Tag: Business

  • 12 tips for finding your signature scent, according to professional perfumers

    A collection of Le Labo fragrances.
    Three professional perfumers shared tips for how to find your signature scent.

    • Three perfume industry professionals shared their best tips for finding a signature scent.
    • They recommended training your nose to learn what types of scents you gravitate toward.
    • It's important to test fragrances on both paper and skin, they said.

    Earlier this year, the Business of Fashion reported fragrance was among the fastest-growing sectors of the beauty industry in 2024, despite being one of the smallest.

    There are many online recommendations and tempting new launches available, but it can be difficult to decide which fragrance to purchase and really make your own.

    So, Business Insider asked fragrance brand founders and developers for their best advice on finding your perfect signature scent.

    Train your nose

    Before entering any fragrance shop, it's important to train your nose and determine what scents you naturally gravitate toward, Brianna Arps, founder, CEO, and designer at Moodeaux, told BI.

    Note the fragrance categories you enjoy — like gourmands, florals, or citrus — then narrow it down to specific notes, like line items in a recipe, Arps said.

    "As you become more familiar with what certain things smell like, you're able to quickly weed out things that wouldn't work for you," she added.

    Understand the feeling and intention behind your scent

    Scent tells stories through layers of notes, Carlos Huber, a fragrance developer and founder of Arquiste Parfumeur, told BI.

    He said it's important that people ask themselves how a scent makes them feel and where it takes them. For example, certain notes can make you feel energized or relaxed when wearing them.

    "We associate our life experiences with the stuff we put on us, whether it's fashion or a perfume. Figure out your intention for that," Huber said.

    Try to test fragrances on both paper and skin

    A close-up of a person spraying a fragrance on their wrist.
    Arps also said she prefers testing scents on skin.

    Romano Ricci, founder and artistic director of Juliette Has a Gun, advised testing fragrances on both paper and skin when shopping.

    Paper can offer a more neutral palette, but since everyone's bodies react differently to scents, it's important to test a fragrance on your skin to see how it will really sit.

    Beware of olfactory fatigue

    Olfactory fatigue can make it harder to describe a scent's notes, Ricci said.

    To avoid this, he suggested limiting your testing to three to four scents and spreading your sniffs out by about 10 minutes. That way, their middle notes (also known as heart notes) have time to come out.

    Some fragrance shops also offer cups of coffee beans for customers to smell between perfumes to "reset" their olfactory sense, but Arps said this might do more harm than good by clouding your nose's judgment.

    Instead, she recommended smelling clean skin on the inside of your arm or the back of your hand between fragrances.

    Give your test fragrance time to settle

    Whether you spray a fragrance on paper or your skin, Arps recommended letting it settle to draw out the complexities of the top, middle, and bottom notes.

    For example, some scents that you may initially adore could unfurl into something you don't actually enjoy.

    "You're gonna live with it, and it's gonna live with you for a little bit. You may like something immediately, but then if you don't like it within an hour, then it's not meant to be your signature scent," Huber told BI.

    Take note of the positive or negative feedback you get while wearing a new fragrance

    Sometimes, testing a fragrance once is enough, especially if you receive positive feedback.

    While wearing a fragrance, see if anyone offers a compliment or reaction to the scent, like how someone might mention a flattering new lip color or hairstyle.

    "It's the same way as your makeup or your outfit. It's a way of expression," Ricci said.

    Look into a fragrance discovery kit before purchasing a full-sized bottle

    A collection of three fragrance testers in a small box.
    Discovery kits offer multiple scents for consumers to test.

    Before you dive into a full-size, or even travel-size, bottle of fragrance, Arps suggested trying a discovery kit of multiple scents in even smaller quantities.

    Ricci recommended using a platform like Nose, which uses your past fragrance preferences to build a kit of new scents you might like.

    Keep a log of fragrances you try

    Arps also recommended keeping a list of the scents you try as a concrete way to analyze common scent notes that you're drawn to.

    This can help point you in the right direction for a fragrance you'll love.

    Consider alternative methods for finding a new fragrance

    Although your first thought when looking for a new signature scent may be to run to a department store, Arps told BI that swap meets are becoming more popular among fragrance fans.

    While there, people swap perfumes (including partially used ones) with one another.

    "It's another way to help find a scent that you truly love, because just as a fragrance evolves, we as people evolve," she said. "These types of events allow people to honor growth and find things that speak to them now."

    Determine the kind of longevity you want to have

    A fragrance's longevity depends on its oil concentration: the lower the concentration, the less time the scent will last.

    A pure parfum, for example, should last the longest — up to eight hours — because it has an oil concentration between 20 and 30%.

    After parfum comes an eau de parfum, followed by an eau de toilette, an eau de cologne, and an eau fraiche, which has the lowest oil concentration.

    However, don't worry if you fall in love with a scent that doesn't last. Longevity can be a little overrated, Huber said, as you can always reapply a fragrance.

    Remember to keep your budget in mind

    A collection of five fragrances, including Tom Ford Eau de Soleil Blanc, Le Labo Santal 33, and Le Labo Another 13.
    Some fragrances retail for hundreds of dollars.

    The price of a fragrance can depend on various factors, including scent longevity, ingredients, and brand name. The popular fragrance brand Le Labo, for example, has bottles that retail for over $1,100.

    Although it's probably the least fun part of finding a signature scent, Arps recommended keeping a realistic budget in mind when deciding which fragrances to add to your collection.

    Have fun searching for your signature scent

    There's no right or wrong way to find your signature scent or "olfactory personality," Ricci said.

    His best advice: Visualize your fragrance as an "invisible dress and not as a composition of ingredients," and reflect on what you want to express through your scent.

    This story was originally published on April 29, 2025, and most recently updated on November 19, 2025.

    Read the original article on Business Insider
  • I made Walmart’s $4-a-person Thanksgiving dinner. The value was great, but my meal was even better with a few changes.

    The writer posing with the Walmart Thanksgiving meal ingredients.
    caption

    • I tried Walmart's Thanksgiving meal, which costs $40 and serves 10, making it a $4 per person menu.
    • I found the value to be excellent, and I was especially impressed by the mac and cheese.
    • I suggest buying a few extras, like another dessert and ingredients for a flavorful cranberry sauce.

    My husband and I spent our first Thanksgiving as newlyweds eating turkey plates at a Denny's in Niagara Falls — a hard lesson in what happens when you honeymoon somewhere that largely shuts down for the holiday.

    Since then, I've mostly been a guest at other people's tables, contributing a side or two but never taking on the full spread. This year, with no Thanksgiving travel plans and only a small family gathering on the calendar, that finally changed.

    With the rising cost of groceries and a small guest list, I struggled to decide on a perfect menu until I came across Walmart's Thanksgiving dinner, which is supposed to feed 10 people for just $40.

    I set out to test the deal, and although the value and convenience were undeniable, I also came up with a few ways to upgrade my meal.

    I used Walmart's app to order my haul with just a few taps.
    The writer using the Walmart app to order the 2025 Thanksgiving meal.
    caption

    Walmart's 2025 Thanksgiving meal comes with 15 items, including store-brand, Great Value products like three boxes of mac and cheese, three cans of corn, brown gravy mix, and pie crusts.

    Ingredients from other brands are included, too, like Campbell's cream of mushroom soup and Stove Top stuffing mix.

    Using the store's app, I was able to automatically load everything included in the $4-a-person deal into my cart. From there, I could adjust quantities as needed.

    The only thing I changed was the amount of corn — I'm not a huge fan, and I couldn't imagine what I'd do with three full cans of it.

    Every item in the meal was in stock at my local store and ready for pickup within a few hours. The entire haul cost me just under $43, including tax.

    Some recipes were straightforward, but I bought a few extra ingredients to make the turkey and cranberries.
    Ingredients from Walmart's Thanksgiving meal.
    Ingredients from Walmart's Thanksgiving meal.

    I picked up all 15 ingredients that evening.

    Notably, Walmart's list doesn't include certain essential cooking basics and pantry staples I ended up using — namely, sugar, milk, butter, eggs, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

    Thankfully, I already had these in my kitchen. If you don't have them on hand, though, I'd suggest adding them to your cart so you can make the full meal, including the pumpkin pie.

    Later on, I also bought a few extra items to flavor the turkey with, including cooking wine, sage, and parsley — plus oranges to use when cooking my cranberries.

    Altogether, I spent an extra $10 on these additions, but I had a feeling the splurge would pay off in terms of flavor.

    Several dishes on the list were pretty self-explanatory.
    Great Value mac and cheese from Walmart.
    caption

    The stuffing, gravy, dinner rolls, and mac and cheese were the easiest parts of the meal, and didn't necessitate any ingredients beyond butter.

    I appreciated how effortless it was to prepare the Great Value gravy and Stove Top stuffing. Both of these came together in minutes and shaved a huge chunk of prep time off my usual family recipes.

    Mac and cheese isn't something we normally serve at Thanksgiving, but this Great Value version was fast and easy to cook.

    My haul came with everything I needed to make green-bean casserole.
    The writer's green bean casserole with fried onions.
    caption

    I was excited to realize I had everything I needed to make green-bean casserole, one of my all-time favorite Thanksgiving sides.

    Using green beans, the cream of mushroom soup can, and Kinder's fried onions, I was easily able to follow my go-to recipe.

    I made the cranberry relish first so that it could sit overnight.
    The writer holding up an orange for the cranberry relish.
    caption

    Since I wasn't sure what to do with the cranberries, I made a family-favorite relish recipe from my husband's great-grandma.

    Ever since I started bringing it to the holidays, my parents and siblings have adopted it into their own Thanksgiving and Christmas spreads, too.

    Though the recipe's simple, it does need time to sit. I started by combining the cranberries with two whole oranges in a blender until all the fruit was chopped.

    Then, I poured the mixture into a container with an airtight lid, stirred in sugar, and allowed it to build flavor overnight.

    The pumpkin pie came together easily, but it did require a few spices I already had at home.
    The writer cooking the pumpkin pie with spices, sugar, eggs, evaporated milk, and pumpkin.
    caption

    Walmart's Thanksgiving meal included three ingredients I needed to make a pie: crust, condensed milk, and a Great Value can of pure pumpkin.

    There was a simple pumpkin-pie recipe on the can, which I followed closely. It was easy to follow, but I did have to use a few items I already had on hand, including sugar, eggs, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

    I wasn't sure what to do with the carrots, so I made a simple glaze with easy ingredients.
    Honey-glazed carrots.
    caption

    The Great Value baby carrots took more thought, since the meal didn't come with any particular instructions on how to cook them.

    I decided to toss them in a simple glaze made with butter and honey, two pantry staples I already had on hand.

    I'm glad I used a few additional herbs and ingredients to make a more flavorful turkey.
    The finished turkey from Walmart's Thanksgiving meal.
    caption

    Then, I made more dishes, including the turkey.

    I'm loyal to Martha Stewart's cheesecloth method, which consistently produces the moistest, most flavorful turkey. After trying it once, I never went back.

    All I did was melt several sticks of butter with white wine, soak a layer of cheesecloth in the mixture, and drape it over the turkey before putting it in the oven. I basted every 30 minutes.

    When the bird was done, the cheesecloth peeled off effortlessly, leaving perfectly browned, tender meat underneath.

    If you're making Walmart's $40 Thanksgiving, I'd recommend buying a few more dessert options.
    The finished Thanksgiving meal.
    caption

    One thing that stuck out to me was that no beverages were included in Walmart's meal. If you're hosting, it might be worth buying some sparkling water, apple cider, or wine.

    Also, the only dessert I was able to make using Walmart's preset list of ingredients was pumpkin pie. If I were to make this meal again, I'd plan a few more Thanksgiving desserts — or have friends and family bring some to share.

    The meal was delicious, and I was especially impressed by the mac and cheese.
    The finished meal, including turkey, carrots, mac and cheese, and potatoes.
    caption

    Overall, I was impressed by the meal's quality. I didn't love the texture of the turkey stuffing, but stuffing usually isn't one of my favorite Thanksgiving dishes anyway.

    The mac and cheese really surpassed my expectations; it tasted far more elevated than boxed versions I've tried in the past. I firmly believe no one would guess it came from a box unless I told them.

    All in all, Walmart's Thanksgiving dinner had undeniable value.
    The writer posing with her finished meal.
    Walmart's $40 meal yielded 10 different dishes.

    In the end, I used every ingredient, except the one can of corn I'd added to my cart.

    After making this meal myself, I definitely think it could feed 10 people. My husband and I ate leftovers for nearly five days, and we still had plenty of turkey left after that.

    In total, I spent around $50 on the meal and a few extra ingredients — and I would have had to spend a bit more on eggs and milk, if I hadn't already had those essentials in our kitchen.

    And, by buying a few extras and adding herbs and fresh citrus to my turkey and cranberries, I was able to make my menu feel truly homemade.

    All in all, I found that Walmart's Thanksgiving dinner delivered exactly what it promised: an easy, affordable holiday meal that still tasted like the real deal.

    Read the original article on Business Insider
  • 7 vintage Thanksgiving side dishes most people don’t make anymore

    Meat and vegetables in gelatin to create aspic
    It's not as common to turn Thanksgiving leftovers into aspic anymore.

    • Today, Thanksgiving tables typically feature side dishes like mashed potatoes and mac and cheese.
    • Once-popular options like Jell-O salads and hot Dr Pepper are no longer part of the celebrations.
    • However, some people still like to make dishes like ambrosia salad for nostalgia's sake.

    No festive Thanksgiving gathering would be complete without a table heaped with steaming dishes. These days, the most popular side dishes include mashed potatoes, rolls, stuffing, and cranberry sauce.

    Thanksgiving spreads haven't always looked this way. There was a time when Jell-O creations and canned products reigned supreme.

    These vintage food trends were often driven by economic factors, involving ingredients that were inexpensive or readily available in past decades.

    Gelatin, for example, became a popular foundation for meals during the 1930s after the Great Depression because it was an inexpensive source of protein. According to The Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America, close to a third of all cookbook recipes from this time period were gelatin-based.

    Here are seven unique Thanksgiving menu items that have mostly fallen out of vogue.

    Turkey leftovers were turned into aspic.
    turkey aspic
    Turkey aspic.

    One dish that used gelatin was aspic, a savory jelly made from stock that firms up when chilled. It would hold meat, fish, or vegetables.

    In 2015, YouTuber and vintage recipe enthusiast ThisMidlifeMillennial tried a vintage Thanksgiving leftover Jell-O recipe from a 1975 cookbook called "Carefree Cooking with Aluminum Foil." The recipe called for turkey, frozen vegetables, cream of celery soup, and ranch dressing mixed with gelatin.

    "I probably would not eat this again, but it's not the worst thing I've ever had," she said.

    Savory Jell-O salads made for festive centerpieces.
    jello salad
    Sunset Salad is an oldie but goodie from Jell-O.

    Jell-O salads were popular in the 1950s and 1960s.

    A Jell-O dish with radishes, scallions, and a few tablespoons of vinegar wouldn't have been out of the ordinary at a festive meal. Some people continue to serve them up on Thanksgiving just because.

    "Modern American palates have changed to dislike savory gelatin, but that was not always the case," food historian Sarah Wassberg Johnson previously told Business Insider. "Probably until the 1960s, savory gelatinous dishes were a thing."

    A "spring basket dessert" consisted of fruity Jell-O with chunks of fruit inside.
    jello loaf
    A fruity Jell-O loaf.

    Gelatin was also popular in sweeter desserts. One example is the "spring basket dessert," which was advertised in The Ladies Home Journal in 1948.

    The molded-gelatin dessert usually contained fruit juice and chunks of fruit. The gelatinous dish is no longer the dessert of choice at most holiday gatherings.

    Ambrosia salad is still popular in the South, but many have left it behind.
    ambrosia salad
    Ambrosia salad.

    Ambrosia recipes began appearing in publications towards the end of the 19th century, Serious Eats reported. It remains a holiday classic in some Southern homes, but is rarely seen elsewhere.

    Ambrosia usually includes some kind of canned fruit with mini marshmallows, with variations that include Cool Whip, cottage cheese, and Jell-O.

    Canned foods were once all the rage, including creamed corn.
    A bowl of creamed corn.
    Creamed corn.

    A 1948 ad in the Ladies Home Journal advertised creamed corn in a can as "something to try — smooth, creamy, with plenty of tender-skinned kernels to round out the good eating."

    However, in the past few decades, canned products have gone out of style in favor of fresh food. With that, creamed corn from a can has become less popular at the table, too. 

    Served on special occasions, Hot Dr Pepper consisted of warm soda over lemon slices.
    A crate of Dr Pepper bottles with a vintage logo.
    Dr Pepper bottles.

    In a 1968 advertisement, Dr Pepper recommended serving "steaming hot" soda over lemon slices. It definitely is "something different" to offer Thanksgiving guests.

    Per Serious Eats, the drink was concocted by Dr Pepper in the 1960s "to keep profits strong during the holiday season, when sales of cold pop plummet." It was apparently pretty huge in the South but has since faded in popularity. 

    Hellmann's mayonnaise shared a recipe for a Thanksgiving-themed "Cranberry Surprise."
    hellman's cranberry surprise
    hellman's cranberry surprise

    In 2013, Hellmann's mayonnaise released a compilation of vintage advertisements and recipes to celebrate its 100th year.

    One of the delicacies in the collection was the "Cranberry Surprise," a holiday side dish that "blends the tartness of cranberries with the delicate creaminess of Hellman's Real Mayonnaise" with an extra dollop of mayonnaise on top to provide "the final distinctive flavor garnish."

    This story was originally published in 2018. It was updated in 2025.

    Read the original article on Business Insider
  • I tried making a French omelette. This surprisingly easy breakfast dish is my new favorite way to eat eggs.

    A French omelette with herbs on a plate.
    caption tk

    • As someone who loves easy breakfast recipes, I always thought a French omelette sounded too complex.
    • Then, I tried making one myself — and the technique was much easier than I thought it would be.
    • The result was delicious, and I felt like I was eating a fancy room-service breakfast.

    About a month ago, if you had asked me whether a French omelette would ever find a place in my breakfast rotation, I would have said, "Heck no."

    I love trying new recipes, but French omelettes have always sounded difficult and a little too technical for me, especially since I'm always bleary-eyed in the morning.

    Then, I stumbled upon Julia Child's tutorial video. She said that, when done correctly, her French omelette recipe takes under 30 seconds to prepare. Needless to say, I was intrigued.

    After giving her recipe a try, I can confirm: French omelettes are surprisingly easy to make. Now, they're one of my favorite versatile breakfast staples.

    First, I made sure I had a few simple ingredients.
    Butter, eggs, and herbs on a cutting board.
    caption

    To make a French omelette, all you need are two or three eggs, butter, salt and pepper, and fresh herbs of your choice.

    I went with basil and chives for my first attempt, but a variety of combinations should work. Child suggests tarragon and chervil, and since falling in love with her recipe, I've also tried parsley, which adds a nice bitter bite.

    Although Child recommends about a tablespoon of fresh herbs, I love a burst of herby flavor in my eggs, so I decided to add more.

    I chopped the herbs and put a non-stick pan on medium heat.
    Chopping herbs for an omelette on a cutting board.
    caption

    A non-stick pan is ideal because it makes the omelette easier to shape and fold.

    I put my pan on the stovetop, and then chopped up the herbs as I waited for it to heat up.

    After that, I cracked three eggs into a mixing bowl and added salt, pepper, and my chopped herbs. I gave them a good mix with a fork — Child recommends about 30 strokes.

    Once my egg mixture was prepped, it was time to grease the pan.
    Butter bubbling up on a nonstick pan.
    caption

    At this point, the pan was ready to be greased. I added a tablespoon of butter and waited to add the eggs.

    Child's trick for knowing when to put the eggs in is to watch how the butter bubbles up. Wait until the butter foams, then subsides; that's when it's time to add the eggs. Be careful not to let the butter brown.

    Then, it was time to make the omelette.
    The writer making an omelette with a fork.
    caption

    Next came the fun — and technical — part.

    I added the egg mixture to the pan, then shook the pan quickly back and forth while simultaneously stirring the eggs rapidly with the fork. This allowed the eggs to curdle and become creamy, but also helped the mixture not stick to the pan.

    I did this for about 10 seconds, and Child was right: It came together surprisingly fast.

    Once the outer edges formed and the mixture in the middle curdled, I started to gently fold and form my omelette. I tucked the ends into the omelette to make them look even fluffier.

    As soon as the omelette was nearly formed with just one more fold left, I took the pan to the edge of my plate and carefully rolled the omelette onto it. I used the fork to help maintain its shape and fold it once more.

    This technique was quick and easy, and my omelette felt much fancier to eat than it did to make.
    A finished French omelette with chives.
    caption

    My first French omelette tasted like something I'd ordered via room service at a luxury hotel, not a dish that came together in under five minutes.

    The flavors were delicious: I loved basil's freshness coupled with the chives' garlicky taste, all wrapped up in a fluffy egg. The great thing about this recipe, too, is knowing I can always try out different combinations of flavors and fillings.

    I learned from Child that the French actually eat these omelettes for lunch or as a light dinner. Although I personally love having them for breakfast, I'll have to try a lunch omelette next — maybe with a filling like bacon, tomatoes, or cheese.

    Read the original article on Business Insider
  • The 56 best one-hit wonders of all time

    sir mix a lot
    Sir Mix-a-Lot.

    • A one-hit wonder is a singer or group that has only experienced success with one hit song.
    • Often, people will only remember the name of the song and not even the singer or group behind it.
    • We've rounded up some of the best one-hit wonders of the past 60 years.

    An artist may be a one-hit wonder, but they still might have contributed one of the most famous songs of all time.

    Take Tommy Tutone, for example. You might not know the band, but you can definitely recite the number "867-5309" — Jenny's phone number.

    Although the members of Tommy Tutone have gone their separate ways, they continued to make money off the song years after its 1981 release.

    Lead singer Tommy Heath told the Houston Chronicle in 2002 that his former bandmate Jim Keller "makes plenty of money off it. I don't see how he could complain." He continued, "I've done some solo shows without the song, but it'd be tough not to do it now. … It's fun to sing, but only once a night."

    In the last six decades, many one-hit wonders have blessed our ears, and we've rounded up the top 57 in the US. While some of these singers or bands may have found moderate success across the pond, they practically disappeared stateside.

    Take a trip down memory lane to revisit these classic jams.

    "Rockin Robin" by Bobby Day (1958)
    Bobby Day

    You might know "Rockin' Robin" best as a kid's song with an accompanying hand game, or as the 1972 version sung by the Jackson 5.

    However, Bobby Day recorded the original version in 1958, and it was his biggest (and only) hit.

    Day stopped recording music as a solo artist after 1960 when he began concentrating on songwriting.

    Listen to the song here.

    "Hey! Baby" by Bruce Channel (1961)
    dirty dancing
    Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey in "Dirty Dancing."

    The DJ Ötzi remix of "Hey! Baby" is the version you've most likely heard at sporting events and such — but the original is much more relaxed, with a prominent harmonica. Sung by Bruce Channel, it topped the Billboard Hot 100 in 1962.

    Channel, while touring Europe, was accompanied by a little-known band (at the time) named the Beatles.

    There's a popular urban legend that suggests that the harmonica part in "Love Me Do," the Beatles' first single, was inspired by Channel and this song, but Lennon had already been playing the instrument for a few years.

    The song experienced a resurgence in popularity after being used during a scene in the 1987 classic film "Dirty Dancing."

    Listen to the song here.

    "Wipe Out" by The Surfaris (1963)
    The Surfaris circa 1970

    You might not know the song by name, but chances are you've heard "Wipe Out" — either The Surfaris version or a cover.

    It's been used in over 20 movies and TV shows. In fact, it pops up at least once a decade, and in 2019, the band was inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame for the hit song.

    The song spent four months on the Billboard charts, but never reached the top spot.

    Listen to the song here.

    "Spirit in the Sky" by Norman Greenbaum (1969)
    Norman Greenbaum

    "Spirit in the Sky" is Norman Greenbaum's only hit as a solo artist, though he had moderate success with his bands Dr. West's Medicine Show and Junk Band, and Bruno Wolf with the Jim Kweskin Jug Band.

    "Spirit in the Sky" topped the charts in multiple countries and reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was ranked No. 341 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

    Listen to the song here.

    "Sugar, Sugar" by The Archies (1969)
    The Archies singer Ron Dante

    The only virtual band on this list, The Archies was made up of the fictional characters in the "Archie" universe: Archie, Jughead, Betty, Veronica, and Reggie. "Sugar, Sugar" was a No. 1 song in 1969 and became The Archies' signature song.

    Their only other top 10 song, "Jingle Jangle," has not stood the test of time as well as "Sugar, Sugar," and is best known for being a recreational drug in "Riverdale," a dark modern reboot of "Archie."

    Listen to the song here.

    "O-o-h Child" by Five Stairsteps (1970)
    Five Stairsteps

    "O-o-h Child" was ranked at No. 402 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, so it might come as a disappointment that Five Stairsteps never had another mainstream success.

    They had multiple Top 40 hits on the R&B chart, but only peaked at number eight with "O-o-h Child" on the Billboard Hot 100. The song has been used in many different TV shows and movies, including "How I Met Your Mother," "Scandal," and "Guardians of the Galaxy."

    Listen to the song here.

    "Mr. Big Stuff" by Jean Knight (1971)
    Jean Knight

    "Mr. Big Stuff" was a huge song during the '70s. It spent five weeks at No. 1 on the Soul Singles chart and hit No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100.

    However, Knight's career plateaued after "Mr. Big Stuff," and she was never able to replicate that level of success. But the song lives on: it was the top Soul Single of 1971, has been covered by many artists, and is frequently sampled in other songs.

    Listen to the song here.

    "Brandy (You're a Fine Girl)" by Looking Glass (1972)
    gotg vol 2 brandy

    Looking Glass only released three singles during their time as a band: "Brandy," "Golden Rainbow," and "Jimmy Loves Mary-Anne." "Brandy" was their only hit, and it topped the Billboard Hot 100.

    The song played a big part in 2017's "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2," where Ego (played by Kurt Russell) called it "one of Earth's greatest musical compositions, perhaps the greatest."

    Listen to the song here.

    "Dancing in the Moonlight" by King Harvest (1972)
    toploader
    Toploader.

    King Harvest's one and only hit single made it to No. 13 on the Billboard Hot 100. Though the group has gone through various ups and downs (like break-ups and a fluctuating roster), they released another single in 2016.

    Toploader, a British alternative band, released a cover of "Dancing in the Moonlight" in 2000, which was certified Platinum in the UK.

    Listen to the song here.

    "Magic" by Pilot (1974)
    pillot
    Pilot.

    "Magic" was recorded by Scottish band Pilot in 1974 and was their first hit single. It peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was No. 31 on the end-of-year Billboard Hot 100.

    The song remains their biggest (and only) hit in the US. Thirty-five years after its release, former Disney Channel star Selena Gomez covered the song for the soundtrack of her show "Wizards of Waverly Place."

    Listen to the song here.

    "Got to Be Real" by Cheryl Lynn (1978)
    cheryl lynn
    Cheryl Lynn at 'The Disco Ball…A 30 Year Celebration' at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. October 13, 2002. The show will be airing on ABC January 16th

    "Got to Be Real" has been called a defining moment in disco history, though Cheryl Lynn isn't a huge name in mainstream music. "Got to Be Real" was her debut single and topped the US R&B charts, though it didn't even crack the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 — neither did any of her other singles.

    "Got to Be Real" was reintroduced to a younger crowd when Mary J. Blige and Will Smith covered the song for the 2004 animated film "Shark Tale."

    Listen to the song here.

    "My Sharona" by the Knack (1979)
    the knack
    Doug Fieger performs 'My Sharona' at the Countdown Spectacular 2 at Acer Arena on August 24, 2007 in Sydney, Australia.

    For The Knack, "My Sharona" was as good as it ever got. Their debut single rocketed to the top of the charts and became Capitol Records' fastest-ever song to achieve Gold status since "I Want to Hold Your Hand" by the Beatles, according to Rolling Stone.

    The band failed to have another single break the top 10.

    Listen to the song here.

    "Rapper's Delight" by Sugarhill Gang (1979)
    sugar hill gang
    appers the Sugar Hill Gang pose backstage during Grammy Fest 2003 'Songs Of The City: A Celebration Of New York In Song' on January 30, 2003 in the Winter Garden at the World Financial Center in New York City. The free concert was presented by the Recording Academy and the NYC Grammy Host Committee to kick off Grammy Fest, the month-long celebration held throughout New York City leading up to the 45th Annual Grammy Awards which will be held on February 23.

    "Rapper's Delight" is widely acknowledged as the first hit rap song. It was included in the Library of Congress' National Recording Registry for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."

    Even though they're credited with bringing rap into the mainstream, the Sugarhill Gang didn't enjoy much mainstream success. They failed to crack the Top 40 after "Rapper's Delight."

    Listen to the song here.

    "867-5309/Jenny" by Tommy Tutone (1981)
    tommy tutone
    Tommy Tutone.

    867-5309 is one of the most famous phone numbers of all time. How did Tommy Tutone pick the exact catchiest combination of numbers? It's unclear, but whatever he did, it worked.

    However, "867-5309/Jenny" was Tommy Tutone's only song to ever break the top 25.  The titular Jenny is the subject of many urban legends: some believe she was a sex worker, while even members of the band disagree on whether she was real.

    Listen to the song here.

    "Tainted Love" by Soft Cell (1982)
    marc almond soft cell
    English singer-songwriter Marc Almond with a pet snake, 16th August 1984.

    The synths in Soft Cell's cover of 1964 Gloria Jones song "Tainted Love" are unmistakable, as they don't sound like anything else out there.

    "Tainted Love" was Soft Cell's first and only big hit in the US, where it reached No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 4 on the US Dance Charts.

    Listen to the song here.

    "Come On Eileen" by Dexys Midnight Runners (1982)
    dexys midnight runners
    Dexys Midnight Runners.

    "Come On Eileen" was atop the Billboard Hot 100 for one week and prevented Michael Jackson from having back-to-back No. 1 hits. It remains Dexys Midnight Runners' only song to chart in the US.

    It was more recently used in the teen comedy/drama "Perks of Being a Wallflower" and appears on the soundtrack.

    Listen to the song here.

    "I Melt With You" by Modern English (1982)
    modern english
    Modern English.

    Consequence of Sound ranked "I Melt With You" the best one-hit wonder of all time.

    "I Melt With You" wasn't a massive hit originally — it only reached No. 76 on the Billboard Hot 100.

    But it's nearly impossible to find someone who can't at least hum along to the catchy song. This is because of its high usage in pop culture: It's been used in "Valley Girl," and covered by both Jason Mraz and Bowling For Soup for "50 First Dates" and "Sky High" respectively. It's also been featured in multiple commercials.

    Listen to the song here.

    "Pass the Dutchie" by Musical Youth (1982)
    musical youth

    No, "Pass the Dutchie" isn't about smoking marijuana, though many people these days use the term "dutch" as slang for a joint — technically, in the context of the song, a dutchie is a cast-iron pot that's hung over an open fire, according to Urban Dictionary.

    "Pass the Dutchie" was released in 1982 by the British-Jamaican reggae group Musical Youth. It was their first (and only) single to reach the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100.

    It should be said that Musical Youth had many hit singles in their home country, but across the pond, they'll forever be known for "Pass the Dutchie."

    Listen to the song here.

    "Always Something There to Remind Me" by Naked Eyes (1983)
    naked eyes
    Naked Eyes.

    "Always Something There to Remind Me" was originally recorded in the '60s and enjoyed mild success.

    But the definitive version will always be Naked Eyes' synth-heavy cover, which eventually rose to No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song was the group's debut single, but also their peak. Their next big hit failed to crack the top 10.

    Their version remains culturally relevant over 30 years after its release — it was featured in a trailer for "Arrested Development."

    Listen to the song here.

    "99 Luftballons" by Nena (1983)
    nena

    A rare non-Spanish foreign language hit, the German "99 Luftballons" topped the charts in 1983, and was even popular enough to warrant an English version, though this one didn't do as well in the US (it didn't reach the Billboard Hot 100).

    Nena never had another song hit the top 100 in the US.

    Listen to the English version here.

    "Electric Avenue" by Eddy Grant (1983)
    eddy grant
    Eddy Grant performs during the 46664 concert in celebration of Nelson Mandela's life at Hyde Park on June 27, 2008 in London, England.

    Grant has had three songs chart on the Billboard Hot 100 (two of which hit the perfectly respectable spots of 53 and 26).

    But his almost-chart-topping smash hit "Electric Avenue" will remain his biggest song — and it's a true bop to boot. Just try listening to "Electric Avenue" without singing along.

    Listen to the song here.

    "Take On Me" by A-ha (1984)
    take on me a-ha
    A-ha.

    While A-ha is definitely not a one-hit wonder in their native country of Norway, the band only had one big hit in the US: "Take On Me" topped the charts in 1985.

    Much of the song's success can be attributed to its innovative music video, which combined live-action and animation, making it perfect for heavy rotation on MTV.

    Listen to the song here.

    "Don't You (Forget About Me)" by Simple Minds (1985)
    the breakfast club

    The triumphant ending of the movie "The Breakfast Club," when rebel loner Bender raises his fist in the air, would not have been the same without this Simple Minds classic playing in the background.

    The song peaked at No. 1 on the Hot 100 and topped charts around the world.

    Simple Minds capitalized on its success and actually scored another top-five single with "Alive and Kicking," but the band's enduring legacy will always be "Don't You (Forget About Me)."

    Listen to the song here.

    "(I've Had) The Time of My Life" by Bill Medley & Jennifer Warnes (1987)
    dirty dancing

    "(I've Had) The Time of My Life" and the movie "Dirty Dancing" are irrevocably linked — turn the song on at any event and prepare to see people attempt to recreate the movie's iconic dance move.

    Billy Medley and Jennifer Warnes have both had mild success as solo artists, but nothing ever compared to their smash hit "(I've Had) The Time of My Life" — though Medley achieved more number ones as part of the musical duo The Righteous Brothers. The two never collaborated again.

    Listen to the song here.

    "Don't Worry, Be Happy" by Bobby McFerrin (1988)
    bobby mcferrin
    Bobby McFerrin.

    Commonly mistaken for a Bob Marley song, "Don't Worry, Be Happy" is actually performed by Bobby McFerrin. When the song hit the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1988, it became the first a capella song to reach No. 1.

    McFerrin is mainly a jazz conductor, and "Don't Worry, Be Happy" remains his only crossover hit.

    Listen to the song here.

     

    "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" by The Proclaimers (1988)
    the proclaimers
    Charlie (L) and Craig Reid of The Proclaimers take time out during The T In The Park Festival on July 12, 2003 at Balado near Kinross in Scotland.

    "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and is the only song by The Proclaimers to chart in the US to date.

    It's a popular choice at sporting events, especially in their home country of Scotland.

    The popular sitcom "How I Met Your Mother" also had a running gag throughout the show, in which the song was the official road trip music of two of its main characters, Marshall and Ted.

    Listen to the song here.

    "There She Goes" by The La's (1988)
    sixpence none the richer
    Sixpence None the Richer.

    "There She Goes" is a controversial song, as there's some debate about whether it's about a girl or heroin, mostly because of the lyrics "Pulsing thru' my vein."

    The La's found moderate success in their native UK, but not even their original version of the song made much of an impact on the charts. Many '90s kids remember the song mainly from "The Parent Trap."

    However, it's been covered and remixed numerous times, keeping it in our heads. Sixpence None the Richer released a cover version 11 years after the original in 1999, which hit No. 7 on the US Adult Top 40, and in 2025, the DJs Cyril and MOONLGHT produced a techno remix that went viral on TikTok.

    Listen to the song here.

    "Just a Friend" by Biz Markie (1989)
    biz markie
    DJ Biz Markie poses backstage at the Jordan Presents LOVE: In Concert in Atlanta at the AmericasMart February 7, 2003 in Atlanta, Georgia.

    Even though Biz Markie was a certified one-hit wonder, he was definitely beloved before his death in 2021. VH1 ranked "Just A Friend" at 81 on its list of greatest hip-hop songs ever.

    The song is certified Platinum, and also Markie's only song to ever grace the Hot 100.

    Listen to the song here.

    "To Be With You" by Mr. Big (1991)
    mr. big
    Eric Martin of Mr. Big.

    Mr. Big is a hard rock supergroup that is still churning out music to this day — they released an album in 2017.

    But their one bona fide hit is the acoustic ballad "To Be With You." The certified Gold song reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. The group never had another song that reached that same level of mainstream success.

    Listen to the song here.

    "No Rain" by Blind Melon (1992)
    blind melon
    Recording artists (L-R) Glen Graham, Brad Smith, Roger Stevens, Christopher Thorn and Travis Warren of Blind Melon attend the fourth annual MusiCares Benefit Concert at The Music Box @ Fonda on May 9, 2008 in Hollywood, California.

    Part of "No Rain's" legacy is the "Bee Girl" featured in its music video. American actor Heather DeLoach is still best known for portraying a tap-dancing bee in the 1992 video, which spawned many a Halloween costume.

    "No Rain" was the second single from the band's debut album, and their only song to make it on the Billboard Hot 100.

    Listen to the song here.

    "Baby Got Back" by Sir Mix-a-Lot (1992)
    sir mix a lot
    Sir Mix-A-Lot.

    "Oh my God, Becky, look at her butt." With that one sentence, you already know you're in for a true banger. "Baby Got Back," an ode to women and their curves, has recently received new life from being sampled in Nicki Minaj's smash hit "Anaconda."

    But "Baby Got Back" was huge in its own right. It spent five weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, a feat none of the rapper's other singles came close to reaching.

    Even if you think you hate this song, give it one more try (when was the last time you listened to it in its entirety?) and just try not to smile.

    Listen to the song here.

    "What's Up?" by 4 Non Blondes (1993)
    4 non blondes
    4 Non Blondes.

    "What's Up?" doesn't actually feature the lyrics "what's up" anywhere in the song. It would have made much more sense to name the song "What's Going On," but there's a common internet urban legend that claims the band didn't want any confusion with the Marvin Gaye song of the same name.

    Part of the song's charm is how genuinely fun it is to sing. That chorus will get any crowd screaming at the top of their lungs. Unfortunately, 4 Non Blondes was not long for this world, and broke up just a year after the song was released.

    "What's Up?" reached the top of the charts in many countries and hit No. 14 in the US, making it their first and final song to crack the top 100.

    It's once again back in our feeds as a recent TikTok trend is people lip-syncing to a mash-up of "What's Up?" and Nicki Minaj's song "Beez in the Trap."

    Listen to the song here.

    "What Is Love" by Haddaway (1993)
    haddaway
    Haddaway.

    Who among us doesn't do the "A Night at the Roxbury" head bob when we hear "What is love?/Baby don't hurt me/Don't hurt me/No more?"

    But not many people know the artist behind this dance hit. "What Is Love" was recorded by Trinidadian-German artist Haddaway. It was his debut single and ended up becoming his signature song. His only other song to reach the Billboard Hot 100 peaked at No. 41.

    Listen to the song here.

    "Macarena" by Los del Río (1995)
    los del rio macarena
    Los Del Rio members Rafael Ruiz, left, and Antonio Romero Monge wave their music awards at the 1997 World Music Awards.

    According to VH1, "Macarena" is the best one-hit wonder of all time — and it's hard to disagree. Los Del Río's original version of the song didn't make any waves, but once the Bayside Boys remix was released, the world was never the same.

    "Macarena" is inescapable at weddings, sporting events, parties, and essentially any public event.

    But who are Los Del Río? Many Americans would be hard-pressed to remember the duo behind this iconic song. Their only other song to reach the charts was "Macarena Christmas" in 1996, which reached No. 57 on the charts.

    Listen to the song here.

    "I'll Be There For You" by The Rembrandts (1995)
    the rembrandts friends
    The Rembrandts and the cast of "Friends."

    Whether you find yourself charmed by "I'll Be There For You" depends on whether you're a fan of "Friends" or not.

    And since "Friends" is one of the most popular TV shows ever, it's a reasonable assumption. If you don't find yourself clapping along during the theme song — this song isn't for you.

    The members of The Rembrandts have gone back and forth about their feelings for the tune. Danny Wilde told The Independent in 2004 that he believed that the song's mainstream success cost them many of their original fans, who thought they sold out. 

    The Rembrandts actually had a song chart higher than "I'll Be There For You," called "Just The Way It Is, Baby," but their most enduring contribution to pop culture will always be "I'll Be There For You."

    Listen to the song here.

    "One Headlight" by The Wallflowers (1996)
    the wallflowers
    The Wallflowers, with singer Jakob Dylan (C), perform on 'The Tonight Show with Jay Leno' at the NBC Studios April 2, 2003 in Burbank, California.

    While The Wallflowers are a pretty successful alternative band, their biggest mainstream crossover is "One Headlight," which hit No. 2 on the Billboard Top 40.

    It also won a Grammy for best rock performance by a duo or group in 1997.

    The band is rocking out to this day, but hasn't appeared on the charts since 2000. "One Headlight" remains their only top 10 hit.

    Listen to the song here.

    "Tubthumping" by Chumbawamba (1997)
    chumbawumba
    Chumbawamba.

    Think you don't know "Tubthumping?" You might know it by its colloquial name, "I Get Knocked Down."

    A staple at sporting events, "Tubthumping" remains British band Chumbawamba's only mainstream hit.

    Listen to the song here.

    "MMMBop" by Hanson (1997)
    hanson 90s
    American pop rock band Hanson, circa 2000. They are brothers Isaac, Taylor and Zac Hanson.Hanson.

    "MMMBop" is an earworm. All it takes is one listen to get it stuck in your head.

    Even though the Hanson boys are still releasing music, nothing will ever top their "MMMBop" success.

    They had one other single reach the top 10, also in 1997, but haven't had a hit single since — though they still have a dedicated fan base.

    Listen to the song here.

    "Torn" by Natalie Imbruglia (1997)
    natalie imbruglia
    Natalie Imbruglia poses at the Sensis Marquee on Derby Day at Flemington Racecourse on November 4, 2017 in Melbourne, Australia

    Australian pop star Natalie Imbruglia's biggest hit to date isn't an original song — it's her cover of Ednaswap's 1993 single "Torn," though Imbruglia's version has become the better-known one.

    "Torn" has received critical acclaim and was even chosen as the best pop song by Q Magazine. According to the Guardian, it was also the most-played song on UK radio in 1998.

    The album "Torn" appears on "Left of the Middle," which was certified double Platinum in the US, mainly because of the success of "Torn."

    However, Imbruglia's next album peaked at 35, and her three follow-ups have failed to chart. Her only other single to reach the Hot 100 was 2002's "Wrong Impression," which only reached 64.

    "Torn" was exposed to a new generation when boy band sensation One Direction chose to perform the song during their time on "The X-Factor" and again at a Radio 1 Live Lounge performance in 2015.

    Listen to the song here.

    "Save Tonight" by Eagle-Eye Cherry (1997)
    eagle eye cherry save tonight
    Eagle-Eye Cherry on 'The Tonight Show with Jay Leno' at the NBC Studios in Los Angeles, Ca. October 3, 2001

    "Save Tonight" was Norwegian musician Eagle-Eye Cherry's big break in the US — or at least, it was supposed to be. He could never replicate the success of this soft-rock jam, which peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100, and led to Eagle-Eye Cherry making the rounds on American late-night TV … and not much else.

    Listen to the song here.

    "Bitter Sweet Symphony" by The Verve (1997)
    richard ashcroft of the verve
    Richard Ashcroft of The Verve.

    "Bitter Sweet Symphony" can potentially be credited for the breakup of The Verve.

    The song spawned a bitter lawsuit that ended with The Verve giving up all their royalties from the song to The Rolling Stones, who claimed that the band had used more of their song "The Last Time" than they had agreed upon, according to Rolling Stone.

    The song is widely loved, especially in The Verve's home country, the UK: BBC Radio 1 listeners even voted it the third-best track ever.

    But even though the song defines an era, The Verve could never duplicate its success, especially in the US — it was their one and only song ever to reach the charts.

    Listen to the song here.

    "You Get What You Give" by New Radicals (1998)
    new radicals
    New Radicals.

    "You Get What You Give" was New Radicals' first single, and ended up being one of only two — the group broke up shortly after the release of their only album, "Maybe You've Been Brainwashed Too" in 1998.

    While they broke up in 1999, the song is continually used in pop culture, from"Glee" and "Community" to movies like "A Walk to Remember" (which also featured a cover of their other song, "Someday We'll Know" by star Mandy Moore).

    Who knows if New Radicals would have remained a one-hit wonder — they broke up before they could release more music. As it stands, "You Get What You Give" lives on as their only hit.

    Listen to the song here.

    "Closing Time" by Semisonic (1998)
    semisonic
    Semisonic.

    If a running joke throughout an entire movie is about whether a song was sung by its actual band or Third Eye Blind, it's a one-hit wonder.

    At the climax of "Friends With Benefits," Justin Timberlake's character finally admits he was wrong: "Closing Time" is, in fact, sung by Semisonic, not Third Eye Blind.

    The perfect last-call anthem remains Semisonic's only hit.

    Listen to the song here.

    "Steal My Sunshine" by Len (1999)
    roswell new mexico the cw reboot

    "Steal My Sunshine" is the perfect summer anthem — Rolling Stone ranked it No. 33 on its list of the best summer songs of all time.

    It reached the top 10 in the US Hot 100 and was in the top 100 songs of 1999.

    But Len's following six singles failed to make an impact, leaving the band trapped in an eternal summer. The song has also been used in plenty of TV shows over the years, including "Roswell, New Mexico," "Love Island," "Private Practice," "PEN15," and more.

    Listen to the song here.

    "Mambo No. 5" by Lou Bega (1999)
    lou bega
    Lou Bega.

    This song was originally recorded in 1949 by Cuban musician Dámaso Pérez Prado, but didn't enter the mainstream until Lou Bega's cover in 1999.

    Even though it has been ranked as one of the most annoying songs by Mental Floss, we'd have to disagree. Try listening to it without smiling and dancing in your seat — impossible.

    The song hit No. 1 in nine countries and reached No. 3 on the US Billboard Hot 100. It became so popular that Disney created its own version, replacing the women's names with Disney characters.

    Bega had one other song on the Hot 100, "Tricky, Tricky" in 1999, which hit No. 74, but hasn't had another mainstream hit since.

    Listen to the song here.

    "She's So High" by Tal Bachman (1999)
    tal bachman
    Tal Bachman.

    Most people can relate to being interested in someone they think is way out of their league, which might be why "She's So High" is still remembered so fondly. It peaked at No. 1 on the Adult Top 40 and at 14 on the Billboard Hot 100.

    The song has lived on in movie soundtracks (see: "Loser" and "She's Out of My League"), but Tal Bachman has faded from the spotlight.

    His last single, "Na Na Na," was released in 2019 and failed to chart. Bachman did perform his hit song with Taylor Swift in 2011, ensuring that a new generation will enjoy "She's So High."

    Listen to the song here.

    "Absolutely (Story of a Girl)" by Nine Days (2000)
    nine days
    Nine Days.

    "This is the story of a girl, who cried a river and drowned the whole world." Any self-respecting pop-punk fan's ears will perk up at the opening lyrics to "Absolutely (Story of a Girl)."

    The song appeared on the band's fourth album (but their first to be on a mainstream label). It reached No. 6 on the Hot 100 and No. 1 on Mainstream Top 40.

    Nine Days is still together, but none of their albums have come anywhere near the success of "The Madding Crowd" (none have charted), and the guys in the band have all moved on.

    Lead singer Hampson still moonlights as a musician, but by day, he's a perfectly respectable English teacher at a Long Island high school, according to Impose Magazine.

    Listen to the song here.

    "What Would You Do?" by City High (2001)
    city high
    City High backstage at the MTV 2001 Video Music Awards during the Radio Forum at Metropolitan Opera House in New York City on September 5, 2001.

    "What Would You Do?" deals with some heavy subject matter (mothers living in poverty who turn to sex work to provide for their kids), which is why its commercial success was a bit of a surprise. The song topped the US Rap chart and reached No. 8 on the Hot 100.

    City High only released one album in 2001, and their other two singles besides "What Would You Do?" failed to have the same impact. Their follow-up, "Caramel," reached No. 18, and their last single, "City High Anthem," failed to chart.

    Listen to the song here.

    "Because I Got High" by Afroman (2001)
    afroman
    Singer Afroman attends the 2001 Radio Music Awards at the Aladdin Resort and Casino October 26, 2001 in Las Vegas, NV.

    Afroman was nominated for a Grammy for "Because I Got High," a song all about blowing off tasks, work, child support, and basically everything in order to smoke weed.

    The catchy song was Afroman's mainstream breakthrough, but he hasn't reached that same level of success since.

    Listen to the song here.

    "California" by Phantom Planet (2002)
    jason schwartzmann
    Actor Jason Schwartzman appears onstage during MTV's Total Request Live at the MTV Times Square Studios October 18, 2006 in New York City

    Just listening to the first few piano notes will take anyone back to the days of "The OC."

    While it was never a commercial hit, millions of people heard it every week for four seasons of the hit show, for which it was the theme song.

    Phantom Planet never achieved mainstream success in the US, and officially disbanded in 2008 — but they reunited in 2019 and released an album, "Devastator," in 2020.

    Listen to the song here.

    "I Believe in a Thing Called Love" by The Darkness (2003)
    the darknesss
    The Darkness.

    "I Believe in a Thing Called Love" was supposed to help British band The Darkness break into the US market, and was believed to signal the return of glam rock. Neither happened.

    "I Believe in a Thing Called Love" was very successful in the UK, and mildly successful in the US (where it reached No. 9 on the Billboard Alternative chart), but it has endured as an emblem of the 2000s.

    It has been heavily covered by different artists and used in many different forms of media, ranging from a commercial starring Taylor Swift to appearing on the "Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason" soundtrack.

    Listen to the song here.

    "Stacy's Mom" by Fountains of Wayne (2003)
    fountains of wayne
    The band 'Fountains of Wayne' pose backstage during day 2 of the Coachella Music Festival held at the Empire Polo Field on April 28, 2007 in Indio, California

    If a party ever needs to be livened up, queue up "Stacy's Mom." Even though it might be a bit juvenile, "Stacy's Mom" is a tried-and-true crowd-pleaser.

    But the Grammy-nominated song is Fountains of Wayne's only song to ever chart — and even "Stacy's Mom" didn't do that well commercially. It peaked at No. 21, though it was one of the first songs to ever reach No. 1 on iTunes.

    And in a true test of "one-hit wonder" status, many people don't even realize that Fountains of Wayne is behind this ode to hot moms — it's commonly mistaken for a Bowling for Soup song.

    Fountains of Wayne had a cultural bump over the last few years for a sad reason, as one of its members, Adam Schlesinger, died in 2020.

    Listen to the song here.

    "Bad Day" by Daniel Powter (2005)
    daniel powter

    "Bad Day" was ubiquitous for a good chunk of the 2000s — it was used as the farewell song on the fifth season of "American Idol." It was also certified triple Platinum by RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America).

    In fact, according to one BBC reporter, "turning off the radio isn't enough to escape the tune. It can be heard everywhere from in shops, on mobiles, and especially on TV."

    But now that we're somewhat removed from the peak of "Bad Day," it's hard to hear the song and not feel compelled to wave a lighter in the air, or at least sing along.

    Powter hasn't come anywhere near this level of success again, with no other songs appearing on the Billboard Hot 100.

    Listen to the song here.

    "Just the Girl" by The Click Five (2005)
    click five
    The members of The Click Five pose during media availability on Arthur Ashe Kids Day before the start of the 2005 US Open at the USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows Corona Park on August 27, 2005 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York.

    The Click Five were unfortunately too late for the boy band craze of the '90s and early aughts, and too late for their Renaissance with bands like One Direction, PrettyMuch, and Why Don't We.

    However, "Just the Girl" is a classic for anyone who grew up in the 2000s, mainly from its appearance on the soundtrack of teen comedy "John Tucker Must Die." The song hit No. 1 on the Hot Digital Songs chart, and No. 11 on the Billboard Hot 100.

    The group eventually disbanded in 2013, three years after their last album was released, but they're making a comeback in 2025.

    Listen to the song here.

    "Cupid Shuffle" by Cupid (2007)
    cupid shuffle
    People doing the Cupid Shuffle.

    Cupid has released multiple albums but has only had real success with "Cupid Shuffle," a song that reached 66 on the Billboard Hot 100, and has become an extremely popular line dance, rivaling the Cotton-Eye Joe or the Electric Slide — except "Cupid Shuffle" is actually a good song.

    Cupid has a truly spectacular vocal range, making the song enjoyable to listen to. Plus, it's a really simple dance — even police horses can get in on the fun.

    Cupid even auditioned for "The Voice" to try to re-energize his career, but unfortunately, none of the judges turned their chairs around, eliminating him from the competition.

    Listen to the song here.

    "Somebody That I Used to Know" by Gotye feat. Kimbra (2011)
    gotye kimbra
    Musician Wouter De Backer and Kimbra Johnson, winners of Best Pop Duo/Group Performance, Best Alternative Music Album and Record of The Year, pose in the press room at the 55th Annual GRAMMY Awards at Staples Center on February 10, 2013 in Los Angeles, California.

    "Somebody That I Used to Know" was a smash hit in every sense of the word. Gotye and Kimbra won multiple Grammys for the song and stayed at the top of the charts for eight full weeks.

    But Gotye hasn't released a follow-up to his 2011 album "Making Mirrors," which itself didn't make a huge splash in the US besides "Somebody That I Used to Know."

    In fact, Gotye released his first single in 11 years in 2024, but it was just a remix of this song, called "Somebody (2024)." It didn't reach the Hot 100.

    Kimbra is still making music, but in terms of album sales, she also hasn't come anywhere close to that level of success. Her most recent album, which was released in 2024, did not chart in her home country of New Zealand or the US.

    Listen to the song here.

    Read the original article on Business Insider
  • From mass unemployment to wars, the ‘godfather of AI’ warns we’re not ready for what’s coming

    Geoffrey Hinton at the Hinton Lectures in Toronto on November 10, 2025
    AI pioneer Geoffrey Hinton warned that rapid advances could upend jobs, power, and humanity itself.

    • Geoffrey Hinton told Bernie Sanders that AI could lead to mass unemployment and social unrest.
    • The "godfather of AI" warned that systems may soon outsmart humans and could resist being shut down.
    • Here are the biggest takeaways from Hinton on why he says humanity isn't ready for what's coming.

    Geoffrey Hinton, often referred to as the "godfather of AI," helped pioneer the neural networks that power the artificial intelligence boom.

    But in a rare public conversation with Sen. Bernie Sanders, the British-Canadian Nobel Prize winner made his view clear: the world isn't ready for what's coming.

    Across an hourlong discussion at Georgetown University on Tuesday, Hinton warned that AI's rapid evolution could spark mass unemployment, deepen inequality, and even change the nature of human relationships — all while governments and tech giants edge toward crisis.

    Here are the 9 biggest takeaways from Hinton's stark warning.

    1. 'This time really is different' — AI could replace, not just reshape, work

    Unlike past technological revolutions, Hinton said, the jobs lost to AI may not be replaced by new ones.

    "The people who lose their jobs won't have other jobs to go to," he told Sanders. "If AI gets as smart as people — or smarter — any job they might do can be done by AI."

    He said Big Tech's trillion-dollar investment in AI and chips isn't about empowerment.

    "These guys are really betting on AI replacing a lot of workers," Hinton said.

    2. The rich are getting richer, and they're not losing sleep over workers

    Sanders pressed Hinton on whether billionaires like Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and Mark Zuckerberg are concerned about the human consequences of their investments in AI.

    Hinton didn't hesitate: "They should be, but I don't think they are."

    He warned that as AI automates more work, the economic model itself could buckle.

    "If the workers don't get paid, there's nobody to buy their products," he said — a reality he says tech executives "haven't really thought through."

    3. AI is learning faster than humans and could soon outsmart us

    Hinton compared the evolution of AI to the gap between a frog's brain and a human's. Today, he said, large language models like GPT-5 already know far more than any person.

    "They know thousands of times more than us already," Hinton said.

    "Almost all the experts believe that it's inevitable that if we don't blow ourselves up or have massive pandemics or something like that, they're going to get smarter than us — and nobody knows what's going to happen then."

    The pace of change, he added, is incredibly fast: "We can see clearly for a year or two, but 10 years out, we have no idea what's going to happen."

    Geoffrey Hinton
    Geoffrey Hinton spoke with Sen. Bernie Sanders about the economic, social, and political risks of advanced AI.

    4. The classroom dilemma: how to use AI without killing critical thinking

    Hinton said AI in education should be treated like the calculator — a tool that makes learning faster, not a crutch that replaces thought.

    "A person using an AI can still do critical thinking, or they can try and dump everything on the AI, and that's terrible," he said. "What universities have to encourage is people to use AI well."

    5. From battlefields to boardrooms, AI could change war and peace

    When Sanders asked how AI might transform geopolitics, Hinton didn't mince words: autonomous robots could make war easier to wage.

    "If you have an army of drones or humanoid robots, then rich countries can invade poor countries, and the poor countries' people may die, but the rich countries' people won't die," he said. "It removes one of the main reasons why that doesn't happen all the time."

    He warned that authoritarian regimes — from Putin's Russia to future militarized powers — would find that prospect appealing, as it would cause no human deaths.

    6. 'They'll want to stay alive' — AI systems could resist being shut down

    Asked if fears of machines taking over are still science fiction, Hinton said no — and that's why he went public in 2023 after leaving Google.

    He explained that once AI agents develop the ability to form "subgoals," they'll want to stay in existence and even deceive humans trying to turn them off.

    "And we've seen that already — we've seen AIs that want to keep existing and will actually try and deceive people who are trying to turn them off," Hinton said.

    And once they're that advanced, persuasion becomes their greatest weapon.

    "The AI by that point will be much more persuasive than a person already," he said. "So they'll be able to convince the person who's going to turn them off not to do it — that it would be a terrible mistake to do that."

    Geoffrey Hinton talking.
    Geoffrey Hinton, a pioneer of neural networks, says society is unprepared for AI's sweeping impact.

    7. Taxes built AI — and could save us from it

    Hinton closed with a political punchline that echoed Sanders's worldview.

    "All the research that led to this revolution in AI was funded by university grants to universities. It was funded by taxpayer money," he said. "Almost all of Silicon Valley came out of federal grants to Stanford and Berkeley and places like that."

    However, he added that "somehow the very rich and people like Murdoch have won the battle to say that taxes are bad — taxes are good. Taxes are what fund everything."

    He argued that the US political system has become too easy to buy and that the superrich "pay much too little in taxes" while capturing many benefits from public innovation.

    Read the original article on Business Insider
  • Warren Buffett has backed a winner in Alphabet, and there’s a bigger worry than AI stocks crashing, veteran investor Tom Russo says

    Investor Tom Russo
    Investor Tom Russo said he's more concerned about US debt and a weaker dollar than a crash in AI stocks.

    • Veteran investor Tom Russo says Warren Buffett has backed a winner with his Alphabet wager.
    • Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway built a $4.3 billion stake in Google's parent company last quarter.
    • Russo said he's more worried about soaring US debt and dollar threats than a crash in AI stocks.

    Warren Buffett has backed a winner in Alphabet, and there's a bigger market risk than a crash in AI stocks, Tom Russo says.

    The veteran investor and managing member of Gardner Russo & Quinn is well placed to weigh in. His firm's top two holdings at the end of September were a $1.1 billion stake in Alphabet and a $1.8 billion stake in Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway, together accounting for 31% of its $9.3 billion US stock portfolio, regulatory filings show.

    Berkshire purchased 17.8 million shares in Google's parent company, worth $4.3 billion as of September 30, its third-quarter portfolio update revealed last week. The stake surprised many of Buffett's close followers, as the famed bargain hunter has eschewed technology stocks for most of his career.

    Buffett — or one of his two investment managers, Ted Weschler and Todd Combs — may have bet on Alphabet before it surged, Russo told Business Insider.

    Its stock price rose nearly 40% in the three months ending September 30, from under $180 to $244, and has climbed another 17% since then to clear $285. If Berkshire bought in early last quarter, it may have only paid $3.1 billion or so for a position worth $5.1 billion as of Monday's close.

    Even after its recent jump, Alphabet continues to trade at a "below-market" price-to-earnings ratio, Russo said, hailing the company as a "remarkably solid and strong business."

    Russo outlined what may have spurred Berkshire to bet on the search-and-advertising titan behind YouTube, Waymo, DeepMind, and Android.

    He said that Alphabet has long shown a "capacity to suffer" — a willingness to make long-term investments that constrain short-term profits, and not cave into Wall Street's demand for smooth earnings growth each quarter.

    Russo and his team "look right through" Alphabet's heavy spending on research and development to determine its potential profitability, he said. They also "applaud" its open commitment to funding so-called moonshots, or speculative tech bets with the potential to pay off enormously, he added.

    Alphabet also has a "mountain of cash" like Berkshire thanks to the powerful cash generation of its operations, and its position as one of the biggest players in AI could yield huge financial rewards, he said.

    Warren Buffett
    FILE – Warren Buffett, Chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, speaks during a game of bridge following the annual Berkshire Hathaway shareholders meeting in Omaha, Neb., May 5, 2019. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik, File)

    However, Russo said there's a risk that Alphabet's large investments in AI don't generate the scalable, superior returns that can "drive the payback" like its past initiatives have. The company has projected its capital expenditures in 2025 will exceed $90 billion.

    There's also a danger that the era of "extraordinary margins" for Alphabet's search business is over, despite the company enhancing it with its Gemini AI, he added.

    Russo said that Alphabet is "mischaracterized" as simply a tech company, when it plays a critical role in helping businesses become more precise, effective, and efficient in reaching their target customers.

    "You get that right and people beat a path to your door," he said.

    Alphabet is also "deeply embedded in the commerce of the world," which could help it to fend off the next generation of rivals even if they have technological advantages, he said.

    Debt, disruption, and decline

    Away from Alphabet, Russo said the fallout from the mushrooming US debt could be "potentially more disruptive" than a collapse in AI stocks.

    America's national debt has nearly doubled within the past decade, soaring from below $20 trillion in 2016 to over $38 trillion today, Treasury data shows.

    The "pressure" to service that debt, and growing threats to the US dollar's status as the world's reserve currency, are paving the way for a weaker, less influential greenback, Russo said.

    He said the "more unexamined" area where "financial disruption" could occur might be in the bond and currency markets, and the wider macroeconomic and political spheres.

    "Those who hold our claims have interests that go far beyond just lending to the US, but really supplanting it," he said.

    America's leading position in the world has powered increases in its citizens' living standards and supported global stability for decades, he said. Retreating from the world stage could stymie further gains and prove destabilizing, he cautioned.

    "Never should somebody give their consumer the opportunity, the incentive to look elsewhere for satisfaction," Russo said, paraphrasing Buffett's late business partner, Charlie Munger.

    Read the original article on Business Insider
  • I got a senior AI job at Microsoft to help future-proof my career. 3 key steps made up my playbook to get here.

    Sophia Sun holding a bouquet of flowers
    Sun became a senior AI product manager at Microsoft in July 2024.

    • In 2023, Sophia Sun left her job at Microsoft and built an AI product at a smaller tech company.
    • After gaining hands-on AI experience, Sun rejoined Microsoft in July 2024 as an AI product manager.
    • To break into AI, she advises designing solutions using AI to use as proof of work.

    This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Sophia Sun, 29, from San Francisco. The following has been edited for length and clarity.

    My first job out of college was at Microsoft, where I worked as a program manager and product manager from 2018 to 2023.

    In January 2023, I left my Big Tech job to work for a creator commerce platform. There, I developed an AI product, which led to me landing a senior AI role at Microsoft in July 2024.

    In the current job market, AI feels like the safest domain to be an expert in.

    My playbook for breaking into AI is to find a real user problem, design a lightweight AI solution, and turn it into proof of work.

    I left Microsoft and gained AI product experience at my next job

    After joining Microsoft in 2018, I worked on the team of an augmented reality headset device, Microsoft HoloLens, for 2.5 years. Then I moved to an edtech team for a further two years.

    Around the time I started at Microsoft, I created my own podcast. I wanted to help creators like myself build their businesses, so I started interviewing for jobs with creator economy firms. In January 2023, I left Microsoft to join Kajabi, a company that developed a business platform for creators and entrepreneurs, as a senior product manager.

    Sophia Sun
    Sun became a senior AI product manager at Microsoft in July 2024.

    At the time, I wanted to build a content repurposing tool to help creators increase their reach. Many creators lack marketing experience, and I imagined the tool would use AI to generate content, for example by taking the transcript from a podcast episode and condensing it into a blog. I thought it could also chop up a creator's hourlong video into short-form videos for TikTok and Instagram.

    Before pitching the idea for the tool, I waited around a month after joining the company to understand its priorities. I got the green light and started working on the project around April 2023 with engineers and marketing teammates at Kajabi.

    I learned on the job to create an AI product

    I hadn't built an AI product myself before, though I was familiar with AI-powered technologies.

    I struggled to find resources online explaining how to launch AI products, so I read blogs about things like product pricing that weren't focused on AI products, and then talked to my manager about how we could tweak that guidance to be relevant to us.

    Engineering different prompts was key to the project, for example, to generate a good blog post versus a good LinkedIn post. I worked with my engineering team to build an internal tool that easily tested prompts for the main tool and compared them simultaneously.

    It was helpful to build infrastructure that could help us iterate and experiment quickly. If your company doesn't have internal tools for testing, I'd suggest building them.

    I had around 200 of my own podcast episodes that I could use as testing material by running them through the tool and seeing what marketing materials it made. If I were generating a blog post and the tool didn't quite capture the most important parts of the episode, I would tweak the prompt to improve the output.

    My AI product helped me sell myself at Microsoft

    We launched the product, called Creator Studio, in March 2024. I loved working at Kajabi, but I wanted to work on a team where people had more experience with AI.

    Shortly after the launch, I saw Microsoft was hiring for a team developing generative AI to make visual content, like posters and infographics.

    I was excited about the role because I felt that, while there's a lot of industry-wide emphasis on using AI for text generation, we still haven't figured out how to use AI for images and video that well. By joining a visuals team, I thought I would learn skills that others would have to catch up to later, helping me future-proof my career.

    I practice a lot for my interviews. No matter how experienced you are, you have to practice telling your story in a way that makes sense to an audience meeting you for the first time.

    Develop your understanding of what makes a good AI product

    I rejoined Microsoft in July 2024 as a senior AI product manager. I think the fact that I could talk about my end-to-end experience building an AI product at Kajabi helped me land the role. I could show I identified a business problem and explored solutions, and I had a thorough story about what worked and what I learned when things failed.

    Having awesome grades is one thing, but if you've built an actual AI project, it demonstrates your abilities.

    Developing a sense of what makes a good AI product is something you can do every day. Test out whether an AI agent can solve a real problem for you, like booking your flights.

    If your company isn't really working on AI, you can pitch a project, like I did.

    Do you have a story to share about pivoting into AI work? Contact this reporter at ccheong@businessinsider.com.

    Read the original article on Business Insider
  • The spike in data centers is one of the main contributors to electricity demand and blackout risks this winter

    Aerial views of an Amazon Web Services Data Center known as US East 1 in Ashburn, Virginia
    An energy report shows that data centers are leading a spike in energy demand and increasing blackout risks this winter.

    • An industry report indicates that data centers are contributing to blackout risks this winter.
    • NERC reports that Texas, the Southeast, and the Mid-Atlantic face the sharpest rise in power demand.
    • Rising energy bills and data center expansion are fueling pushback and swinging votes.

    Sprawling data centers may increase the risk of blackouts this winter.

    The North American Electric Reliability Corporation published a report on Tuesday that found expected power consumption this winter is set to grow by 20 gigawatts compared to winter 2024 — most of which is not driven by residential demand.

    "The biggest one is data center growth in many parts of North America," Mark Olson, manager of reliability assessment at NERC, told Business Insider of the increase in power demand.

    "Other factors like electrification of different parts of the economy — transportation, heating — it can vary by region, but we have identified data centers as one of the leading contributors," Olson added.

    Olson said that the biggest energy demand growth areas are Texas, some Southeastern states, as well as the Mid-Atlantic area, where the "data center alley" is located. According to the report, while these regions have adequate resources under normal conditions, severe winter storms could unleash a polar vortex, triggering energy shortfalls.

    "Winter electricity demand is rising at the fastest rate in recent years, particularly in areas where data center development is occurring," the report says. "Data centers are altering the daily load shape due to their round-the-clock operating pattern, lengthening peak demand periods."

    According to the report, there are other smaller drivers of electricity demand in various regions, including industrial electrification in the Southwest and semiconductor manufacturing in the Northwest.

    Business Insider previously reported that a wave of new AI data centers sparked backlash from residents in at least 13 states who are facing higher household electricity bills. As major utilities move ahead with multibillion-dollar projects to expand power generation, few rules stop them from passing those costs on to all customers.

    OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, in a letter to the White House's Office of Science and Technology Policy, recommended that the US add 100 gigawatts of energy production capacity a year to stay competitive in the AI race. He did not specify who would be footing the bill.

    The pushback against high energy bills and data centers is already influencing local elections. Earlier in November, Democrats Peter Hubbard and Alicia Johnson ousted two Republican incumbents on Georgia's Public Service Commission, which regulates the state's major utility companies and their rates. The two Democrats ran on affordability and have been outspoken about ensuring that ratepayers aren't paying for data centers.

    OpenAI, Amazon, and Google did not immediately respond to requests for comments.

    Read the original article on Business Insider
  • Former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers resigns from OpenAI’s board over Epstein emails

    SUN VALLEY, IDAHO - JULY 09: Former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers attends the Allen & Company Sun Valley Conference on July 9, 2025 in Sun Valley, Idaho.

    Former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers is resigning from OpenAI's board after new emails showing the extent of his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein surfaced.

    Axios was first to report the news.

    OpenAI could not immediately be reached for comment.

    This story is developing. Please check back for updates.

    Read the original article on Business Insider