Need a good dose of one-hit wonders from the 2000s? These wildly different hits might just transport you back to a time when things were simpler and music was, arguably, a bit more fun.
1. “You’re Beautiful” by James Blunt
2004 was James Blunt’s year, and the hit “You’re Beautiful” became the ballad of the decade. Blunt enjoyed quite a bit of success throughout the 2000s and even the 2010s in his native UK. However, “You’re Beautiful” is still Blunt’s only Top 60 hit in the United States.
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2. “Crazy” by Gnarls Barkley
Gnarls Barkley was the electronic soul collaboration between CeeLo Green and Danger Mouse. They’ve earned a spot on our list of one-hit wonders from the 2000s for their huge 2006 hit song, “Crazy”.
Despite the success of “Crazy (it was a no. 2 hit in the US and a no. 1 hit in a number of other countries), Gnarls Barkley only barely charted in the United States once more with the 2008 song “Going On”, which peaked at no. 88. The duo never had another Top 10 hit again elsewhere.
3. “Collide” by Howie Day
Remember this little earworm? The 2005 pop-rock classic “Collide” was a pretty substantial hit for singer/songwriter Howie Day in the mid-2000s. It made it to no. 20 on the Hot 100 chart, and ranked even higher on other US charts.
Unfortunately, “Collide” is still Day’s only Top 20 hit, and the only one to chart on the Hot 100 at all. Day got into quite a bit of trouble around the time of the song’s release, and he more or less derailed his career.
4. “Who Let The Dogs Out” by Baha Men
If you were a kid in the year 2000, you probably jammed out to this soca classic on more than one occasion. “Who Let The Dogs Out” by Baha Men is one of the funnest songs to come out of the 2000s. It was also an international hit that topped the charts.
“Who Let The Dogs Out” peaked at no. 40 in the US and even higher elsewhere. Sadly, the outfit barely made it to the Hot 100 with their follow-up single, and they haven’t charted in the US since.
5. “I Love College” by Asher Roth
Well, this one didn’t age well. And looking back on it, this song really does define a very specific late-2000s era of one-hit wonders. It’s cringey to listen to the lyrics now, but the 2009 song “I Love College” by Asher Roth was a pretty big hit among frat boys.
“I Love College” peaked at no. 12 on the US Hot 100 and contributed to the boom of frat rap that followed. Unfortunately for Roth, his follow-up single “Lark On My Go-Kart” barely made it to the Hot 100.
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