3 Foreign One-Hit Wonders From the 1990s to Get the Party Started Any Day of the Week

When it comes to one-hit wonders, there’s often one thing true about all of them. They’re fun! Whether you want to use the words quirky, unique, or silly, almost all of the time the general description applies. After all, it takes something special to rise up from the morass of songs to become a chart-topping hit, especially when that song is from an artist that may not be a household name.

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But when you’re trying to put on a party playlist, one-hit wonders often make the perfect additions. They’re memorable, funky, and, yes, unique. So, here below, we wanted to explore three such examples. A trio of tunes that will get any party started any day of the week. Indeed, these are three one-hit wonders for your party playlist.

[RELATED: 3 One-Hit Wonders from the 1970s Fans Can’t Stop Singing to]

“Barbie Girl” by Aqua from Aquarium (1997)

A song that was ahead of its time. When the Danish-Norwegian dance-pop group Aqua released this candy-coated track in the 1990s, they had no idea just what it would become a quarter-century later thanks to the Barbie movie. But as a result, and thanks to its sticky sounds, the song has garnered well over 1 billion streams on YouTube alone. Lyrically, the offering, which hit No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 (their only Top-20 single), is a subversive tune about living in a plastic life. But more than any message, the song conjures pink images and doll-like beauty. On the, lead singer Lene Nystrøm belts,

I’m a Barbie girl, in the Barbie world
Life in plastic, it’s fantastic
You can brush my hair, undress me everywhere
Imagination, life is your creation

Come on, Barbie, let’s go party

I’m a Barbie girl, in the Barbie world
Life in plastic, it’s fantastic
You can brush my hair, undress me everywhere
Imagination, life is your creation

“I’m Too Sexy” by Right Said Fred from Up (1991)

This song, which hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, is all about looking good and feeling good. Those feelings are desirable for anyone at any party. Confidence is perhaps the top quality for anyone going out into the world who is looking to make an impact, either on the dating scene or when trying to network. And Right Said Fred captured that tone and mood in his 1991 hit “I’m Too Sexy.” Indeed, the British-born performer sings,

I’m too sexy for my shirt
Too sexy for my shirt
So sexy it hurts
And I’m too sexy for Milan
Too sexy for Milan
New York, and Japan
And I’m too sexy for your party
Too sexy for your party
No way I’m disco dancing

“Tubthumping” by Chumbawamba from Tubthumper (1997)

This song from the British-born band Chumbawamba is about, well, getting drunk. And while that is not the purpose of going to a party, it is often the outcome. So, why not celebrate the celebratory with a song about drinking things like whiskey and vodka? At least, that was the philosophy by the band on their debut single on their 1997 LP Tubthumper. On the song, which hit No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100, lead vocalist Dunstan Bruce sings,

He drinks a whiskey drink
He drinks a Vodka drink
He drinks a Lager drink
He drinks a cider drink

He sings the songs that remind him of the good times
He sings the songs that remind him of the better times

Photo by Gudmund Thai, Courtesy of Live Nation