Biggest One-Hit Wonders of All Time

Ini Kamoze had modest success as a reggae artist, but he wanted to try something in a different format in an attempt to gather more airplay. The chorus on this track is sampled from the Cannibal and the Headhunters version of “Land of 1,000 Dances,” and the bass line is sampled from “Heartbeat” by Taana Gardner. “Hotstepper,” a Jamaican term for a fugitive from the law, is the singer’s nickname.

Seattle rapper Sir Mix-a-Lot’s derrière-themed hit has been widely covered and parodied and referred to in everything from “Friends” to “Shrek.” Last year, the singer, born Anthony Ray, debuted a real estate-themed reality show called “Sir Mix-a-Lot’s House Remix” on the DIY Network.

Owl City is Minnesotan Adam Young’s electronic-pop project. He apparently doesn’t care that he produced no successful follow-ups to this No. 1 hit, telling Songfacts, “I don’t really care if people only know me for ‘Fireflies.’ I just do my own thing.”

This gospel-inspired ballad by R&B trio Divine topped the Billboard charts only a few weeks after the three young members of the group graduated from high school. Follow-ups faltered, and the group disbanded in 2000.

With this song, Daniel Powter, who is from British Columbia, became the first Canadian to top the U.S. charts since Nickelback did so four years earlier. Billboard named Powter the top one-hit wonder of the years 2000 to 2007.