Top 10 Alternative Rock One-Hit Wonders of the 90’s

Ahh, the good ole’ 90’s… an era where alternative rock exploded across every airwave in America and if you weren’t wearing torn flannel, well then, you simply weren’t cool. Remember those great grunge rock 90’s one-hit wonders? You know, the ones that were constantly overplayed on every rock radio station as well as MTV (back when MTV used to actually play music videos). There were certain tunes that were so catchy, you really thought the band was on the fast track to stardom until – poof – they disappeared without a trace.

It’s really an unknown mystery as to why some artists explode by writing a hit single that sweeps the nation and then vanish into thin air. I was recapping on the top one-hit wonders of the 90’s alternative rock genre, and here is the top ten list that I compiled:

1. Spacehog: “In The Meantime”

Back in 1995, it seemed that no matter what rock station you were listening to or what music video channel you were watching, “In The Meantime” was everywhere you looked. It was a David Bowie inspired, retro-glam kind of rock tune. Although the rest of the album seems to get great reviews, this was the only hit that made the cut.

2. Blind Melon: “No Rain”

In the midst of all the melancholy grunge rock music that evolved in the early 90’s, “No Rain” was like a breath of fresh air. It is a fun, upbeat, mellow song with a hippie-like sound that made you feel good. This gleeful little tune soon became a hit every where, and rightfully so.

3. 4 Non Blondes: “What’s Up”

“What’s Up” has a certain mellow, bluesy, acoustic rock feel to it that puts you right at ease and makes you want to sing along to every word. Not to mention, Linda Perry has one of those raspy, distinctive female rocker voices with a great range, so she adds some style and talent to it as well.

4. Lucious Jackson: “Naked Eye”

Luscious Jackson evolved just in time for the female rocker era: Veruca Salt, Hole, Letters to Cleo… everyone was doing it. Although they released several albums between 1993 and 2000 “Naked Eye” was the only song that became a hit and reached the Billboard Top 40. It actually sounds like more of a funk-pop song than a rock song. It has a fast, catchy rhythm with a sexy female sing-talky chant to go along with every beat.

5. Tracy Bonham: “Mother Mother”

Ahh, good old Tracy Bonham. She seemed to have got caught in the middle of deciding whether to be an angry, female rocker or a nice, mellow acoustic artist. The reason being is that every verse of this song contains a mellow, acoustic beat followed by a chorus explosion of frighteningly angry screams. But once again, it was a hit!

6. Crash Test Dummies: “Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm”

Another obscure 90’s song. This had to be one of the strangest songs ever made. Every word was sung in the same, monotone, followed by a chorus that contained one word: “mmm”. And technically, that’s not even a word.

7. Tripping Daisy: “I Got a Girl”

This song is borderline categorizing as strange, along with the Crash Test Dummies, except for the fact that it’s rather upbeat and catchy. Although it doesn’t have much musical or vocal talent, it’s a fun, bubbly song that makes you want to turn up the volume and dance around your room.

8. Folk Implosion: “Natural One”

This song was featured in the movie “KIDS” circa 1995 and it was different than most of the songs that emerged in the 90’s. It was sung in a very low tone and had a funky drum beat that you could groove to. The vibe was rather hypnotic with an eerie guitar sound and strange percussion.

9. Marcy Playground: “Sex and Candy”

“Sex and Candy” was another strange, mellow 90’s song with down tempo chords and a dull melody. John Wozniak’s vocals were rather sleepy and repetitive. I could never quite comprehend why this became a hit.

10. Mad Season: “River of Deceit”

I know, I know, there’s no way Mad Season would be considered a one-hit wonder band right? Well, technically, this was their only hit that charted. This track just proved that talented artists like Layne Staley can still be successful when forming a supergroup and showing some diversity. “River of Deceit” was the complete opposite of the loud rocking Alice in Chains songs that the public was used to. It had a country-rock feel with beautiful instrumentation.