What's So Bad About a One-Hit Wonder?

Since last week’s MTV entry went over so well, I thought I’d do another larger entry focusing on one aspect of ‘90s music. This week, I’m going to plunge headfirst into the magic behind your favorite (okay, mostly my favorite) one-hit wonders!

What Is a One-Hit Wonder?

This may seem like a question with an obvious answer, but sometimes one-hit wonders get a little complicated. What exactly counts as a one-hit wonder? The default answer is an artist with only one major hit song. But some artists categorized as one-hit wonders actually have more than one hit.

“This is blasphemy!” you shout to no one in particular. Well, it’s really not blasphemy—it’s just convenient to lump artists with a similar history into one big category. Plenty of ‘90s artists are one-hit wonders on a technicality.

So let’s broaden the definition a bit:

One-hit wonder (n.) – 1) an artist with only one Top 40 hit song; 2) an artist with one hit song that overshadows the rest of their work

Basically, some of the artists I’m going to mention technically have more than one successful song, but only one of those hits really defines them (i.e. Toadies had three hits, but most people only remember “Possum Kingdom,” so they’re a one-hit wonder).

Now that we’ve got that sorted out, let’s talk about some specific one-hit wonders!

The “Novelty” Hits

I’m using the term “novelty” here quite loosely, as the word implies a certain level of comedy. I tend to categorize songs that don’t seem 100% serious as novelty songs, and plenty of one-hit wonders fit quite comfortably into this category.

So the “novelty” hits of the ‘90s include Aqua’s “Barbie Girl,” Sir Mix-a-Lot’s “Baby Got Back,” Right Said Fred’s “I’m Too Sexy” and Rednex’s “Cotton Eye Joe.” These are typically the one-hit wonders most people remember because most of them were beyond annoying. Oh, and that also includes Los Del Rio’s “The Macarena.” But we don’t talk about that. I am actually having war flashbacks to learning this dance in elementary school. Sweet Jesus, I fucking hate “The Macarena.”

Anyway, the appeal of these novelty songs lies in both their infectious hooks and silly subject matter. These are the tunes that get stuck in your head no matter how much you hate them. Do you remember the first time you heard “Barbie Girl?” Have you been able to get it out of your head since? (My guess is no, since the mere mention of it has resulted in you humming the chorus. COME ON BARBIE LET’S GO PARTY.)

VH1, in all their infinite wisdom, ranked the Top 40 Greatest One-Hit Wonders of the ‘90s a few years ago and placed “Baby Got Back” at number one. Though VH1 lists tend to piss me off (see their incredibly disappointing Top 100 Greatest Songs of the 2000s list), I actually think they got this one right. Based on popularity and cultural relevance, I can agree that “Baby Got Back” is the best one-hit wonder of the decade. (I’m just really glad “The Macarena” wasn’t number one.)

“Baby Got Back” was the second best-selling song of 1992 (right behind Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You”). That’s right—a song celebrating the female posterior was second only to one of the greatest love songs of all time. And in a way, “Baby Got Back” is also a love song…to an ass.

So yes, I can get behind “Baby Got Back” (pun completely intended). But not every one-hit wonder is as genuinely fun as Sir Mix-a-Lot’s masterpiece. “Cotton Eye Joe” by Rednex is perhaps the worst song of the ‘90s. There are few songs as annoying and pointless as this one. In fact, I’m pretty sure “Cotton Eye Joe” is on repeat in hell.

In case you were unaware, “Cotton Eye Joe” was written before the Civil War, though its exact origins are unclear. It started as an American folk song and ended up as a bizarre dance hit by a Swedish techno band. Amazing.

The Alternative and Pop Hits

Not all one-hit wonders are hilariously bad like “Cotton Eye Joe” and “Barbie Girl.” There are plenty of decent (and beyond decent) one-hit wonders out there. These include “Tubthumping” by Chumbawamba, “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)” by The Proclaimers, “You Get What You Give” by New Radicals and “Bitch” by Meredith Brooks.

These hits are also catchy as hell, but tend to find their way on to “Greatest Songs of the ‘90s” lists rather than “Worst Songs of the ‘90s” lists. Of course, their musical merit is based purely on subjective opinion, but let’s be honest—if you don’t like “Tubthumping,” you’re wrong. And if you don’t sing it when you’re drunk off your ass in a karaoke bar, I don’t want to know you.

Since I’ve already gone into the mass appeal of “Tubthumping” (see my Chumbawamba entry), let’s look at “You Get What You Give.”

“You Get What You Give” by New Radicals is a fairly straight-forward pop rock song with one of the best opening lines of any song: “Wake up, kids, we’ve got the dreamer’s disease.” It also features some petty celebrity-dissing, though singer Gregg Alexander claimed that section was a “test” to see if the media would focus on the dissing or the real issues addressed in the song. (Spoiler: they just focused on the dissing.)

Meredith Brooks’ “Bitch” is not nearly as pretentious. Though frequently misattributed to Alanis Morissette, “Bitch” is a solid tune for a one-hit wonder. Meredith has a lot of talent and it’s a shame so many people think she’s just an Alanis rip-off. She even got booed off the stage during a 1998 tour with The Rolling Stones (the booing ultimately became glass bottles being thrown on stage).

Meredith is currently writing and producing songs for other artists, along with recording children’s albums.

New Radicals broke up in 1999, but Gregg Alexander has gone on to write and produce songs for Enrique Iglesias, Geri Haliwell (a.k.a. Ginger Spice) and Rod Stewart.

One-Hit Wonders Who Should Have Had More Hits

Having one huge hit is great for some artists—you can live off the royalties from a song like “Unbelievable” by EMF (which was re-recorded for an embarrassing Kraft Cheese commercial). But some artists have the talent for an entire career’s worth of hits. They just don’t have the audience.

While there are tons of ‘90s one-hit wonders that could have been so much bigger, I’ll focus on three that really strike me: Toadies, Marcy Playground and Imani Coppola.

If you want the full backstory on Toadies and Marcy Playground, take a look at their artist profiles on this blog. To keep it short and sweet, those two bands are the most wonderful kind of bizarre.

Toadies have this weird, sludgy post-grunge sound with a Texas-sized ego. While “Possum Kingdom” is a great tune, the rest of the band’s catalogue is even better (and so much stranger).

Marcy Playground sounds like an art school kid’s band in the suburbs. “Sex and Candy” may have been one of the creepiest mainstream songs of the ‘90s, but it’s got nothing on some of the other songs on the band’s debut album.

Imani Coppola is a bit different. Known for the song “Legend of a Cowgirl,” Imani was always destined for bigger. She scored a spot on the 1998 Lilith Fair and teamed up with another one-hit wonder, Baha Men, for a song called “You All Dat.” By age 22, she was dropped from her major label and decided to start an independent career and ultimately joined a band called LittleJackie. The band’s most recent album, Made4TV, was released in 2011.

So is being a one-hit wonder a bad thing? Not at all! Like I said before, some artists make plenty of money off just one hit song. But others end up falling short of their potential, mostly because they’re just in the wrong place at the wrong time. My advice to you is if you like a song that’s becoming a one-hit wonder, listen to the rest of the artist’s catalogue. You may be pleasantly surprised.

Unless that band is Baha Men.

-- Sam Boyer, reporting from the ‘90s.

Sam's Top 50 Favorite Albums of the '90s (Part 4)

Sorry for no entry last week, my dear readers. I’ll make it up to you by skipping a regular entry in favor of part four of my ‘90s albums countdown! Check out parts one, two and three first.

20. When the Pawn… by Fiona Apple (1999)

If you were not already aware of how much I adore FionaApple, prepare for ultimate fangirl mode. Fiona is a queen and When the Pawn… is quite possibly my favorite album from her (her newest release, The Idler Wheel…, is a very close second). This album isn’t as jazzy as her debut, but Fiona manages to find the right mix of soulful and poppy. But there’s still some angst underneath all those gorgeous piano hooks, especially on tracks like “Limp” and “Get Gone.” Of course there are some general crowd pleasers (“Paper Bag,” “Fast As You Can”), but I think the real highlight on When the Pawn… has to be the final track, “I Know.” I saw this live and I won’t lie—I cried. “I Know” is a strikingly heartbreaking tune that shows off Fiona’s incredibly sultry voice perfectly. If you only know Fiona Apple for “Criminal,” you’re really missing out on her best stuff (though “Criminal” is still a fantastic song).

19. Mezzanine by Massive Attack (1998)

Didn’t I say you’d see more electronic artists as the countdown went on? I grew up listening to this album in my mom’s car (even though I had no idea what I was listening to at the time), but you might recognize one of these songs as the theme tune to House (that song is “Teardrop”). The rest of Mezzanine isn’t as delicate as “Teardrop,” but it’s still brilliant. Most of the tracks are sexy as hell, as is the case for most trip-hop bands. Just take a listen to “Inertia Creeps” or “Risingson” and try to tell me you don’t get all hot and bothered. Massive Attack has a way of making even the most complicated hook sound effortless—in fact, most of the beats in the band’s songs are a little weird, but in a good way. If you’re just starting to get into electronic music (or you’re only versed in dubstep), put on Mezzanine and prepare to have your mind blown.

18. Homogenic by Björk (1997)

Björk appeared earlier on this countdown with Post, but Homogenic is definitely my favorite album of hers. From the menacing opening track (“Hunter”) to the heartbreakingly beautiful closing track (“All is Full of Love”), this album is just flawless, and it’s Björk at her very best. Homogenic is the perfect mix of pop hooks and experimentation—it’s weird, but not too weird. The Icelandic pixie shows off her incredible vocal talent on tracks like “Joga” and my personal favorite, “Bachelorette.” Homogenic is full of stuttering beats, chilly string arrangements and lyrics that make you believe in love. I still think this is Björk’s best album and I will fight anyone who says otherwise. Some may be turned off by her more recent stuff (see the highly experimental and polarizing Biophilia), but Homogenic captures the true essence of this lovely lady.

17. Darkest Days by Stabbing Westward (1998)

Taking a detour from critically acclaimed albums for a second, let’s talk about Stabbing Westward. Not all of my favorite ‘90s albums are Pitchfork-friendly (see Creed and Dave Matthews Band), but they’re still perfect 10’s to me. I grew up thinking everyone knew who Stabbing Westward was because my parents let me listen to music I probably shouldn’t have been listening to at such a young age. My mom played the shit out of Darkest Days and I eventually fell in love with it. In case you weren’t aware, Stabbing Westward was an industrial band (though not quite as heavy as Nine Inch Nails or Ministry) that had a “Brandon Lee in The Crow” vibe. You may know for their arguably biggest hit, “Save Yourself.” The rest of Darkest Days is basically a dark concept album that follows four phases of going through a nasty break-up. It’s loud, emotionally raw and just plain badass.

16. Dirty by Sonic Youth (1992)

To me (and I guess to most critics), Dirty ranks pretty high on the list of great Sonic Youth albums. The title is also the perfect description of the noise you’ll hear for one solid hour. It opens with a solid wall of sound on “100%” and continues to let the guitars buzz, even on slower tracks like “Wish Fulfillment” and “JC.” If you don’t like distortion, I’d stay away from Dirty (but you’re totally missing out on some of the best noise rock you’ll ever hear). Kim Gordon and Thurston Moore trade off vocal duties throughout the album (Lee Ronaldo only gets one song, but it’s actually one of my favorites), and even though their vocal styles are different, I don’t prefer one over the other. I keep thinking, “Oh, well I like Kim’s songs more because of ‘Swimsuit Issue’ and ‘Drunken Butterfly.’ But wait, Thurston sings really well on ‘Sugar Kane’ and ‘100%.’ THEY’RE BOTH SO PERFECT.”

15. Vegas by The Crystal Method (1997)

More electronic artists! Like Massive Attack’s Mezzanine, this album was always on repeat in my mom’s car. Vegas was TheCrystal Method’s debut album, and remains the group’s most successful album to date. I think the record’s appeal stems from the totally random samples used in almost every song. For example, the album’s opening track, “Trip Like I Do,” samples dialogue from the ultra-cool Jim Henson movie, The Dark Crystal. “Keep Hope Alive” samples a Jesse Jackson speech. But perhaps the weirdest sample is in “Bad Stone,” which uses dialogue from a couple of Bill Cosby’s stand-up routines. Other than the samples, Vegas is just a rich electonic album with a huge sound. It reminds me of a massive wave that continuously crashes around me.

14. Californication by Red Hot Chili Peppers (1999)

Okay, so I know including this album is really cutting it close in terms of the time frame. Californication was released at the tail end of the ‘90s and its major singles didn’t even make it to the radio until 2000. But dammit, this is my favorite Red Hot Chili Peppers album and I will include it in this list if I so choose! I’ve heard a lot of criticism about this album, and I can see where it comes from. Yes, it’s not as funky as, say, Blood Sugar Sex Magik. And yes, it does sound a bit overproduced. But I’ve always had this strange connection to it since the day I first heard “Otherside” (also, this album’s predecessor, One Hot Minute, is pretty awful). John Frusciante comes roaring back to the band with some crazy awesome riffs, especially on “This Velvet Glove” and “Around the World.” Many of these tracks are a bit more personal than tracks on previous Chili Peppers album (even though a lot of critics called it “false empathy”), and I think that’s what makes Californication stand out to me. Yes, Blood Sugar Sex Magik is still an amazing album (and it’s probably objectively better than this one), but I will always prefer Californication.

13. Insomniac by Green Day (1995)

Finally, Green Day makes its first appearance on this countdown. You saw it coming. While most people tend to remember Dookie as one of the best Green Day albums, Insomniac is probably the most underrated album in the band’s catalog. This was kind of a big “fuck you” to all the punks back home who cried, “Sell-outs!” Insomniac is raw, nasty and honestly has some of the best Green Day songs ever. Billie Joe Armstrong and company manage to pack a metric ton of angst into just 32 minutes of music. The lyrics are so much darker than the songs on Dookie—“Geek Stink Breath” tells the story of a meth addict and “Brat” tells the story of a kid waiting for his parents to die so he can get his inheritance. “Brain Stew/Jaded” was the most successful single (they’re technically two separate songs, but they were released as a single track for radio play), but the real highlight on Insomniac (for me, at least) is “Panic Song.” That track was written by both Billie Joe and bassist Mike Dirnt as kind of an homage to panic attacks, and that really hits home for me.

12. Rubberneck by The Toadies (1994)

I’m fairly certain that I mentioned multiple times in my Toadies entry that this band is probably the most underrated band of the ‘90s. You know these Texas post-grungers for their hit “Possum Kingdom,” but the rest of the album it came from is beyond brilliant. The Toadies inject some Southern charm into their strange, post-grunge sound, and it’s kind of unnerving (in a good way). I mean, just listen to the lyrics on “Tyler.” That song is about some guy who stalks a girl and breaks into her house. “Possum Kingdom” is (supposedly) about vampires. And Todd Lewis really knows how to wail (with his voice, that is). There’s an underlying creepiness to Rubberneck that’s hard to find on other albums, and I just wish more people listened to this band and appreciated it. I saw the Toadies live quite a few years ago and they sounded incredible. Even their most recent album is almost Rubberneck quality. It’s really too bad they’re considered a one-hit-wonder.

11. Nevermind by Nirvana (1991)

Before you go shunning me for not putting this in the top 10, let me just remind you that these are my personal preferences. You’ll see Nirvana again, I promise. As for Nevermind—well, what can I say about this album that hasn’t already been said? The first time I listened to it, I felt like I had found the Holy Grail. I was a pre-teen with some manufactured angst and I absolutely worshipped this band in 5^th and 6^th grade. I remember listening to Nevermind with my friend Alex and deciding to start a band (that obviously fell through because neither of us could play an instrument). I also remember being completely devastated when I found out Kurt Cobain has died almost a decade prior to the first time I heard “Smells Like Teen Spirit.” Even though this album belongs to Generation X, I can still feel the impact. I still love the three-chord simplicity, the gruffness of Kurt’s vocals, the often-nonsensical lyrics. Nevermind may be as old as me, but it feels new every time I hear it.

Toadies

Sound Familiar?

“Possum Kingdom”

Who Are They?

Post-grungers from Texas responsible for that one song you like to play on Guitar Hero II.

In a world after the death of Kurt Cobain, we were introduced to a new phenomenon called post-grunge. Okay, so it was less of a phenomenon and more of a blatant rip-off of Nirvana. But it was huge.

Band who get lumped into this category tend to be modern rock radio favorites like Candlebox, Collective Soul and Stone Temple Pilots (and don’t give me the whole “STP was totally a grunge band” argument. You’re wrong).

And then there were the Toadies.

Formed in 1989 in Fort Worth, Texas, these guys established themselves as, well, pretty odd. According to singer/guitarist Vaden Todd Lewis, “There’s a certain uneasiness to the Toadies.” In other words, this band is twisted in the most delicious of ways.

After recording and self-releasing an EP called Pleather in 1992, the Toadies signed to Interscope Records and dropped a strange little album called Rubberneck in 1994. The record’s most successful single, “Possum Kingdom,” helped Rubberneck achieve platinum status. Other singles that you may remember hearing on the radio for a hot second included “Tyler” and “Away.”

(Side note: I do not consider the Toadies a one-hit-wonder because “Away” actually made in on to the Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks list. Plus they’re just too good to be a one-hit-wonder.)

But when the band sent what they thought would be their sophomore album to the label bigwigs in 1997, it was immediately dismissed and the Toadies were forced to start from scratch. As a result, Hell Below/Stars Above wasn’t released until 2001. The album was a flop and the Toadies broke up five months after its release. (Fun fact: Elliott Smith played backup piano on the album’s title track.)

Where Are They Now?

Reunited and just as strange as ever.

“Possum Kingdom” remained a rock radio staple well after the band’s break-up. Because of this, the Toadies maintained a devoted fan base that begged for a reunion.

Eventually, Todd Lewis and crew regrouped for a St. Patrick’s Day show in 2006 and a mini tour in 2007. After a short hiatus, Todd began writing again and the Toadies released No Deliverance in 2008.

Like most reunited ‘90s bands, the Toadies became festival circuit regulars, playing Lollapalooza in 2008 and the Austin City Limits Festival in 2009.

In 2010, the band’s shelved sophomore album, Feeler, finally saw a release (even though it had been floating around the Internet for years).

But Why the Toadies?

They just released their latest album Play.Rock.Music, which means a new tour and a very happy Sam.

What Does Sam Think?

If you couldn’t already tell, I love the Toadies. I do have a strange fascination with post-grunge bands, probably due to the fact that I lived and breathed mainstream rock radio back in the day. I still have a soft spot for what is known as “butt rock.” DON’T JUDGE ME.

Anyway, remember that quote from Vaden Todd Lewis about how strange the Toadies are? He wasn’t kidding. This band is peculiar in all the right ways.

First, let’s analyze the appeal of “Possum Kingdom.” The guitars have a murky, grungy quality that kind of makes you want to take a nice, long shower. And that riff at the end of the first verse? I said goddamn. It’s delicious.

The lyrics are honestly the icing on the cake.

I’m not gonna lie
I’ll not be a gentleman
Behind the boathouse
I’ll show you my dark secret

Rumor has it that this tune is an ode to your friendly neighborhood bloodsucker. So this is a rock song about vampires. What’s not to like?

Though the Toadies are a post-grunge/mainstream rock band, they don’t fall into the trap of the Creeds and Nickelbacks of the world. That is, their sound doesn’t cater to the needs of balding, middle-aged men and their cougar wives. The Toadies are the outsiders of modern rock. They mix that “bigger-in-Texas” sound with the dirtiest of grunge influences.

In other words, it’s dive bar music. Grab a flannel shirt, some cowboy boots and a shot of whiskey because things are gonna get rough.

I had the pleasure of seeing these guys live back in 2008 and they sounded great. They don’t ride the nostalgia train like most bands their age. For example, when I saw Marcy Playground over the summer, they played up the whole ‘90s novelty thing by continuously reminding the audience, “Hey! We’re that obscure band from the ‘90s who had that one hit you all like so much!” (That hit was “Sex and Candy,” by the way.)

Toadies don’t do that. They have a pretty dedicated fan base (myself included) and don’t rely on the appeal of that one really huge hit to appease on audience.

Their newest album sounds like classic Toadies and that’s just perfect. If you’re only familiar with “Possum Kingdom” (and you really dig it), check out the rest of their catalogue, especially Rubberneck.

Or you can just rock out to “Possum Kingdom” until you die.

-- Sam Boyer, reporting from the ‘90s.