Buzz
In 2011, Gotye, a Belgian-Australian musician, captured global attention with his genre-blending hit “Somebody That I Used to Know,” featuring Kimbra. Despite releasing numerous tracks since, none have matched the success of this iconic indie breakup anthem. This has led to countless jokes about Gotye becoming someone we ‘used to know.’
As a standout one-hit wonder, Gotye ranks among the greatest. A UK-based broadband comparison service, broadbandchoices.co.uk, analyzed Spotify’s top 20 one-hit wonder playlists to compile a list of the 50 most streamed one-hit wonders. With over 810 million streams, “Somebody That I Used to Know” claimed the top spot.
The list can be divided into three groups: Songs with Recognizable Titles and Artists; Songs with Familiar Titles but Unknown Artists; and Songs Unfamiliar by Title or Artist (Yet Instantly Recognizable Upon Hearing). For those who grew up in the 1990s, Hanson’s “MMMBop”—ranked 31st—likely falls into the first category, though devoted fans might argue Hanson isn’t truly a one-hit wonder.
If you’re not deeply familiar with the Second British Invasion, the band behind the 1982 hit “Come on Eileen” might not ring a bell. This timeless pub anthem, ranked fourth, was performed by Dexys Midnight Runners. Similarly, tracks like Los Del Río’s “Macarena” (46th place) and Eiffel 65’s “Blue (Da Ba Dee)” (10th place) often fall into the category of songs with recognizable titles but lesser-known artists.
Check out the full list below to see how many one-hit wonders and their iconic tracks you can recall. To help refresh your memory, broadbandchoices.co.uk has curated a Spotify playlist featuring all 50 hits, which you can explore here.
- “Somebody That I Used to Know” by Gotye
- “This Girl” by Cookin’ on 3 Burners
- “Stuck in the Middle With You” by Stealers Wheel
- “Come on Eileen” by Dexys Midnight Runners
- “What’s Up?” by 4 Non Blondes
- “Dancing in the Moonlight” by Toploader
- “Mambo No. 5” by Lou Bega
- “Walking on Sunshine” by Katrina & the Waves
- “Hooked on a Feeling” by Blue Swede
- “Blue (Da Ba Dee)” by Eiffel 65
- “Torn” by Natalie Imbruglia
- “IAmChino” by Ay Mi Dios
- “What Is Love” by Haddaway
- “Bad Day” by Daniel Powter
- “Tainted Love” by Soft Cell
- “Save Tonight” by Eagle-Eye Cherry
- “Watch Me (Whip / Nae Nae)” by Silentó
- “Escape (Pina Colada Song)” by Rupert Holmes
- “Spirit in the Sky” by Norman Greenbaum
- “Teenage Dirtbag” by Wheatus
- “Send Me on My Way” by Rusted Root
- “(I Just) Died in Your Arms Tonight” by Cutting Crew
- “(I've Had) The Time of My Life” by Bill Medley
- “Stacy’s Mom” by Fountains of Wayne
- “Ice Ice Baby” by Vanilla Ice
- “You Only Get What You Give” by New Radicals
- “99 Luftballons” by Nena
- “Video Killed the Radio Star” by The Buggles
- “Black Betty” by Ram Jam
- “My Sharona” by The Knack
- “MMMBop” by Hanson
- “Don’t Worry Be Happy” by Bobby McFerrin
- “It’s Raining Men” by The Weather Girls
- “Breakfast at Tiffany's” by Deep Blue Something
- “Better Off Alone” by Alice DeeJay
- “Brandy (You're a Fine Girl)” by Looking Glass
- “Turn Me On” by Kevin Lyttle
- “Sugar Sugar” by The Archies
- “She's So High” by Tal Bachman
- “Play That Funky Music” by Wild Cherry
- “Black Velvet” by Alannah Myles
- “Walking in Memphis” by Marc Cohn
- “Tubthumping” by Chumbawamba
- “Dragostea Din Tei” by O-Zone
- “I’ll Be There For You” by The Rembrandts
- “Macarena” by Los Del Río
- “Jordan Belfort” by Wes Walker & Dyl
- “There She Goes” by The La’s
- “Bi***” by Meredith Brooks
- “Dancing in the Moonlight” by King Harvest
