This was a tough assignment. First I had to decide who’s songs were not enough of a “hit” to be called a one hit wonder. I also had think of how long the song has been out for, and decide if new material came along would that also gain “hit” status (using this I completely disregarded songs from 2006-7). Another thing to consider was whether “underground” success meant that the “hit” did not qualify, as many people liked their stuff already. There were many other aspects I had to consider, but you get the idea. Note: These are the songs I feel were the best one hit wonders.

First off, my honorable mention: “Crazy” by Gnarls Barkley- It loses its status for one hit wonder as they just released a new album (which I think is very good, possibly better than St. Elsewhere), so it remains to be seen if a song off their new stuff will take off like “Crazy.” But you really could not find a radio station that wouldn’t play this in the summer of ’06.  "Crazy" completely took over the radio waves, unlike any other song since “Hey Ya.”

Ok, now on to my list. Coming in at number 5, the now forgetten, “Blue (Da Ba Dee)” by Eiffel 65. The year 2000 seems like an eternity ago. Everyone was worried that the computers would crash, and civilization would cease to exist. But then the ball dropped and everyone's TV still worked, so there was a huge sigh of relief. I put this song at number because it introduced me to the electronic/dance genre. If I wanted to do this High Fidelity style (besides the Top 5 list), and chronologically organize my MP3s, I would say that this song had a part in influencing me to get into bands such as Daft Punk and Justice. A huge hit, I remember being a little squirt of 12 rocking out to this on Z100. Ah, the bliss of youth.

2K1 as it was fondly called (wasn’t the early 2000s fun?), had the single “Start the Commotion” by The Wiseguys. Another dance song, the flute in this song is crazy. If you think that the title sounds familiar, it was featured in a Mitsubishi commercial and in the movie Zoolander. Just a good song that I loved hearing on the radio, and still gets frequent plays on my iPod. For this, it sits at number 4.

Number 3 is a tie between another 2000 track “I Try” by Macy Gray and 2001’s “Hit ‘em Up Style (Oops!)” by Blu Cantrell. The fact that Macy Gray got up to number 5 in the Top 40 charts in the time of Britney, Christina, and all the other Mickey Mouse Clubbers, is so impressive. Her raspy voice belting out the lyrics and the soft piano is a far cry from "Oops, I Did it Again," but it still managed to garner attention from the same age demographic. “Hit ‘em Up Style” by Blu Cantrell (who?), was a good R&B song.  It was definitely more geared towards empowering women, but I can remember the chorus very easily. Both songs were solid, and I thought we’d hear more from both artists.

“I’m not a perfect person/there’s many things I wish I didn’t do” was all the rage for jilted high school lovers to put in their AIM away messages or profiles. Though I’ve heard the 2004 Hoobastank track, “The Reason” more times in 2004-5 than I probably would have ever liked, I'll admit that I can still listen to it today. That says something (that it’s not terrible). This song was everywhere, the music video was on MTV, the song on most rock/pop radio stations; you really couldn’t escape it.

Well for my last track, let me set up the scene. The year was 2003 and I was leaving camp for the last time. This song I felt fit the situation perfectly. “Boys of Summer” by The Ataris is my number 1. This is one of the best covers that does enough justice to the original that my parents can listen to the new one. I remember hearing it over and over and thinking “The Ataris are really gonna get big!” So much for that. (And yes, I’m a dork for sharing that anecdote.)

Other Notables: “All The Things She Said” t.A.T.u; “Youth of the Nation” P.O.D.; “Who Let the Dogs Out” Baha Men; “Still Fly” Big Tymers; “Ocean Avenue” Yellowcard

Dan Tintle, 19, is a sophomore attending Marist College in Poughkeepsie, NY.; He's a psych major who enjoys music and hockey.