A quick flashback to some memorable one-hit wonders — artists who only ever had one song make it onto the Hot 100, but left a lasting impression with it. This is our countdown of the top 5 one-hit wonders of the '90s.

5: Marcy Playground – Sex and Candy

📈 Entered the charts in 1998
⏳ Charted for 20 weeks
🏆 Peak Position: #8

Slow and simple, like a Beck tune reimagined by a hungover grunge band, “Sex and Candy” is almost hypnotic with its mellow vibe and vivid, surreal lyrics about “disco superfly” and “double cherry pie.” Once that catchy groove gets in your head, there’s no escaping it — and chances are, you still can’t.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-KT-r2vHeMM

4: Edwyn Collins – A Girl Like You

📈 Entered the charts in 1995
⏳ Charted for 9 weeks
🏆 Peak Position: #32

With its smooth neo-soul groove and playful spy-movie vibes, the former Orange Juice frontman hit a sweet spot with this retro-inspired, mid-tempo earworm. There’s a timeless quality to the sound — it almost feels like it could’ve been recorded back in the ’50s. Definitely addictive and impossible to forget.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6oqJ0JpMj6I

3: Faster Pussycat – House of Pain

📈 Entered the Billboard Hot 100 in 1990
⏳ Charted for 21 weeks
🏆 Peak Position: #28

This powerful ballad came from one of the ‘80s Sunset Strip’s gritty glam rock bands. Though it was released in 1989, it didn’t really break onto the charts until the following year — thanks in large part to heavy MTV rotation. While Faster Pussycat are often known for their sleazy, hard-partying image and songs about drugs and girls, “House of Pain” stands out as a darker, more serious, and surprisingly beautiful ballad about life’s harsher realities.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eunWuKxfAC8

2: The Verve – Bitter Sweet Symphony

📈 Entered the Billboard Hot 100 in 1998
⏳ Charted for 20 weeks
🏆 Peak Position: #12

The Verve were massive in the UK during the late '90s, but in the U.S., this was their only Hot 100 hit. “Bitter Sweet Symphony” became iconic for its sweeping strings and existential lyrics — but it also sparked one of the most notorious copyright battles in pop history. The string section was lifted from a version of “The Last Time” by the Andrew Loog Oldham Orchestra, which led to Mick Jagger and Keith Richards receiving all the royalties for years. Thankfully, in 2019, the Stones finally returned the rights to Richard Ashcroft.

Legal drama aside, this remains one of the great anthems of the era — majestic, melancholic, and unforgettable.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lyu1KKwC74

1: Blind Melon – No Rain

📈 Entered the charts in 1993
⏳ Charted for 23 weeks
🏆 Peak Position: #20

Often labeled as grunge, Blind Melon’s sound actually feels more like a blend of the Allman Brothers and Jane’s Addiction. Shannon Hoon’s soaring vocals brought their shimmering melodies to life, making “No Rain” a lasting classic one-hit wonder. Don’t miss the Unplugged version, where he changes the opening line to “All I can say is that the Velvet Underground is great...” A poignant moment, considering he tragically died just two years later at 28 from a cocaine overdose.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qVPNONdF58