20 One-Hit Wonders Every '90s Kid Remembers

1 | "She's So High" by Tal Bachman

Ah, yes, "She's So High," the song in which a man (apparently named Tal Bachman) compares a woman to Cleopatra, Joan of Arc, andAphrodite. Any teenage girl listening to this back in the day was like, “Sign me up”—and frankly, most still feel the same way when they hear it playing lightly in the background at Applebee's. And for more things you may have heard in the '90s, check out The Best Slang Terms From the 1990s That Aren't Cool Today.

2 | "Ice Ice Baby" by Vanilla Ice

"Yo, VIP, let's kick it!" When teens in the '90s heard these words, they immediately knew what was coming: the hip hop hit "Ice Ice Baby," recorded over the bassline of "Under Pressure." Unfortunately this was the only real hit to ever come from Vanilla Ice, né Rob Van Winkle, but at least the song has maintained its appeal over the decades. (RIP Van Winkle's career.)

3 | "Mambo No. 5" by Lou Bega

This was the song that played at every middle school dance and sweet sixteen from 1999 onward. We never saw any evidence of or reference to Mambos No. 1 through 4, but none of us asked any questions. We were just happy to be there, awkwardly dancing in our school gyms to a song that truly did not make any sense. And for more of your favorite childhood memories, check out The Biggest '90s TV Teen Idols, Then and Now.

4 | "Torn" by Natalie Imbruglia

A tune for any emotional young girl traversing her way through adolescence, this ‘90s classic was so popular when it came out that it was even nominated for a Grammy for Best Female Pop Vocal performance. Natalie Imbruglia may not have won the award in the end, but she did win the esteemed privilege of never being forgotten by an entire generation.

5 | "Baby Got Back" by Sir Mix-A-Lot

If you didn’t say the words, “Oh my god, Becky, look at her butt!” to your friends and then giggle for hours, did you even grow up in the ‘90s? This iconic tune recently became relevant again when Nicki Minaj sampled it for her 2014 hit “Anaconda,” but '90s kids will always remember the original anthem for bigger backsides.

6 | "Closing Time" by Semisonic

Even today, folks at bars and weddings will partake in the 1990s and early 2000s tradition of playing this song when it’s time to go home. And every time, without fail, there's always a group of loud, drunk '90s kids singing—well, yelling—along to the chorus. (No, they're not good, but let them have their moment of nostalgia.) And for more fun information delivered straight to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter.

7 | "Breakfast at Tiffany's" by Deep Blue Something

While this was Deep Blue Something's only real hit, it made quite the solo splash. The catchy pop-rock song hit No. 5 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart, and even made its way into the top 10 in the U.K., Australia, Canada, and beyond. Like the film it’s named after, "Breakfast at Tiffany's" remains a classic.

8 | "Tubthumping" by Chumbawamba

You may be looking at both the title of this song and the band who sings it and thinking, “What? And who?!” And if so, you're in good company: These are the same questions every person had when they first learned that “Tubthumbing” is the name of the song that repeats, “I get knocked down / But I get up again / You’re never gonna keep me down” over and over and over again.

This may not sound enjoyable, but if you were in just the right age bracket when this song was played on the radio in the late 1990s, then you would understand the pure joy of singing along to its easy-to-memorize lyrics.

9 | "Whoomp! (There It Is)" by Tag Team

You either hate to love or love to hate this funky, repetitive song. Either way, it’s difficult to get it out of your head after hearing it, and you may just find yourself walking down the cereal aisle at the grocery store muttering, “Whoomp, there it is!”

10 | "Jump Around" by House of Pain

Apparently repeating the same words and phrases was a recipe for success in the ‘90s! For House of Pain, though, even repetition couldn't produce more than one hit, and so ultimately "Jump Around" was the first and last we saw of the hip hop group. At least they'll always have that iconic moment in Mrs. Doubtfire though.

11 | "I'll Be There For You" by The Rembrandts

Anyone who lived through the '90s knows this was the theme song from Friends—because we all watched the show every week. However, it's probably the only song by The Rembrandts that you know because, despite the massive decade-long success of the NBC comedy, the band had no follow-up hits to the iconic theme song.

12 | "Summer Girls" by LFO

Not every boy band could make it to the heights of New Kids on the Block or *NSYNC. Case in point? LFO. The trio did, however, bring us this certified bop about exactly what its title suggests: summer girls. Oh, and its lovable lack of nuance doesn’t end there. In the opening verse, we get the lyric “Chinese food makes me sick,” seemingly for no other reason than to rhyme with the word "hits," which it barely does. Look, we never said these songs were good—just memorable.

13 | "Blue (Da Ba Dee)" by Eiffel 65

In the ‘90s, there was an intense debate over what the lyrics of this song were, mostly because it sounded like utter gibberish—incredibly catchy gibberish, but nonsense nonetheless.

Nowadays, you can easily search the lyrics online and see that Eiffel 65 was singing, “I'm blue / Da ba dee da ba daa…" and not, "I'm blue / If I was green, I would die." But even the real lyrics don't clarify things all that much.

14 | "Life Is a Highway" by Tom Cochrane

For Rascal Flatts, this cover was far from their only hit. For Tom Cochrane, however, this wholesome country rock song about diving through life’s adventures was a career peak—and thanks to him, we shall hear it in the opening and closing credits of movies until the end of time.

15 | "What Is Love" by Haddaway

This song was a massive success in Europe, and it gained popularity in the U.S. after it was featured in the spoof movie A Night at the Roxbury. Its pulsating beats and techno vibes were perfect for the comedy, which was based off of a Saturday Night Live sketch about two bozos going to clubs and trying to get women to dance with them to this very song.

16 | "The Sign" by Ace of Base

If you’ve ever attended a ‘90s-themed dance party, chances are that you've shuffled your shoulders awkwardly to this upbeat pop song by Ace of Base. It’s a classic, and no ‘90s playlist is complete without it.

17 | "Barbie Girl" by Aqua

Though "Barbie Girl" was a major success when it was released in 1997, even '90s kids can agree that the song isn't all that melodic. However, it’s all about being a Barbie girl in a Barbie world, and that was the dream way back when.

18 | "Steal My Sunshine" by Len

"Steal My Sunshine" is one of those songs that randomly comes on in a store or on the radio every once in a while and has you singing every word even though you have no idea who sings it. (To be fair, it's not exactly hard to memorize the words to this tune when half of them are "If you steal my sunshiiiiiiiine.")

19 | "Nothing in Between" by Meredith Brooks

If you were born in the late '80s or early '90s, there’s a good chance you belted out this song in the car on the way home from school while your mom yelled at you for singing the uncensored version. In case the title of the song doesn’t ring a bell, let us refresh your memory with these choice lyrics: “I’m a ***** / I’m a lover / I’m a child / I’m a mother…”

20 | "There She Goes" by The La's

This classic hit was featured in what seems like every single romantic comedy in the ‘90s. We’ll never know for sure who “she” was, but she sure did a lot of "going" and "racing through" the mind of songwriter and The La’s' lead guitarist Lee Mavers. And if you want even more '90s nostalgia, check out these 25 Reasons Why Being a Kid in the '90s Totally Ruled.