charts back in 1997. Unfortunately for The Verve Pipe, they only enjoyed marginal charting success in the years that followed “The Freshmen”.
Photo by Jamie Geysbeek / SRO PR
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