In 1994, the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) took effect. Paula Jones filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against President Bill Clinton. Yahoo and Amazon launched. Figure skater Nancy Kerrigan was attacked before the 1994 Winter Olympics in Norway. Major league baseball players went on strike. O.J. Simpson’s white Bronco was chased by police across southern California. The top-grossing movies of the year were The Lion King, Forrest Gump, and True Lies.
On the music side of things, the top five Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 1994 were “The Sign” by Ace of Base, “I Swear” by All-4-One, “I’ll Make Love to You” by Boyz II Men, “The Power of Love” by Celine Dion, and “Hero” by Mariah Carey. The top-selling albums were Hootie & the Blowfish’s Cracked Rear View and Green Day’s Dookie. About 20 one-hit wonders – artists with just one entry into the Top 40 in their career – charted in 1994, and many were quite good. For this list, we’ve whittled the bunch down to seven standouts. Hope you enjoy this mix of dance-pop, hip-hop, grunge, and more!
Culture Beat – “Mr. Vain”
Songwriters: Steven Levis, Nosie Katzmann, and Jay Supreme
Genre: Eurodance
Billboard Hot 100: #17 on January 22
The most popular type of electronic music in the early to mid-1990s was Eurodance – a fusion of house, techno, Hi-NRG, and hip-hop. Culture Beat had one of the biggest Eurodance hits of ‘94 with “Mr. Vain,” which topped the charts in 11 European countries and peaked at #17 on the Billboard Hot 100. On “Mr. Vain,” Culture Beat (singer Tania Evans, rapper Jay Supreme, and German producers Torsten Fenslau and Peter Sweler) follow the Eurodance formula to the letter – a catchy keyboard melody, thumping bassline, powerful female vocals, and a rap interlude. Formulaic, yes, but also fun as hell.
Us3 – “Cantaloop (Flip Fantasia)”
Songwriters: Herbie Hancock, Rahsaan Kelly, Geoff Wilkinson, and Mel Simpson
Genre: Jazz-rap
Hot 100: #9 on March 5
Founded by British producer Geoff Wilkinson in 1992, Us3 were a jazz-rap group whose name was inspired by Horace Parlan’s 1960 album Us Three, which was released on the storied jazz label Blue Note Records. In fact, Us3’s entire debut album, the acclaimed, platinum-selling Hand on the Torch, includes over a dozen samples from the Blue Note catalog. The single “Cantaloop” featured a sample from Herbie Hancock’s classic “Cantaloupe Island,” and trumpeter Gerard Presencer recorded a fresh solo for the groovy Top 10 hit.
Masta Ace Incorporated – “Born to Roll”
Songwriters: Duval Clear, Eric McIntosh, and A.A. Brown
Genre: Hip-hop
Hot 100: #23 on May 7
A short-lived hip-hop collective from Brooklyn, Masta Ace Incorporated was fronted by rapper Masta Ace, who had previously made a name for himself with Queensbridge’s legendary Juice Crew. Masta Ace Incorporated notched a surprise Top 25 pop hit with their banger “Born to Roll.” The single possessed both the lyrical dexterity of East Coast hip-hop (“Braniac dumb-dumbs, bust the scientifical/Approach to the course and the force is centrifugal”) and the funky, bass-heavy beats of West Coast rap (“Act like, ya know, the Masta Act don’t play when it come to my bass, aahhhh.”)
M People – “Moving On Up”
Songwriters: Mike Pickering and Paul Heard
Genre: Dance-pop
Hot 100: #34 on June 25
M People consisted of British DJ Mike Pickering, singer Heather Small, and former Orange Juice member Paul Heard. The dance group was hugely successful in their native England in the ‘90s, placing nearly 20 singles on the Top 40 of the UK charts. They also enjoyed much chart success throughout Europe, but their only Hot 100 action came with “Moving On Up,” which peaked at #34 in the summer of ‘94. The sax-laden club anthem was featured on a number of movie soundtracks in the ‘90s, including The Full Monty and The Next Karate Kid.
Ahmad – “Back in the Day”
Songwriters: Ahmad A. Lewis and Stefan K. Gordy
Genre: Hip-hop
Hot 100: #26 on August 6
On this nostalgic hip-hop track, 18-year-old Ahmad reminisces about days gone by when he was younger (“I miss those days and so I pout like a grown jerk/Wishin’ all I had to do now was finish homework”). The first single from the Los Angeles rapper’s debut album Ahmad, “Back in the Day” features a sample of Teddy Pendergrass’s “Love T.K.O” and peaked at #3 on Billboard’s Hot Rap Songs chart.
Candlebox – “Far Behind”
Songwriter: Candlebox
Genre: Grunge
Hot 100: #18 on October 1
Formed in Seattle in 1991 as grunge was hitting the mainstream, Candlebox scored big with the rockin’ power ballad “Far Behind.” Lead singer Kevin Martin wrote it as a tribute to his late friend Andy Wood, singer of the Seattle band Mother Love Bone. In a 1994 interview, Martin said “Far Behind” represents “the loss of love between friends and having to be left with the feeling of emptiness.” In addition to cracking the Top 20 of the pop charts, “Far Behind” reached #4 on the Billboard Rock Tracks. Interestingly, it reentered the charts earlier this year, peaking at #3 on Billboard Hard Rock Digital Song Sales. At the time, Candlebox were on their (alleged) farewell tour in support of their 2023 album, The Long Goodbye.
Ini Kamoze – “Here Comes the Hotstepper”
Songwriters: Ini Kamoze, Chris Kenner, Kenton Nix, and Salaam Remi
Genre: Reggae fusion
Hot 100: #1 on December 17
Before his chart-topper, Ini Kamoze had been a fixture on the reggae scene for a decade. His Sly & Robbie-produced eponymous debut album (and one of my all-time favorite reggae LPs) dropped in ’84 on Island Records, and he went on to record a slew of solid reggae and dancehall tracks throughout the ‘80s. But by the early ‘90s, his career had hit a lull. Then came the Salaam Remi-produced hip-hop and reggae magic of “Here Comes the Hotstepper.” Prominently featuring the bassline of Taana Gardner’s disco smash “Heartbeat,” among other samples, the song also borrowed the “na-na-na-na-na” from ‘60s classic “Land of a Thousand Dances,” putting the catchiness over the top. A one-hit wonder gem.
Check out our discussion of these 1994 one-hitters, featuring author David Hopper, ’90s expert Phil Childers, and editor-in-chief Chris Bisha on our YouTube channel, @360degreesound
