Britpop’s Quick Flicker: 4 One-Hit Wonders Who Deserved Better

We all know about Oasis and Blur, but what about the bands and musicians that helped kick off the Britpop era with one solid track? These four songs are widely considered to be one-hit wonders from Britpop’s heyday. And we think these bands deserve more recognition for their contributions to the late 1990s, early 2000s movement. Let’s dive in, shall we?

1. “In Your Car” by Kenickie

If the name of this Britpop band sounds familiar, you’ve probably seen Grease one too many times. “In Your Car” from 1997 was the band’s claim to fame. The song was quite popular and became a bit of a cult classic, but the band itself broke up only a year after its release. All of the members have since gone on to either pursue other musical endeavors or change careers entirely.

2. “Sleep” by Marion

This Cheshire-based band was one of the best Britpop one-hit wonders to hit the airwaves in 1995. The Britpop-slash-power pop song “Sleep” was the band’s second single and quickly reached no. 53 on the UK Singles chart. The song was re-recorded and released again in 1996, where it peaked at no. 17 on the UK charts. 

While a few of Marion’s other songs charted pretty well, none of them hit the Top 20 like “Sleep” did. The band broke up in 1999 but has since gotten back together multiple times.

3. “From A Window” by Northern Uproar

One can’t help but wonder what could have been if Northern Uproar just got a little bit more attention. Their song “From A Window” was a pretty big hit for the band back in 1996, but their sophomore album Yesterday Tomorrow Today from 1997 just didn’t do well commercially. 

Northern Uproar broke up in 1999, but they’ve gotten back together off and on through the years, particularly for festivals. Sadly, the band’s founding member Jeff Fletcher passed away in 2014.

4. “Showgirl” by The Auteurs

It’s surprising that The Auteurs didn’t make it bigger than they did. Luke Haines, the main songwriter behind the band, is an incredibly underrated writer and musician. “Showgirl” and the album New Wave did amazingly well and even got nominated for awards. However, the follow-up album Now I’m A Cowboy couldn’t dish out singles that made it to the Top 40. 

The band broke up in 1999, but Haines went on to work with different projects and even penned a memoir about living on the fringe of Britpop, titled Bad Vibes.

Photo by Martyn Goodacre/Getty Images

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