The Most Iconic One-Hit Wonders of Each Decade

There’s much to be said about one-hit wonders, as the concept is often bewildering. How can an artist or band create a chart-topping single, but fail to replicate clout? The Billboard Hot 100 debuted in 1958, and since then, there have been more than 60 one-hit wonders under review. Today, we’re looking at some of the most beloved one-hit wonders and the impact of their fleeting moments in the spotlight.

In the 1990 book The Billboard Book of One-Hit Wonders, music journalist Wayne Jancik defined a one-hit wonder as “an act that has won a position on [the] national, pop, Top 40 record chart just once.” For this list, however, we’re going to focus on songs that reached No. 1 on the chart.

So, what was it that hindered those artists from longevity? Musical trends change rapidly and, in such a competitive industry, it’s crucial to work fast, especially when you’re starting out. But if you can’t recreate the magic of that first hit, or the rest of your album is weak comparatively, you’re sure to get left behind once your 15 minutes is up.

The ability to become a one-hit wonder has also evolved over recent decades. In the 1990s, MTV would only feature the most popular music videos of the time, plus novelty songs and dance crazes were all the rage. It became the norm to only download one song to an mp3 player and listen to it on a constant loop rather than giving attention to an entire album.

In the 2010s and beyond, “going viral” on social media is a daily occurrence as independent artists use their platforms to promote themselves in hopes of becoming the next big thing. On mediums like TikTok, all it takes is one perfectly choreographed dance to a catchy song to launch any small-time artist into momentary fame.

This might be a hot take, but we’re going all-in that the very first one-hit wonder was “Tequila” by The Champs. Charting at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1958 for five weeks, this classic, mostly instrumental bop is still one of the most recognizable songs ever and has been featured in huge movies such as The Sandlot and Pee Wee’s Big Adventure.

At just 1:39, “Stay” by Maurice Williams & the Zodiacs is the shortest No. 1 chart-topper and only held the No. 1 spot for a single week in 1960. In 1987, the song would make it to the big screen in Dirty Dancing, which was set in the summer of 1963. The track has been covered by bands such as the Hollies and the Four Seasons, with the latter earning the No. 16 position on the Hot 100 chart in 1964.

In 1976, Starland Vocal Band graced us with “Afternoon Delight,” perhaps the most suggestive soft rock hit of the 1970s. Its impact on popular culture, even now, is widely recognized, as everyone knows what you’re referring to when you mention having a bit of afternoon delight. It stayed at No. 1 for two weeks and on the chart a total of 20 weeks.

Maybe the most popular one-hit wonder of all time, A-ha’s “Take on Me” deserves a spot on our list. In 1985, Norwegian band A-ha made it to No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot 100, becoming a household name. Although it only spent one week at No. 1, “Take on Me” was on the chart for 28 weeks and radio DJs play it to this day. Not to mention, the music video, which blends live action and animation, is still highly regarded.

We had to give this honor to none other than “The Macarena (Bayside Boys Mix)” by Los Del Rio, which spent 14 weeks at No. 1 in 1996. Originally set to a flamenco rhythm and released in 1993, “Macarena” only achieved modest success in Los Del Rio’s home country of Spain. But with the Bayside Boys mix in 1995, the track would become a global dance phenomenon the following year. If you were of conscious mind in the mid-1990s, you certainly know “The Macarena.”

Written about a girl the lead singer was seeing at the time, “Butterfly” by Crazy Town was a huge success for the band and its genre of rap rock in 2001. Although Crazy Town only experienced momentary success with “Butterfly,” they paved the way for bands with a similar sound to experience life at the top of the Billboard Hot 100. This hit spent two weeks at No. 1 and a total of 23 weeks on the chart.

This should come as a surprise to no one, but we’re ranking 2012’s “Somebody that I Used to Know” by Gotye ft. Kimbra as the best one-hit wonder, and maybe even the best break-up anthem, of its decade. With haunting lyrics such as, So when we found that we could not make sense / Well you said that we would still be friends / But I'll admit that I was glad that it was over, Gotye really had us in our feelings.

Spending eight weeks at No. 1 and a total of 59 weeks on the chart, Gotye even won two GRAMMY awards in 2013, but disappeared into the background shortly after he emerged. It’s a bummer that he didn’t make it any bigger, though, as “Somebody that I Used to Know” is such a great song. Who knows? Maybe he’ll make a comeback one day.

There you have it, our favorite one-hit wonders from each decade. It’s no secret that the music industry is tough to break into, but sometimes all it takes is the right chords in the right progression, plus a little bit of luck, to make the masses stop and notice. Maintaining momentum and repeating that success over and over? That’s the hard part. Thus, the phenomenon of the one-hit wonder lives on.