4 Rock One-Hit Wonders From the 90s That Everyone Forgot About (But You Should Remember)

The 90s produced a wealth of music, including one-hit wonders that you might have forgotten about. Let’s take a look at a few solitary rock hits from some very underrated bands, shall we?

Videos by American Songwriter

“What’s It Like” by Everlast

This blues rock jam from Everlast dropped in 1998, and it was a pretty big hit at the time. “What’s It Like” topped the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, as well as the Modern Rock Tracks chart. It was a No. 13 hit on the Hot 100, too.

Everlast, who also happened to be the frontman of House Of Pain, only scored this one hit under his Everlast moniker. The 1999 singles “Ends” and “Put Your Lights On” (a collab with Santana) did well, but none of his other songs made it to the Top 40 of the Hot 100 chart.

“Sex And Candy” by Marcy Playground

This post-grunge classic is one I revisit often. But, for some reason, I don’t hear it on the radio that often today. It’s a shame, because the 1997 tune “Sex And Candy” by Marcy Playground is just one of those songs that instantly makes you feel nostalgic for the 90s.

Unfortunately, Marcy Playground couldn’t quite capitalize on the success of “Sex And Candy”. It was their only song to make it to the Top 40 of the Hot 100, where it peaked at No. 8.

“Flood” by Jars Of Clay

If you listened to a lot of Christian rock back in the day, you might actually remember this jam from Jars Of Clay. This alternative rock track peaked at No. 37 on the Hot 100 chart in 1995, and did similarly well on the lesser rock charts. If you were an MTV kid, you saw the music video for “Flood” virtually every day in 1995.

Sadly, it looks like the band’s success peaked with their debut single. None of their follow-up song made it to the Hot 100 again, though the band repeatedly hit No. 1 on the Christian Contemporary chart through the early 2000s.

“Silent Lucidity” by Queensrÿche

Queensrÿche had been together for the better part of a decade before “Silent Lucidity” was released. This prog-rock, heavy metal classic makes it to our list of one-hit wonders of the 90s, and I don’t think that’s entirely fair. Queensrÿche is one of those bands that deserved a bit more fame for their killer rock tunes. “Silent Lucidity” even got nominated for two Grammy Awards.

Sadly, despite being one of the most well-known bands in prog-metal, Queensrÿche never made it to the Hot 100 again. Though, they repeatedly charted in the Top 40 on the Mainstream Rock chart through the early 2000s.

Photo via Getty Images