THE DECADE: MUSIC – ONE HIT WONDERS

As with every decade, there are some artists who have staying power and some who don’t. Some bands come from obscurity and tear up the charts only to come crashing down just as quickly as they rose to the top, others string along the notion of lasting dominance only to realize that they never did become what everybody thought they would be.

It is as tragic as it is joyous. Thus we here at Lucky Street Tribune have decided to include for you the one-hit wonders of the decade. On one hand, the artist or band made it to the top, something that very few musicians are able to do; on the other hand, the pressure to stay on top proved to be too intricate a task. Some one-hit wonders are the product of being at the right place at the right time, others set a musical trend, some are the products of a key producer or featuring artist’s touch, some are covers, and some are just so stupid that they cannot help but be a chart topper.

To be fair, time is the biggest factor in determining who is/will become a one-hit wonder; for every novelty song (where it is obvious that the band will be a one hit wonder) there an instance where the artist really had the chops, but they just couldn’t regain their swagger to collect a second hit and before they knew it, they are being labeled a one-hit wonder. Time really is the key to becoming a one-hit wonder. Because of this, no songs from 2007 – 2009 are featured on this list.

Below is the list of the Top 10 One-Hit Wonders (along with a series of fake awards to accompany them):

1. Bad Day – Daniel Powter [2006]

----- Winner of the “Greatest American Hero Award” (a.k.a. the “One-Hit Wonder Where the Song was Bigger Than the Show Award”)



Take away American Idol and this song would never have made it into the top ten. And oh did they play the crap out of this song. They just played it and played it and played it and played it and played it and played it and played it and… It’s hard to imagine that the song would be a hit on the radio when it was heard every week on American Idol. Seriously, even if you didn’t watch the show and tried to avoid the radio, this song could still be heard everywhere. There was literally nowhere else to hide. This song suffered the same fate as many one-hit wonders: overexposure; it was just played too damn much. The fact that it engulfed the world’s most famous music competition (almost overshadowing the show itself) and the fact that it reached the top of the billboard charts with nary a hint of repeat status earns Daniel Powter the title of One-Hit Wonder of the Decade.

2. Who Let the Dogs Out? – Baha Men [2000]

----- Winner of the “Macarena Award” (a.k.a. the “Worst One-Hit Wonder of the Decade Award”)



Seriously? Seriously? Are you guys f - - king kidding me? Are you proud of yourselves? Well, believe it or not, it was a hit. So simple was the track that everyone from mothers to schoolchildren began to perform this song at everyday events such as sporting events to music class. Half of the people loved this song and half of them hated it. Looking back, I’m sure everyone who loved the song is embarrassed to have liked it for as long as they did.

3. Crazy – Gnarles Barkley [2006]



I remember when, I remember, I remember when this song was big; something so special about that song… This song was possibly the most acclaimed of the group, winning Rolling Stone Magazine’s Song of the Year award. Gnarles Barkley is definitely a unique product, one who was never meant to be a superstar, let alone a chart topper. This song was never supposed to be a hit and he knew it. Fortunately, it was well received and went on to become one of the most covered songs of the decade. Artists who covered this song include the Kooks, and Butch Walker.

4. Butterfly – Crazy Town [2001]



Attention all white people who think they can rap: look no further than 2001’s “Butterfly” by Crazy Town to show you that no, you really can’t rap and expect to be cool. Cheezy and simple, Crazy Town delivered a monster hit and was never heard from again. If anything, they were a buffer band; they were a band that filled in the gap between one prominent band and another. Reminicent to Limp Bizkit, Crazy Town took themselves too seriously (without the talent to back it up). As a hybrid rock/rap band, they managed to pave the way for several similar bands yet to come, including Linkin Park. It’s doubtful that anybody is hoping to hear a new Crazy Town song on the radio, because that would be the saddest thing in the history of the world.

5. Absolutely (Story of a Girl) – Nine Days [2000]

----- Winner of the “Come On Eileen Award” (a.k.a. the “Best One-Hit Wonder Song Of the Decade Award”)



Nine Days is the band that should have been one of the best artists of the decade and instead only left us with the fond memory of just the one song. Everyone expected more from them, everyone thought they would be back on top, but fate had a different idea in store for them; Sony, their record label, decided to shelf their 2003 album So Happily Unsatisfied (which has still yet to be released). Without their record label behind them (and an additional three years left on their contract) the band had a hard time remaining relevant, so they worked on solo projects in the meantime. The gap between their 2000 hit and their follow-up album was seven years; far too much time to remain relevant. At this point, the band seems unlikely to accomplish anything more than “Absolutely (Story of a Girl)”, but they are still together and stranger things have happened.

6. I Try – Macy Gray [2000]



When it comes to Macy Gray, one has to wonder if her Grammy Award for Best New Artist was a bit premature. “I Try” was a bona-fide chart topper and her smoky, raspy voice was defiantly unique, but she was never able to repeat that same success. She had some minor success with her follow-up album but they were forgettable and out of everyone’s heads not long after their release. Soon after, he career took a downturn and she moved on to other things, including acting. After he acting career dried up she returned to music, going under the alias Nemesis Jaxson. She is hoping to release her next album by 2010.

7. Wherever You Will Go – The Calling [2002]

----- Winner of the "That Thing You Do Award" (a.k.a. the "Band that Couldn't Stop Fighting Long Enough to Produce Another Hit Award")



Becoming one of the top hits of the year, “Wherever You Will Go” derived most of its popularity from lead singer Alex Band’s vocal similarity to then-Creed front man Scott Stapp. The Calling seemed to have everything going for it, until it didn’t. Not long after their song left the charts the band faced turmoil backstage and faced in-fighting. Half of the members left the band and sued the remaining members of the band, a break-up soon followed. Alex Band went on to acquire a top ten hit with his solo song “Why Don’t You & I” in 2004. Despite their one hit, the song has remained fairly steady airplay on light rock radio stations.

8. Tipsy – J-Kwon [2004]



Written by a teenager who was not legally old enough to drink, J-Kwon set the music world on fire with “Tipsy”. A simple song with agonizingly simple lyrics, J-Kwon was too young to have anything important to say, was too inexperienced to have multiple songs under his arsenal, and happened to catch lightning in a bottle. There were a million better hip-hop songs out there, this song just happened to be a hit at the clubs. Because of his youth, it’s not out of the question that J-Kwon can have another hit, but after five years without a hit and out of the limelight the odds are against him.

9. Laffy Taffy – D4L [2006]

----- Winner of the “Anita Ward Award” (a.k.a. the “Genre Makes The Hit Award”)



Ah, krunk; a simpler time, a time when all a person had to do was yell a couple of key phrases like “WHAT! YEAH! and OKAY! to assure one’s-self a hit. D4L’s “Laffy-Taffy” not only featured a repetitive chorus, monster bass tracks, and an element of sampeling (from the song “Candy Girl” by New Edition) but it also was released during krunk’s viable hey-day. Had it been released in 2002 or 2008 it would not have been a hit; timing was everything to this song’s success. Oddly enough, while it reached number one on the US Billboard Top 100 charts, it never became a top five rap or hip-hop song on its respective chart.

10. Blue (Da Ba Dee) – Eiffel 65 [2000]



Released in January of 2000, this song earns the title for the first true one hit wonder of the decade. Eiffel 65, a dance music band, made its first and only crossover hit of their career. The annoyingly catchy dance-mix song was enhanced by its effects-driven music video, featuring a bevy of 3-D aliens rocking out to the song in outer space.

Honorable Mentions:

• You’re Beautiful – James Blunt [2006]



The reason this song didn’t make the list (it would have been listed at number two) is because the likelihood of James Blunt having another hit is still quite high. When “You’re Beautiful” first came out, the world indulged on it to the point where it heard it too much, and later became disgusted with it and never wanted to hear it again. In fact, the song’s tremendous popularity (and later revolt) may be the reason that Blunt may fall into the annals of history as a one-hit wonder. It seems premature to call him a one-hit wonder at this moment but it also wouldn’t be wise to exclude him either.

• Mambo No. 5 (A Little Bit of…) – Lou Bega [1999-2000] & Thong Song – Sisqo [1999-2000]





Technically these songs were both released in November of 1999, so they can’t officially be listed as having been released this decade. However, neither songs had reached their full hit status until the new millennium, so they count. “Thong Song” did not become a hit until March and “Mambo No. 5” was a hit well into the summer, spanning more parody songs than anyone could imagine. In Atlanta, both the Atlanta Braves and the Atlanta Zoo featured radio ad parodies of the song. As they both are novelty songs, neither singer saw their solo career pan out. Sisqo had a bit more success, being a feature singer on the popular Will Smith song “The Wild, Wild West” for the film of the same name. He also went on to have cameos in a couple of television and movies before fading out of the spotlight.

• Because I Got High – Afroman [2001]

----- Winner of the “Chumbawamba Award” (a.k.a. “Song That Became An Anthem Award”)



This song really connected with a lot of people because they get high, because they get high, because they get hi-igh. This song will be the musical version of the film “Half Baked” – a pot smokers’ delight. A niche song, this novelty track has the potential to have more lasting power than any of these songs on the list.

• Lean Back – Terror Squad [2004]

----- Winner of the “Electric Slide Award” (a.k.a. the “Dance Move that Sweeps the Nation Award”)

----- Winner of the “Rockwell Award” (a.k.a. the “I Got A Major Artist To Perform In This Song And That Is The Only Reason That This Song Is A Hit Award”)



Okay lazy people, you officially have a dance move; now shut the f- - k up. This song, popularized by the appearance of Fat Joe – who basically does most of the work on this song – requires the following moves to become a dancing guru: Step 1) Lean back. Step 2) … There is no step two.

• I Believe in a Thing Called Love – The Darkness [2003]

----- Winner of the “Gary Numan Award” (a.k.a. “The Right Place at the Right Time Award”)



This faux rock band was a band that was ahead of its time, right on time. Marvelous 3’s 1999 “Ready, Sex, Go” album featured many of the same elements of this ironically retro rock pop album, yet did not reach hit status. So why did this band have a hit and not Marvelous 3? Two words: Falsetto Voice.

• God Bless the USA – Lee Greenwood [1984/2001]



Is it possible for a one-hit wonder to become a hit again? If so, then Lee Greenwood is your man. Originally becoming a one-hit wonder in 1984, the country singer’s track was usually only heard during the 4th of July weekend. Then September 11th happened; suddenly patriotic music filled the airwaves and “God Bless the USA” was the biggest benefactor. Re-entering the charts, this single rose to number 16 on the US Billboard Top 100.