Top 10 One Hit Wonders Who HATE Their One Song

Tones and I

Toni Watson is an Australian singer, most famous for her 2019 single “Dance Monkey.” After its release, she was catapulted into stardom, with the song becoming number 1 in dozens of countries. This intense level of fame wasn’t a positive thing for Toni, who said she was happier beforehand. Tones said she was “hiding a big black hole for a while”, and was torn up about the “relentless” harassment she faced. She also said at live shows, there’d be a significant portion of the audience chanting for “Dance Monkey.” In reality, she never wants to play it and barely enjoys singing it anymore.

Vanessa Carlton

Everyone knows the iconic piano riff that introduces “A Thousand Miles.” It spent 41 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, and none of Carlton’s songs have reached the same level of fame. It became an obstacle for the singer, who doesn’t describe herself as a pop star. This made it impossible for her to follow up, and she didn’t really want to. She doesn’t hate the song now, but that wasn’t always the case. Carlton called this her “tantrum phase”, where she resented having to play the song. Her close friend Stevie Nicks managed to change her perspective. She enjoys the song currently, alongside having a stable career she’s proud of.

Bobby McFerrin

McFerrin is a stunningly skilled singer and conductor. He has an impressive range of vocal techniques, beginning his career in jazz. He’s not famous for being a versatile and skilled musician, but instead for his 1988 single “Don’t Worry, Be Happy.” It held the number-one spot for weeks and is still the only acapella track to do so in America. Despite its fame, McFerrin claimed in 2014 that he hadn’t performed the song since 1988. This is because he wants people to see other sides of him, like his four-octave vocal range, or his polyphonic techniques, where he sings both the melody and the accompaniment.

Fountains of Wayne

Back in 2003, this track was unavoidable. It was primarily written by the late Adam Schlesinger, who unfortunately died in 2020. His bandmate Chris Collingwood had issues with “Stacy’s Mom” before it was even released. He foresaw what was going to happen, and didn’t want the public to remember them for a novelty tune, rather than their catalog of sincere songs. Collingwood tried to talk Schlesinger out of releasing the song, but didn’t succeed, something he now regrets. Many mistakenly attribute the track to Bowling for Soup, encouraging them to jokingly cover it in 2011. It’s now on their setlist, and they play it live more often than Fountains of Wayne.

The Rembrandts


“Friends” was a wildly popular show during the 90s, with millions of people being able to recognize the song, regardless of their “Friends” opinion. Well, it’s the first song on our list that caused the band to break up. Before fame, they were an alternative band, with a small following in the scene. They lost this fanbase once achieving stardom, saying no one took them seriously anymore. In 1997, the duo split up, after not doing anything new for years. To them, their hit was a curse they couldn’t artistically outrun. Regardless, they are still happy for the wealth and the legacy it will leave behind.

Warrant

Once upon a time, glam metal was all the rage, with bands like Warrant at the forefront of this craze. You probably know their biggest hit “Cherry Pie.” It made them big names in the early 90s, but their popularity declined with the rise of grunge. Eventually in the 2000s, Jani Lane, the band’s lead singer, was called the “Cherry Pie guy.” In an interview in 2006, Lane expressed his hate for the song, which caused numerous issues for him. The singer struggled with substances, and hated being only known for a song he considered gimmicky. Lane tragically passed away in 2011, after a long hard battle with substance use disorder.

A-ha

Undoubtedly one of the 80’s most iconic songs, “Take On Me” is surprisingly hated by its composers. All members of the synth-pop trio despise playing the song. They’re constantly made to repeat the track, but think it’s not even one of their best songs. Their keyboard player, Magne Furuholmen, believes it “obscures the rest of our songs”. The band’s full story was revealed in the 2021 documentary, “a-ha: The Movie”, which covers 35 years of their career. They’re still together, with their most recent album dropping in 2022. Despite their positive acclaim, “Take On Me” wildly overshadows everything else in their catalog.

Vanilla Ice

It’s unclear whether Robert Van Winkle, better known as Vanilla Ice, hates the song itself, he certainly hated what it did to his image. Firstly, he didn’t initially credit Bowie and Queen samples. It became the first rap song on the Billboard Hot 100, leading to legal troubles, later settled out of court. Secondly, Suge Knight believed he was owed royalties, and supposedly hung him off the side of a balcony to get them. Finally, it made people think of him as just the “Ice Ice Baby guy,” meaning no one took him seriously anymore. He rarely raps now, instead making his money from flipping homes for the DIY Network.

Baha Men

This trio has performed together since 1977, but despite a career lasting almost 50 years, they’re only really known for one song. They didn’t even write this song. It was a re-recording of “Doggie,” originally released two years earlier. The group initially refused to cover it, but caved after some pressure from their manager. Even the original writer, Anslem Douglas, expressed mixed feelings about the song. Originally, it was a feminist anthem, criticizing men for catcalling women. This interpretation is often overlooked, leading it to become simplified into a party anthem. If you’re interested in learning more, its full story is told in a 2019 documentary, “Who Let the Dogs Out.”

Rebecca Black


In 2011, it felt like Rebecca Black was the most hated teen on the internet. The song was a massive source of trauma for the young singer, releasing when she was only 13. While the song was hilariously terrible, she was hardly the one to blame. It was co-written by Patrice Wilson, who used to make a career producing similar songs. For instance, he was responsible for Alison Gold’s “Chinese Food,” which was met with similar, albeit less intense, backlash. Even with the hate, Black has endured and completely transformed her image. She now has a dedicated fanbase, making music she is genuinely proud of.

Which one-hit wonder is your favorite? Let us know in the comments below!