Kat’s Top 10 Favorite One Hit Wonders in Rock Music

September 25th is National One Hit Wonder Day and to celebrate, I thought I'd put together a short list of some of my favorite One Hit Wonders in rock music. By definition, a One Hit Wonder is just that - a band or performer who had one solitary hit song and then sort of fizzled out after that. They may have released more music, but they were just never able to grab footing with another track to break out of the label of only having a single hit song. Certainly while it seems that these musical anomalies are more prevalent in other genres of music like Pop and Hip Hop, Rock n Roll is not without it's fair share of One Hit Wonders.

I thought I would compose a list of my 10 favorite One Hit Wonders from Rock music - Fair warning: I may get a little nostalgic.

1) Free "Alright Now" (1970)

Fun Fact: When I was in high school I was obsessed with Classic Rock and this was one of my favorites to cruise around to in my 1972 Chevelle - I really was born in the wrong era. But with lyrics like, "Love? Lord above! Now you're tryin' to trick me in love," what 16 year old girl wouldn't want to sing that at the top of her lungs?

2) The Jeff Healey Band "Angel Eyes" (1989)

I am a sucker for 80s Power Ballads and "Angel Eyes" has always been one of my favorites. I mean really - what girl wouldn't swoon over a guy professing his love like this:

3) EMF "Unbelievable" (1991)

If ever there were a poster child for a One Hit Wonder, it's "Unbelievable" from EMF. These British Alt-Rockers tore it up with this song in 1991 and young Kat Mykals was eating it up!

4) Ugly Kid Joe "Everything About You" (1992)

No One Hit Wonder list would be complete without this gem. In 1992, I was rocking this at full volume on boombox with the bass boost button fully depressed because that was the cool way to listen to your music, right? I may have been a love scorned teen at this time and this song was everything -"Some say I got a bad attitude, but that don't change the way I feel about you. If you think all this might be bringing me down, look again cause I ain't wearin' no frown!"

5) Blind Melon "No Rain" (1993)

This one is controversial for me because I am a fan of Blind Melon and I know that they had more great songs than just "No Rain," but by definition, they are in fact, a One Hit Wonder. In 1993, I was 14 years old and this boy from Indiana was all over the radio. As a girl who never felt like she fit in anywhere, Bee girl was my spirit animal. (Side note: If you've never heard "Mouth Full of Cavities" listen to it now. It's actually my personal favorite Blind Melon song. It is hauntingly beautiful.)

6) Toadies "Possum Kingdom" (1994)

The boys from Tyler, Texas absolutely stole my heart with this song. It's dark. It's vampy (you do know it's about vampires, right?) and in 1994 I had just discovered my love of Anne Rice novels. "Possum Kingdom" is still, to this day, a sing at the top of my lungs song for me. Every time it comes on, I am suddenly 16 all over again.

7) Spacehog "In the Meantime" (1996)

Jumping ahead to what would have been the start of my senior year of high school, we get "In the Meantime." Now while you may not remember the band name or even the song title off the top of your head, you'll know it as soon as you hear it and go "Ohhhhh yeah!" This song is also included in the movie Back in the Day from Newburgh native, Michael Rosenbaum.

8) Wheatus "Teenage Dirtbag" (2000)

While they certainly were never a mainstream band by any stretch, Wheatus hit it on the head with how I think every teen in the 2000s felt. Let's face it - the teen years are hard. I wouldn't want to relive that sh** again. Would you? "Teenage Dirtbag" exemplifies every early-2000s chick flicks where the nerd gets the hottie. Good for you, dude. Good for you.

9) Nine Days "Absolutely (Story of a Girl)" (2000)

The early 2000s were full of lighter sounding rock and Nine Days was one of those bands that just sort of fell in with the rest but "Story of a Girl" always struck a chord (pun intended) with me. It just kind of fit in well with the angsty vibe that I had going on at 21.

19) The Ataris "Boys of Summer" (2003)

This is sort of a double whammy of music loser-ship with this one... Not only did The Ataris only have one hit, it wasn't even technically their song! Now, don't get me wrong. I do love this cover and I love the lyrical change to reference Black Flag but in the world of One Hit Wonders, this one is truly enigmatic.

What's your favorite One Hit Wonder?

These would make a great roadtrip playlist when you head off to Gatlinburg in your brand new Ford Ecosport SE from Dempewolf Ford. Enter now: