3 One-Hit Wonder Lyrics From the 90s That You Won’t Forget Any Time Soon

There’s something extra sticky about a one-hit wonder. For artists with multiple hit songs, the hooks are divided between several sets of lyrics. But the one-hit wonder survives its era and seems to endure endlessly on the radio, on algorithmic playlists, and in the grocery store. You might even find yourself singing along subconsciously to these one-hit wonders from the 90s that you won’t forget any time soon.

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“Closing Time” by Semisonic

Semisonic may be a one-hit wonder, but singer and songwriter Dan Wilson has a long list of writing credits with everyone from Chris Stapleton to Taylor Swift. Nonetheless, his band remains best known for “Closing Time”, which also became the soundtrack of any bartender wanting the stragglers to go home. The problem with trying to kick people out of the bar with this song is that the chorus is so catchy, you want to at least hang around until the end.

So gather up your jackets, move it to the exits, I hope you have found a friend
Closing time, every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end, yeah.

“Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm” by Crash Test Dummies

You really don’t have to know the words to this one, just hum along. Still, singer Brad Roberts’s baritone became instantly recognizable, and his outsider anthem follows three kids struggling to fit in. The wordless chorus echoes the “oh, whatever” sentiment a child might have while navigating the painful, awkward, and bizarre moments of growing up. This one probably falls into the love it or hate it variety. Either way, you won’t forget it.

’Cause then there was this boy whose
Parents made him come directly home right after school
And when they went to their church
They shook and lurched all over the church floor
He couldn’t quite explain it
They’d always just gone there.

“What’s Up?” by 4 Non Blondes

If you remember the words to this one, it won’t be because of the title. The hook is “What’s going on?”, not “What’s Up?”. And like Dan Wilson above, singer Linda Perry followed her one-hit wonder band with a mountain of hits that helped shape the sound of modern pop music. She wrote Christina Aguilera’s “Beautiful” and Pink’s “Get The Party Started”, among many others. But it all began here, with Perry’s alt-pop earworm.

And so I cry sometimes when I’m lying in bed
Just to get it all out, what’s in my head
And I, I am feeling a little peculiar.

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