Top 10 Songs That Proved an Artist Was NOT a One-Hit-Wonder

MsMojo

Some tracks silence the doubters for good. Join us as we look back at unforgettable follow-up singles that shattered the myth of the one-hit wonder. These songs didn't just keep the momentum going—they defined careers and changed the charts for good! From iconic pop anthems to alt-rock classics, these tunes ensured their artists would be remembered for more than just a fleeting moment in the spotlight.

Transcript

00:00Haven't you heard how we rock each other's world?

00:05Welcome to Ms. Mojo, where we'll be looking at 10 tracks that followed up a hit single,

00:10dispelling any notions they'd be just another one-hit wonder.

00:21Number 10. We Are Who We Are, Kesha.

00:24Hot and dangerous. If you're one of us, then roll with us,

00:28cause we make the hipsters fall in love when we got our hot pants on and up.

00:32In 2009, Kesha's debut single TikTok was almost entirely unavoidable.

00:38It went platinum 12 times, alongside peaking at number one on multiple countries' charts.

00:43Don't stop, make it pop, DJ, blow my speakers up tonight.

00:48For a brief time, people wondered if Kesha could follow up such a huge track.

00:51Well, turned out she did it more than once, as she's currently had 10 tracks become top 10 singles.

01:04While We Are Who We Are was her fifth top 10 single,

01:08it makes the cut because it's her first stylistically different hit.

01:11The accompanying music video was also unique,

01:14showing a different side of Kesha rather than just repeating TikTok again.

01:17Night, we're going hard, hard, hard, hard, hard, hard.

01:21Just like the world is hard, hard, hard, hard, hard, hard, hard, hard.

01:25Number 9. Grenade, Bruno Mars.

01:29Gave you all I had and you tossed it in the trash.

01:33You tossed it in the trash, you did.

01:36Calling Mars a one-hit wonder these days is a pretty ridiculous statement.

01:40In 2024, he had huge hits with both Die With A Smile and Apathe,

01:45alongside Lady Gaga and Rosé, respectively.

01:47That was 14 years after his breakout single, Just The Way You Are.

01:58It took him way less time to dispel any notions he'd be just another one-hit wonder.

02:02Grenade followed after a little over three months,

02:05also receiving excessive play for months after release.

02:09Both tracks came from his album, Do Wops and Hooligans,

02:11which featured even more hit tracks like The Lazy Song.

02:14I'd catch a grenade for ya.

02:18Throw my hand on a blade for ya.

02:22Number 8. Summertime Sadness, Lana Del Rey.

02:26Kiss me hard before you go.

02:31Summertime Sadness.

02:33She's become one of the most celebrated pop stars of the 21st century,

02:38releasing a plethora of acclaimed albums like NFR in 2019.

02:42Her career started in 2005, but she only entered the spotlight after releasing video games in 2011.

02:48You, it's all for you.

02:52Everything I do, tell you all the time.

02:56At the time, some of us thought it would forever remain her most famous track.

03:01Now, it's not even the most famous song from that era.

03:03Instead, Summertime Sadness is the most popular track off her Born to Die album.

03:08The entire album spent over 500 weeks on America's Billboard 200,

03:12an extremely impressive feat.

03:14Summertime, summertime sadness.

03:17Summertime, summertime sadness.

03:21Number 7. A.T. Aliens, Outkast.

03:33In 1994, Outkast released their hugely influential debut album,

03:38Southern Playalistic Cadillac Music.

03:40It earned them a reputation as trailblazers of Southern hip-hop,

03:43winning them the award for Best New Rap Group at the 1995 Source Awards.

03:48It also spawned a fairly big single, Players Ball.

03:51They not only managed to keep this momentum going, but they turned it up to the max.

04:02In 1996, their second album, A.T. Aliens, turned into an instant classic.

04:07Its title track turned into another notable single and is still played heavily today.

04:11This wasn't even the peak for Outkast.

04:13That came when they achieved mainstream fame with tracks Miss Jackson and Hey Ya.

04:17Number 6. I Really Like You, Carly Rae Jepsen.

04:29In 2012, Canadian musician Carly Rae Jepsen's hit single,

04:33Call Me Maybe, shot into the stratosphere in terms of popularity.

04:37Even today, it's still a huge hit,

04:39considered one of the most nostalgic tracks of the 2010s.

04:42In 2015, she cemented herself as a pop star who was here to stay.

04:54Her album Emotion was judged a huge improvement.

04:57It earned her a dedicated following and is still widely praised.

05:01Its lead single was I Really Like You,

05:03which was accompanied by an iconic music video featuring Tom Hanks and Justin Bieber.

05:08She's since released a variety of albums,

05:18changing up her sound with each one,

05:19making her a respected artist,

05:22rather than just the Call Me Maybe girl.

05:24Put some respect on CRJ's name.

05:26I need that look in your eyes

05:29Cause we've had the loneliest time

05:33Pablo Honey garnered Radiohead a significant fanbase

05:47when this debut album was released in 1993.

05:50The number of tracks fans enjoyed increased substantially

05:53when they released their second album, The Benz, in 1995.

05:57After spending two years riding the fame of the hit single Creep,

06:00their second album's lead single High and Dry became a huge hit.

06:12The album as a whole proved to be wildly popular among fans,

06:16and you'll still find people who call it their favorite today.

06:19Thankfully, they didn't double down on the style of their 1993 single Pop is Dead,

06:23which Ed O'Brien called, quote,

06:25a hideous mistake.

06:26Number 4.

06:36All the Small Things, Blink-182

06:38After forming in 1992,

06:47their first two albums earned them a minor following.

06:50Their punk rock and pop punk sensibilities gathered more acceptance,

06:53and their third album, Enema of the State, became a huge hit.

06:57One of the biggest contributing factors was its lead single, What's My Age Again.

07:03It was constantly played on MTV,

07:10but despite its success,

07:11it was shortly overshadowed by the follow-up hit, All the Small Things.

07:15Over 25 years later, it's still their most popular track.

07:18Both tracks were released alongside hilarious music videos,

07:22which are considered staples of 90s pop punk.

07:32Number 3.

07:34Skater Boy, Avril Lavigne

07:35In 2002,

07:45Lavigne released her debut album, Let Go,

07:47which made history.

07:48It's still the best-selling album by any Canadian this century.

07:52The first track she dropped from it was Complicated,

07:54which became an instant hit.

07:56I see the way you're

07:58She didn't stop there.

08:06About six months later,

08:07she released Skater Boy,

08:08which is one of the defining tracks of the 2000s.

08:11Now she's regarded as one of the trailblazers of the 2000s pop punk movement,

08:15hence her title as the pop punk queen.

08:18Five years later,

08:19her track Girlfriend also topped charts globally,

08:21proving she was a musical force here to stay.

08:24Hey, yeah, yeah

08:25I don't like your girlfriend

08:27That's right, no, right

08:28I think you need a new one

08:30Hey, hey, yeah, yeah

08:31I could be your girlfriend

08:33Number 2.

08:34Montero,

08:35Call Me By Your Name

08:36Lil Nas X

08:37In 2018,

08:43Lil Nas X's track Old Town Road was played almost everywhere.

08:48It was number 1 on America's Billboard Hot 100 for 19 weeks,

08:51which was the first to do so in its 60-year history.

08:54It was notable for blending country and hip-hop,

09:05a style rarely heard until the track's success.

09:07Instead of sitting on the one hit,

09:09he decided to get to work and produce an equally memorable track,

09:13Montero,

09:13Call Me By Your Name.

09:15It was released in 2021 and has since surpassed Old Town Road on some streaming services.

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09:41Number 1.

09:42Hot and Cold,

09:43Katy Perry.

09:44While Perry's newer music is nowhere near as successful as her older work,

09:56she can't be considered a one-hit wonder by any means.

09:59Well, unless it's the summer of 2008 and I Kissed a Girl is getting played on repeat.

10:03I Kissed a Girl and I Liked It

10:07The taste of her cherry chapstick

10:11The track dropped in April 2008,

10:14but her follow-up track, Hot and Cold, which came in September, sold even better.

10:19Two years later, she released the album Teenage Dream,

10:22which included an incredible five number one singles.

10:25Her 2013 album also spawned the tracks Dark Horse and Roar,

10:28but unfortunately for Perry, she lost most of her momentum by the end of the decade.

10:33What's your favorite track that proved an artist was more than just a one-hit wonder?

10:45Let us know in the comments section.

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