15 Greatest One Hit Wonders Of The 90s

Falling in at first spot on the One Hit Wonders Of All Time is an English rock band Chumbawamba.

Founded in 1982 in Burnley, Lancashire, it took the band 15 years and eight albums to score their first unexpected hit.

The band was widely famous for incorporating elements of punk rock, pop, and folk music.

The band's discography includes 14 studio albums, 2 Live albums, 4 compilation albums, 6 music videos, 2 EPs, 23 singles, and 11 miscellaneous cassettes.

Amongst all those, their eighth album Tumhumper was their first and only commercially successful creation, credited to its lead single Tubthumping.

The hit song was an international sensation, peaking at number 6 on Billboard Hot 100, while also spending three consecutive weeks at the 2nd spot on UK Singles chart.

The one-man band from Derby named White Town is a candidate for Top One Hit Wonders. Initially, the name White Town was given to his former band.

Born on 30 July 1996, the one-man band is really Jyoti Prakash Mishra, a British-Indian singer and musician.

Releasing his debut studio album Socialism, Sexism & Sexuality in 1994, the singer found immediate success following the release of the 1997 second album Women in Technology which spawned the hit single Your Women.

The single was truly an international one-hit wonder, topping the UK Singles chart while appearing under the top 10 spots in several countries.

When asked to comment on his feelings regarding the title "one-hit wonder", the 56-year-old responded with a heartfelt message stating:

It is better than a no-hit wonder, To be a professional musician and to be entertaining people twenty years after my biggest hit, I feel like I'm the luckiest person alive

Talmage Charles Robert Bachman, widely known as Tal Bachman, is one of the One Hit Wonders Of The 90s. He is a solo Canadian singer and songwriter.

Following the release of his eponymous debut album on April 13, 1999, he saw early success with his lead single "She's So High".

The power pop song topped three different radio formats in Canada, while also peaking at number 14 and number 3 on Billboard Hot 100 and Canada Singles chart. It also rewarded the artist with BMI and Juno Awards later.

However, he struggled to find much success with his second and final studio album Staring Down the Sun which was released on July 13, 2004.

One of the best one-hit wonders from the 90s is Deep Blue Something. It was a Delton-based five-piece band formed in 1991 by Todd and Toby Pipes.

After signing a record deal with Interscope Records, the band released their debut studio album 11th Song in 1993 which spawned the single Breakfast at Tiffany's.

However, the single didn't find success until they re-released it as their second track in the second studio album Home in 1995. It was an international hit, topping the Singles chart in the UK and Scotland while peaking at number 3 on Billboard Hot 100 in the US.

Despite, an amazing headstart, the band failed to capitalize on it and has struggled to release a hit record since then.

In the early 2000s Deep Blue Something underwent frequent hiatus, but as of now, all the band members have regrouped and are currently signed to Kirtland Records.

Toronto-based rock duo Len became a One Hit Wonder of the 90s despite releasing their song Steal My Sunshine without hoping much from it.

The two-man band consisted of Marc Costanzo as guitarist and Sharon Costanzo as bassist, while both siblings contributed to the vocals. They also had a circulating lineup of touring and studio musicians.

The group found success with the release of their third studio album You Can't Stop the Bum Rush on May 25, 1999, issued via Work Label, which spawned their biggest-ever hit Steal My Sunshine

Credits to the single, the album peaked at number 46 on Billboard 200 charts and managed to receive Gold certification from the RIAA. On the other hand, the single peaked at number 9 on Billboard Hot 100 selling over a million records in the US.

The Verve Pipe is a Detroit-based American rock band formed in 1992 by members Brian Vander Ark, Brian Stout, and Donny Brown.

The band rose to prominence with the release of the song "The Freshman" from their sophomore studio album Villians. Its introspective lyrics and melodic music made it a chart-topping hit, peaking at number one on Billboard Adult Alternative and Airplay charts.

Despite the band's steady musical output and succeeding albums, they failed to achieve the same level of success solidifying their status as a one-hit wonder band.

Nevertheless, the band maintained a dedicated fanbase and continued to release music that incorporated their signature rock, pop, and introspective themes which can be found across each of their 7 studio albums.

Antonio Jeffries, known by The Tony Rich Project, is a Grammy-winning R&B singer and songwriter, widely known for his song "Nobody Knows".

Initially hired as a house songwriter for LaFace Records, Tony wrote hit singles for renowned artists after which he persuaded them to sign him as an artist.

The singer found early success following the release of his promotional single "Nobody Knows" from the debut album Words in 1996.

Considering it was his first-ever album, it was a huge commercial success peaking at number 21 and number 27 on Billboard 200 and UK Albums Chart respectively. It eventually won the Grammy Award for Best R&B Album at the 39th Annual ceremony.

While the one-hit wonder song was a huge commercial success, peaking at number 2 on Billboard Hot 100 and spending 47 weeks on the chart. It was certified Platinum by the RIAA in April 1996.

Mark Morrison is a British contemporary singer, often considered a one-hit wonder after achieving unprecedented success with his debut single.

Taken as a title track from the album with the same name, the single "Return of the Mack" became a global hit, topping the UK singles chart while peaking at number 2 on US Billboard Hot 100 the following year.

Morrison's status as a rising star would soon come to an end, after facing prosecution for several criminal charges and personal challenges, including a prison sentence in 1997.

The rapper's career has only gone downhill since then, getting arrested multiple times for some controversial acts. Despite those setbacks, he continued to produce music and worked on projects alongside some renowned artists.

One of the one-hit wonders of the 90s is Lou Bega. He is widely known for his cover of Perez Prado's instrumental Mambo No. 5 which rose him to prominence.

Lou was a German singer whose music dominantly consisted of elements from the 1940s and 1950s infused with contemporary beats and grooves.

He found preliminary success with the release of his debut single "Mambo No. 5", topping the chart in most European countries and peaking at number 3 in the US. The track was later included in his first album A Little Bit of Mambo, which was also a commercial hit.

However, following the release of his subsequent albums Ladies and Gentlemen including five other albums, the actor failed to experience success similar to his predecessor, solidifying his status as a one-hit wonder artist.

Despite those, the artist has been steadily producing music and has maintained a loyal fanbase, with over 4.6 million active monthly listeners on Spotify.

Los Angeles-based rock band New Radicals was formed by the dynamic duo Gregg Alexander and Danielle Brisebois. Their time together was short-lived.

Formed in 1997, the band only managed to release a single studio album Maybe You've Been Brainwashed, which was heavily influenced by the elements of 1970s music. It was a huge commercial success, charting at number 41 on US Billboard 200.

Additionally, the highlight of the album was their opening single "You Get What You Give", which became a global hit, peaking at number 36 on the US Hot 100 and even topping the ALternative songs chart.

Despite having an impressive headstart, the band decided to disband in the mid-1999 due to exhaustion and mental fatigue from constant tours and promotional interviews.

Joan Osborne is an American singer and songwriter known for her powerful vocals and genre-crossing dimensionality.

She burst into stardom in 1995 for her recording of the Eric Bazilian-penned song "One of Us" from her first major label album, Relish.

Both the single and the album became a massive hit which garnered a combined seven Grammy Awards nominations including Album of the Year and Record of the Year.

However, her creatively restless spirits led to conflicts with the record label, allowing her to explore different musical avenues. Her catalog features an impressively wide range of musical genres but none have managed to create a mark like her first single.

Robert Matthew Van Winkle, known by his stage name Vanilla Ice, is a Florida-based rapper. He is widely involved in the film industry now.

With the release of his hit single "Ice Ice Baby" and its accompanying album, To the Extreme, he became the second white rapper in history to top both of the US major charts.

Following the instant rise to stardom, the rapper appeared in his feature film, Cool as Ice, but by the time the film was officially released, his legends had fallen dramatically.

The soundtrack to the film was a huge disappointment, which led the rapper to take a couple of years off from the music.

Since his re-emergence in 1994, Ice struggled to rejuvenate his illustrious career which he previously experienced.

He tried his best to reinvent his musical approach with his subsequent albums, much to the public's general disinterest. Thus solidifying his status as a one-hit-wonder artist.

Frontman Emerson Hart formed the alternative rock band Tonic in 1993 along with guitarist Jeff Russo, bassist Dan Rothchild and drummer Kevin Shepard.

After signing a record deal with a major label, the band released its debut album, Lemon Parade in 1996, which was soon accompanied by the third single "If You Could Only See".

The song was a global sensation and the band's best charting single, topping the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart and peaking at number 11 on Hot 100 Airplay, where it spent more than a year.

With high hopes, the band released their second album Sugar in 1999, but it could never escape the shadow of its precursor album, leading to a huge disappointment.

In 2002, the band released their third studio album Head on Straight, which showed indications of success like its predecessor, receiving two Grammy nominations. However, it never turned out to become a commercial sensation.

Spin Doctor is a New York City band whose funky, pseudo-hippie, jam-oriented blues sound made them a huge sensation in the early 1990s.

The band is best known for their song "Two Princess" from the debut album Pocket Ful of Kryptonite, attributed to the concise lyrics, blues-inflected licks, and pop melodies.

The song was a commercial hit, peaking at number seven on Billboard Hot 100, while it single-handedly carried the accompanying album to 3rd position on Billboard 200. It became the band's best-selling album and received 5x Platinum certification from the RIAA.

Despite garnering early fame, the band has failed to replicate the success in their following albums, thus deeming them a one-hit-wonder.

Grammy Award-winning Macy Gray is an American R&B and soul singer widely known for her gritty delivery heavily influenced by Billie Holiday.

She rose to prominence showcasing her utterly unique voice and outlandish sense of style in the second single "I Try" from her debut studio album, On How Life Is.

The song instantly became an international sensation and eventually rewarded the actress with her first and only Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, while garnering nominations for Song of the Year and Record of the Year.

The hit single alongside other songs propelled the album to number 4 on Billboard 200 and has been certified 3x Platinum by the RIAA, alongside Gold or Platinum status in several European countries.

However, with nine more album releases, she has failed to reproduce the same level of success in any of those, but it does manage to feature in some charts.