One Hit Wonders of the 90s
88 artists
The 1990s were a golden age for the one-hit wonder. As MTV peaked and CD singles ruled the charts, an unusually wide range of acts could ride a single song to global fame: Eurodance imports, britpop outliers, jangly alt-rock breakouts, breezy hip-hop crossovers, and novelty dance crazes all crammed onto the same hot-100. Streaming has frozen that landscape in place. Sort the certified 90s artists by our ratio and the pattern repeats: one impossibly catchy single that everyone of a certain age can still recite, followed by a long, silent tail.
Billy Ray Cyrus
"Achy Breaky Heart"
12.8x ratio
country · United States · Male · 1992
ONE HIT WONDERTom Cochrane
"Life Is A Highway"
38.5x ratio
rock · Canada · Male · 1991
ONE HIT WONDERThe Mighty Mighty Bosstones
"The Impression That I Get"
11.2x ratio
ska · United States · 1996
ONE HIT WONDERSister Hazel
"All For You"
12.1x ratio
alternative rock · United States · 1996
ONE HIT WONDERLasgo
"Something - Radio Edit"
8.9x ratio
eurodance · Belgium · 1999
ONE HIT WONDERLil' Troy
"Wanna Be A Baller"
28.9x ratio
hip hop · United States · Male · 1999
ONE HIT WONDERWeen
"Ocean Man"
6.8x ratio
experimental rock · United States · 1997
ONE HIT WONDEREdwyn Collins
"A Girl Like You"
123.0x ratio
pop rock · United Kingdom · Male · 1995
ONE HIT WONDERHarvey Danger
"Flagpole Sitta"
63.0x ratio
alternative rock · United States · 1996
ONE HIT WONDERSnow
"Informer"
35.4x ratio
country · United States · Male · 1993
ONE HIT WONDERThe Breeders
"Cannonball"
9.5x ratio
alternative rock · United States · 1993
ONE HIT WONDERGroove Theory
"Tell Me"
36.6x ratio
neo soul · United States · 1996
ONE HIT WONDERThe Verve Pipe
"The Freshmen"
15.8x ratio
alternative rock · United States · 1996
ONE HIT WONDERB*Witched
"C'est la Vie"
13.2x ratio
doom metal · Chile · 1998
ONE HIT WONDERSeven Mary Three
"Cumbersome"
5.1x ratio
hard rock · United States · 1995
ONE HIT WONDERToadies
"Possum Kingdom"
5.1x ratio
post-grunge · United States · 1994
ONE HIT WONDERTasmin Archer
"Sleeping Satellite"
58.5x ratio
pop · United Kingdom · Female · 1992
ONE HIT WONDERAnita Ward
"Ring My Bell"
5.0x ratio
disco · United States · Female · 1992
ONE HIT WONDERChesney Hawkes
"The One and Only"
63.1x ratio
pop rock · United Kingdom · Male · 1991
ONE HIT WONDEROnyx (hip hop group)
"Slam"
6.1x ratio
1993
ONE HIT WONDERMoKenStef
"He's Mine"
91.2x ratio
United States · 1995
ONE HIT WONDERAdina Howard
"Freak Like Me"
6.1x ratio
contemporary r&b · United States · Female · 1995
ONE HIT WONDERDazz Band
"Let It Whip"
14.6x ratio
1994
ONE HIT WONDERDuncan Sheik
"Barely Breathing"
7.7x ratio
pop · United States · Male · 1996