The Other One: Third Eye Blind, "Never Let You Go"

It wouldn't be fair to call Third Eye Blind a one-hit wonder. In the late 90's and early 2000s they had a commendable string of hits that included not only "Semi-Charmed Life," but also the similarly ubiquitous anti-suicide jingle "Jumper" and teen heartbreak classic "How's It Going To Be?" But a decade-plus on, "Semi-Charmed" far outshines those tunes that, at the time, reached a similar level of success.

The one song by TEB that I thought never got its due was "Never Let You Go." Having achieved popularity with their earlier singles, they had the task of maintaining that level of success without seeming like they had run out of ideas. "Never Let You Go" does this exceptionally. It starts with the fact that it is built on essentially the chord progression from "Sweet Jane," which is an instant recipe for an indelible hook, then add in some of the same late-90s sunny-gloom of "Semi-Charmed" and "Jumper," and you've got a winner. If it doesn't have the cache of "Semi-Charmed Life," it's still a worthy successor and a perfectly-crafted piece of 90s pop-rock.

The Other One: B-52s, "Roam"

"Rock Lobster" remains this band's signature song, and in my mind "Love Shack" looms just as large in their discography, but this song is probably my favourite. As much as I like Fred Schneider's campy vocals on the other hits, I think this song benefits from lacking them. It feels very direct and in-the-middle and kitschy without being "about" it. It's just a fun goddamn pop song.

The Other One: Dexys Midnight Runners, "Geno"

Before they were the "Come On Eileen" band, Dexy's Midnight Runners were, at least in the UK, dangerously close to being the "Geno" band, because their first hit there was with this catchy-ass tune about soul singer Geno Washington. I actually read where a lot of contemporary reviews hated the band, and I guess they got the last laugh in the end, but fair's fair because this song has something to it, and in hindsight, is just as rocking as the later hit (which is objectively one of the best songs ever written, says I.) Like the later hit, it depends on certain elements of character which might not have jived with the times, but mark it as distinct from its influences, as does Kevin Rowland's always completely impossible vocals. What survives is the groove and spirit of it, which I dig.

The Other One: Semisonic, "Chemistry"

On a recent edition of their podcast, my colleagues at Comics the Blog made reference to the Semisonic 20th Century Masters collection, which contains "that one song you know, and that other song you should know." You've surmised that the former is the classic ode to life as a fetus, "Closing Time." I believe latter is this one, which I always thought deserved to be a hit. It's catchy as all hell and a bit less specialized than "Closing Time."

That's probably why it didn't take off. Back in the late 90's, you got one chance to make an impression, and few acts were given a chance to flourish. Once you were pigeonholed as "the 'Closing Time' guys," that was your thing. Your song would play over the final montage of any dramedy to add weight, or the closing credits of any vaguely somber movie. "Chemistry" is just a cool song about growing up and figuring out romance, and quite honestly its lyrics are among the most clever of its era. And like I said, catchy as hell. You should know this one.

The Other One: Fastball, "Fire Escape"

Fastball is best known for their quirky late-90's anthem "The Way," but their follow-up single is not only equally catchy but perhaps even more quintessentially 90's, with its Post-Tom Petty-come-Gin Blossoms guitar and harmonic vocals. Throw in the morning-after slow jam "Out Of My Head," and you get a surprisingly underrated trio of singles from the most culturally-excellent decade.

The Other One: Len, "Feelin' All Right"

"The Other One" is usually not as good as the first one (hence, why it was not a hit,) and this is no exception. But it wasn't bad. It had all the ingredients that made "Steal My Sunshine" so undeniable: the same fed-up, bored-with-the-world Gen X slacker tone, set to a bouncy, power pop rhythm... yet it just didn't have that energy, that spirit that "Sunshine" did.

The Other One: Chumbawamba, "Amnesia"

A while ago I came up with a concept for a feature for this site where I spotlighted the "other" songs by supposed one-hit wonders. I don't think the concept has a lot of legs because someone's always going to say "Hey, THAT was a hit too!" but in this case I think it works perfectly.

As you know, Chumbawamba is perceived as being a one-hit wonder, and due to the immense popularity of "Tubthumper," they are. But they had a long, weird history that remains incredibly obscure even to me. What I do remember, though, is this song, which rivals "Tubthumper" even in awesomeness. I post it today on the occasion of Chumbawamba's (arguable overdue, arguably not) break-up. Enjoy.