Favorite 90's Ont Hit Wonder?

[Guest Incandenza]

I believe Candlebox had two hits: "Far Behind" and "You."

 

Gin Blossoms actually had the jangle-pop style down prior to the Goo Goo Dolls, so far as I know. Both bands are pretty mediocre, so it's irrelevant.

Goo Goo Dolls actually predates Gin Blossoms, BUT the early Goo Goo stuff was in the vein of the Replacements, and not the borderline adult contemporary they do now.

[Guest Kinetic]

Did the Crash Test Dummies ever have a follow up hit to "Mmm Mmmm Mmmm" or whatever that godawful tripe was called? I don't remember one.

[Guest Incandenza]

No, they didn't. I believe they still have a following in Canada, but that doesn't count. They might as well still be huge in Austria, for all that matters.

[Guest JangoFett4Hire]

Teaspoons and Afternoons or something like that- I heard it maybe twice...

they mentioned TS Elliot in the chorus though...

 

And it wasnt a hit, but they do a kickass cover of The Ballad of PeterPumpkinHead on the Dumb and Dumber OST.

[Guest Kinetic]

Speaking of a meaningless Canadian following, I'd like to take this opportunity to broach the ugly topic of Snow for the second time in as many weeks. "Informer" is a sort of one hit wonder prototype, as far as being a total novelty that people will tire of very quickly is concerned.

[Guest Incandenza]

4 Non Blondes' "What's Up."

[Guest converge241]

Primative Radio Gods _ "standing outside a telephone booth" or whatever

 

you couldnt escape this one

 

Kinetic youre a Bucs man?

cool beans

who the hell is that annoying Saints fan on the board? I tried to warn him but he wouldnt listen

[Guest JangoFett4Hire]

A licky boom boom down

[Guest red_file]

In my area (Washington D.C., at the time) they had another considerable hit with a song called "Photograph" shortly before that. I don't think it had the major crossover success that "The Freshmen" had, but it definitely got airplay on the two mainstream rock stations in that area, which I would assume would translate into across-the-board airplay on rock stations. So I don't know if I'd consider them a one hit wonder or not.

In my area (New Jersey near Philly) Type O Negative gets significant play whenever they release a new album. "Black No. 1" was their one hit (though you'd probably be hard pressed to find anyone who didn't already know about the band and who remembered that song's brief rise and fall), but in my area "My Girlfriend's Girlfriend," "Cinnamon Girl," "Pyretta Blaze," and "Everything Dies" all were put into heavy rotation in my area when they were released. Local popularity probably shouldn't be factored into One Hit Wonder status. Hell, Thursday recieves pretty decent airplay around here.

 

I recall both "Photograph" and "Villains," but equate them with radio/Mtv fishing for another single. Same thing happened with those idiots that did "Summer Girls" and "Girl on the TV." Briefly played because of previous success, and quickly taken out of rotation after it became apparent that it wasn't a hit.

 

Did Primus have any hits other than "My Name is Mud"? I know they did a "Devil Went Down to Georgia" cover, but that's pretty much a one hit wonder anyway.

[Guest LooseCannon]

See also:  Surfers, Butthole.

1. "Pepper"

2. "Who was in my room last night?"

 

No? Or was "Who was in my room last night?" technically never high enough in the charts as a single?"

[Guest Kinetic]

I'd accept your explanation in most cases, red file, but "Photograph" was released and played before "The Freshmen." It was, for all intents and purposes, a hit single in its own right.

 

On the topic of Primus: "Wynona's Big Brown Beaver" rivaled even "My Name Is Mud" in popularity. At least the video did. I don't have cold, hard Billboard stats to support that.

 

I thought of "Who Was In My Room Last Night?" after I posted that, but it's possible that it never charted high enough to really be considered a hit. It was on a Nintendo commercial, however, so that might eliminate the Butthole Surfers from one hit wonder consideration.

[Guest red_file]

Now, don't I look the fool.

 

Not to quibble too much, but "The Freshman" was originally released on their '92 debut I've Suffered a Head Injury, and it was a modest college radio hit then. That album was re-released in '95 without "The Freshman," and then it was included on the next album Villains in '96. You're correct in that "Photograph" was the first single released on 11/11/96, followed two months later by "The Freshman" on 1/27/97. Why they chose to go with "Photograph" as the first single is beyond me.

 

Without more research, however, I can't really determine if "Photograph" really was a hit on its own. I don't recall ever hearing it in 96/97, which might only mean I missed it on the radio. Certainly it was played, perhaps even extensively in certain places, but I wonder how it did nationally.

 

Again, a meaningless quibble about a meaningless band. Interesting, though.

[Guest goodhelmet]

neither primus song did much on the billboard charts. certainly not top 40 although they got considerable video airplay.

 

snow's informer is the perfect example ofa one-hit wonder.

[Guest Kinetic]

Same thing happened with those idiots that did "Summer Girls" and "Girl on the TV." Briefly played because of previous success, and quickly taken out of rotation after it became apparent that it wasn't a hit.

I appreciate you researching the Verve Pipe so much that I'll utter the name of this horrible group, despite having signed a pact in blood stating that it would never again cross my lips: LFO. Lyte Funky One. They like girls who wear Abercrombie & Fitch, Chinese food makes them sick, and they know that Michael J. Fox's character on "Family Ties" was named Alex P. Keaton. Now let us never speak of them again.

[Guest crandamaniac]

 

 

Had one hit with "Jump" then faded into obscurity.

[Guest Kinetic]

Hey, now. Anyone who's anyone remembers Kriss Kross's follow-up single, "I Missed The Bus." It was no "Jump" in its ability to make legions of white suburban kids want to wear their clothes backwards, but it was on MTV.

 

And, yes, many moons ago, an impressionable young Kinetic was seen walking the streets of San Antonio in backwards pants. It...it feels really good to finally admit that to someone.

[Guest Bosstones Fan]

And, yes, many moons ago, an impressionable young Kinetic was seen walking the streets of San Antonio in backwards pants. It...it feels really good to finally admit that someone.

Well, it's nice to see I wasn't the only young white kid walking around like an idiot during that time period.

[Guest Incandenza]

I was getting into the whole grunge thing around that time, so ha.

 

Oh, I really liked Europe (THE FINAL COUNTDOWN~!) and Wham! back in the late 80s. heh.

[Guest Kinetic]

Fortunately, I only owned T-shirts at that point. Wearing a T-shirt backwards makes it look like you're an idiot or you've made a mistake, rather than making a daring fashion statement. The pants never looked all that great, either. Those guys had their clothes pressed and probably tailored specifically to be worn that way. I was just grabbing Levi's out of my dresser and I looked a fool. I only did it the once, but that was enough to learn my lesson.

[Guest Incandenza]

I remember "I Missed the Bus," by the way. I'd say it was a minor hit.

 

Also, has anyone mentioned the Divinyls' salacious "I Touch Myself"?

[Guest Kinetic]

I was about 9 when grunge became the hip thing, so I didn't get to enjoy that firsthand. By 1994, I was much more musically-aware and claimed all of my dad's Nirvana tapes as my own. I started wearing a lot of flannel.

[Guest Kinetic]

Ack! I can't believe no one mentioned "I Touch Myself." That's such a classic one hit wonder. I take some consolation in having been the first to mention Skee-Lo.

[Guest Incandenza]

I never wore flannel. I was so anti-social, that, even as I enjoyed the music, I refused to become part of the fashion trend. That may make me sound "hip" or "cool," but, in hindsight, I was quite an asshole.

[Guest Kinetic]

I was 11, so none of that entered into the equation for me. Within a year, I swore grunge off and took to metal and Nine Inch Nails. I was then forced to wear the flannel because that's all I owned. It was around that time that I developed horrible acne, so none of that had a major impact on my suddenly non-existent popularity.

[Guest Incandenza]

Oh, I'm late on the Primus thing, but their "Jerry was a Racecar Driver" was one of MTV's earliest "Buzz Clips" back in '91. I wouldn't call it a "hit," but it did receive some MTV daytime play.

 

Fishbone was a kinda one hit wonder. Going back to '91, they had some minor success with "Sunless Saturday." (However, I'd put it in the same category as the aforementioned Primus song.) On the same tip, there was Ween's "Push th' Little Daisies."

 

However, I wouldn't call any of the above bands one hit wonders. They went on to have respectable--if not commercially successful--careers. A true one-hit wonder COMPLETELY fades into obscurity afterwards.

[Guest Zack Malibu]

snow's informer is the perfect example ofa one-hit wonder.

Snow wasn't a One Hit Wonder. He achieved Top 40 (actually I think it went to the top 10) success with "Girl I've Been Hurt". I still have my copy of the CD.

 

LFO has had quite a few Top 40 songs. "Summer Girls", "Girl On TV", "Every Other Time" and "Life Is Good" have all been there and gotten a good amount of airplay.

 

There's countless songs that haven't been mentioned:

 

Positive K-I Got A Man

 

Another Bad Creation-Iesha

 

DRS-Gangsta Lean

 

Sylk-E-Fyne-Romeo and Juliet

 

Collage-I'll Be Loving You

 

Timmy T.-One More Try

 

(the latter two being huge freestyle hits that crossed over into the mainstream. Collage especially has some great songs (IMO at least) and has helped produce many other freestyle artists, but that was his one and only Top 40 hit.)

[Guest JangoFett4Hire]

Hey, what about Michael Penn - No Myth

That dude that did Life is a Highway

Superdrag - "Who snuffed out the feeling..." or however it goes...

They say that Edie Brickell is a one hit wonder, but I think that "Circle" was a hit in ot's own right...

Sundays - Here's Where the Story Ends

That chick that sang "it's just... a little crush"

Folk Implosion - Nautral One

Lo Fidelity All Stars - Battle Flag

Simthereens - Girl Like You

[Guest JangoFett4Hire]

Guilty - Gravity Kills

Day Dawning (I think that is the name???) - Placebo

Sodajerk - Buffalo tom

[Guest red_file]

Day Dawning (I think that is the name???) - Placebo

"Pure Morning," perhaps?

[Guest Zack Malibu]

Superdrag - "Who snuffed out the feeling..." or however it goes...

That would be Sucked Out. Cool song too. I remember I was supposed to see Superdrag and Nada Surf at a club back in '96, but didn't because a friend backed out on me.

 

How about Poe? As much as I love her, I think only "Angry Johnny" made the Top 40, deeming her a one hit wonder.