0:07 Unbelievable (EMF) 0:35 Bitch (Meredith Brooks) 1:06 Tubthumping (Chumbawamba) 1:36 Stay (I Missed You) (Lisa Loeb) 2:18 In The Meantime (Spacehog) 2:59 Possum Kingdom (Toadies) 3:49 Steal My Sunshine (Len) 4:21 Groove is in the Heart (Deee-Lite) 4:47 Flagpole Sitta (Harvey Danger) 5:30 Inside Out (Eve 6) 6:11 Save Tonight (Eagle Eye Cherry) 6:46 You Get What You Give (New Radicals) 7:26 What’s Up? (4 Non Blondes) 8:06 There She Goes (The La’s) 8:41 Ice Ice Baby (Vanilla Ice) 9:18 Breakfast at Tiffany’s (Deep Blue Something) 9:56 She’s So High (Tal Bachman) 10:53 Closing Time (Semisonic) 11:34 Kiss Me (Sixpence None The Richer) 12:18 Torn (Natalie Imbruglia)
One of the things I like about Rick’s videos is he jumps right in to the topic. No talking, no buildup. In the Meantime is an excellent song. The bass line is 🔥
I was at a truckstop outside of St. Louis back in 1996, and this band had set up their instruments in the parking lot next to their bus. My friends and I walked over and asked who they were. I was the only one who'd ever heard of Spacehog! They invited me to play drums and we played a Police song ( I think it was Can't Stand Losing?). Of course, I went home and bought their record after that, which was great.
born in 85 here, and all these songs are such bangers, lmao, kids will never understand how much more they tried in the 90s. i mean we used to get toys in our cereal FFS
It’s funny how you can hear a song from back in the day, be it the ‘60s, ‘70s, ‘80s, or ‘90s, and it immediately conjures up lots of memories of where you were, who you were with, and what you were doing!! Those songs are truly timeless.😉👍😄
Definitely not a one hit wonder. Fastball had a few hits. Out of My Head was another big one, which was a top 20 hit, then there's Fire Escape from the same album and You're an Ocean from their next album.
@gary Ditto I would say the same thing about "All for you" by Sister Hazel. It's far and away Sister Hazel's biggest hit, and would be considered a 1 hit wonder... if they didn't have the smaller hits... mainly "Change your mind". Just so happens, Sister Hazel and Fastball are my 2 favorite bands.
The songs listed in this video: 20. EMF - Unbelievable 19. Meredith Brooks - Bitch 18. Chumbawamba - Tubthumping 17. Lisa Loeb - Stay 16. Spacehog - In the Meantime 15. Toadies - Possum Kingdom 14. Len - Steal My Sunshine 13. Deee-Lite - Groove is in the Heart 12. Harvey Danger - Flagpole Sitta 11. Eve 6 - Inside Out 10. Eagle-Eye Cherry - Save Tonight 9. New Radicals - You Get What You Give 8. 4 Non Blondes - What's Up? 7. The LA'S - There She Goes 6. Vanilla Ice - Ice Ice Baby 5. Deep Blue Something - Breakfast at Tiffany's 4. Tal Bachman - She' So High 3. Semisonic - Closing Time 2. Sixpence None The Richer - Kiss Me 1. Natalie Imbruglia - Torn
I never ceased to be amazed by Rick's ability to nod his head, do a little air guitar, point at the camera, nod his head a bit more, say 'amazing', tell a little anecdote about where he was in the year the song was released, and then intensely nod his head a bit more. Slick, Rick. Slick.
Jesus Jones had TWO top five singles in the US to say nothing of the UK. A one hit wonder for me, mean ONE hit period. Not one more well known hit. Like Los Del Rio had one hit or Lou Bega.
Kim Deal still performs and is from my hometown of Kettering Ohio, I've ran into her once or twice at Omega Records in Dayton, unfortunately outside of Cannonball, the album 'Last Splash' didn't really do too much else in the way of blowing up The Breeders, MTV deeming Cannonball a 'Buzz Bin' video also definitely helped boost their audience and popularity at the time, honorary shout out to Sonic Youth / The Pixies / The Melvins also!
The best song missing is probably “No Rain” by Blind Melon, a really great song. As this list shows the 99s weren’t just grunge, there was a lot of diversity of stuff that fit under the label of rock music.
@@OSheaShenanigans No Rain was the only one that made it to #1. Galaxie (arguably a better song in my opinion, but not as iconic of a music video, which used to mean something) peaked at #8 on the US Alt chart and #25 on the US Main chart.
@@OSheaShenanigans Depends upon where you are, at home Natalie Imbruglia had more than one top-ten hit and more than five top-forty hits. Blind Melon only had one hit in said country.
Excellent list! I was surprised to not see Duncan Sheik’s “Barely Breathing” on it. You couldn’t escape that song for most of ‘96 and ‘97. He even got a Grammy nomination for it.
I came here to say the same thing. I couldn't get enough of that song. Still can't. I can still remember cruising around in my beat up Chevy Cavalier with a few of my buddies while that song played on the radio. Such good times.
Great list! Really brings back some memories! One track missing is “Sex and Candy” by Marcy Playground. They released two albums in the 90s (Marcy Playground and Shapeshifter) which are both AMAZING! If you haven’t heard them and only know the band for their hit please give them a spin - as can happen sometimes their hit is not one of my favorite songs of theirs. WIKIPEDIA:: Sex and Candy" spent a then-record 15 weeks at number one on Billboard's Modern Rock Tracks chart, a record bested four years later by Nickelback's "How You Remind Me". Barrett of Paste ranked it fifteenth on Paste's list of "25 Awesome One-Hit Wonders of the 1990s" while Consequence of Sound ranked it thirty-fourth on its list of "The 100 Best One-Hit Wonder Songs." Marcy Playground emerged in the late 1990s. Influences include David Bowie, Paul Simon, Neil Young, Van Morrison, Jimi Hendrix, Syd Barrett of Pink Floyd, Nirvana, Wham! and the Beatles. The influences are quite clear on Marcy Playground's self-titled album
You insult Rick by suggesting he missed it. And the rest of us reading comments. OG-Tier no talent A$$ clowns, sir. You should delete this. They managed to create corporate rock and smear lonely people as weird, self-absorbed incels and fed it to a brain dead audience of needle movers and unit shifters... athough he included Natalie Imbruglia, another no-talent a$$ clown who did the same to forlorn emo girls with insecure attachment disorder.
"Hangin' 'round downtown by myself, and I had so much time to sit and think about myself And then there she was, like double cherry pie, yeah, there she was- like disco superfly" God I love that song, as much as Flagpole Sitta.
I graduated from HS in 1994 and college in 1998, and hearing this list gave me such PTSD over adolescent insecurities and lost loves that I give it an A+ in accuracy! Well done, sir!
Notable exceptions: One Headlight - Wallflowers Bittersweet Symphony - The Verve Freshmen - The Vervepipe I’ll Be - Edwin McCain Song 2 - Blur Mambo No 5 - Lou Bega Cantaloop - US3 Informer - Snow Blue - Eiffel 65 Who Let the Dogs Out? - Baha Men Baby Got Back - Sir Mix a Lot Macarena - Del Rio
Lollll The Verve & Blur one hit wonders!? Don’t think so. Bitter Sweet Symphony & Song 2 were just their versions of Smells Like Teen Spirit/Wonderwall.
Great picks! Some songs I would add to this list: The Verve - Bittersweet Symphony Des’Ree - You Gotta Be Edwyn Collins - A Girl Like You Spin Doctors - Two Princes Arrested Development - Mr. Wendal
In the 90s I was a small child and I heard the top 5 songs on this list everywhere . I didn’t know who sang them , I didn’t know the song titles but I heard them on tv , in random stores, on the radio while in a car . At the time it was just background music , I liked them but it wasn’t particularly anything special to me . As I got older those songs became a lot more special to me , whenever I hear them I remember my youth , I see my elementary school play ground ,I remember a time when my siblings and I were always together , I remember the beautiful 90’s … things weren’t perfect then but it was a beautiful time and it saddens me that I’ll never be young again .
Standing Outside a Broken Phone Booth with Money in My Hand by Primitive Radio Gods is DEFINITELY a one hit wonder and probably my favourite song of all time. The production and arrangement is beautiful and haunting and the BB King sample is perfect.
One of my favorite one hit wonders of the 1990s was Dishwalla’s “Counting Blue Cars.” Such a beautiful song and I think it deserves an honorable mention. Great list!
Honorable mention to Crash Test Dummies for Mmm, Mmm, Mmm, Mmm. Such vocals and a fantastic sounding song overall. The 90’s were so great for so many excellent bands and songs.
A few one-hit wonders that could make the list Two Princes - Spin Doctors Runaway Train - Soul Asylum No Rain - Blind Melon (they were great and had a lot of good songs, but most people only know the bee girl song) Sister - The Nixons Lump - Presidents of the USA Your choice between Mr Jones and Accidentally In Love - Counting Crows Shine - Collective Soul
Spin Doctors had Little Miss Can't Be Wrong, and Lump isn't even the Presidents biggest hit. Same with Collective Soul and Counting Crows. Like if you're giving us a choice between two songs for an artists, then they're not a one hit wonder. Lol
@TheChrisSwallow Two Princes has literally 10 times more streams than Little Miss (120 million x 12 millions), man. I'll concede that Peaches is more popular than Lump. For Counting Crows, I put in Accidentally because a lot of people might know them from Shrek, but Mr Jones is by far their most popular song, just like Shine is Collective Soul's biggest hit.
Agreed. Best song on the list for me. Although I do confess to having danced and time or two to Groove is in the Heart (though it's always stuck me as more of an 80's song).
"You get what you give" is my singular favorite song of the 1990s. I'm a core Gen-x member, so spent my entire teens in the 1990s, and it's one of my favorite songs of all time. So good.
It is an incredible song. One of the last great pop/ rock songs in my view. I remember thinking most nineties music was very poor but that stood out as a track that could have easily stood with the best of the eighties.
Great list! A very 90s song for me is “Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm” by The Crash Test Dummies from Canada It was huge here in Sweden and Europe in 1994. It was a #1 in Scandinavia, Germany, Belgium. Australia also. It went #4 in the US too, according to Wikipedia. Their albums had lots of fantastic songs, but I can’t remember they had more hits.
@@bingobongo1615 What?? First, the music is good, the story is self explanatory. It's a message of hope for the singer, to a person that's just not feeling it. And I said, "What about breakfast at Tiffany's?" She said, "I think I remember the film And as I recall, I think we both kinda liked it." And I said, "Well, that's the one thing we've got." Come on, You've got to smile after that. Cute story
Fantastic list! I've lived in the US since '09 (from Belgium), but I can tell you that the absolute #1 One Hit Wonder of the '90s in (pretty much) all of Europe, was Laura Pausini - La solitudine (Italy). If you've never heard it before, please treat yourself to the song!
"Sunny Came Home" by Shawn Colvin. "No Rain" by Blind Melon. "Freshmen" by The Verve Pipe. "Tomorrow" by Silverchair. "What Is Love" by Haddaway. "Counting Blue Cars" by Dishwalla. "Sex and Candy" by Marcy Playground. "All I Want" by Toad the Wet Sprocket.
@@liamshorter292 fwiw we are talking American hits (not sure if you are too). No Rain is the only BM single to crack the Hot 100, as well as their only #1 single on the rock and alt charts. They had 2 other singles show up briefly on the rock charts but this was obviously residual success from No Rain. "Tomorrow" by Silverchair reached #28 on the billboard Hot 100 chart and charted for 18 weeks, roughly doubling their next closest song (only 3 songs ever charted for Silverchair).
Not only "A Girl like You" but the whole Empire Records soundtrack is full of great one hit wonders. "Until I hear from you" by Toad the Wet Sprocket could be added to the list as well!
This video made me realize how much better popular hits were back in the 90s. Real bands. Real singers. No autotune. Great picks, Rick! Would you consider doing a Volume 2 of the 90s?
@@MsTriangle that's a frame of mind of course but I I feel like 90's is missed so much and adored so much is because it was the last time music felt "real" now everything feels over produced, fake, and just for the sake of it...if it makes you feel anything at all.
"Breakfast at Tiffany's" and "She's So High" were vastly underrated songs. "Kiss Me" has a phenomenal bass line, and if you listen to another track off that album, "I Can't Catch You," it has an even better one. Fantastic list as always, Rick. Keep 'em coming.
Sir, it's obvious you've been drinking (maybe Rick too). Breakfast at Tiffany's may be one of the worst songs ever recorded and those guys should have done prison time for it. We're going chalk this one up to the booze. Please don't let it happen again. ; )
To my ears,. "Breakfast at Tiffany" sounds like a vastly inferior combination of songs such as Goo Goo Dolls' brilliant "We Are The Normal" and the super melodic and creative "Obscurity Knocks" from the Trashcan Sinatras' debut album. It could have been a great song, but the singing is really just weak and uninspired and the guitars sound tepid. The tempo is also a bit too slow for what it wants to be. I actually really liked it when it came out first (I was in my early 20's back then), but the more I've heard it, the more I felt like it was just a poorly executed song with some interesting elements but ultimately disappointing :(. I am not the biggest Goo Goo Dolls fan either, but when I listen to "We Are The Normal" after it, it really puts "Breakfast at Tiffany" to shame.
Woman vocalist pop and rock bands in the were vastly underrated. The cardigans, republica, Garbage, Hooverphonic, Sneaker Pimps, PJ Harvey, etc all had at least one stellar song or solid albums or careers
I love how the song is all positive and then at the end he suddenly comes out of leftfield with a super agressive diss at Courtney Love and Marilyn Manson 😂
I just love so much "Ready to go" by Republica. Didn't think that much of the song at the time. Re-discovered it some ten years later and it's always in my list since then. So dancey, catchy and yet with rock spirit. The "pre-chorus" (Rick's lingo) is sooo cool... Those four chords put together in that way! And leading to a killer chorus. Deserving of a "What makes this song great" episode if you ask me.
Ready To Go was a great example of 90's one-hits! But don't think they were well-known in the US, but more of a European hit, which is why Rick didn't mention them. Speaking of European bands, Sneaker Pimps also had a one-hit wonder called "6 Underground."
Tubthumping... That song makes me so happy. Nostalgic moment for me is going back to when I was 21 or 22 in college at Texas State University back in 2011 just walking around campus listening to that song, feeling good
I get such a nostalgic punch to the gut hearing songs from the 90's, even songs I didn't particularly like at the time. Nearly every single song on this list evokes a vivid memory from my teenage years, be it a place, specific friends, ex-girlfriends, exam stress, parties etc. Fuc, I miss those days.
Music today is questionable. Blows my mind how some of todays artist are making millions in music bc it based on it’s video’s dance moves, or ex bf break up, it digitally enhanced. I feel today’s music is successful based on how much $$$ was spent on their marketing verses the talent behind the singer & musicians.
@@haleyrichardson8818 thats probably not actually true. There is far more artists flooding the market now so the lows are very low and there is tons of mediocrity but good music is still as good as it was in the 90's. Also you have to realise that literally every generation tends to find the next generations music awful. Just a fact of life you like what you are used to and what you grew up with and stuff you arent used to tends to sound bad. Not to mention that the 90s was full of awful music just like every other decade of music. You remember the good ones and forget the bad ones.
Along with EMF's Unbelievable, I always relate that with Jesus Jones' Right Here Right Now. Both songs were hits right at the same time and always seem to be played back to back on the radio.
"No Rain" by Blind Melon, "Butterfly" by Crazy Town, "Mmm mmm mmm mmm" by Crash test dummies, "Mmmbop" by The Hanson, "74-75" by The Connels... so many one hit wonders of my youth :)
Agreed about "No Rain", but the others are not one-hit wonders. Crazy Town had a few others, Crash test dummies had several and Hanson pretty much half their album as singles and were all hits. I have no idea what the Connels are though
@@mauriciomontardo4411 I was going to say Blind Melon wasn't a one hit wonder. "Change" is my favourite of theirs, but probably wasn't that big. I thought "Galaxie" was a decently big hit, but maybe that was just in Canada. I was going to say Crash Test Dummies weren't a one hit wonder here in Canada. "Superman's Song" was probably their biggest hit here, but they had others as well. "Peter Pumpkinhead" and there is another one that I can't think of the title now that were both big.
@@mauriciomontardo4411 That might be linked to where you live in the world, I'd say. I'm in western Europe and I can say for sure that neither Crazy Town nor Crash test produced *anything* successful around here except those two tracks. I recall the Hanson releasing singles after Mmmbop and while I don't remember any, I'll agree with you on this one, not really one hit wonder. If you're 40 like me, I'm pretty sure you know the song 74-75 by the Connels (you just don't know you know it :D)
Man, this list brings back memories of the first alternative rock stations hitting my area. My honorable mentions: 3 Strange Days - School of Fish, Where Have All the Cowboys Gone? - Paula Cole, Right Here, Right Now - Jesus Jones
Utterly brilliant. I have them all on three different playlists. You missed: Murray Head’s One Night in Bangkok; Opus’ Life is Live; Tarzan Boy’s Jungle Boy; Nina’s 99 Red Balloons.
The biggest difference with today's new music is how the vocals where processed or should I say unprocessed and the fact that the breathing noises where not removed but enhanced using a compressor so that the human aspect would always filter through. Great list Rick
The late 80s and the early 90s are one of my favourite eras for music because it transcended analogue and digital recording and mastering techniques where clarity of sound was achieved while retaining the raw power and depth of instrumentation/vocals. My favourite go-to examples to illustrate this are things like Piano In The Dark by Brenda Russell or I Wonder Why by Curtis Stigers. Could listen to that wide, deep but crystal cut clear sound all day.
I can’t listen to a lot of modern ultra-processed stuff. It sounds claustrophobic. Weeper is a great example. All their modern stuff feels way too tight.
As a survivor of the 90's, I'd have to say that Deee-Lite's "Groove is in the Heart" should be #1 for sheer audaciousness, infectiousness, and ubiquity
Right when that was on the charts I took a flight from NYC to London and Deee-Lite were sitting in the row behind me. They looked just like they did in their videos.
@@benjaminlaygoiii2171 Saint Joe on The School Bus peaked at 31 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart, but never made it onto the Billboard Hot 100, which is the true measurement of a whether a song was a hit or not. As a college freshman who watched MTV constantly at the time, not once did I see the video air on the channel.
Oh my god. This is the soundtrack of my childhood. I feel incredibly lucky to have heard and loved these songs at such a young age. Thank you for taking me back. ❤
sixpence actually did a great cover of "there she goes" Lead singer Leigh Nash is just breathtakingly beautiful. Also I love the slide guitar at the end of "Torn"
I was going to say the same thing about them doing "There She Goes." Her voice on the cover of it is fantastic. I couldn't remember if it was on the same album as "Kiss me"
I saw them live when I was in college around 2003. Almost nobody was there for it, so it felt like they played for me. Also got the whole bands autograph on a CD case. Back when CD cases were a thing haha
Thank you for including EMF. That song was everywhere but it seems to always be forgotten in these lists. You couldn't even get away from that song in the early 2000s.
@@jjgems5909 Ahhhh I understand. You say kids because I have gaming in my name. You are overthinking your bigotry. I am over 50. Nice stereotyping though.
7 mary 3- Cumbersome The screaming trees- nearly lost you The toadies and eveclear both had more than 1 hit.. at least I heard a few songs from each of them played on K-rock often enough. Love your channels Rick 👍🤘
I think The Freshman by The Verve Pipe should be on this list. That song was huge for the band in the 90's, and it was their only big hit. The Verve Pipe is from around my area. They are still playing today.
@@utesch713 Hey there - just double-checked this. Bitter Sweet Symphony was on The Verve’s third album called, “Urban Hymns,” in 1997. There was a controversy between The Verve and The Rolling Stones regarding this song - they were licensed to use a five note segment from a Stones song, but according to the Stones, used more than that. Was it recorded by another singer/group as well?
"Torn" should probably have its own WMTSG episode! One of rare songs that I can listen to for hours and hours on repeat and not get tired of it at all.
Funny thing is, over here in Australia Natalie is still a top-selling artist today, and as reported on Wikipedia "Imbruglia's five subsequent albums have combined sales of three million copies worldwide, and her accolades include eight ARIA Awards, two Brit Awards, one Billboard Music Award, and three Grammy nominations."
@@stephanemenozzi2947 both Kylie and Natalie starred together on the Australian soap opera "Neighbours", but as far as i know they are just friends, not relatives?
I have always wanted a "What makes this Song Great" episode about "In the Meantime." Watching Rick's reaction listening to the intro makes me want it even more! Great list, all bangers!
Rick, I started watching your videos because of your love for Nirvana, but I have to say these one-hit-wonders videos were great!! I just listened to them by myself, and they kept me company. Loved it!
Fun fact, it was a song not about closing time at the pub, but closing time at the womb (eg time to be born - "this room won't be open till your brothers or your sisters come). So if it was the song of high-school in the 1990s, it can also be the song of parenthood in 2020s
"Torn" is a song written by Scott Cutler, Anne Preven, and Phil Thornalley. It was first recorded in 1993 in Danish (renamed "Brændt", Danish for "Burned") by Danish singer Lis Sørensen, then in 1994 by Cutler and Preven's American rock band Ednaswap, and in 1996 by American-Norwegian singer Trine Rein. Natalie Imbruglia covered the song in 1997.
There's just something about 90's Top 40 that so recognizable. It must be the unique period of analog and digital coexisting, the blend of synths and drum programming with live guitar and percussion, the rawness and edginess of the vocals, all the different genres using elements of one another yet sounding distinct, etc. There's just this warmth (I can't explain it any other way) that you don't really hear after the 90s. I just can't shake it, even 30 years later.
At least half of these songs deserve blasting the volume all the way up when I hear them in the radio. Thank you for a beautiful walk down the memory lane, brother.
Great List, Rick! There was also this song "The Way" by Fastball, which could qualify, plus someone below already mentioned "One of Us" by Joan Osborne. Both great tunes. Waiting for more lists like these, or any other videos. Keep up the good work! Greets from Poland. :)
I mentioned "The Way" in my own comment. I think "Fire Escape" and "You're An Ocean" could both be categorized as hits, too, even if they never quite matched up. I'm surprised at myself that "One Of Us" wasn't one of my first thoughts, or at least didn't pop into my head when Meredith Brooks popped up (they peaked on the chart literally one year apart).
The Way was a great song! Fastball had one other hit, though: Out of My Head, which for a period of time I felt like it was impossible to be in the car for more than 10 minutes without hearing.
Great list Rick. I was especially pleased by your choice of #1. I met Natalie once at a record company showcase in Sydney. She was promoting "Torn", which was on its rise to the top of the Australian charts. My boss was chuffed that i programmed the song, not only for the song itself, but that she grew up in an area north of Sydney where he still resides. "She's a Central Coast girl". Natalie is one of the nicest people you would ever meet.
Definitely better than any song on this list in my opinion. Fastball wasn't a one-hit wonder though they also had out of my head and that other one I can't place right now.
that song sampled another song that never got credit. can't remember who they sampled tho but all I remember it was a bunch of raver E+ards that were into the Len version
@@covid19alpha2variantturboc7 It was 'More More More' by The Andrea True Connection. That song (and performer) has a great story to it, it's worth looking up ;)
Exclusions that are hard to forgive: "Fade Into You" - Mazzy Star "If You Could Only See" - Tonic "The Way" - Fastball "Counting Blue Cars" - Dishwalla "No Rain" - Blind Melon "Your Woman" - White Town "Crush" - Jennifer Paige "Sex and Candy" - Marcy Playground "Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm" - Crash Test Dummies "Walking in Memphis" - Marc Cohn "Barely Breathing" - Duncan Sheik "I'll Be" - Edwin McCain "Bittersweet Symphony" - The Verve and the HIGHLY underrated "Here Come the Hotstepper" - Ini Kamoze ❤
Yeah! No Rain is excellent. To me it could be top 5 on here. Blind Melon was great. Definitely think they would have transcended one-hit wonder status had Shannon Hoon not passed away.
My favourite One Hit Wonder (in the german Top 100) of the 90s was ´74-75´ by The Connells. Heard it first when I was 7 years old and 27 years later it´s still one of the greatest tunes I´ve ever listened to. It peaked No. 7 in germany in January 1995 and didn´t leave the charts for half a year.
There's a remake of the video on RUclips where they show the people who were in the original in 2015. I don't wanna spoil it for you but I actually shed a tear.
@@monkeysuncle2816 you are SO RIGHT! I love that album and used to listen to it when I worked in a book store--still listen to it but when I had it on in the store I really started paying attention to it and realized how incredible it is!
Third Eye Blind - Semi-charmed life Babylon Zoo - Spaceman White Town - Your Woman Ocean Colour Scene - The Day We Caught The Train Gin Blossoms - Hey Jealousy
Amazing list. What a decade! Here are some honorable mentions off of the top of my head ...Dishwalla " Counting Blue Cars"... Primitive Radio Gods "Standing Outside a Broken Phone Booth..." Seven Mary Three "Cumbersome" ... Skee-Lo "I Wish"
Fun fact!! The number 7 song "There She Goes" by the La's was released as the follow up to "Kiss Me" for Sixpence none the richer hitting #14 in the UK charts!
Wow! Some of these REALLY hit home!.. that was a whole different time for me... several of those songs (if not more) gave me that 'WOW! Never thought I would hear that again!' Type of vibes...❤❤❤
That entire Spacehog album is freaking awesome. Also I would say a lot of these bands like Eve 6, Semisonic, and Sixpence are more like 2 or 3 hit wonders.
Agreed, but now that I'm thinking, maybe they weren't that popular because the frontman looked similar as Scott Weiland? (at least on the meantime video)
#9 You Only Get What You Give is one of my favorites ever, and for me that's saying a lot. For some reason it brings (or almost) tears to my eyes. The subtle use of strings is amazing. They're easy to miss unless you're paying attention, especially on the chorus. I read somewhere, U2 was asked what they felt was the greatest song not by U2, Edge responded with “You Get What You Give.” 😊
Babylon Zoo - Spaceman Space - The Female of the Species Cornershop - Brimful of Asha Longpigs - She Said ...There were so many British bands who had singular hits in this era. Well worth checking out the albums they came from too as there are gems to be rediscovered!
Oh, the 90's weren't all strawberries and cream. Have you never heard of grunge, or alt rock? The 90's was littered with the stuff. Hell, it's mostly what it's known for. Even The Cranberries has some really dark tunes. Let me guess, you weren't around in the 90's, were you..?
I looove the 90’s, those are my formative years, but I remember them a little differently. Not to say you’re wrong, I don’t think you are, it’s just the tiny of “glasses” we all wear. When I think of the 90’s, I think of angst. So much alternative and grunge music was “look how deep we are with all our brooding and hidden meanings in our lyrics. Many movies were weird and dark and experimental. To your point, there’s also the happy poppy side. Pop music was really having a moment, a lot of fun comedies and rom coms that were legitimately good without being to self serious. The 90’s were fun in many ways. I suspect every decade is just as layered.
@@robertglass3944 My impression at the time was that grunge was bigger on the west coast. On the east coast it got some play in the first half of the nineties, but faded into the background and the happier, more upbeat songs took center stage in the second half.
Something about the songwriting and recording style of the 90s is just so much more satisfying to my ear than the stuff that came after. There’s an edge - diversity of rhythm and attention to melody and hooks that I feel lacking in the music of the 2000s
Len had two albums before their big hit with Steal My Sunshine ("Superstar" and "Get Your Legs Broke") and my friends and I loved them on the indie rock scene at the time! Such great albums!
I cannot disagree with this list of songs. Love them all mostly. As a 40+ year old I can place myself back in a teenage memory to every single one of these songs.
'OMC' stood for Otara Millionaires Club. Otara is a very tough and rough suburb in Auckland, New Zealand. It would be like saying, "Skid Row Country Club".
![Seungmin "그렇게, 천천히, 우리(As we are)" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/kAzmhLHePqU/mqdefault.jpg)
0:07 Unbelievable (EMF)
0:35 Bitch (Meredith Brooks)
1:06 Tubthumping (Chumbawamba)
1:36 Stay (I Missed You) (Lisa Loeb)
2:18 In The Meantime (Spacehog)
2:59 Possum Kingdom (Toadies)
3:49 Steal My Sunshine (Len)
4:21 Groove is in the Heart (Deee-Lite)
4:47 Flagpole Sitta (Harvey Danger)
5:30 Inside Out (Eve 6)
6:11 Save Tonight (Eagle Eye Cherry)
6:46 You Get What You Give (New Radicals)
7:26 What’s Up? (4 Non Blondes)
8:06 There She Goes (The La’s)
8:41 Ice Ice Baby (Vanilla Ice)
9:18 Breakfast at Tiffany’s (Deep Blue Something)
9:56 She’s So High (Tal Bachman)
10:53 Closing Time (Semisonic)
11:34 Kiss Me (Sixpence None The Richer)
12:18 Torn (Natalie Imbruglia)
Actuality There She goes is also played by Sixpence None….
It’s not, it’s played by the La’s
@@rafaelborrego36you're right, but I think Sixpence None the Richer just covered it.
Great list, but it's got to be You Get What You Give by the New Radicals which still sounds amazing to this day, with The La's joint top!
Silverchair's "Tomorrow" from the album Frogstomp is a strong contender for this list
One of the things I like about Rick’s videos is he jumps right in to the topic. No talking, no buildup.
In the Meantime is an excellent song. The bass line is 🔥
Yeah!
I actually came here for this song and thought it would be mentioned. Great tune.
Fair point. It's really annoying when you need to go through 5 minutes of admin/self-promotion before you get to the content.
I was at a truckstop outside of St. Louis back in 1996, and this band had set up their instruments in the parking lot next to their bus. My friends and I walked over and asked who they were. I was the only one who'd ever heard of Spacehog! They invited me to play drums and we played a Police song ( I think it was Can't Stand Losing?). Of course, I went home and bought their record after that, which was great.
I've heard that cocaine is a hell of a drug.
Can I “like” this video 1000x? Born in ‘80, graduated HS in ‘98. This is the soundtrack of my adolescence.
82 in 2000
You were the hot senior when I was a freshman
@@Merknilash 1983. Yeah, she was the hot senior.
born in 85 here, and all these songs are such bangers, lmao, kids will never understand how much more they tried in the 90s. i mean we used to get toys in our cereal FFS
Me too. 90's were AWESOME. I was born in '78 and the 90's were my preteen and teenage years. LOVE IT
@greenderp and music REQUIRED TALENT in the 90's
It’s funny how you can hear a song from back in the day, be it the ‘60s, ‘70s, ‘80s, or ‘90s, and it immediately conjures up lots of memories of where you were, who you were with, and what you were doing!!
Those songs are truly timeless.😉👍😄
What an optimistic decade the 90s was. End of the Cold War. Economic prosperity. No smart phone. No social media. It shines through in the music.
We were in a recession for much of the 90s.
The Berlin wall fell. Biggest thing for us in Germany. Things were really looking up until about 2001.
@@Kup1208 9/11 affected all the western world...
@@Marcus-id5ur but what an optimistic recession it was. Really shines through in the music.
@@Marcus-id5ur uhh, like 8 months in 90-91, rest of the decade was pretty good for economic growth.
"The Way" by Fastball was all over the radio back in the 90's. Definitely a solid one hit wonder.
Definitely not a one hit wonder. Fastball had a few hits. Out of My Head was another big one, which was a top 20 hit, then there's Fire Escape from the same album and You're an Ocean from their next album.
@gary Ditto
I would say the same thing about "All for you" by Sister Hazel. It's far and away Sister Hazel's biggest hit, and would be considered a 1 hit wonder... if they didn't have the smaller hits... mainly "Change your mind".
Just so happens, Sister Hazel and Fastball are my 2 favorite bands.
They also have another song that quite popular, out of my head.
@@enigma0876 read the replies, it's exactly what I said.
@@garymaidman625 it reached top 20 on billboard's top 100, I don't think they are a one hit wonder.
Man, what a walk down nostalgia lane! Anybody else miss guitar music on mainstream radio?
And the lack of autotune... man music today is just terrible
god yes. music on the radio period. they don't play anything anymore.
I literally just asked my fiancée this today. What the hell happened to guitars on the radio.
4 non blondes in top 3 for me..
Music today on the radio is awful. These songs are soooo much better.
Steal my sunshine is king. Impossible not to instantly feel like summer when that comes on. Love it.
Mazzy Star's "Fade Into You" Hope Sandoval's vocals absolutely get me every time I hear it. in HS, even my metal head buddies loved that song.
OMG, Yes. So incredibly beautiful.
Not a one hit wonder though. Mazzy Star's Into Dust is also a hit.
I was a metalhead and I loved that song.
hyper legit and influential band
Great song, but no one in their right mind would call Mazzy Star a one hit wonder - hugely influential band!
The songs listed in this video:
20. EMF - Unbelievable
19. Meredith Brooks - Bitch
18. Chumbawamba - Tubthumping
17. Lisa Loeb - Stay
16. Spacehog - In the Meantime
15. Toadies - Possum Kingdom
14. Len - Steal My Sunshine
13. Deee-Lite - Groove is in the Heart
12. Harvey Danger - Flagpole Sitta
11. Eve 6 - Inside Out
10. Eagle-Eye Cherry - Save Tonight
9. New Radicals - You Get What You Give
8. 4 Non Blondes - What's Up?
7. The LA'S - There She Goes
6. Vanilla Ice - Ice Ice Baby
5. Deep Blue Something - Breakfast at Tiffany's
4. Tal Bachman - She' So High
3. Semisonic - Closing Time
2. Sixpence None The Richer - Kiss Me
1. Natalie Imbruglia - Torn
I know and love them all except #13.. I don't recall that one AT ALL!
Classics
Natali imbroglio is not a one hit wonder!!!!
@@jeremycraft2445oh you need to!!!!
I still listen to half of those songs regularly 😊
I never ceased to be amazed by Rick's ability to nod his head, do a little air guitar, point at the camera, nod his head a bit more, say 'amazing', tell a little anecdote about where he was in the year the song was released, and then intensely nod his head a bit more. Slick, Rick. Slick.
Arguably Jesus Jones and Dishwalla had subsequent minor hits, but my gawd "Counting Blue Cars" and "Right Here, Right Now" are SO THE 90s!
Where is the flys
Jesus Jones had TWO top five singles in the US to say nothing of the UK. A one hit wonder for me, mean ONE hit period. Not one more well known hit. Like Los Del Rio had one hit or Lou Bega.
@@jasonkeibler8146they got you where they want you !! 🤣
I'm extremely surprised that nobody here seems to remember "Cannonball" by The Breeders. A huge hit by a talented band!
Great tune!
Completely agree - great song!
Kim Deal still performs and is from my hometown of Kettering Ohio, I've ran into her once or twice at Omega Records in Dayton, unfortunately outside of Cannonball, the album 'Last Splash' didn't really do too much else in the way of blowing up The Breeders, MTV deeming Cannonball a 'Buzz Bin' video also definitely helped boost their audience and popularity at the time, honorary shout out to Sonic Youth / The Pixies / The Melvins also!
LOVE that song!!
Thing about the Breeders is they have loads of great songs. I guess Cannonball was their only "hit" but still...
The best song missing is probably “No Rain” by Blind Melon, a really great song. As this list shows the 99s weren’t just grunge, there was a lot of diversity of stuff that fit under the label of rock music.
It would not be on a one hit wonder list. Blind Melon had at least two hits
Absolutely. That was one of the best one hit wonders of the 90's. I still have it on rotation.
RIP Shannon Hoon. Their cover of “Three is a magic number” is fantastic.
@@OSheaShenanigans No Rain was the only one that made it to #1. Galaxie (arguably a better song in my opinion, but not as iconic of a music video, which used to mean something) peaked at #8 on the US Alt chart and #25 on the US Main chart.
@@OSheaShenanigans Depends upon where you are, at home Natalie Imbruglia had more than one top-ten hit and more than five top-forty hits. Blind Melon only had one hit in said country.
Excellent list! I was surprised to not see Duncan Sheik’s “Barely Breathing” on it. You couldn’t escape that song for most of ‘96 and ‘97. He even got a Grammy nomination for it.
I came here to say the same thing. I couldn't get enough of that song. Still can't. I can still remember cruising around in my beat up Chevy Cavalier with a few of my buddies while that song played on the radio. Such good times.
@@MrPhilm00r indeed! This is one of those songs that never gets old. 🙌
Who?
I had forgotten about this song despite having it in my iTunes. Great song as well and I will now go listen to it! lol
I couldn't remember that song so I just listened to it... I remember the song, but I never noticed how fucking terrible the vocals are before.
As an 82 baby, late 90’s is when I discovered my passion for music!
Flagpole Sitta is just one of my all time favourite songs - just hits the same every time. Love it. Such an impassioned, confused, empowered vocal.
Mark and Jeremy agree
Yeah, I love Flagpole Sitta, also another song from Harvey Danger that's just as good, Private Helicopter.
Great list! Really brings back some memories!
One track missing is “Sex and Candy” by Marcy Playground. They released two albums in the 90s (Marcy Playground and Shapeshifter) which are both AMAZING! If you haven’t heard them and only know the band for their hit please give them a spin - as can happen sometimes their hit is not one of my favorite songs of theirs.
WIKIPEDIA::
Sex and Candy" spent a then-record 15 weeks at number one on Billboard's Modern Rock Tracks chart, a record bested four years later by Nickelback's "How You Remind Me".
Barrett of Paste ranked it fifteenth on Paste's list of "25 Awesome One-Hit Wonders of the 1990s" while Consequence of Sound ranked it thirty-fourth on its list of "The 100 Best One-Hit Wonder Songs."
Marcy Playground emerged in the late 1990s. Influences include David Bowie, Paul Simon, Neil Young, Van Morrison, Jimi Hendrix, Syd Barrett of Pink Floyd, Nirvana, Wham! and the Beatles. The influences are quite clear on Marcy Playground's self-titled album
You insult Rick by suggesting he missed it. And the rest of us reading comments. OG-Tier no talent A$$ clowns, sir. You should delete this. They managed to create corporate rock and smear lonely people as weird, self-absorbed incels and fed it to a brain dead audience of needle movers and unit shifters... athough he included Natalie Imbruglia, another no-talent a$$ clown who did the same to forlorn emo girls with insecure attachment disorder.
"Hangin' 'round downtown by myself, and I had so much time to sit and think about myself
And then there she was, like double cherry pie, yeah, there she was- like disco superfly"
God I love that song, as much as Flagpole Sitta.
Couldn’t agree more. The albums are PHENOMENAL! And no one knows about them
YES! Replace Eve6 with this Marcy
Hated Sex and Candy, lol. They still play it all the time on my local modern rock station.
I graduated from HS in 1994 and college in 1998, and hearing this list gave me such PTSD over adolescent insecurities and lost loves that I give it an A+ in accuracy! Well done, sir!
Wait, that sounds about like my 1990s 😆. Even spent a few weeks in a Behavioral Health place. You were one year ahead of me.
Same here Jason. I could swear Rick was going to include Crash Test Dummies!
@@pequalsa so true. Great lost. But I thought for sure there would be something from the band Live.
I was fighting in the Bosnian war. Coolest time ever, with banging tunes!💪👍
Nailed it. Graduated in 1992. Great list
Notable exceptions:
One Headlight - Wallflowers
Bittersweet Symphony - The Verve
Freshmen - The Vervepipe
I’ll Be - Edwin McCain
Song 2 - Blur
Mambo No 5 - Lou Bega
Cantaloop - US3
Informer - Snow
Blue - Eiffel 65
Who Let the Dogs Out? - Baha Men
Baby Got Back - Sir Mix a Lot
Macarena - Del Rio
Wallflowers had many hits
Lollll The Verve & Blur one hit wonders!? Don’t think so.
Bitter Sweet Symphony & Song 2 were just their versions of Smells Like Teen Spirit/Wonderwall.
Someone once said that "Groove is in the Heart" is the moment 80s music became 90s music. Pretty accurate.
one of the best songs, and music videos, of all time.
Totally agree. For me, it's the verse from Q-Tip that does it. An early sign that Hip Hop is going to be a influence on pop music going forward.
I'd say the moment the Stone Roses first album came out.
I agree. I remember the song was on mtv and the radio in the fall of 1990. The early 90s had so much great music from pop, rock, and hip hop.
Such a silly video but a good catchy song
Two Princes by Spin Doctors definitely deserves a spot, the song is killer from start to finish!
They had more than one big hit, though.
I thought it might be #1. Spin Doctors suffered from a bad name. Sounds like a DJ outfit but they were a smoking rock band!
Another phenomenal album!
Remember they also had Little Miss Can't Be Wrong which was top 20
@@michaelboggus9993 and Jimmy Olsen's Blues...
The Proclaimers “500 Miles” was a true 1 hit wonder from 1993, such a fun infectious tune!
@nessy It was a hit in just about EVERY country around the world in 1988.
For some reason, the Americans picked up on it 5 years later.
They had quite a few hits in the UK
I could have sworn “There she goes” was also by Sixpence None The Richer, making them a two-hit wonder. Might be Mandela effect.
Great song but came out in 1987. Also The Proclaimers had other hits, "Letter From America", "Sunshine On Leith" and "I'm On My Way".
@@thesvenssons They covered it and it was a hit for them, as least I think so.
No Rain... Two Princess... Cinema... Those are some from the top of my head.
Forgot all about Blind Melon. Good call. Spin Doctors had another hit - Little Miss Can't be Wrong. Catchy, but neither has stuck with me.
I’ve always liked Mazzy Star’s “Fade into you”….one hit wonder and great tune
Love that song. Hope Sandoval’s voice is haunting.
Amazing song. I also like Look On Down From the Bridge.
“Into Dust” always gives me chills
All Hope’s songs are dope and I used to play so that tonight I might see every night at Kansas U in 94… epic
Fantastic song, it's criminal it was left off.
"In the meantime" and "Possum Kingdom" are my favs and I like that they were back-to-back on this list.
Me too. And they’re the only songs on the list I actually care to hear again lol.
Both great songs, and coincidentally neither is a one hit wonder.
Read this and hoped it was going to be Helmet!
@@chadsstillalive What other hit(s) did Spacehog have? Toadies have a good amount of plays on some of their other tracks, but not spacehog..
Great song that’s been stuck in my head for the last few days.
Great picks! Some songs I would add to this list:
The Verve - Bittersweet Symphony
Des’Ree - You Gotta Be
Edwyn Collins - A Girl Like You
Spin Doctors - Two Princes
Arrested Development - Mr. Wendal
Arrested Development had Tennessee too. Pretty big in and of itself.
What? Des'ree had another top hit "Life" and The Verve had several hits (their album was awesome).
I dont agree with you
The Verve are nowhere near a one hit wonder
@@calnfl5747 Lucky man
@@TobinPT Des'ree also had Kissing You, feature on the Romero and Juliet soundtrack, the baz lurman film with Leo DiCaprio and CLaire Danes
In the 90s I was a small child and I heard the top 5 songs on this list everywhere . I didn’t know who sang them , I didn’t know the song titles but I heard them on tv , in random stores, on the radio while in a car . At the time it was just background music , I liked them but it wasn’t particularly anything special to me . As I got older those songs became a lot more special to me , whenever I hear them I remember my youth , I see my elementary school play ground ,I remember a time when my siblings and I were always together , I remember the beautiful 90’s … things weren’t perfect then but it was a beautiful time and it saddens me that I’ll never be young again .
Standing Outside a Broken Phone Booth with Money in My Hand by Primitive Radio Gods is DEFINITELY a one hit wonder and probably my favourite song of all time. The production and arrangement is beautiful and haunting and the BB King sample is perfect.
Agreed! Spot on
Such a good song, and fantastic use of unusual samples.
Amazing song
Totodoodoo doo doo
YES!!!
One of my favorite one hit wonders of the 1990s was Dishwalla’s “Counting Blue Cars.” Such a beautiful song and I think it deserves an honorable mention. Great list!
Awesome song!!
Dishwalla had another really good song (not much radio airplay), called “give”.
Came here to say that !! Love dishwalla !
great call, and the only song I really felt was missing on the list.
Diswalla is so huge here in the Philippines.. angels or devils every little thing is always being covered. Love diswalla
Honorable mention to Crash Test Dummies for Mmm, Mmm, Mmm, Mmm. Such vocals and a fantastic sounding song overall. The 90’s were so great for so many excellent bands and songs.
No
@@bmark7951 Oh yes...;o)
The 90s had a wide mix of serious, heavy and fun songs, we are missing that spread today... Right Said Fred anyone?
@@timofthomas I guess they were too sexy for this list
The had a couple of other minor hits, so, not one-hit wonders.
A few one-hit wonders that could make the list
Two Princes - Spin Doctors
Runaway Train - Soul Asylum
No Rain - Blind Melon (they were great and had a lot of good songs, but most people only know the bee girl song)
Sister - The Nixons
Lump - Presidents of the USA
Your choice between Mr Jones and Accidentally In Love - Counting Crows
Shine - Collective Soul
Spin Doctors had Little Miss Can't Be Wrong, and Lump isn't even the Presidents biggest hit. Same with Collective Soul and Counting Crows. Like if you're giving us a choice between two songs for an artists, then they're not a one hit wonder. Lol
@TheChrisSwallow Two Princes has literally 10 times more streams than Little Miss (120 million x 12 millions), man. I'll concede that Peaches is more popular than Lump. For Counting Crows, I put in Accidentally because a lot of people might know them from Shrek, but Mr Jones is by far their most popular song, just like Shine is Collective Soul's biggest hit.
Lump definitely. PUSA were so underated
GOO GOO DOLLS “Iris” !
You might wanna look up the definition of one-hit wonder, brother.
In the Meantime is such a great song. All these years later and it still puts a smile on my face whenever I listen to it.
Great jukebox song.
Such a ripping bass line
Agreed. Best song on the list for me. Although I do confess to having danced and time or two to Groove is in the Heart (though it's always stuck me as more of an 80's song).
03:58 Steal My Sunshine - what a fantastic tune. One of those that, within a couple of bars, transports you straight back to that era.
Transports me to look up the song and listen to what it was sampled from, "More More More" by Andrea True
@@seanspring8991 Didn't know it was a sample. Interesting!
Funny, when he started explaining the song I knew exactly what it was going to be. Fun good time song.
Could come on the radio now and be a hit I feel.
@@Iosaiv 💯
"You get what you give" is my singular favorite song of the 1990s. I'm a core Gen-x member, so spent my entire teens in the 1990s, and it's one of my favorite songs of all time. So good.
All of Gregg Alexander’s songs are awesome. He also wrote for others. He did “The Game of Love” which Michelle Branch and Santana recorded.
It is an incredible song. One of the last great pop/ rock songs in my view. I remember thinking most nineties music was very poor but that stood out as a track that could have easily stood with the best of the eighties.
Len and that video was so cool.
New Radicals...great message.
Torn was great because Natalie was so easy to look at.
Great list Rick.
The list you made goes straight to any Gen X'ers heart. Love every single one of these.
And even some older millenials ✋️🥲
@ Gen Jones too
As a first year millenial ('81) I know all these songs...
I aint no name...
Wrong. I'm Gen X. Most of that music was chick music garbage.
Great list!
A very 90s song for me is “Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm” by The Crash Test Dummies from Canada
It was huge here in Sweden and Europe in 1994. It was a #1 in Scandinavia, Germany, Belgium. Australia also. It went #4 in the US too, according to Wikipedia. Their albums had lots of fantastic songs, but I can’t remember they had more hits.
The reason that song always comes to mind for me is because of the Weird AL version
We had a local covers band called “Dumb Crash Testes”
loved CTD! don't think mmm⁴ was big enough for top 20 tho
They had a reasonably successful follow-up with God Shuffled His Feet and Keep A Lid On Things got airplay and rotation on MTV.
Which reminds me of Mmm bop by the Hansons. I think. Was that the 90s? And where they a one hit wonder?My brain is addled.
Breakfast at Tiffany's, Closing Time, and Kiss Me are such beautiful stories.
Kiss Me…..amazingly soft voice.
MMMBOP by Hanson should be on this list.
Out of the top 10 songs.. Never heard of closing time.. And I don't think it sounds that good too.. And 4 non blonde is below it??? Come on..
I absolutely loathe breakfast at tiffany‘s…
What is the beauty of the story? Can you enlighten me?
@@bingobongo1615
What??
First, the music is good, the story is self explanatory. It's a message of hope for the singer, to a person that's just not feeling it.
And I said, "What about breakfast at Tiffany's?"
She said, "I think I remember the film
And as I recall, I think we both kinda liked it."
And I said, "Well, that's the one thing we've got."
Come on, You've got to smile after that.
Cute story
Fantastic list! I've lived in the US since '09 (from Belgium), but I can tell you that the absolute #1 One Hit Wonder of the '90s in (pretty much) all of Europe, was Laura Pausini - La solitudine (Italy). If you've never heard it before, please treat yourself to the song!
Odd, I grew up in Austria (born in 81) and I don't think I've ever heard this... Beautiful song.
It would be interesting to see Rick analyse a Laura Pausini song, I'm not gonna lie, but this one was so incredibly basic lmao
"Sunny Came Home" by Shawn Colvin. "No Rain" by Blind Melon. "Freshmen" by The Verve Pipe. "Tomorrow" by Silverchair. "What Is Love" by Haddaway. "Counting Blue Cars" by Dishwalla. "Sex and Candy" by Marcy Playground. "All I Want" by Toad the Wet Sprocket.
Bitter Sweet Symphony and Lemmon tree
Yeah far out....I was 12 when Silverchair came out and my god it was and still is Amazing. Me being Australian it had a huge impact.
Silverchair isn’t a one hit wonder, neither is blind melon.
@@liamshorter292 fwiw we are talking American hits (not sure if you are too). No Rain is the only BM single to crack the Hot 100, as well as their only #1 single on the rock and alt charts. They had 2 other singles show up briefly on the rock charts but this was obviously residual success from No Rain.
"Tomorrow" by Silverchair reached #28 on the billboard Hot 100 chart and charted for 18 weeks, roughly doubling their next closest song (only 3 songs ever charted for Silverchair).
TtWS had plenty of hit songs.
Two of my favorites "Your Woman" by White Town and "A Girl Like You" by Edwyn Collins!!!
Your woman rules
i never comment but was thinking of White Town's "Your Woman" immediately
Not only "A Girl like You" but the whole Empire Records soundtrack is full of great one hit wonders. "Until I hear from you" by Toad the Wet Sprocket could be added to the list as well!
Love "your woman"
@@GregorydeonTil I Hear From You is the Gin Blossoms
This video made me realize how much better popular hits were back in the 90s. Real bands. Real singers. No autotune. Great picks, Rick! Would you consider doing a Volume 2 of the 90s?
Still a downgrades after the 70s and 80s
@@MsTriangle that's a frame of mind of course but I I feel like 90's is missed so much and adored so much is because it was the last time music felt "real" now everything feels over produced, fake, and just for the sake of it...if it makes you feel anything at all.
and imagine that people said the same thing in the 90s about the 60s
@@pocok5000 Every generation claims their generation had the best _____ (Fill in the blank), its called nostalgia and some people get drunk off of it.
@@benmackie6322 i personally think the 70s were the peak of western culture and i was born in 88.
I just watched your one hit from 70's, 80's and now this. Brought back so many memories thank you
"Breakfast at Tiffany's" and "She's So High" were vastly underrated songs. "Kiss Me" has a phenomenal bass line, and if you listen to another track off that album, "I Can't Catch You," it has an even better one. Fantastic list as always, Rick. Keep 'em coming.
Sir, it's obvious you've been drinking (maybe Rick too). Breakfast at Tiffany's may be one of the worst songs ever recorded and those guys should have done prison time for it. We're going chalk this one up to the booze. Please don't let it happen again. ; )
To my ears,. "Breakfast at Tiffany" sounds like a vastly inferior combination of songs such as Goo Goo Dolls' brilliant "We Are The Normal" and the super melodic and creative "Obscurity Knocks" from the Trashcan Sinatras' debut album. It could have been a great song, but the singing is really just weak and uninspired and the guitars sound tepid. The tempo is also a bit too slow for what it wants to be. I actually really liked it when it came out first (I was in my early 20's back then), but the more I've heard it, the more I felt like it was just a poorly executed song with some interesting elements but ultimately disappointing :(. I am not the biggest Goo Goo Dolls fan either, but when I listen to "We Are The Normal" after it, it really puts "Breakfast at Tiffany" to shame.
Woman vocalist pop and rock bands in the were vastly underrated. The cardigans, republica, Garbage, Hooverphonic, Sneaker Pimps, PJ Harvey, etc all had at least one stellar song or solid albums or careers
I'm still wondering when the "phenomenal bass line" comes in...
The lyrics to breakfast at Tiffany's are hilarious though...
"YOU GET WHAT YOU GIVE" from The New Radicals it's one of my favorite songs ever, it's just very uplifting ❤
Great song. I always thought they were Better Than Ezra.
I love how the song is all positive and then at the end he suddenly comes out of leftfield with a super agressive diss at Courtney Love and Marilyn Manson 😂
@@ieroen if by Super Agressive you mean Super soft…
@@taintedlife2618 "Come around and we'll kick your ass in" ... Oh yes, no sign of aggression there!
@@TheRealMrLofasz Better than Ezra did Good which could have been on the list as well.
I just love so much "Ready to go" by Republica. Didn't think that much of the song at the time. Re-discovered it some ten years later and it's always in my list since then. So dancey, catchy and yet with rock spirit. The "pre-chorus" (Rick's lingo) is sooo cool... Those four chords put together in that way! And leading to a killer chorus. Deserving of a "What makes this song great" episode if you ask me.
Ready To Go was a great example of 90's one-hits! But don't think they were well-known in the US, but more of a European hit, which is why Rick didn't mention them. Speaking of European bands, Sneaker Pimps also had a one-hit wonder called "6 Underground."
Great tune!!
Republica was kind of the english Garbage but didn't get the same exposure and imploded too early.
Perfect song and production.
Also, thought of Elastica Connection, which I love.
Tubthumping... That song makes me so happy. Nostalgic moment for me is going back to when I was 21 or 22 in college at Texas State University back in 2011 just walking around campus listening to that song, feeling good
I get such a nostalgic punch to the gut hearing songs from the 90's, even songs I didn't particularly like at the time. Nearly every single song on this list evokes a vivid memory from my teenage years, be it a place, specific friends, ex-girlfriends, exam stress, parties etc. Fuc, I miss those days.
Early 20s for me, but the same kind of emotion.
@@tricky92x agreed same
same here
Same! So many memories
It's incredible how 90s songs sound so fresh compared to the ones in the top 10 today.
more melody, more soul, more joy, real music... miss those mtv days 😐
Music today is questionable. Blows my mind how some of todays artist are making millions in music bc it based on it’s video’s dance moves, or ex bf break up, it digitally enhanced. I feel today’s music is successful based on how much $$$ was spent on their marketing verses the talent behind the singer & musicians.
Thats called nostalgia
@@scottdunbar8228 It may be that, but it is also far better quality music.
@@haleyrichardson8818 thats probably not actually true. There is far more artists flooding the market now so the lows are very low and there is tons of mediocrity but good music is still as good as it was in the 90's. Also you have to realise that literally every generation tends to find the next generations music awful. Just a fact of life you like what you are used to and what you grew up with and stuff you arent used to tends to sound bad. Not to mention that the 90s was full of awful music just like every other decade of music. You remember the good ones and forget the bad ones.
Along with EMF's Unbelievable, I always relate that with Jesus Jones' Right Here Right Now. Both songs were hits right at the same time and always seem to be played back to back on the radio.
Same. Those were also the two songs that got me as a 7 year old to switch from VH1 to MTV.
_Sex on Wheels_ was often played in the same blocks-at least on Seattle alternative radio.
Didn't Tom Jones cover it?
Right Here, Right Now is great, and there are at least 2 other great song on that album, that weren't "hits"
@@geoffstrickler
That whole album was almost as good as their debut, but *Doubt* had one other top 10 U.S. hit, _Real, Real, Real._
"No Rain" by Blind Melon, "Butterfly" by Crazy Town, "Mmm mmm mmm mmm" by Crash test dummies, "Mmmbop" by The Hanson, "74-75" by The Connels... so many one hit wonders of my youth :)
Wow yeah great list of songs there!! "74-75"... that song is so haunting...
That Crash Test Dummies album "God Shuffled His Feet" is a tremendous album.
Agreed about "No Rain", but the others are not one-hit wonders. Crazy Town had a few others, Crash test dummies had several and Hanson pretty much half their album as singles and were all hits. I have no idea what the Connels are though
@@mauriciomontardo4411 I was going to say Blind Melon wasn't a one hit wonder. "Change" is my favourite of theirs, but probably wasn't that big. I thought "Galaxie" was a decently big hit, but maybe that was just in Canada. I was going to say Crash Test Dummies weren't a one hit wonder here in Canada. "Superman's Song" was probably their biggest hit here, but they had others as well. "Peter Pumpkinhead" and there is another one that I can't think of the title now that were both big.
@@mauriciomontardo4411 That might be linked to where you live in the world, I'd say. I'm in western Europe and I can say for sure that neither Crazy Town nor Crash test produced *anything* successful around here except those two tracks. I recall the Hanson releasing singles after Mmmbop and while I don't remember any, I'll agree with you on this one, not really one hit wonder. If you're 40 like me, I'm pretty sure you know the song 74-75 by the Connels (you just don't know you know it :D)
Man, this list brings back memories of the first alternative rock stations hitting my area. My honorable mentions: 3 Strange Days - School of Fish, Where Have All the Cowboys Gone? - Paula Cole, Right Here, Right Now - Jesus Jones
Omgosh a School of Fish shout out! Yes!
@Synthetic Maniac I know but her greatness should not be overlooked for having one more hit. :)
Paula Cole has another hit..i dont want to wait
Utterly brilliant. I have them all on three different playlists.
You missed:
Murray Head’s One Night in Bangkok;
Opus’ Life is Live;
Tarzan Boy’s Jungle Boy;
Nina’s 99 Red Balloons.
The biggest difference with today's new music is how the vocals where processed or should I say unprocessed and the fact that the breathing noises where not removed but enhanced using a compressor so that the human aspect would always filter through. Great list Rick
I known mixers back then that removed breaths and mouthclicks. Risky buisnis on tape!
The late 80s and the early 90s are one of my favourite eras for music because it transcended analogue and digital recording and mastering techniques where clarity of sound was achieved while retaining the raw power and depth of instrumentation/vocals. My favourite go-to examples to illustrate this are things like Piano In The Dark by Brenda Russell or I Wonder Why by Curtis Stigers. Could listen to that wide, deep but crystal cut clear sound all day.
I can’t listen to a lot of modern ultra-processed stuff. It sounds claustrophobic. Weeper is a great example. All their modern stuff feels way too tight.
@@JazGalaxy Was litterely thinking of Weezer while reading the first part of your comment lol
As a survivor of the 90's, I'd have to say that Deee-Lite's "Groove is in the Heart" should be #1 for sheer audaciousness, infectiousness, and ubiquity
It's a pretty genius song. Really really clever arrangement.
Right when that was on the charts I took a flight from NYC to London and Deee-Lite were sitting in the row behind me. They looked just like they did in their videos.
Again another song that indicated to me that the 80s musically were now in the past…
Bootsy!
The best
Great list - was kinda expecting Sex and Candy by Marcy Playground to show up - kind of a quintessential 90s one hit wonder for me.
Me too.
They got Saint Joe on The School Bus and Sherry Fraser - not as big as Sex And Candy but both were moderate hits in the Billboard charts
@@benjaminlaygoiii2171 well Eve 6 is on this list and Heres to the Night was a legit hit after Inside Out.
@@benjaminlaygoiii2171 Saint Joe on The School Bus peaked at 31 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart, but never made it onto the Billboard Hot 100, which is the true measurement of a whether a song was a hit or not. As a college freshman who watched MTV constantly at the time, not once did I see the video air on the channel.
Ditto on Marcy Playground. Also expected the Verve and Bittersweet Symphony.
Oh my god. This is the soundtrack of my childhood. I feel incredibly lucky to have heard and loved these songs at such a young age. Thank you for taking me back. ❤
"The Way" by Fastball I think should totally have been on this list. Great chorus, great melody, great solo.
Fastball's "Out of My Head" hit #20 on the Hot 100.
Fastball had a few hits
That album had two hit singles, right, so you can't reasonably put it here.
But was The Way Fastballs only hit, since this is a compilation of one hit wonders? Certainly The Way is a consummate 90s tune otherwise.
High school flashbacks on all of these
sixpence actually did a great cover of "there she goes" Lead singer Leigh Nash is just breathtakingly beautiful. Also I love the slide guitar at the end of "Torn"
If you like Leigh Nash, check out the Delerium song Innocente, where she sings the lead vocal. It's excellent
I was going to say the same thing about them doing "There She Goes." Her voice on the cover of it is fantastic. I couldn't remember if it was on the same album as "Kiss me"
yaa loved the slide
I saw them live when I was in college around 2003. Almost nobody was there for it, so it felt like they played for me. Also got the whole bands autograph on a CD case. Back when CD cases were a thing haha
Two hit wonder
Thank you for including EMF. That song was everywhere but it seems to always be forgotten in these lists. You couldn't even get away from that song in the early 2000s.
Amen!
I felt like it had to make an cameo in every kids movie at the time 😂
@@jjgems5909 Ahhhh I understand. You say kids because I have gaming in my name. You are overthinking your bigotry. I am over 50. Nice stereotyping though.
7 mary 3- Cumbersome
The screaming trees- nearly lost you
The toadies and eveclear both had more than 1 hit.. at least I heard a few songs from each of them played on K-rock often enough.
Love your channels Rick 👍🤘
I think The Freshman by The Verve Pipe should be on this list. That song was huge for the band in the 90's, and it was their only big hit. The Verve Pipe is from around my area. They are still playing today.
Came here to say that. It was a top three in my opinion. Granted I'm from their home state, but that song is better than almost all of these
Bitter Sweet Symphony was a big hit of theirs as well.
Photograph was also released as a single and in My opinion a better song
@janiceparnell8707 that's by a different band...
@@utesch713 Hey there - just double-checked this. Bitter Sweet Symphony was on The Verve’s third album called, “Urban Hymns,” in 1997. There was a controversy between The Verve and The Rolling Stones regarding this song - they were licensed to use a five note segment from a Stones song, but according to the Stones, used more than that. Was it recorded by another singer/group as well?
"Torn" should probably have its own WMTSG episode! One of rare songs that I can listen to for hours and hours on repeat and not get tired of it at all.
Perhaps everyone knows that Natalia Imbruglia is a cousin of Kylie Minogue (and Dannii's too 😅)
Agreed
Funny thing is, over here in Australia Natalie is still a top-selling artist today, and as reported on Wikipedia "Imbruglia's five subsequent albums have combined sales of three million copies worldwide, and her accolades include eight ARIA Awards, two Brit Awards, one Billboard Music Award, and three Grammy nominations."
@@stephanemenozzi2947 both Kylie and Natalie starred together on the Australian soap opera "Neighbours", but as far as i know they are just friends, not relatives?
@@brucemorgan62 i was persuaded of this.... But actually, i can't anything proving my statement in the web 😅😅
I have always wanted a "What makes this Song Great" episode about "In the Meantime." Watching Rick's reaction listening to the intro makes me want it even more! Great list, all bangers!
In the meantime had a Bowie meets the 90s feel.
Great bassline in that song!
Love this song, was hoping it would be much higher in the list
And that backward piano Roundabout ending.
This is one of my top 20 one hit wonder songs of all time, not just of the 90s
Rick, I started watching your videos because of your love for Nirvana, but I have to say these one-hit-wonders videos were great!! I just listened to them by myself, and they kept me company. Loved it!
Semisonic Closing time is the anthem of my high school years. One of my favourite songs ever.
2/3 of this band came from Trip Shakespeare, a Minneapolis band that had the local hit "Toolmaster of Brainerd"
Fun fact, it was a song not about closing time at the pub, but closing time at the womb (eg time to be born - "this room won't be open till your brothers or your sisters come).
So if it was the song of high-school in the 1990s, it can also be the song of parenthood in 2020s
I used to bartend at a hot little dive bar, late 90s. We played this song to close the bar fairly often.
"Torn" is a song written by Scott Cutler, Anne Preven, and Phil Thornalley. It was first recorded in 1993 in Danish (renamed "Brændt", Danish for "Burned") by Danish singer Lis Sørensen, then in 1994 by Cutler and Preven's American rock band Ednaswap, and in 1996 by American-Norwegian singer Trine Rein. Natalie Imbruglia covered the song in 1997.
Natalie gave it life
There's just something about 90's Top 40 that so recognizable. It must be the unique period of analog and digital coexisting, the blend of synths and drum programming with live guitar and percussion, the rawness and edginess of the vocals, all the different genres using elements of one another yet sounding distinct, etc. There's just this warmth (I can't explain it any other way) that you don't really hear after the 90s. I just can't shake it, even 30 years later.
it's almost as if pop music died after the 90s.
economic context was also completely different in every thinkable way man
Great list! You have fantastic taste on music and clearly respect the craft! You have my respect sir!
At least half of these songs deserve blasting the volume all the way up when I hear them in the radio.
Thank you for a beautiful walk down the memory lane, brother.
Great List, Rick! There was also this song "The Way" by Fastball, which could qualify, plus someone below already mentioned "One of Us" by Joan Osborne. Both great tunes. Waiting for more lists like these, or any other videos. Keep up the good work! Greets from Poland. :)
The Way is great but these are one hit wonders, they had more
I mentioned "The Way" in my own comment. I think "Fire Escape" and "You're An Ocean" could both be categorized as hits, too, even if they never quite matched up.
I'm surprised at myself that "One Of Us" wasn't one of my first thoughts, or at least didn't pop into my head when Meredith Brooks popped up (they peaked on the chart literally one year apart).
One of Us is a great song. I saw her open for The Who and she was amazing.
The Way was a great song! Fastball had one other hit, though: Out of My Head, which for a period of time I felt like it was impossible to be in the car for more than 10 minutes without hearing.
@@madmanatw great guitar solo on that track!
Great list Rick. I was especially pleased by your choice of #1. I met Natalie once at a record company showcase in Sydney. She was promoting "Torn", which was on its rise to the top of the Australian charts. My boss was chuffed that i programmed the song, not only for the song itself, but that she grew up in an area north of Sydney where he still resides. "She's a Central Coast girl". Natalie is one of the nicest people you would ever meet.
Excellent list Rick. I was born in 1978 for me personally the 90’s/early 2000’s was truly the last great era of music.
As a native Austinite I have to nominate Fastball's "The Way" as well. Such a classic and a melody that get stuck in your head.
Much agreed! 👍
I'm glad someone else mentioned Fastball's "The Way"
Great song! Sad origin though
I was waiting for that too, until I remembered their second hit, Out Of My Head - which I probably love even more than The Way!
Definitely better than any song on this list in my opinion. Fastball wasn't a one-hit wonder though they also had out of my head and that other one I can't place right now.
@@DanCrowleyNYC as a side note I play both songs live and nobody remembers out of my head but the way is one of my most popular covers.
It's a great day when Rick geeks out to 90s songs with us. 🎧🎵😜
Agree
It's a great day when Rick geeks out. Period!
Steal My Sunshine is SO GREAT. Just a happy summertime song with a great hook. Never get tired of it.
I bought that cd just because of that song. The whole album is fun, Biz Markie is all over it, I listen to it still from time to time.
that song sampled another song that never got credit. can't remember who they sampled tho but all I remember it was a bunch of raver E+ards that were into the Len version
@@covid19alpha2variantturboc7 It was 'More More More' by The Andrea True Connection. That song (and performer) has a great story to it, it's worth looking up ;)
The video is great!!!🙂❤️❤️🙂
Exclusions that are hard to forgive:
"Fade Into You" - Mazzy Star
"If You Could Only See" - Tonic
"The Way" - Fastball
"Counting Blue Cars" - Dishwalla
"No Rain" - Blind Melon
"Your Woman" - White Town
"Crush" - Jennifer Paige
"Sex and Candy" - Marcy Playground
"Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm" - Crash Test Dummies
"Walking in Memphis" - Marc Cohn
"Barely Breathing" - Duncan Sheik
"I'll Be" - Edwin McCain
"Bittersweet Symphony" - The Verve
and the HIGHLY underrated
"Here Come the Hotstepper" - Ini Kamoze
❤
No. Not Edwin McCain
Hard disagree with The Verve being from the UK
This could be most of a Part 2 episode
the verve are not a one hit wonder
@@nicholasnarayanan5080 they are in the US.
One of my favourite one hit wonders from the 90's was "No Rain" by Blind Melon. It's an awesome song. But great list
Blind Melon is severely underrated as a band.
All time favorite band. The most incredibly overlooked band of all time
That whole album is amazing.
Yeah! No Rain is excellent. To me it could be top 5 on here. Blind Melon was great. Definitely think they would have transcended one-hit wonder status had Shannon Hoon not passed away.
Not a one hit wonder…they had a few hits…
"In the Meantime" is one of the most underrated 90's songs, I wish that it was more well known.
Agreed
And dude sang and played that bass line. I always give mad props to lead singing bass players.
Amazing song. Bowiesque AF
Royston Langdon, the writer, made a killing in royalties and married liv Tyler. I want to write and underrated song!
Great album, that song has the best bassline
My favourite One Hit Wonder (in the german Top 100) of the 90s was ´74-75´ by The Connells. Heard it first when I was 7 years old and 27 years later it´s still one of the greatest tunes I´ve ever listened to. It peaked No. 7 in germany in January 1995 and didn´t leave the charts for half a year.
Such a beautiful song!
Definitely my favourite
Ich liebe dich dafür mich an diesen Song zu erinnern
Nice! They were one of the local college bands here in the Carolinas back during the early to mid-90’s.
There's a remake of the video on RUclips where they show the people who were in the original in 2015. I don't wanna spoil it for you but I actually shed a tear.
I remember all these songs. Working at a grocery store.. brings back so many memories ... ty rick
“One of us” by Joan Osborne and “If you could only see” by Tonic are honorable mentions 👍🏻
joan osbourne for sure
@@monkeysuncle2816 you are SO RIGHT! I love that album and used to listen to it when I worked in a book store--still listen to it but when I had it on in the store I really started paying attention to it and realized how incredible it is!
That Tonic song was my favorite of the 90s.
Tonic wasn't really a one hit wonder. "You Wanted More" was pretty popular, too.
@@monkeysuncle2816 Agreed. Relish is a solid album.
The slide guitar fade out on “Torn” is totally epic. The quality of this song makes it worth waiting for and goosebumps every time!
"Brimful of Asha" and "Stars" are 2 of my fave 90's one hit wonders
Stars by Simply Red? Wouldn't call them a one-hit wonder. At least not in Europe ;-)
@@Gravengaard I think he means the song stars from the band Hum.
Stars by Hum is an god-tier 90s rock song, IMHO
@@LalisasToxicHusband Agreed :)
Cornershop is totally underrated
Third Eye Blind - Semi-charmed life
Babylon Zoo - Spaceman
White Town - Your Woman
Ocean Colour Scene - The Day We Caught The Train
Gin Blossoms - Hey Jealousy
Amazing list. What a decade! Here are some honorable mentions off of the top of my head ...Dishwalla " Counting Blue Cars"... Primitive Radio Gods "Standing Outside a Broken Phone Booth..." Seven Mary Three "Cumbersome" ... Skee-Lo "I Wish"
I still have a Dishwalla CD somewhere...loved them!
Lucky was a hit by 7M3, so technically more than one hit.
Throw Cardigans Lovefool in there as well
Skee-Lo sampled Spinnin' from Bernard Wright's first album.
@@Modernjazz1 Nice, I did not know that. Just checked that song out !
Fun fact!! The number 7 song "There She Goes" by the La's was released as the follow up to "Kiss Me" for Sixpence none the richer hitting #14 in the UK charts!
I really like the Sixpence none the righter version.
1990s was all about crazy bass lines and killer drum sounds! Love it!
Bet it was influenced by all those bookshelf boomboxes with S U P E R B A S S
Wow! Some of these REALLY hit home!.. that was a whole different time for me... several of those songs (if not more) gave me that 'WOW! Never thought I would hear that again!' Type of vibes...❤❤❤
That entire Spacehog album is freaking awesome. Also I would say a lot of these bands like Eve 6, Semisonic, and Sixpence are more like 2 or 3 hit wonders.
I can still hear that Space phone ringing.
My favorite from Eve6 is Promise
Spacehog one of my favs
I was thinking the same thing. I re-visit every few years.
Agreed, but now that I'm thinking, maybe they weren't that popular because the frontman looked similar as Scott Weiland? (at least on the meantime video)
#9 You Only Get What You Give is one of my favorites ever, and for me that's saying a lot. For some reason it brings (or almost) tears to my eyes. The subtle use of strings is amazing. They're easy to miss unless you're paying attention, especially on the chorus. I read somewhere, U2 was asked what they felt was the greatest song not by U2, Edge responded with “You Get What You Give.” 😊
I just turned 50...I always said this song was my "Secret Favorite". I will now admit I love this song and its definitely in my top 10.
The Edge didn’t say it was the greatest song of all time. He said it was the one song he really wish he had written
Babylon Zoo - Spaceman
Space - The Female of the Species
Cornershop - Brimful of Asha
Longpigs - She Said
...There were so many British bands who had singular hits in this era. Well worth checking out the albums they came from too as there are gems to be rediscovered!
On and On by the Longpigs is also one of my favorites.
Respect
Space had a few more hits, definitely don’t count as a one hit wonder.
@@Bacca839 Space - Neighbourhood 👍
Ooo the Spaceman, what a great song!
Soul Asylum - Runaway Train
Candlebox - You
Mazzy Star - Fade Into You
OMC - How Bizarre
Meat Puppets - Backwater
Notice how most of these songs were HAPPY and POSITIVE, very unlike the recent times . Very much reflecting the mood of the era
Oh, the 90's weren't all strawberries and cream. Have you never heard of grunge, or alt rock? The 90's was littered with the stuff. Hell, it's mostly what it's known for. Even The Cranberries has some really dark tunes.
Let me guess, you weren't around in the 90's, were you..?
I looove the 90’s, those are my formative years, but I remember them a little differently. Not to say you’re wrong, I don’t think you are, it’s just the tiny of “glasses” we all wear.
When I think of the 90’s, I think of angst. So much alternative and grunge music was “look how deep we are with all our brooding and hidden meanings in our lyrics. Many movies were weird and dark and experimental.
To your point, there’s also the happy poppy side. Pop music was really having a moment, a lot of fun comedies and rom coms that were legitimately good without being to self serious. The 90’s were fun in many ways.
I suspect every decade is just as layered.
@@robertglass3944 My impression at the time was that grunge was bigger on the west coast. On the east coast it got some play in the first half of the nineties, but faded into the background and the happier, more upbeat songs took center stage in the second half.
Something about the songwriting and recording style of the 90s is just so much more satisfying to my ear than the stuff that came after. There’s an edge - diversity of rhythm and attention to melody and hooks that I feel lacking in the music of the 2000s
Totally agree! 2000's and beyond (sadly.)
@@Lona_Chessthe 2000s is still pretty good, the music started to get really bad in mid 2010s by now I barley know a song
Two notable mentions:
“Banditos” by The Refreshments
“Brimful of Asha” by Cornershop
YES!
Brimful of Asha is freaking fantastic!
I got the pistols, so I'll keep the pesos, and that seems fair.
Len had two albums before their big hit with Steal My Sunshine ("Superstar" and "Get Your Legs Broke") and my friends and I loved them on the indie rock scene at the time! Such great albums!
I cannot disagree with this list of songs. Love them all mostly. As a 40+ year old I can place myself back in a teenage memory to every single one of these songs.
Two of my favorites being a kid in the 90s:
OMC - How Bizarre
Cornershop - Brimful of Asha
Love that omc song and for a whole summer every radio station did too
'OMC' stood for Otara Millionaires Club. Otara is a very tough and rough suburb in Auckland, New Zealand. It would be like saying, "Skid Row Country Club".
Gotta add super bon bon by soul coughing to this list myself
Brimful of Asha🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
R u a kiwi bro🇳🇿