Sometimes, a one-hit wonder will come along as the pure embodiment of David Byrne’s “Psycho Killer” sentiment: “Say something once, why say it again?” If you’re going to get your point across, then you might as well do so succinctly. After that, what purpose does repetition serve?
Across multiple decades and just as many genres, these five one-hit wonders topped the charts for a singular moment, said what they had to say, and then faded out of the charts and into a more nostalgic musical rotation.
“MMMBop” by Hanson
I’ll start this list of one-hit wonder lyrics by getting the obvious joke out of the way: no, I’m not including Hanson’s 1997 hit song, “MMMBop”, for the chorus. If you get past the infectious earworm “mmmbops” and “ba duba bops”, the verses are actually surprisingly sentimental.
“You have so many relationships in this life / only one or two will last / You go through all the pain and strife / then you turn your back, and they’re gone so fast,” the song begins. “So, hold on the ones who really care / in the end, they’ll be the only ones there / when you get old, start losing your hair.”