3 of the Strangest 90s One-Hit Wonders of All Time

Let’s face it: most one-hit wonder songs are strange. If you scroll through a list of them, you’ll see odd subjects, weird song titles, and goofy themes. But that’s often what it takes to rocket up the charts. And that’s exactly what one-hit wonders do. They fly up the Billboard lists and enjoy staying there even if their composers can’t ever quite follow up the same success again.

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Below, however, we wanted to explore three of the strangest one-hit wonders ever. These three songs will make you raise an eyebrow and wonder what into the genesis of the track. Indeed, these are three of the strangest one-hit wonders of all time.

[RELATED: 3 One-Hit Wonders From the 1980s I’d Be Fine With Never Hearing Again]

“The Humpty Dance” by Digital Underground from ‘Sex Packets’ (1990)

Shock G and his outfit Digital Underground were just odd. Of course, that doesn’t mean anything negative. It seemed like the rapper set out to be against the grain. From his voluminous voice to his fake nose to his album title (Sex Packets) to his erotic backup dancers to his hit single “The Humpty Dance” in which he talks about getting intimate in a Burger King bathroom, everything about this tune is strange. “The Humpty Dance” hit no. 11 on the Billboard Hot 100. Delightful, yes. But also very strange.

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

The British-born brother band Right Said Fred released their smash hit “I’m Too Sexy” on their 1991 LP, Up. And while the tune is encouraging, fun, and famous, the song is also quite off. The lyrics, which are delivered with an ominous deep voice, highlight all the things frontman Richard Fairbrass is too sexy for, from the catwalk to a party to his shirt and everything in between. To quote William Shakespeare, thou doth protest too much. But still, the song, which hit no. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, is a romp, despite all the pomp and circumstance that comes with it.

“Achy Breaky Heart” by Billy Ray Cyrus from ‘Some Gave All’ (1992)

Country artist Billy Ray Cyrus released this hit song, which hit no. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100, in 1992 on his LP, Some Gave All. It’s an interesting tune about a breakup, and Cyrus sings that his former love can tell everyone they know that’s over—everyone but his heart. Okay… But even despite the strange premise, the song and its title sound almost childish. Achy breaky heart? It almost sounds like baby talk. But oh well, the tune worked for the artist (and father of pop star Miley) even despite its at times cooky vibe.

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