A pop group that disbanded almost immediately after reaching fame. British anarchists that took
over a decade to release a hit. Here's what became of the one-hit wonders of the 1990s.
Marcy Playground's hit "Sex and Candy" caught listeners'
attention with its mellow sound and peculiar lyrics about disco lemonade,
sending the song to Number 1 on the Billboard Alternative Airplay chart
in 1997 and Number 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1998. The song was everywhere,
and it looked as though Marcy Playground was poised to be a staple band in the post-grunge
scene — they even toured with bands like Fastball, Toad the Wet Sprocket, and Everclear.
Alas, their follow-up singles failed to gain steam. Their sudden success also
contributed to some burnout. In an interview with News-Times, lead singer John Wozniak said,
"It just got to the point where it was too overwhelming."
That's not to say the band stopped making music altogether, though — they released
four albums following their debut. Their latest record, "Lunch, Recess,
and Detention," was released in 2012, and the band is still actively touring. However,
"Sex and Candy" remains their most successful song to date.
British alternative rockers the Verve achieved major success in the U.K. and in the States with
1998's "Bitter Sweet Symphony," a track that reached Number 12 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100
chart. The song earned the band a Grammy nomination in 1999, and its music video,
featuring singer Richard Ashcroft practicing some awful sidewalk etiquette, earned several
VMA nominations, though Ashcroft later said that he thought the video was almost too popular.
"For me as a musician, I put so much work into the track,
I was a bit concerned that the visual was almost outweighing the song."
Regardless, the band's big hit had come, and it seemed as though more hits were on the horizon.
Alas, none of their followup releases would surpass "Bittersweet Symphony" in popularity.
So, what happened to the Verve? Well, according to MTV, they broke up in 1999, got back together
briefly in 2007, then broke up for good in 2009. Reportedly, their working relationship
was tumultuous, and getting sued didn't help matters. According to the BBC, the song was the
subject of a complicated copyright lawsuit brought on by former Rolling Stones manager Allen Klein,
which resulted in the band losing their royalties and publishing rights to the tune.
Those royalties were eventually returned to Ashcroft in 2019. However, if your
'90s heart is dying for a Verve reunion, don't hold your breath. According to NME,
some band members don't even talk to one another anymore.
If you went through a breakup in the late '90s, there's a good chance you had Natalie
Imbruglia's cover of "Torn" playing on repeat in your Walkman. The Australian
actress-turned-singer achieved global recognition at the tender age of 22 after the angsty pop tune
took the top spot on Billboard's Adult Pop Airplay chart in 1998 for 14 weeks.
Eventually, however, the run slowed and the "Torn" era came to an end. According to The
Irish Times, Imbruglia was feeling the pressure to deliver a dynamite
follow-up. She released several albums throughout the 2000s and into the 2010s,
but none of her tracks reached the same level of success as "Torn" did.
What's more, she experienced a nearly career-ending hurdle
in the years following "Torn." According to ABC News Breakfast,
Imbruglia had a serious case of writer's block that lasted years. She took time away from music,
became a mother, and came back to music with her sixth studio album, "Firebird," released in 2021.
Chumbawumba struck gold with their 1997 song "Tubthumping," giving life to the classic lyrics,
"I get knocked down, but I get up again, you're never gonna keep me down."
The track reached No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 and catapulted to Number 1 on the Pop Songs chart,
where it made itself comfy for nine weeks. With that kind of traction,
it felt as though the band, which had been together since 1982, had finally made it big.
However, the endearing "Tubthumping" would end up being the band's biggest hit,
cementing the group's status as one of the most fun one-hit wonders of
the '90s. So what happened to Chumbawamba post-"Tubthumping"?
They made more music, and used their tunes to highlight political and social issues over the
years. But, as the saying goes, all good things must come to an end. According to Rolling Stone,
Chumbawamba broke up in 2012. There's no bad blood between bandmates, though, and former
lead singer Dunstan Bruce made a documentary about Chumbawamba which has yet to be widely released.
"Not bad for a group of self-proclaimed anarchists from the UK!"
'90s kids surely remember the grip "You Get What You Give" had on their
stereo systems. Alt-pop rockers New Radicals released the mega hit in 1998,
when it made itself home on charts across the globe. You can't help but
smile while listening to frontman Gregg Alexander sing about not giving up.
New Radicals were poised for a breakout career following the success of "You Get What You Give,"
but that all changed in July 1999. According to The Hollywood Reporter, that's when Alexander
broke up New Radicals. The reason? He was feeling disenchanted by the concept of celebrity and
corporate success. And just like that, New Radicals' bright '90s light was blown out.
However, that light was relit in January 2021 when the band reunited after 22 years to play
"You Get What You Give" to celebrate President Joe Biden's inauguration. The song has a special
meaning for the president, as it was one he and his family would rally around while his late son,
Beau, fought his battle with brain cancer. According to Rolling Stone,
Alexander said performing the song was a, quote, "huge honor."
"When we heard that 'You Give What You Get' is a Biden family anthem,
it felt more radical in a good way than being in Rolling Stone."
As soon as you hear the intro to House of Pain's "Jump Around," you know you're
in for a good time. The 1992 party hit skyrocketed to the Number 3 spot on U.S.
charts and charted across the globe. The infectious hip-hop crossover hit
had people flocking to the dance floor to, you guessed it, jump around and let loose.
House of Pain consisted of Everlast, Danny Boy,
and DJ Lethal. They collaborated to create this epic summer hit,
but it turned out to be the only huge hit House of Pain would have. The group's follow-up singles
failed to chart as highly as "Jump Around" did, and their 1994 and 1996 albums didn't make waves.
And, according to Everlast, the group was plagued with personal issues that led to an
unhappy atmosphere. He left the group in 1996 and went on to have a successful solo career,
while DJ Lethal joined Limp Bizkit, and, according to Page Six, Danny Boy battled
drug addiction until he got clean in 2005. House of Pain have reunited on
and off to play shows over the years, and all three members were part of the hip-hop
supergroup La Coka Nostra, which Danny Boy and DJ Lethal still perform with.
Canadian crooner Tal Bachman took over the airwaves with 1999's "She's So High,"
a catchy pop number that anyone who's thought their significant other is out
of their league can relate to. The song reached Number 1 on Billboard's Adult Pop
Airplay chart in September 1999, and it peaked at Number 14 on the Hot 100 chart
that same year. Apart from its performance on the charts, the single's music video,
featuring a flying girl diving from the rooftops, also helped solidify the song's icon status.
Bachman's ode to admiration made a powerful impression on late '90s pop,
but his other works weren't as commercially successful. He released a second album in 2004,
but he's mostly laid low in the years since his '90s hit was released. Oddly enough, "She's So
High" was back in mainstream consciousness in 2019 after it was featured in a Peloton holiday ad that
divided the internet. Variety reports that, while that ad was going viral, Bachman was in
talks with Netflix about creating a show. However, there's no word on the potential program's fate.
Alternative rock group Semisonic unleashed a huge '90s hit with 1998's "Closing Time,"
which hit Number 1 on the Billboard Alternative Airplay chart in the U.S. and reigned there for
five weeks. The song, both a catchy way to get patrons to finish their last drink and a metaphor
for entering the world, put Semisonic on the late '90s pop-rock map. Despite their massive success,
it wouldn't be long before Semisonic seemed to disappear off the face of the planet.
What happened? Well, according to Entertainment Weekly reports, the band didn't "break up,"
necessarily — they just stopped playing music in the early 2000s. One of the reasons is that
lead singer Dan Wilson wanted more time to care for his daughter. He hasn't been
completely out of the music scene, though. According to Rolling Stone, he's found success
writing songs alongside musical powerhouses like the Chicks, Taylor Swift, and Adele.
After laying mostly dormant for almost 20 years,
Semisonic got the band back together and released a new EP in 2020, bringing
that nostalgic '90s pop-rock sound to the 21st century. The band is still playing together and,
according to their website, they're planning to play some live shows in 2023.
1998's pop-folk-rock tune "Kiss Me" by Sixpence None the Richer was the song
to slow-dance to at any late '90s high school dance. The dreamy romantic anthem wasn't solely
a hit with love-stricken teens, though. In fact, Billboard named it one of the best songs of 1999,
with the single reaching Number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The track also
earned a Grammy nomination in 2000. With such a widespread hit under their belts,
Sixpence None the Richer seemed poised to dominate the charts with other sweeter-than-pie
pop tunes. Their covers of "There She Goes" and "Don't Dream It's Over" made some splashes,
but they didn't match the tsunami of success that came with "Kiss Me."
The band released an album in 2002, but disbanded just two years later. After a three year hiatus,
the band reunited and released new albums in 2008 and 2012,
but they haven't released new music since.
Need a little bit of Monica in your life, or a little bit of Erica by your side? If so,
turn on Lou Bega's version of "Mambo Number 5." The German singer graced us with this
hit in 1999 and it delivered, reaching Number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in
November of that year after an impressive run on global airwaves over the summer.
It's one of the most iconic songs of the '90s, filled with jazz and mambo riffs
that make people flock to the dance floor. The song's global success seemed like the
perfect career tee-up for Bega. As it turns out, though, it had the opposite effect. To this day,
"Mambo Number 5" is still Bega's only chart-topping song to date.
That's not to say that Bega didn't try to replicate the success of the song. He released
albums in 2001, 2006, and 2010, but none of their tunes ignited that same spark that "Mambo Number
5" did back in '99. The albums may not have been massive commercial successes, but that
didn't stop Bega from touring and performing his beloved '90s song in front of audiences.
Now, you may wonder — how does Bega really feel about his one-hit wonder status? According to
Vanity Fair, he had mixed feelings for a long time. But at the end of the day,
he's all for "Mambo Number 5," and he's grateful for everything it's brought him.
"They'd be happy for you to get up there and play that song for 40 years."
"Yeah, it's an icebreaker, it's an absolute icebreaker. I'm happy."
Alternative listeners got a whimsical breath of fresh air in 1992 with Blind Melon's "No
Rain," an indie-folk track that put the band on the map in several ways. For starters,
it was accompanied by a music video that introduced the world to the "Bee Girl," a
sweet kid who became a slight pop culture obsession. And then there was its global
commercial success, with the song reaching the Number 1 spot on several rock charts.
The group was already touring, but the success of "No Rain" and their debut album
led to more road time and the production of their sophomore album, 1995's "Soup."
Touring, while great for Blind Melon's promotion, had its downsides. According to Ultimate Classic
Rock, singer Shannon Hoon struggled with drug addiction during the band's intense
touring schedule and sudden catapult into the mainstream. He tried to get sober several times,
but unfortunately, those stints didn't stick. Despite Hoon's addiction issues,
Blind Melon kept touring to promote "Soup." Sadly, during a tour in October 1995,
28-year-old Hoon died on the band's tour bus after overdosing on cocaine.
According to the band's website, surviving members of Blind Melon spent years trying
to find a new lead singer, before breaking up in 1999. Despite their struggle, the group eventually
found a new vocalist and reunited in 2006. They released an album in 2008, and put out several
songs in 2021. Who knows, maybe there's still another hit somewhere in Blind Melon's future.
If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues,
help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).