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(Billboard) Top 25 One-hit wonders of the 2000s
Billboard ^ | Dec 10, 2009 | No byline

Posted on 12/10/2009 10:44:24 AM PST by a fool in paradise

They came, they conquered... they were never heard from again. After reaching the Hot 100's Top 10 with their very first singles, none of these acts managed to crack the Top 25 for the rest of the decade. But hey, four minutes of fame is better than nothing.

The one-hitmakers on this list have been ranked by how high their big song climbed on the chart compared to how far down the tally their subsequent highest-charting effort peaked.

NEW YORK (Billboard) – They came, they conquered ... they were never heard from again. After reaching the Hot 100's Top 10 with their very first singles, none of these acts managed to crack the Top 25 for the rest of the decade. But hey, four minutes of fame is better than nothing.

The one-hitmakers on this list have been ranked by how high their big song climbed on the chart compared to how far down the tally their subsequent highest-charting effort peaked.

1. DANIEL POWTER

BAD DAY

Daniel Powter's "Bad Day" was used as the kiss-off song for the fifth season of "American Idol," which gave the song enough juice to become the biggest single of 2006. The song went to No. 1 in April and stayed at the top for five weeks. But Powter's good fortune didn't last long; he hasn't visited the Hot 100 since.

2. TERROR SQUAD

LEAN BACK

Terror Squad, the hip-hop collective led by Fat Joe, topped the charts in August 2004 with "Lean Back," giving the world a new dance craze in the process. The Squad fell back hard after that, only reaching as high as No. 62 with a subsequent single: "Take Me Home," at the end of 2004.

3. CRAZY TOWN

BUTTERFLY

L.A. rap-rockers Crazy Town flew to the top of the charts with the Red Hot Chili Peppers-infused track "Butterfly" in March 2001, and hovered at No. 1 for two weeks. The band's wings were clipped after reaching that peak; they never saw the Hot 100 again.

4. MIMS

THIS IS WHY I'M HOT

MIMS told the world "This Is Why I'm Hot," and sizzled at the No. 1 spot for two weeks in March 2007. The Jamaican rapper's next single, July 2007's "Like This," only went as high as No. 32. Not quite as hot.

5. D4L

LAFFY TAFFY

Atlanta's D4L hit a sweet spot with "Laffy Taffy" in January 2006, when the song peaked at No. 1. The foursome only made it to no. 72 with their next single, "Betcha Can't Do It Like Me."

6. JAMES BLUNT

YOU'RE BEAUTIFUL

James Blunt sweet-talked his way to No. 1 with the inescapable ballad "You're Beautiful" in March 2006. But fans dropped him soon after; his appropriately titled next single, "Goodbye My Lover," only reached No. 66.

7. GNARLS BARKLEY

CRAZY

"Crazy" was such a gargantuan smash, it felt like Gnarls Barkley's spell would never wear off. But after peaking at No. 2 in July 2006, Ceee-Lo and Dangermouse haven't made it past No. 88 with their subsequent singles. Crazy, indeed.

8. BLU CANTRELL

HIT 'EM UP STYLE (OOPS!)

Blu Cantrell struck gold with "Hit 'Em Up Style (Oops!)," which reached the No. 2 position in July 2001. Since then, she's climbed only as high as No. 70, with "Breathe" in 2003. Oops!

9. BO BICE

INSIDE YOUR HEAVEN

Bo Bice won the hearts of "American Idol" viewers with "Inside Your Heaven," which peaked at No. 2 in July 2005. After the cameras turned off, voters quickly tuned out. His next highest-charting single, "The Real Thing," peaked at No. 56 in May 2006.

10. DREAM

HE LOVES U NOT

Dream lived up to their name with "He Loves U Not," which climbed to No. 2 in December 2000. After that, the manufactured girl group woke up and rose only to No. 39 with their next single, "This Is Me," in the summer of 2001.

11. J-KWON

TIPSY

J-Kwon intoxicated the airwaves with "Tipsy," scoring him the No. 2 spot in April 2004. He hasn't stumbled as high on his own since, but he did ride Bow Wow's coattails to No. 23 in April 2006 with the collaboration "Fresh Azimiz."

12. CASSIE

ME & U

Cassie strutted to No. 3 with "Me & U" in July 2006, but she floundered with "Long Way 2 Go," which only peaked at No. 97. She's been a no-show on the charts ever since.

13. Lou Bega

MAMBO NO. 5 (A LITTLE BIT OF...)

Lou Bega's ubiquitous "Mambo No. 5 (A Little Bit Of)" climbed to No. 3 in November 1999, and stuck around for months after peaking. But Bega hasn't flirted with the charts much since; his next-highest charting single, "Tricky, Tricky," only reached no. 74 in February 2000.

14. LIL' ROMEO

MY BABY

Cute and cuddly Lil Romeo skipped all the way to No. 3 in June 2001 with "My Baby." But puberty didn't do the pint-sized rapper well; none of his solo singles have even touched the Hot 100 since.

15. LUMIDEE

NEVER LEAVE YOU - UH OOH, UH OOOH!

Lumidee promised to "Never Leave You" with her first single in August 2003, which climbed to No. 3 on the charts. She didn't keep her word. Outside of a No. 43 appearance in April 2007 with "She's Like the Wind" featuring Tony Sunshine, she hasn't visited the Hot 100 since.

16. HINDER

LIPS OF AN ANGEL

With "Lips of an Angel," Hinder soared to the No. 3 spot in October 2006. The band fell from grace shortly thereafter, soaring only as high as No. 31 with "Better Than Me" in May 2007.

17. KEVIN LYTTLE FEATURING SPRAGGA BENZ

TURN ME ON

In August 2004, Kevin Lyttle, with help from Spragga Benz, lit up the charts with "Turn Me On," which peaked at No. 4. The airwaves have since turned him off, and the Caribbean crooner has yet to return to the Hot 100.

18. YOUNGBLOODZ FEATURING LIL JON

DAMN!

Youngbloodz teamed up with Lil Jon on "Damn!," which rose to No. 4 in November 2003. The Hotlanta duo had much to curse about after that; they didn't go nearly as high with their next biggest hit; "Presidential" peaked at No. 81 in November 2005.

19. FORT MINOR FEATURING HOLLY BROOK

WHERE'D YOU GO

It's a good thing Mike Shinoda has Linkin Park to fall back on. Fort Minor, his musical side project, started big, reaching No. 2 with "Where'd You Go" in June 2006. Fans have been asking the same question since then; the band's next biggest hit, "Remember the Name," peaked at No. 66. three months later.

20. SAMANTHA MUMBA

GOTTA TELL YOU

Irish singer Samantha Mumba rose to No. 4 on the Hot 100 with "Gotta Tell You" in December 2000. The airwaves refused to listen after that; her next-biggest single, "Baby, Come Over (This Is Our Night)" climbed only to No. 49 in June 2001.

21. CASSIDY FEATURING R. KELLY

HOTEL

Cassidy went all the way to No. 4 in March 2004 with "Hotel," featuring R. Kelly. But the Philly rapper checked out of the chart shortly thereafter, only making it as high as No. 33 with "My Drink N' My 2 Step" three years later.

22. MACY GRAY

I TRY

Macy Gray blew up in May 2000 when her debut single, "I Try," went to No. 5. But believe it or not, the husky-voiced diva has not appeared on the Hot 100 since.

23. THE CALLING

WHEREVER YOU WILL GO

In March 2002, L.A. rockers the Calling reached their highest high when their single "Wherever You Will Go" peaked at No. 5. The band has not come calling back to the charts since.

24. VANESSA CARLTON

A THOUSAND MILES

Vanessa Carlton wooed listeners in May 2002, when her piano ballad "A Thousand Miles" hit No. 5. Five months later, she was back on the Hot 100 with "Ordinary Day," but the song -- her second-biggest single -- barely cracked the Top 30.

25. RUFF ENDZ

NO MORE

Baltimore R&B duo Ruff Endz went all the way to No. 5 with "No More" in September 2000. But the group never saw the top 10 again after that; they only reached No. 49 with "Someone to Love You" in June 2002.


TOPICS: Chit/Chat; History; Music/Entertainment
KEYWORDS: 2000s; endofyear; music; onehitwonders
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1 posted on 12/10/2009 10:44:27 AM PST by a fool in paradise
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To: a fool in paradise

Who the hell are those people? I haven’t heard of any of them.


2 posted on 12/10/2009 10:46:01 AM PST by NCBraveheart (I think therefore I am Libertarian)
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To: a fool in paradise

Apparently, I’m old. I don’t know more than a couple of these songs.


3 posted on 12/10/2009 10:47:39 AM PST by SoDak (bitter clinger)
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To: 537cant be wrong; Aeronaut; bassmaner; Bella_Bru; Big Guy and Rusty 99; Brian Allen; cgk; ...
One hit wonder means you didn't chart again (and may not have belonged there in the first place without the hype) so it doesn't necessarily mean you are O-L-D if you don't recognize the names but I must confess that I only know of 3 of these songs and one of them was in heavy rotation on Rush Limbaugh's show (at least in parody).

But if you gave me a list of the top 25 songs (by Billboard's listing) of the 2000s, I probably would only be able to pick out a handful of those. But I could likewise serve up a list of 25 recommended recordings that don't get industry exposure in the MSM yet are contemporary artists recording contemporary music. I don't watch ABCBSNBCPBSMSNBCNNFOX either.

4 posted on 12/10/2009 10:48:44 AM PST by a fool in paradise (Question authority!Who is the University of East Anglia to drive the 'Global Climate Change' agenda?)
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To: NCBraveheart

Lou Bega - MAMBO NO. 5 (A LITTLE BIT OF...)

Came out on the cusp of 1999/2000 and had the line “A little bit of Monica goin’ on...”. Heard in the wake of public knowledge of President Clinton’s affair with Monica, the song was in heavy rotation.


5 posted on 12/10/2009 10:50:56 AM PST by a fool in paradise (Question authority!Who is the University of East Anglia to drive the 'Global Climate Change' agenda?)
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To: a fool in paradise

No polka songs?


6 posted on 12/10/2009 10:54:13 AM PST by 2banana (My common ground with terrorists - they want to die for islam and we want to kill them)
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To: a fool in paradise

I don’t know alot of one-hit wonders, but my all time favorite is “Brandy” by Looking Glass.....the bass is pure melody, and I never tire of listening to how cool and smooth it is.


7 posted on 12/10/2009 10:54:39 AM PST by Badabing Badablonde (New to the internet? CLICK HERE)
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To: NCBraveheart
The only one I've heard of is Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy".

I guess I am...


8 posted on 12/10/2009 10:55:57 AM PST by Bloody Sam Roberts (An armed man is a citizen. An unarmed man is a subject.)
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To: All
Sounds like y'all need to look at this one... :-)

OneHitWonder Central

9 posted on 12/10/2009 10:56:20 AM PST by Star Traveler (The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is a Zionist and Jerusalem is the apple of His eye.)
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To: NCBraveheart

I don’t know nary one of them.


10 posted on 12/10/2009 10:57:06 AM PST by envisio (The more people I meet, the more I like my dog.)
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To: a fool in paradise

What would really be interesting is a list of 25 songs from the 00’s that are not pure crap.

I think it’d be asking too much...


11 posted on 12/10/2009 10:57:07 AM PST by bigbob
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To: a fool in paradise

Similar discussion about films from the 2000s

Best 5 Movies of the 00s?
Posted on Thursday, December 10, 2009 9:56:02 AM by MNDude
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/2404605/posts?page=1


12 posted on 12/10/2009 10:57:32 AM PST by a fool in paradise (Question authority!Who is the University of East Anglia to drive the 'Global Climate Change' agenda?)
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To: a fool in paradise

The only one I’ve heard is Mambo No. 5.


13 posted on 12/10/2009 10:58:27 AM PST by nina0113
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To: 2banana

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2265781/posts
Polka Music Is Eliminated as Grammy Award Category
06/05/2009 1:35:50 PM PDT · by a fool in paradise · 74 replies · 1,869+ views
NY Times ^ | Published: June 4, 2009 | BEN SISARIO


14 posted on 12/10/2009 11:00:29 AM PST by a fool in paradise (Question authority!Who is the University of East Anglia to drive the 'Global Climate Change' agenda?)
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To: nina0113

I heard that one, Gnarls Barkley Crazy and I heard OF Macy Gray (she had a tv commercial) and I assume she was singing her song on her ad. And that’s it.


15 posted on 12/10/2009 11:01:23 AM PST by a fool in paradise (Question authority!Who is the University of East Anglia to drive the 'Global Climate Change' agenda?)
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To: a fool in paradise

I can proudly state that I have never heard any of these songs nor have I ever heard of any of the “artist(s)” who are responsible for them.


16 posted on 12/10/2009 11:04:36 AM PST by Signalman
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To: NCBraveheart
Who the hell are those people? I haven’t heard of any of them.

And a lot of them apparently don't know how to spell.

17 posted on 12/10/2009 11:08:42 AM PST by dfwgator
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To: a fool in paradise

I’ve never heard of 90% of these people.


18 posted on 12/10/2009 11:10:51 AM PST by Wee-Weed Up
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To: dfwgator

These bands may be flavor of the month and pre-fabricated but I have to wonder how many of these songs share the same producers.


19 posted on 12/10/2009 11:11:02 AM PST by a fool in paradise (Question authority!Who is the University of East Anglia to drive the 'Global Climate Change' agenda?)
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To: NCBraveheart
“Who the hell are those people? I haven’t heard of any of them.”

DITTO. The 80’s was the last decade of good Pop Music. Something happened in the 1990’s where Pop music just was not appealing anymore. I could not name any top ten song, album or group from about 1995 and on. Offer me a million dollars right now to name one song in the top 25, and I would walk away broke.

Country during that same period however started gaining younger listeners. It was not just music Dad listened to anymore.

20 posted on 12/10/2009 11:12:32 AM PST by NavyCanDo
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