The 1990s will forever be remembered as a fertile time in music history when alternative rock made the jump from the underground clubs and into the mainstream consciousness. Nirvana's 1991 single "Smells Like Teen Spirit" all but took a wrecking ball to what remained of 1980s pop culture and all of its glossy excess.
By 1992, fellow Seattle bands like Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, and Alice in Chains would join Nirvana as the new face of rock music on MTV and music magazines. The alternative rock boom was in full swing. Major record labels were ready to pounce on the underground rock world looking for the next big thing.
Some of these bands would go on to sell millions of records and have long careers. Others would produce one hit and never be heard from again. Today we're going to take a look at five one-hit wonders from the 1990s.
One-hit wonders from the 1990s not to be missed
Nada Surf
New York band Nada Surf released their debut album High/Low in June of 1996. This underrated post-grunge gem showcased Nada Surf's mastery of Nirvana's quiet/loud dynamics, the Pixies pop hooks, and 90's post-hardcore's rhythmic propulsion. Songs like "Deeper Well" and "The Plan" could have been hits if the radio gods had been kinder, but Nada Surf will forever be known for one song.
The song "Popular" is a summary of everything a teenager experiences at the high school level. People of all generations can identify with the familiar social structure of the typical high school starting at the top with athletic stars and cheerleaders and descending to the bottom with the geeks and outcasts. With "Popular," Nada Surf places the basic rules of teenage social behavior into a remarkably catchy song.
What sets the song "Popular" apart from other hit songs is its delivery. Frontman Matthew Caws speaks the verses in a matter-of-fact and explanatory way that seems equal parts informative, equal parts passive-aggressive. The narrator shifts genders as the song develops, and the lyrics shift from over-explanations of how to deal with the politics of high school dating to what it's like to deal with rejection.
"Three important rules for breaking up," begins Caws." Don't put off breaking up if you know you want to. Prolonging the situation only makes it worse. Tell him honestly, simply, kindly, but firmly. Don't make a big production. don't make up an elaborate story. This will help you avoid a big tear-jerking scene. If you want to date other people, say so. Be prepared for the boy to be hurt and rejected."
The huge chorus that follows is straight out of the post-grunge playbook with fuzzed-out crunchy power chords and crashing drums. The now iconic words shouted atop the out-of-nowhere heaviness are straight out of a movie like Friday Night Lights.
"I'm head of the class, I'm popular," sings Caws. "I'm the quarterback, I'm popular. My mom say's I'm a catch, I'm popular. I'm never last picked, I've got a cheerleader chick."
"Popular" is the only song most people know from Nada Surf, and they definitely fall under the category of one-hit-wonders. But the band still releases music and tours to this day, so check them out.
Hum
Hum began their existence as a space-rock-leaning post-hardcore band from the college town of Champaign, Illinois in 1989. After releasing a few singles and its first proper album Electra 2000 in 1993, Hum was signed by RCA Records during the alternative rock boom and headed into the studio to record its major label debut.
The resulting album You'd Prefer An Astronaut was released in April of 1995, and after first failing to find an audience, Hum's second single "Stars" would be the big break the band needed as the song would become a hit on alternative rock-oriented radio stations, and its video played in heavy rotation on MTV.
"Stars' is a song that starts with clean chords strummed over quiet vocals. The lyrics, dreamy yet simple, set the listener up for a complete surprise once the sheer volume rings out at the end of the vocal introduction.
"She thinks she missed the train to Mars," sings lead vocalist Matt Talbot. "She's out back counting stars."
Following a massive tom to snare drum fill, Hum are off and running with a drop D-tuned yet melodic burst of guitars, drums, and tight rhythms. This was the kind of riff bands like the Deftones and Foo Fighters would perfect later on in the decade. Featuring a metallic barrage of riffing in a well-timed breakdown, Hum bring the song home with one more chorus. The results are nothing short of thrilling.
While Hum never had another single that received the airplay of "Stars," the band remains a cult favorite of music fans to this day. Hum last released the excellent comeback record Inlet in 2020, but the band's current status is unknown following the tragic passing of drummer Bryan St. Pere in June 2021.
Screaming Trees
Screaming Trees were one of those Washington state bands that helped build the infrastructure of what would later be termed "grunge" in the mid-1980s along with The Melvins, Green River, and Soundgarden. Like the band Soundgarden, Screaming Trees were also one of the first grunge bands to release music at the national level when they signed with and released their second album Even If and Especially When on SST Records in 1987.
Like fellow scene staples Alice In Chains and the aforementioned Soundgarden, they were one of the first Seattle bands to sign to a major label deal and released the EP Something About Today on Epic Records in 1990. Uncle Anesthesia would follow in 1991, and later that year fellow Seattle band Nirvana would break into the mainstream with the seminal record Nevermind. Seemingly overnight, the entire world of music shifted on its axis from hair metal to grunge.
By early 1992, grunge was a pop culture phenomenon. Drawn to the raw combination of 1970s classic rock riffs combined with 1980s punk, Generation X had its soundtrack and flannel-clad look. Movie director and former music journalist Cameron Crowe was quick to capture the moment in a quirky romantic comedy released in 1992 called Singles.
Like most films that try to capture a moment in time, some aspects of the film aged poorly. But one thing that didn't age poorly was the soundtrack to Singles. Featuring tracks by Screaming Trees, Pearl Jam, Alice In Chains, Smashing Pumpkins, and Mudhoney, this soundtrack is a time capsule of 1990s grunge-era nostalgia.
"Nearly Lost You" would become a massive hit for Screaming Trees. This psychedelic rock meets grunge track is a high-water mark of early 1990s music. Anchored by the gravelly baritone voice of frontman Mark Lanegan, the song takes you on the journey of a person struggling to keep a relationship intact.
Screaming Trees would not be as lucky as their Seattle peers. "Nearly Lost You" would be the closest the band would come to mainstream success. Following the death of Lanegan in February 2022, the band is unlikely to reform.
Letters To Cleo
If any band on this list exemplifies one-hit-wonder status, it's Letters to Cleo. The four-piece formed in Boston in 1990 and built up a decent following in the cities' college bars and clubs. Fronted by lead singer Kay Hanley, the band had a feminine perspective to voice its hooky guitar-based alternative rock chops.
Like the Screaming Trees before them, Letters to Cleo enjoyed much of their success due to the placement of a song on a soundtrack. The band's mainstream breakthrough would come when their song "Here and Now" was featured on the soundtrack to the hit TV show Melrose Place. The popularity of the program with young Gen X viewers helped propel the song to number 10 on the Billboard Modern Rock Singles chart.
"Here and Now" sounds like what happens when you combine early 1990s alternative rock with the fast stream of conscious vocals made popular by Pearl Jam vocalist Eddie Vedder. Letters to Cleo vocalist Hanley shifts between a flurry of words that come at you like an assembly line gone haywire, but slows down the pace to add emphasis to the last words of every verse.
The chorus then explodes after a small build-up into Hanley singing so fast she would give the grimiest of punk bands a run for their money in the category of vocal velocity. The rapid delivery of words is a hook unto itself, but somehow the band is able to land back into the mid-tempo groove they locked into to begin the song.
Letters to Cleo would not produce another hit single equaling the success of "Here and Now," but the band would continue on recording albums and touring into the late 1990s. While not active at all times, Letters to Cleo are known to reform for shows from time to time in their native Boston, and occasionally record ever so often,