From Nirvana to The Spice Girls, you can never go wrong with a little nostalgic 90’s music. One of the greatest things about 90’s music is the one hit wonders that got a brief moment of fame. Do you remember any of these classic songs?
1. Natalie Imbruglia, “Torn” (1997)
Torn became Natalie Imbruglia’s first international single and her most famous! It won her the 1998 Best New Artist MTV Music Award and was also nominated for Best Female Video.
2. Eagle-Eye Cherry, “Save Tonight” (1997)
Eagle-Eye Cherry saw a small glimmer of fame with his lead single “Save Tonight”, and there’s good reason for it. The catchy lyrics and upbeat tune is still known as one of the best songs of the 90’s.
3. Deep Blue Something, “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” (1995)
Deep Blue Something got to experience what it was like to be hollywood rockstars for only a few weeks. Literally. “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” was the band’s biggest and only hit, reaching number five on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1995.
4. The Verve Pipe, “The Freshman” (1996)
This soft ballad was written by The Verve Pipe’s lead singer, Brian Vander Ark, about his ex-girlfriend in college. The painfully honest lyrics hit top charts in 1996 and remains the group’s highest charting single to date.
5. The Rembrandts, “I’ll Be There For You” (1994)
Everyone knows this song as the classic “Friends” theme song. Try and listen to the tune without being tempted to jump into a park fountain with your closest companions.
6. Lou Bega, “Mambo No. 5” (1999)
This classic club hit can still be heard today because of its upbeat rhythm and catchy lyrics. Lou Bega said that when he wrote it, he thought people would hate it because it was so different. Good thing he was wrong!
7. Len, “Steal My Sunshine” (1999)
This 90’s classic got to experience the spotlight for only a short while in 1999. Though it only hit #1 in the band’s native Canada, in 2013 Rolling Stone magazine said it was number 33 in their list of “Best Summer Songs Of All Time.”
8. Marcy Playground, “Sex and Candy” (1997)
This song remains one of the more puzzling songs of the ‘90s and even the lead singer, John Wozniak, admits that he pulled the lyrical ideas from many places from his own memories.
9. House of Pain, “Jump Around” (1992)
Just like “Mambo No. 5” this is still a club favorite song today. The song is frequently used in commercials and even a couple of films. Amy Winehouse even borrowed the bass line for her 2007 single “You Know I’m No Good.”
10. New Radicals, “You Get What You Give” (1998)
Lead singer, Gregg Alexander, wrote this song as a way of inspiring people to just be themselves instead of changing who they are to become famous.
11. Haddaway, “What Is Love” (1993)
Another club favorite, “What Is Love” became an instant hit with a performance on Saturday Night Live and even being used in a 2008 Super Bowl commercial for Pepsi Max.
12. Semisonic, “Closing Time” (1996)
Contrary to popular belief, this classic 90’s song isn’t just about being asked to leave a bar. Lead singer, Dan Wilson, wrote the song when his wife was pregnant with their first child. He intended the song to be able birth and coming into the world.
13. Chumbawamba, “TubThumping” (1997)
This popular song has a lot of political meaning that some might not understand in the US. In England, the term tubthumper is a politician. They even used to term “pissed” in the lyrics, which means to be drunk and not angry.
14. Harvey Danger, “Flagpole Sitta” (1998)
This song was released as a single in April of 1998 and gained popularity after the song was given to KNDD DJ and was later picked up by other radio stations. The song was written as a response to the mainstream culture in Seattle.
15. The Verve, “Bittersweet Symphony” (1997)
Not only did this classic song have a short lived moment in the spotlight, but so did the band. The band broke up in 1999, making “Bittersweet Symphony” their only hit song.
16. Del Amitri, “Roll To Me” (1995)
This romantic song is a simple Pop-Rock ballad about a guy telling a girl that he can heal her broken heart. Classic love song story that reached top charts in 1995.
17. Jimmy Ray, “Are You Jimmy Ray?” (1998)
This Billboard Hot 100 single peaked at #10 in 1998, making it Jimmy Ray’s most and only successful song during his short lived music career.
18. Dionne Farris, “I Know” (1995)
“I Know” was one of only a few tracks that Farris didn’t write herself but it ended up being her most popular song to date, being played on most Top-40 radio stations in 1995.
19. Donna Lewis, “I Love You (Always Forever)” (1996)
Donna Lewis didn’t just find fame from this popular song in the 1996, but also her duet song called “At the Beginning” with Richard Marx for the movie “Anastasia”, making her voice one of the most familiar during the time.
20. Us3, “Cantaloop (Flip Fantasia)” (1993)
This classic single by Us3 is actually a cover of the song “Cantaloupe Island” by Herbie Hancock’s. They make sure to keep that influential jazz and blues theme to the song with a little twist of hip hop.
21. Billie Myers, “Kiss The Rain” (1997)
The title for the song was inspired by the song “Glycerine” by Bush. The lead singer, Gavin Rossdale, had such a thick accent that that Billie Myers thought he was saying “Kiss the Rain”.
22. Dishwalla, “Counting Blue Cars” (1996)
This touching song tells the story of a father and son taking a walk and having a deep conversation about life and god.
23. Jennifer Paige, “Crush” (1998)
When Jennifer first heard her first hit single, “Crush”, on the radio she was on the phone with her mother and screamed so loud her mother though she was having a heart attack.
24. DJ Kool, “Let Me Clear My Throat” (1996)
This extremely popular club song has been made into several different mixes and is still used today for most club songs. The biggest mystery is no one knows what happened to DJ Kool. After the song hit top charts, the singer/writer disappeared from the public’s eye.
25. White Town, “Your Woman” (1997)
After Jyoti Mishra, the creator White Town, played the song for his girlfriend, she encouraged him to do something with it. He could only afford making 5 copies so he sent one to DJ Simon Mayo who started to play it on his show. It became the most requested track of the week.
Which song brought back the most nostalgia for you? Let us know in the comments as well as your favorite 90’s song of all time!