Top 10 Cheesiest One-Hit Wonders of the 1990s
They weren’t too sexy for the charts. Welcome to WatchMojo.com, and today we’re counting down our picks for the top 10 cheesiest one-hit wonders of the 1990s.
For this list, we’ve chosen acts that were strongly identified with one extremely cheesy and successful song during the 1990s. We’re not limiting things to acts that literally only had one hit single throughout their entire careers, but we’re picking acts that are most known today for a chosen song.
#10 – “MMMBop” by Hanson (1997)
While this trio of brothers did have more than one top twenty hit in their career, few people remember Hanson for anything other than the mega success of their Grammy-nominated debut single. With production help from The Dust Brothers, the self-penned pop-rock ditty topped over 15 charts and became a mainstay of pop radio – ensuring that we’d be mmmbopping with Isaac, Taylor and Zac for months.
#9 – “Cotton Eye Joe” by Rednex (1994)
If you’re looking for a hit song, apparently mixing Eurodance, techno, folk, bluegrass and country is the way to go. At least that’s what this Swedish band did with their cover of the American country tune in 1994. “If it hadn’t been for Cotton Eye Joe,” these Rednex would never have spent multiple weeks at number one on several European charts and reached number 25 in the U.S.
#8 – “Mr. Vain” by Culture Beat (1993)
Whether you call him Mr. Raider, Mr. Wrong or Mr. Vain, the subject of this Eurodance hit “knows what he wants and he wants it now.” Thanks to the song’s thumping beat, melodic vocals and rapped verses, Culture Beat topped twelve charts in Europe and earned a top 20 spot on Billboard’s Hot 100. Though they’re still together, the act experienced its most successful period with this gold-certified single.
#7 – “What is Love” by Haddaway (1993)
The Trinidadian-German singer wanted to know the meaning of love so badly he asked the question at least 10 times throughout this Eurodance and house track. Topping several European charts, “What is Love” peaked just shy of the Billboard top ten in the early ‘90s. However, it regained and maybe even surpassed its former popularity when it was used by The Roxbury Guys on “Saturday Night Live” and in the movie based on those sketches. Our necks still hurt.
#6 – “Steal My Sunshine “ by Len (1999)
By fusing hip-hop, pop and disco, the alt rock group earned a sleeper hit before decade’s end. “Steal My Sunshine”’s summery, fun-loving vibe and alternating male-female vocals struck such a chord with radio listeners that it “L-A-T-E-R” reached the Billboard Hot 100’s top ten. Not too shabby for a Canadian outfit with no previous charting singles to its name – though it was also their last.
#5 – “Whoomp! (There It Is)” by Tag Team (1993)
In 1993, DC the Brain Supreme and Steve Roll’n teamed up for the Miami bass hit that’s been played at every sporting event since. While it’s hard not to “shake your derriere” to this party jam, Tag Team were never able to “get down” and recapture their top two success; they pretty much faded into obscurity.
#4 – “Ice Ice Baby” by Vanilla Ice (1990)
Robert Van Winkle did score a top five hit with his “Play That Funky Music” cover; but it’s that record’s B-side that became his enduring hit. Thanks to its catchy, sampled bass line, “Ice Ice Baby” became the first hip-hop single to top Billboard’s Hot 100. With a style “like a chemical spill” and “feasible rhymes that you can vision and feel,” Vanilla Ice also helped bring hip-hop and the running man to the masses.
#3 – “I’m Too Sexy” by Right Said Fred (1991)
They were so sexy it hurts. Okay, maybe not, but that’s what Right Said Fred wanted you to think with this catchy dance-pop number. How they were able to take themselves seriously while doing their “little turn on the catwalk” is beyond us, but somehow the simple and repetitive tune hit number one for three weeks and proved why dudes shouldn’t wear mesh shirts – EVER.
#2 – “Baby Got Back” by Sir Mix-a-Lot (1992)
Who woulda thought that a song about “big butts” would win over the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences? But, Sir Mix-a-Lot’s humorous hip hop tribute to “thick soul sistas” with “back” did just that AND monopolized the Billboard Hot 100’s top spot for five weeks! While the MC and producer continued making music, he and his “anaconda” will forever be tied to this rap classic.
#1 – “Macarena” by Los Del Rio (1995)
Though several versions of the song exist, it was the Bayside Boys’ 1996 English-Spanish remix that became an international sensation. Plus, with help from some super-easy arm movements, you had one of the ‘90s’ most popular dance crazes, too. Whether or not you actually thought Los Del Rio’s Latin dance-pop was any good, there’s no denying it’s a helluva catchy track that continues to have a cult following today.
Do you agree with our list? What song is your favorite one-hit wonder of the 1990s? Be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com for more entertaining top 10s.
