Best one hit wonder of the 90s (Female)

Oleta Adams (The Tonight Show):

Tara Kemp (Hold You Tight #3)

From that list, I thought Macy Gray would have more hits. She was incredibly interesting to me.

Also from that list? The Torn lady can rot in hell. I'm sure she's a wonderful person, but that song was the absolute worst and inescapable.

Please. We know that Robyn has gone on to much success and acclaim.

Some of these I don't remember. Some of these I wish I could forget

Natalie Imbruglia's "Torn" was inescapable in 1997:

Robin S:

Jane Child:

Meredith Brooks:

The best was the Four Non-Blondes.

Dionne Farris. Anyone know what happened to her?

"Crush" topped the charts in Australia, Canada, and New Zealand while peaking at number three on the US Billboard Hot 100, where it stayed for four consecutive weeks in September 1998

OP, where are you from? I'm guessing not the US, otherwise some of your chart positions are off.

Don't Want To Fall In Love was #2 for 3 weeks.

I Love You Always Forever was #2 for 9 weeks.

R2, Tara hit #3 with "Hold You Tight" and #7 with her follow up:

Jane Child closes this thread down. That song hit Top 10 on pop and r&b charts, and then she disappeared.

Never heard of any of them except Macy Gray.

No doubt some sort of casting couch issue was involved, as it usually is...

The "I Love You Always Forever" single came out summer 1996. It was all over the radio and I remember thinking how wonderful Cyndi Lauper finally had a big comeback hit.

[quote] Some of these I don't remember.

Which don't you remember, R5?

Jane Child had a modest hit with "Welcome to the Real World" too. Cracked the top 50 but missed the top 40.

[quote] Dionne Farris. Anyone know what happened to her?

Still recording. Her 1997 song "Hopeless" from the 'Love Jones' soundtrack was a huge hit at R&B radio. In 2014, she recorded an excellent CD of Dionne Warwick covers accompanied by Charlie Hunter.

What about Sonny Came Home?

LOL R17, so did I! We just had to settle for the reggae remake of Girls Just Want To Have Fun.

The Dionne Farris song was such a massive radio hit in 1995. Her success certainly helped Lauryn Hill get radio airplay.

R21, that was #11 on my list. I didn't include it since it only hit #7.

I don't remember Oleta's song, but I love her duet with Tears for Fears.

I voted for Donna Lewis, as I think it holds up best decades later:

Definitely Natalie Imbruglia - Torn for me

[quote]Never heard of any of them except Macy Gray.

What about "one hit wonder" don't you understand, R16?

Macy had a hit album, Oleta Adams was not that kind of girl - she had a long career. Meredith Brooks couldn't sing. At all.

Robyn is a superstar.

The correct answer is Natalie Imbruglia. Great song, good singer. Too beautiful - maybe a bit of a dilettante? Or just Australian. Torn was A HUGE hit that deserved to be. It is as instantly memorable as Jewel's Foolish Games from that time.

Those cute mormon girls in Hanson -mmmbop>>>>>

Macy Gray's huge hit was nominated for 3 Grammys including Record of The Year:

No one remembers that Oleta Adams song. Sinead is the biggest and best known one hit wonder of the 90’s with her number one smash hit and she is not listed!

[quote] It is as instantly memorable as Jewel's Foolish Games from that time.

I don't believe this song is remembered by anyone under 40.

R31 Also where is Lisa Loeb, Fiona Apple and the Deelite chick? This poll kind of sucks.

I am under 40, R32. Torn is instantly recognizable and danceable and a pretty good song. Because it's a dance song about love. I would say that no one over 40 knows it. How old are you - I'd guess about 72?

Torn is a lot like Kelly Clarkson's Since You Been Gone. You just remember it from all the time and everywhere. Powerful love anthem with a kick ass dance chorus. We were kids - not some old gay men in bars.

Under 40.

No, R33. Almost every word in your post is wrong.

Lisa had several top 10 hits. Fiona only hit #21 US, and Dee-lite was a Group.

Lisa Loeb had one top ten hit in the 90’s ( number one “Stay”’and she’s used that song to stay sort of relevant for the last 27 years) Her other songs barely cracked the top 20. I use us charts because that is the biggest market. Lisa Loeb is considered a one hit wonder by mostly everyone.

R35 Why did you leave off Sinead??

R34, you are correct, I think "Torn" is probably most remembered on this list. My point was that hardly anyone remembers "Foolish Games" in 2022. "You Were Meant For Me" was the song most people remember from Jewel.

Lisa Loeb had legitimate Top 20 hits with "Do You Sleep, and "I Do".

I could've sworn Macy Gray charted with "Sweet Baby."

Lisa Loeb is too famous to be a one hit wonder. A one hit wonder kind of suggests that it's the song more than the singer who made it. Lisa made it as Lisa Loeb.

Torn is the answer. Not that it's so great to be a one hit wonder. Imbruglia was beautiful and had a good look and could sing. But she was too ONJ for the late 90s. A model. Natalie still sings this today I think.

[quote] Why did you leave off Sinead?

Sinead deserves a poll debating her 10 best hits:

I still love the Jane Child song.

I like a lot of other songs by Joan Osborne, but I grew weary of One of Us.

OMG Robin S at r7: now that’s a 90s gay club Fave, from Berlin to Bali to Baltimore!

Foolish Games, the single - is ranked at number 20 on Billboard's All Time Top 100 and held the Guinness World Record for the longest chart run of a single, 65 weeks. This achievement has since been surpassed.

How Foolish to say Jewel's song is not remembered. It was EVERYWHERE. For 65 weeks.

R42 If your criteria is didn’t have any more billboard top 20 US hits then Sinead belongs on the poll dumbass.

R14 that’s my favorite Tara Kemp song. She’s from Livermore, about 45 mins from me, & they used to play those 2 songs a lot in the early ‘90s. She had a third hit, Too Much (a ballad) that I’d hear here on the radio through the late ‘90s (I think on account of her being a local).

Strictly speaking, a group, but the tune is so offbeatly catchy, so

R48 if the group had a female main singer it should count!

R47, I think Tara Kemp is working as a successful real estate agent and is happily retired after her 2 big hits.

Okay this is more for the UK and British Commonwealth countries: B*Witched, an Irish Spicegirls-wannabe group, with their one and only hit, ‘C’est la vie’.

It’s a catchy song, so enjoy

[quote] Foolish Games, the single - is ranked at number 20 on Billboard's All Time Top 100 and held the Guinness World Record for the longest chart run of a single, 65 weeks.

The single was released as "Foolish Games/You Were Meant for Me". The song that was a huge radio hit was "You Were Meant for Me".

I see the Robin/Robyn troll(s) have shown up. They must be from the UK because nobody gave a rat's ass about her in the US.

What an idiot at R52 and R53. Same poster. Arguing for no reason. Yes, it is THAT nutjob.

R49 I was such a fan! The song that closed her album, “Tara by the Way,” was such an odd one. A remix of DJ dialogue & snippets of convo, kinda like Tracie Spencer’s “Tracie’s Hideout,” also from the same era, where the singer talk-sings her bio! I like both “songs” but hadn’t heard such things before or since.

R51 If you were really a Brit you would know those Irish gals had more than one hit. they had four top 5 songs in the Uk (four of them number one hits) including this one, their best IMO.

I wouldn't include Shawn Colvin, r21. She was a folk rocker making albums long before, and is still touring today. The album with Sunny Come Home just caught fire.

Macy Gray had some good songs other than I Try.

[quote] The Dionne Farris song was such a massive radio hit in 1995. Her success certainly helped Lauryn Hill get radio airplay.

Lauryn Hill was the voice of the Fugees. I don't think her success was at all related to the radio play Dionne Farris got.

I actually hate a lot of these songs, but it's too late at night to get into that right now. Also, did Sunny come home to burn down the house because she'd been abused there?

Shawn Colvin never had a hit song. Jesus. She's ancient.

[quote] No one remembers that Oleta Adams song.

???? EVERYONE remembers that song, except you.

Did somebody upthread really mention Fiona Apple?

She had a few of indie/rock/alternative hits in the 90s (no idea about pop charts) - Criminal, Shadowboxer, Sleep to Dream.

And though she takes a while between albums, when she does drop one? They always makes a splash. I think she was nominate for a grammy just last year.

She should never be on any "one hit wonder" list. She's not really a hit maker, first. And second, she's had a long, successful career that many follow. More in the Kate Bush or Tori Amos vibe.

R56: Lolz I never said I was a Brit, so I’m afraid your inference is a bit hasty, but thanks for the info anyways

I guess this poll only applies to the pop chart. Macy Gray had other hits on the R&B charts. Oleta Adams, too, and also songs that were played on AC radio for years.

Natalie Imbruglia managed to get a few more hits in the UK.

Macy Gray had a very intriguing sound. A bit surprised to realize she had so little follow-up, pop-wise anyway.

Jane Child was a Lovecraftian abomination.

Ahem

Gabrielle’s Dreams: one hit, but what a memorable hit

Please block the idiots saying Sinead was a one hit wonder.

Oleta is fabulous.

Kym Sims yeah!

R69 Does not matter how much you liked her songs OP of shit shitty poll. Sinead had one hit!

I love that Donna Lewis song, it’s hypnotic.

R74 It’s terrible something fat frau’s would love, are you a fat frau?

I wonder if Brits remember this one (actually 2hit) wonder?

The dutch dance frauqueen

Just a little FYI, Torn was from 1998 not 1997.

R31 Are you mad? No one remembers "Get Here"? GTFOH

[quote] Just a little FYI, Torn was from 1998 not 1997.

Just a little FYI, it was released October 27, 1997.

R75 How dare you call me a frau!

Robyn ruined her career with that awful haircut... she also needs some face work.

I don't know if it was the haircut as much as it was the shitty music.

That Donna Lewis song was one of the shittiest hits of the 90s. I hate it.

Robyn is a superstar. Robin S. Is a one hit wonder.

Get Here became a big hit partially because it started getting played at the start of the gulf war and was a song for military families.

I hated "Torn" but "Wishing I Was There" was tolerable (even if Natalie and the songwriter were too stupid to use the subjunctive *were*), and the video was much more fun with various old people fighting each other throughout. Not sure about the black woman baptizing herself, but Natalie and her ridiculous outfits certainly looked better in B&W.

Macy Gray has the worst voice of any decade.

Who the fuck chose Macy Gray? She was awful.

I despised that Donna Lewis song the very first time I heard it. It's just awful.

Of that list, "Get Here" has aged the best. It's a really lovely song and Oleta Adams deserved a bigger career.

I love this duet Donna Lewis did with Richard Marx.

Macy Gray's singing is the sound of pure vocal damage. She can make noise, occasionally near the correct intonation - but she can't sing. Not one bit.

Honorable Mention: Des'ree, "You Gotta Be"

While she had a couple other hits in the UK, Europe & Australia, this was her only hit in the U.S. (peaked at #5)

[quote]I could've sworn Macy Gray charted with "Sweet Baby."

She also charted (#23) in 2010 with "Beauty in the World," which was prominently featured in the series finale of Ugly Betty. And she went to #27 in 2021 with "Thinking of You," as part of "Macy Gray and The California Jet Club."

Leave off the one hit wonder who actually went to number one AND won a Grammy.

Black Velvet if you please!

[quote]Please. We know that Robyn has gone on to much success and acclaim.

Some people on here are very confused. “ROBYN” is a Swedish singer who had a hit with “Show Me Love”. She’s different than “ROBIN S.” who is an African-American woman, who had a hit with a totally different song also called “Show Me Love”.

[quote]I wouldn't include Shawn Colvin, [R21]. She was a folk rocker making albums long before, and is still touring today. The album with Sunny Come Home just caught fire.

Shawn Colvin just happened to luck out with having a radio-friendly song out right at the time Lilith Fair and female singer-songwriters were peaking in popularity. But yeah, she was always a folk singer and wasn’t chasing commercial pop success.

I remember Joan's "One of Us" playing constantly on The Box. Will have a special place in my memory at that stage in my teen years.

R76: I love Betty Boo! Thanks for posting

Another fun number from Betty Boo!

In my mind I classify Betty together with that Deeelite Girl, retro-cuties who talk-sing their way through

R6, and it’s a COVER

Adina Howard.

Alannah Myles had a devastating neck injury that barely allows her to hold her head up. But she is still singing.

She was also cheated by her record company. She made no royalties from Black Velvet until 18 years after it was released. She really had a great voice and look. I don't know why she didn't have greater success. Rock girl voices were not really the thing I guess in 1990.

Beth Hart is another phenomenal talent who couldn't get recognition in the states. Though she is a STAR in all of Europe and much of the rest of the world. One of the great voices of our time. But no pop tart. Way too raw and troubled for the mainstream.

Monifah… Touch It.

R28 Imbruglia’s Torn was a cover. The band Ednaswap (with lead singer Anne Preven) wrote and sang Torn years before. The original version is far better than Imbruglia’s overproduced, sanitized, copycat pop version. The worst part was when Imbruglia did interviews during the height of her fame, she’d indirectly take credit for the song, never once giving Ednaswap any credit. I remember an interview where the interviewer said something like, “Torn is such a well-written song, the lyrics are very heartfelt.” And Imbruglia’s answer: “Thanks!” Fucking cunt couldn’t bring herself to credit the actual crafters of the song.

Corina - Temptation

Oh please r104 the writers received credits and royalties from it right? I heard that raspy, raggedy bitch writer sing it on Howard Stern, I actually preferred Natalie's version. The original sounds depressing and pathetic

There was also Paula Cole, who scored with "Where Have All The Cowboys Gone?" although I guess she was a two-hit wonder with "I Don't Want to Wait", which was actually a decent song until it got to be obnoxious after it became the theme song to Dawson's Creek.

R107, she was a two-hitter. Everybody has heard of both those songs.

Yes R108, I wasn't implying that no one had.

r82 Swedish ppl are odd looking.

A'me Lorain hit #9 in 1990:

Keedy had a #15 US hit in 1991:

Merrill Bainbridge ‘Mouth’

Beth Hart is a star in all of Europe and Cannes? Who knew?

Keedy = who the fuck?

Beth Hart is very much a star. A phenomenal singer and mesmerizing performer. The real deal.

*****

If for no other reason, I love Torn for the dude in the video who I found out years later was gay. With that said, Imbruglia's tiny girl wearing an enormous sweater was done to death (Winona!) by the time the video came out.

R74 Sinead is a one hit wonder but her influence far exceeds that one song. Perhaps it is her image as a bald woman, perhaps it is her shenanigans on SNL, but when people think of a one hit wonder, they don’t think of her.

Not any love for Meredith Brooke’s Bitch? I used to love that song as a child, I was so scandalized that a song would be called bitch. I do think she suffered from being confused with Alanis however.

Betty Boo was such a cutie back in the day!

Half Scotch, Half Dusun/East Malaysian

Natalie Imbruglia and Robin S were NOT one hit wonders.

Let’s hear it for the Less Celebrated Sister from Down Under!

Love the Jane Child song. I always thought it was late '80s but looked it up and sure enough the album was released in '89 but the song did not chart until '90. She is talented and should have had more hits.

[quote]Natalie Imbruglia and Robin S were NOT one hit wonders.

Yes, they were.

Black Velvet by Alannah Myles. Canadians loved here and she won a couple of Grammy's but Black Velvet was all the pop charts saw of her.

R126, Black Velvet was released in 1989, not sure it counts.

Black Velvet has already been posted on this thread about 4 times. Including the performance by Alannah Myles more recently - unable to sit up or move her head at R102. Myles has had a lot of misfortune. I don't even like the song. You know it's about Elvis, right?

Shitta

Ooh I love Dannii :-) She has a few club hits under her belt though...

Robyn hasn't had a hit single since Show me love (though she keeps on trying)

R130: Oooh another Danii fan!

I like this cover of ‘Baby Love’ by Danii, much more energetic and sassy than the original by Regina!

^ Danni

^ Double oops: DaNNII, sorry I always have trouble spelling her name!

Des'ree and "You Gotta Be" immediately came to mind when I saw this poll title, but I didn't know about her other songs. I just remember that song being EVERYWHERE in 1994-95, and it's stuck in my head again now. My top choices from the poll are "I Know" (I think people forget how catchy this is) and "I Love You Always Forever" (I hated it for years and years until I realized what an earworm it was to me and just gave in to a love/hate relationship with it).

Sorry if anyone mentioned this already, but this was another big hit around the world. Whigfield - Saturday Night

I'm always surprised this Jane Child song wasn't a hit. It's on the soundtrack of "Married to the Mob," and it plays when Tony (Dean Stockwell) and Angela (Michelle Pfeiffer) arrive at the hilariously kitschy and tacky (but expensive) Eden Roc Hotel in Miami, which was a brilliant choice on Jonathan Demme's part--as if the Eden Roc were somehow "the real world"!

The song is so great that when the movie was released I wanted for MONTHS for the album with it on it to be released, and she released it as a single--but the video was notoriously awful. Jane Child was beautiful, and the song is great, but her look was just all wrong for the time... for any time, actually. Just because you can make yourself look extreme does not mean that you'll look appealing to the people who would buy your album.

I like Kathy Troccoli who is a very accomplished and award winning CCM singer.

Bitch, please!

[quote] It’s terrible something fat frau’s would love, are you a fat frau?

No need to shame the poster, R75. The song has aged well and it's still played in gay clubs and festivals.

Betty Who - I Love you always forever - Live Paris 2018

And a country/pop cover:

[quote]No need to shame the poster, [R75]. The song has aged well and it's still played in gay clubs and festivals.

It is not.

Imani Coppola was more of a follower of Dionne Farris.

Kiwi waif Bic Runga

Why didn't Oleta Adams have much success? She has a beautiful voice.

Oleta Adams looked like she directs the church choir. Tracy Chapman and India Arie were kind of cute.

Oleta has a very formal style personally and as a singer. She is indeed a preacher's daughter who is married to the church drummer - where she teaches Sunday School.

She faced a lot of rejection. But she kept recording. I wouldn't call her a one hit wonder. Her voice is very beautiful.

They weren't R125, Wishing I was there was played HEAVILY by radio stations in late 1998, and she had another album that was successful in Australia in the early 2000s.

Robin S also had another instant hit back in 1993/94 called Luv 4 luv and a smaller hit named back it up that also received some air play.

Someone up there also mentioned Whigfield, but she had other hits as well such as gimme gimme, sexy eyes, think of you and a fee others.

[quote] Imani Coppola was more of a follower of Dionne Farris.

If that song was released today she would be doing guest features for Justin Bieber, Jack Harlow and Nick Minaj.

Damn I wish I was your lover

Like someone else said, I voted for Torn for the guy in the video.

I remember Oprah having Oleta Adams on her show to try and make her big, like she did with Mariah Carey.

I’m old enough to state that I stopped listening to pop music after the 80s. I looked over this list and had to laugh because I didn’t recognize a single song or singer (well that’s a fib, one or two names are faintly familiar).

Natalie Imbruglia is the one name I recognize.

I hate to be so matter of fact. But Gray's I Try came out in 2000.

The only one of these choices I though was any good was Macy Gray

You totally ignored the early 90s

How could you not include Adina Howard's Freak Like Me.

I always loved this one.

Not much of a hit (#39 pop, #14 R&B, #24 AC), but it was her one and only chart appearance as an artist.

Harriet - Temple of Love

Natalie Imbruglia covered Torn which was perfectly produced and had a word class beauty but she wasn’t a great singer and was a major cunt.

Natalie Imbruglia's album was so awful. I mean, I tried to listen to it more than once. I just couldn't do it. "There's more to life than making sure your whites look just right", or some such drivel. Gah

R155, I Try is featured in the movie Picture Perfect, from 1997.

Ahem

Heather Nova

Didn't Joan Osbourne sing St. Theresa? Wasn't that a big hit?

[quote]Damn I wish I was your lover

She had TWO hits. That song where she whispers “I like tacos”.

R158, see R101.

This thread reminds me of a party game I made up in the 90s, The Dionne Farris Game. Two or more required to play.

First person sings, "I know what you're doing, baby"

Next person repeats, but changes to "I know [who/what/where] you're [gerund], [term of endearment]", e.g. "I know where you're running, sweetie", "I know who you're shaving, cookie".

Play continues hot potato style. First person to repeat either a gerund or term of endearment is OUT. Last one standing is the winner.

I went for "Torn", but "I Try" and "Bitch" were close runners-up.

I would've played, R168.

I was in high school when Torn came out and I always thought it was awful

[quote]I don't believe this song is remembered by anyone under 40.

Oh man, I am 34 and I remember this song being literally EVERYWHERE, played incessantly through the late 90s.

^nvm I see you were referring to Foolish Games. It's true though about Torn, I found it inescapable even as a kid.

Macy Gray and that “Bitch” woman are two things that should be permanently left in the nineties.

Adina Howard was probably the best legit one-hit-wonder who should have gone on to have a bigger career. She was probably too overtly sexual for a black woman in the ‘90s… but she seems tame today compared to the likes of Cardi B, etc.