One-hit wonders are often great jams that tickle the fancy of mainstream listeners. Others, though, are quite niche and maybe a bit cheesy by today’s standards. But if you love classic, cheesy, or campy one-hit wonders, you shouldn’t feel ashamed about it. Let’s celebrate a few guilty-pleasure one-hit wonders that fans still jam to today!
Videos by American Songwriter
1. “Cotton Eye Joe” by Rednex
Who knew that a bunch of Swedish people doing campy impersonations of American rednecks could put out such a certified jam like “Cotton Eye Joe”?
The original version of this song can be traced all the way back to the 1800s. Rednex’s 1994 version of the song, however, is quite… different. This techno remix of the American folk classic has been remixed again multiple times through the years, but there’s something about the original remix from Rednex that just hits.
2. “Safety Dance” by Men Without Hats
It’s surprising that Men Without Hats are technically one-hit wonders with only one Top 10 hit in the US, and it’s also surprising that so many listeners consider the band’s 1982 hit “Safety Dance” to be a guilty-pleasure song. It’s objectively amazing, especially when it comes to that addictive beat. It doesn’t make sense why so many people said this song was one of the worst from the 1980s.
3. “The Bad Touch” by Bloodhound Gang
Bloodhound Gang is one of the most memorable bands to come out of the late-1990s alt-rock-meets-synth-pop craze. “The Bad Touch” is technically their only major hit and was their only song to chart on the Billboard Hot 100, where it settled at no. 52.
This song’s a little embarrassing to listen to out in the open, considering its explicit lyrics and bad sexual puns. Regardless, that beat gets into your head way too easily.
4. “You Spin Me Round (Like A Record)” by Dead Or Alive
This song is probably the most well-known of all the guilty-pleasure one-hit wonders from the 1980s. Still, cheesiness and vapid nature aside, “You Spin Me Round (Like A Record)” by Dead Or Alive is one of the most era-defining songs from the 1980s. There’s a reason this 1984 hit is used so often in movies about the 1980s. It’s a legendary song from a legendary English pop band.
Photo by Stephanie Pilick/picture alliance via Getty Images
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