3 One-Hit Wonders That Anyone Who Grew Up in the Early 1990s Will Love

The early 1990s was a wonderful time to be a music fan. All sorts of new genres and sounds were springing up out of the proverbial earth and there were big new-name artists to follow, from rappers to rockers and everything in between. Here below, we wanted to explore three great one-hit wonders from the day—a trio of artists who rose to fame thanks to the release of a single song that raced up the charts. Indeed, these are three one-hit wonders those who grew up in the early 1990s will love.

Videos by American Songwriter

“There She Goes” by The La’s from ‘The La’s’ (1990)

This is one of those songs you can hear play out in your head just by hearing the title. You can hear the jangly rhythms and the strummed acoustic. But more than anything, you can hear the vocals, the falsetto of the chorus, which smartly opens the tune. Those who grew up in the early 1990s and were listening to the radio would often hear this song dancing off their speakers. It sticks to your eardrums—even decades later. Makes sense for a band born in Liverpool, England. Indeed, The La’s learned much from their kinsmen The Beatles.

“Unbelievable” by EMF from ‘Schubert Dip’ (1990)

This is another song that you can hear in your brain just by hearing the title. That breathy chorus, that frantic music. It was all over the 1990s—it helped create a mood and vibe in the early part of the decade that many followed. You can hear the influence of this song in tracks that came out even at the end of the decade. It’s an impressive feat when you can use one word and become timeless, unforgettable. But that’s just what EMF did with “Unbelievable”.

“Ice Ice Baby” by Vanilla Ice from ‘To The Extreme’ (1990)

Oh boy. What a classic. But sometimes a classic is a classic for many reasons. There is no denying it, this song is terrific. Vanilla Ice certainly has talent as a rapper. But the song is also hilarious. There is something unintentional about it, un-self-aware. Goofy. Then again—there have been plenty of goofy songs released into the world that don’t have the decades-long legs this track has. For whatever reason it’s subsisted, the song remains good and in our fun-loving 1990s minds.

Photo by Martyn Goodacre/Getty Images