Greatest One-Hit Wonders: 2004
In 2004, President George W. Bush was reelected. Facebook launched. Martha Stewart was sent to prison for insider trading, and Scott Peterson was convicted of murdering his wife and unborn son. During the Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show, a “wardrobe malfunction” occurred involving Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake (briefly revealing Jackson’s nipple). The Summer Olympics were held in Athens, Greece, and the Boston Red Sox won their first World Series since 1918.
The top-grossing flicks were Shrek 2, Spider-Man 2, and The Passion of the Christ. Usher had the two biggest hits of the year with “Yeah!” (feat. Lil Jon and Ludacris) and “Burn.” Rounding out the top Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles were “If I Ain’t Got You” by Alicia Keys, “This Love” by Maroon 5, and “The Way You Move” by Outkast.
In 2004, nearly 30 artists notched their one and only pop hit, meaning one entry into the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100. For this installment of 360°Sound’s long-running Greatest One Hit Wonders series, we bring you six of the standout one-hitters from 2004. It’s a mix of pop-punk, hip-hop, R&B, and even some soca music. Enjoy!
Yellowcard – “Ocean Avenue”
Songwriters: Ryan Key, Ben Harper, Pete Mosely, Longineu W. Parsons III, and Sean Mackin
Genre: Pop-punk
Billboard Hot 100: #37 on June 6
Pop-punk and emo were all in the rage in the aughts with bands like My Chemical Romance, New Found Glory, and Taking Back Sunday rockin’ their way up the charts. Jacksonville, Florida quartet Yellowcard stood out from the pack by having a violinist. I always thought their hit “Ocean Avenue” was about a teenage romance, but according to frontman Benjamin Harper, it’s about a place the band used to hang out in Florida before moving to California. “Instead of talking about a girl, it’s talking about a scene and a feeling that we want to get back to: hanging out and writing,” Harper told The Boston Phoenix in 2004.
Mis-Teeq – “Scandalous”
Songwriters: Mikkel S. Eriksen, Hallgeir Rustan, Tor Erik Hermansen, Alesha Dixon, Sabrina Washington, and Su-Elise Nash
Genre: R&B
Hot 100: #35 on July 10
A British girl group comprised of Su-Elise Nash, Sabrina Washington, and Alesha Dixon, Mis-Teeq fused hip-hop, R&B, and UK garage (electronic dance music marked by percussive rhythms and syncopated hi-hats). Mis-Teeq had much more success in their native England. “Scandalous,” the catchy lead single from their second album, Eye Candy, was their only song to make a dent on the US Hot 100, peaking at #35 in the summer of 2004. It rose as high as #4 on the Billboard Dance Singles Sales chart. The bangin’ production on this track was one of the first successes for Norwegian duo Stargate, who would go on to produce hits for Beyoncé, Rihanna, Katy Perry, and others.
Kevin Lyttle – “Turn Me On”
Songwriters: Arnold Hennings, Daron Jones, Michael Keith, Kevin Lyttle, Quinnes Parker, Raeon Primus, Marvin Scandrick, and Courtney Sillis
Genre: Soca
Hot 100: #4 on August 14
Hailing from the Caribbean island nation of Saint Vincent, Kevin Lyttle scored a massive top-five hit with “Turn Me On.” The track was originally recorded in 2001 (in less than an hour over just two takes) as a soca ballad and became a popular song during Carnival in St. Vincent that year. Atlantic Records didn’t pick up the single until two years later, and the label pushed it to U.S. radio as a dance remix featuring Jamaican dancehall artist Spragga Benz. That version became a worldwide hit, soundtracking many a dance party in the summer of ‘04. Years later, Lyttle’s spicy hook topped Billboard’s “The 12 Best Dancehall & Reggaeton Choruses of the 21st Century.”
Terror Squad – “Lean Back”
Songwriters: Joseph Cartagena, Reminisce Smith, and Scott Storch
Genre: Hip-hop
Hot 100: #1 on August 21
Bronx-based hip-hop collective Terror Squad was founded in 1998 by Fat Joe and featured Puerto Rican rap legend Big Pun, who died of a heart attack two years later. Terror Squad’s chart-topping classic “Lean Back” is made up of verses from Fat Joe and Remy Ma, who, along with Tony Sunshine, replaced original members Cuban Link and Triple Seis. The beat is by producer Scott Storch, who ruled the aughts with a string of number-one hits. The drums-and-strings production is so good that the track would still knock as an instrumental.
Houston – “I Like That”
Songwriters: Houston Summers, Alonzo Lee, Shamar Daugherty, Mischke Butler, Howie Bailye, Nathaniel Hale, Bobby Sandimanie, and Steve Prudholme
Genre: Hip-hop
Hot 100: #11 on August 14
On “I Like That,” the lead single from Houston’s only studio album, It’s Already Written, the R&B singer makes it clear that he likes it when a woman twerks that back. Propelled by a slinky synth line, the song features guest raps from I-20 and Chingy, who was hot on the heels of his #2 pop hit “Right Thurr.” Gangsta rap’s premier crooner Nate Dogg also lends his dulcet tones. In 2005, Houston suffered an emotional breakdown and attempted to take his own life, and eventually gouged out his left eye with a fork. He hasn’t released any music since that time.
Bowling for Soup – “1985”
Songwriters: Jaret Reddick, Mitch Allan, and John Allen
Genre: Pop-punk
Hot 100: #23 on November 13
Bowling for Soup’s sole Top 40 hit, “1985,” was originally written and recorded by pop-punk band SR-71 in the spring of ‘04. The nostalgic, riff-fueled anthem is about a middle-aged woman named Debbie who, unhappy with her life and marriage, yearns for her Eighties glory days. “Bring back Springsteen, Madonna/Way before Nirvana/There was U2 and Blondie/And music still on MTV.”
