3 One-Hit Wonders From the 2000s That Have Become Cultural Standards

While the decade of the 2000s isn’t that far behind us, we’ve seen enough time pass to be sure about a few things. One of those is the music we love from the era. Whether it’s a song from an artist we still hold in high regard to a one-hit wonder from an act we haven’t heard much from since, we just know in our bones which songs from the decade still hold a place in our hearts. Let’s look at a trio of tracks—one-hit wonders, specifically—from the 2000s that can still be found on the radio, in TV shows, in movies, and on playlists galore. Indeed, these are three one-hit wonders from the 2000s that have become cultural standards.

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“The Middle” by Jimmy Eat World from ‘Bleed American’ (2001)

Some songs are just so catchy that they push through the blockades of time and survive through the generations. One example is “The Middle” by Jimmy Eat World, a 2001 track that hit no. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 and that has remained a part of the cultural zeitgeist ever since. Whether you’re rewatching movies from the 2000s and hearing the tune when it originally came out, or realizing that Prince covered the song at an Oscars afterparty, this song is never going away. Thank goodness.

“Rehab” by Amy Winehouse from ‘Back To Black’ (2006)

When this song originally came out, it was a smash hit that even little kids were singing along to. But in the wake of Amy Winehouse’s death just five years later, it has become something of a sad reminder of the effects of drugs and alcohol on so many of our favorite artists. Nevertheless, the song hit no. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100. For centuries to come, people will be singing along with the British-born singer, going, “Noooo, noooo, noooo!“

“1234” Feist from ‘The Reminder’ (2007)

This song from the Canadian-born folk-rock singer Feist is just so fun. Lovely and lilting, breathy and beautiful, the song has been played on countless college mix CDs and Sesame Street alike. The track was discovered en masse after it appeared in an Apple commercial. Such were the days back in the 2000s when artists would be discovered in iPod ads. Ever since, “1234” has become a favorite of so many. It’s cute but also artful, pleasant but poignant.

(Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for iHeartMedia)