For all the flak one-hit wonders can receive for the fleeting nature of their success, this writer would humbly argue that one-hit is better than no-hit. Moreover, not all one-hit wonders are flashes in the pan simply because they failed to top the charts more than once. Even with only one cut in the Top 10, some one-hit wonders remain firmly planted in the cultural zeitgeist because, frankly, their one hit is just too good to disappear.
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To present my case, I offer you these four one-hit wonders from the 1990s.
“Criminal” by Fiona Apple
As a Fiona Apple fan, a small part of me cringed when I put her name at the top of this 1990s one-hit wonder list. But if I’m to hold myself accountable to the truest definition of the word, then, technically, she counts. Apple’s 1997 track “Criminal” from her debut album, Tidal, became her highest-charting single when it peaked at No. 21 on the Billboard Hot 100. It also garnered the young artist a Grammy Award for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance and a nomination for Best Rock Song.
These days, Apple’s “Criminal” and the rest of her lesser-known (but still fantastic) catalogue serve as the blueprint for emotional, unapologetic, and rough-around-the-edges female artists like Olivia Rodrigo and Billie Eilish.
“What’s Up?” by 4 Non Blondes
Listen, whether you love or hate this song, if someone starts playing “What’s Up?” by 4 Non Blondes in a bar, there will be at least one person who sings along. Considering the San Francisco rock band released their one-hit wonder track over three decades ago, that’s pretty impressive lyrical lasting power. Moreover, the fact that “What’s Up?” has gained a whole new audience, thanks to its recent virality on TikTok, is a testament to the fact that it’s a good song and one of the better one-hit wonders of the 1990s.
When 4 Non Blondes first put out “What’s Up?” in 1993, it only peaked at No. 58 on the Billboard Hot 100. However, it performed much better on the Rhythmic chart (No. 23) and the Dance Club Play chart (No. 19).
“Lovefool” by The Cardigans
Once again, even if this song and its sheer ubiquity and catchiness irritate the daylights out of you, you know it. You remember it. And more than likely, you’re already singing the chorus in your head. “Lovefool” by The Cardigans is chock full of earworm infectiousness, from the call-and-response section in the chorus to the telephone-esque bridge toward the end of the song. Don’t let the “1990s one-hit wonder” description fool you. “Lovefool” is, first and foremost, a bona fide bop.
Aside from “Criminal”, this is also one of the only 1990s one-hit wonders on the list that sound like it could have come out three years ago, not thirty. If Sabrina Carpenter had opted for the hopeless romantic route, “Lovefool” could have been her “Espresso”.
“Barbie Girl” by Aqua
I fully anticipate people not agreeing with my final entry of 1990s one-hit wonders that still hold up. So, let it be known that while I respect your opinion, I do think it’s wrong, and I will always stand ten toes down in support of Aqua. Yes, “Barbie Girl” is arguably one of the campiest one-hit wonders of the 1990s. But that’s what makes it so good. Just look at how well the Barbie movie did in 2023. People love frilly, goofy, unserious camp with just a whisper of a more serious undertone.
The Danish-Norwegian dance group’s 1997 track, “Barbie Girl”, is certainly that. And to double down for my own sake, it’s not even the best song on their debut studio album, Aquarium.
Photo by Chris Canole/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images
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