The 1990s were a fickle time. In one moment, something was cool, and in the next, it was old news. Trends could come and go like slap bracelets in the night. So, when it came to music, you had to keep your head on a swivel. Here below, we wanted to highlight three songs from the decade that took their time to make their mark—a trio of tracks that were hits after a slow burn. Indeed, these are three one-hit wonders from the 1990s that found success more than a year after release.
“Blue (Da Ba Dee)” by Eiffel 65 from ‘Europop’ (1999)
If you’ve never heard this song before, beware. Once you hear it for the first time, it will stick in your head forever. It also may create a conflict in your head between the colors blue and green—but that’s a story for another day. Lyrics aside, this track was first released in October of 1998. But it wasn’t until January of 2000 that the song peaked on the Billboard Hot 100, coming in at No. 6 on the vaunted chart. It took the world some 15 months to realize that, yes, we were all in fact blue.
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“Better Off Alone” by Alice Deejay from ‘Who Needs Guitars Anyway?’ (2000)
It’s funny the journey a song can take. This track was originally released as an instrumental in 1997. After that, another version included singer Judith Pronk. But it wasn’t until June 2000 that the dancey offering peaked at No. 27 on the Billboard Hot 100. Today, it’s a song you instantly recognize as soon as you hear a synthesizer note or two. But for some time there, the world was sleeping on what would become one of the most fun dance songs in history.
“Macarena” by Los Del Rio from ‘A Mí Me Gusta’ (1993)
Speaking of dance songs, this one takes the cake. Los Del Rio released the original version of this tune in 1993 on their album, A Mí Me Gusta. But it wasn’t until The Bayside Boys remixed the track that it got real traction. Indeed, in 1996, “Macarena” rose up to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, spanning 14 weeks from August to November. Even today, people are still dancing to the song, waving their arms like Broadway musical stars.
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