It's been an interesting decade for music.
We always reckon that you can judge the quality of a musical era by its one-hit wonders – the songs that music-buyers consume, obsess over briefly and then almost immediately forget.
Given that the musical landscape and the way that people consume music has arguably changed more in the past decade than at any other modern-day period, it means that for some people, music is even more disposable than it was in the past. These days, you don't even have to save up your pocket money to buy a CD single or 7” record of your favourite song of the moment – all it takes is a few clicks to stream or download a song. Whether it remains on your 'most played' list longer than a couple of weeks is another matter – and this, to us, is what constitutes a modern-day one-hit wonder.
Of course, everyone's definition of a one-hit-wonder varies; for the purpose of this list, we've gone with 'Yes, we know they may have other songs. Yes, we know they're probably lovely people. Yes, we know they undoubtedly deserve more than being included on reductive lists like this one. But can you name another song of theirs within 5 seconds?'
Without further ado, grab a cracker and prepare for a cheese-fest... here are the best (or worst, depending on where you stand) – well, let's just say 'most memorable' one-hit wonders of the 2010s.
Look, we know. We're fully aware that – unless you were 8 years old or younger - after the first few listens of the South Korean star's massive global hit, the novelty wore off quicker than you could say 'Baby Shark' or 'Let It Go'. Still, you can't deny that the silliness of this song was infectious, a sugar-rush of giddiness with words (apart from 'Heyyyyy... sexy lady!') that you still don't know, but will gibber along to, regardless.
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2) LMFAO – 'Party Rock Anthem' (2011)
It says a lot about the changing face of music that many of the decade's biggest hits have had 'dances' associated with them. In this case, it was the 'every day I'm shufflin'' dance by this LA uncle and nephew combo (fun fact: they're the son and grandson of Motown founder Berry Gordy Jr.) This song didn't exactly continue Gordy's legacy, but it served its purpose – and hit #1 in no less than thirteen countries in 2011.
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3) Gotye - 'Somebody That I Used to Know' (2011)
Poor Gotye. The Australian singer – who earned comparisons to the likes of Peter Gabriel - must have thought that he was finally hitting the big time with this, the first single from his third album. Instead, he'll be forever known as 'that guy with that song' – even despite winning a Grammy for it, and the album that spawned it.
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4) Foster the People – 'Pumped Up Kicks' (2010)
It seemed that every time you turned on the radio in 2010, this catchy little ditty came through the speakers. It helped that it was used in a number of high profile ads and TV shows. The lyrics may have been pretty damned dark (would the Los Angeles indiepoppers even get away with the same song now?) but the infuriatingly upbeat melody made it a stone-cold earworm. Foster the People have released three albums to date, but they'll never shake the shadow of their debut single.
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5) Duck Sauce – Barbra Streisand (2010)
There's always room for a little silliness in the world of one-hit wonders, and Duck Sauce – aka respected DJs Armand Van Helden (himself a one-hit wonder for 'You Don't Know Me') and A-Trak – fill that criterion perfectly with this 2010 single. Their tongue-in-cheek disco-house ditty pays tribute to Babs in the catchiest manner imaginable; heck, it was even nominated for a Grammy.
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6) Ylvis – 'The Fox (What Does the Fox Say?)' (2013)
If you have a small person in your life, you'll know this song intimately. More intimately than you want to, probably. Its accompanying video considerably helped its viral growth, but Norwegian comedy duo Ylvis knew exactly what they were doing with the gleeful ridiculousness of the whole thing.
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7) Rebecca Black – 'Friday' (2011)
The fact that this song was intended as a serious release has guaranteed it a place in the Pop Hall of Fame forever. The sheer awfulness of both the song and the video made it the kind of tune that you couldn't tear your eyes (or ears) away from. Black's mum paid $4,000 for the then-13-year-old to record the song by LA record label ARK Music Factory – and though it was panned as the 'worst song ever' by some critics, it went on to major chart success around the world, thanks to music fans' rubbernecking.
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8) The Lumineers – 'Ho Hey' (2012)
Look, you can protest all you want about the fact that The Lumineers are actually a really good band, and they've sold out the 3Arena, and yadda yadda yadda. The truth is, everyone goes to see the Colorado folk band for this song and this song only. The tune has even become a 'first dance' favourite at weddings, but could the majority of those loved-up newlyweds name another Lumineers track?
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9) Baauer – 'Harlem Shake' (2012)
Bet you didn't know who was responsible for this song. Well, the answer is Philadelphia-born DJ Harry Bauer Rodrigues aka Baauer, who released the hip-hop/trap banger as his first single back in 2012 – around the same time as people started uploading videos of themselves doing the dance of the same name (which originated back in the 1980s) on the likes of Facebook and Twitter.
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10) Walk the Moon – 'Shut Up and Dance' (2014)
Even we have to admit to being charmed by this one. The song – which was taken from the second album by the American pop-rock band – is so simple but so effective. Written about an experience that frontman Nick Pettricca had in a club, it's one of those tunes that appeals to numerous age groups and has been known to fill many a dancefloor at an Irish wedding. Even your granny would clap along to this one.
