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1990s One-hit wonders in the United States


In the music industry, the term one-hit wonder is used to describe an artist primarily known for a sole hit single. While no singular established criterion exists to classify an artist as a one-hit wonder, the frequently-cited technical description of a one-hit wonder in the United States defines a hit single as one which hits the top 40 of the national singles chart, the Billboard Hot 100. Accordingly, Billboard journalist Wayne Jancik defines a United States one-hit wonder as "an act that has won a position on Billboard's national, pop, Top 40 just once." Using this definition, artists are therefore classified as one-hit wonders based solely on Billboard Hot 100 chart performance—other factors such as success in other territories, additional hits on other Billboard genre-specific charts, membership in more prominent bands or musical groups, critical acclaim, and influence are not accounted for.

During the 1990s, 327 recording artists attained their sole top 40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100. In special cases, certain songs peaked within the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100 Airplay chart, but were deemed ineligible to enter the Hot 100 due to not having been released as physical singles; the Billboard issue for the week ending December 5, 1998 marked the overturning of the rule and the incorporation of album cuts into the Hot 100. To accurately represent the success of these songs, they are also classified as top 40 hits for their respective artists; these marked the only top 40 hits for an additional 25 artists. Please note that there are a few artists listed that have had great success prior to the 90's or even the year after, ie Iggy Pop, Everclear, Silverchair, and etc.



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