In the eighth edition of 1 Hit WONDERful (2025), we highlight “i hate u, i love u” performed by gnash featuring Olivia O’Brien.
It only takes ONE hit to solidify a musical legacy ! On 1 Hit WONDERful, we highlight songs that were the SOLE hit by a given musician. It is possible that the artists appearing on this list earned a minor hit or two, BUT for the most part, that ONE hit earned them recognition. So, in the eighth edition of 1 Hit WONDERful (2025), we dive into “i hate u, i love u”, the one-hit wonder by gnash featuring Olivia O’Brien.
“Do you miss me like I miss you? / Fucked around and got attached to you.” Oh, snap, gnash (Garrett Nash). He continues singing in his 2016, love/hate-driven hit single, “I hate u, i love u”, “Friends can break your heart too, and / I’m always tired but never of you.” “I hate u” was the crowning achievement of the singer/songwriter/producer’s EP, Us. Notably, then-rising teen-pop artist, Olivia O’Brien collaborated with him. The song peaked at number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100. It is Gnash’s highest-charting song as the lead artist. It was also his only top 40 hit credited as the lead artist. As a featured guest on “Lights Down Low” by MAX, gnash earned another significant hit, which technically excludes him from one-hit-wonder status. However, his only other entry as the lead artist, “Home”, featuring Johnny Yukon, peaked modestly at number 76 on the Billboard Hot 100. There can be a debate about whether Nash is a true one-hit wonder or not. What we do know is, he’s best known for this song, PERIOD.
The approach of “I hate u, I love u” is as ‘oxymoronic’ as its title. Before gnash drops his cool, calm, and collected, if profane lyrics, Olivia O’Brien draws first blood. “Feeling used, but I’m / Still missing you and I can’t / See the end of this / Just wanna feel your kiss against my lips,” she sings in the dramatic, emotional first verse. She follows up with the unforgettable chorus:
“I hate you, I love you
I hate that I love you
Don’t want to, but I can’t put
Nobody else above you…”
Gnash, then, takes the reins, where he utters the shit at the end of four consecutive lines – only after he “fucked around and got attached to you,” of course.
“If I pulled a you on you, you wouldn’t like that shit
I put this reel out, but you wouldn’t bite that shit
I type a text, but then I never mind that shit
I got these feelings, but you never mind that shit.”
What more can you say but, ‘oh, shit!’ Gnash also delivers a third verse, continuing to be affected by this love-hate. “You ever wonder what we could have been? / You said you wouldn’t and you fucking did / Lie to me, lie to me, get your fucking fix…” Word. Gnash never struck gold after the late 2010s, but, the memorable “I hate u, i love u” remains a gem from the decade. No hate here!
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