4 One-Hit Wonders From the 1990s That I Honestly Forgot About

One-hit wonders often land outside what you might typically listen to. And in the 1990s, if you wanted to avoid the radio, you just stacked your car’s five-disc changer with the same CDs until you could muster enough energy to swap them out a few months later. There’s only so much bandwidth for songs, so if you’re like me, your brain may have scrubbed several 1990s one-hit wonders from its files. When I began research for this list, I wanted to find one-hit wonders I truly forgot about. Let’s see if you remember them.

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“How Bizarre” by OMC

I wouldn’t have known the band name, but I do remember the Spanish guitar lick of “How Bizarre”. It reminds me of “Fly” by Sugar Ray, but OMC weren’t from Orange County; the group started in New Zealand in 1992. OMC’s biggest hit reached No. 4 in the U.S., and though it was released in December, “How Bizarre” and its Tex-Mex horns and strange rap have everything one needs for a summer novelty hit.

“Steal My Sunshine” by Len

After enduring a three-day rave, singer Marc Costanzo returned to his house with Broken Social Scene’s Brendan Canning. At the house, Canning played “More, More, More” by Andrea True Connection, and it sparked an idea. The next morning, Costanzo sampled it and wrote “Steal My Sunshine”. His raspy voice could reveal the fatiguing effects of a three-day rave, while his sister Sharon sings with the clarity of someone who went to bed at a decent hour.

“Counting Blue Cars” by Dishwalla

By the mid-90s, alternative rock had little in common with the underground culture Perry Farrell delivered to the masses with Lollapalooza. With alternative music firmly mainstream, Dishwalla landed a modern rock hit with “Counting Blue Cars”. Although the music sounds anodyne, the lyrics ruffled some feathers. Singer J. R. Richards said he received death threats because in the song, he refers to God as a woman. And you thought it was crazy when The Amazing Mister Lifto hoisted weights from his nipples (and other, ahem, organs) at Lollapalooza.

“Sex & Candy” by Marcy Playground

Marcy Playground’s lone hit has the feel of a mid-tempo Nirvana song. But instead of a loud chorus following the quiet verse, “Sex & Candy” plods along while singer John Wozniak sings just above his speaking voice. It has a light slacker vibe, as Wozniak recalls a dreamlike state of bliss and attraction. Modern rock radio played it endlessly. But 1997 was late in the game for grunge, and by then, even Soundgarden had had enough.

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