Incubus, Drive | 1 Hit WONDERful

In the 36^th edition of 1 Hit WONDERful (2026), we highlight “Drive” by the Grammy-nominated California rock band Incubus.

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.  The artists on this list may have earned a minor hit or two, but for the most part, that ONE hit earned them recognition. So, in the 36^th edition of 1 Hit WONDERful (2026), we dive into “Drive”, the one-hit wonder by Incubus.

Brandon Boyd asks on the Incubus hit, “Drive.” Technically, “Drive,” the eighth track from Incubus’ 1999 double-platinum album, Make Yourself, is their only pop hit.  Of five songs appearing on the Billboard Hot 100, “Drive” is the only one to reach the top 40.  It peaked at number nine.  The next closest Incubus song to impact the chart was the Grammy-nominated “Megalomaniac” (number 55). Still, calling this ultra-successful rock band a one-hit wonder feels weird. Boyd, José Pasillas, Mike Einziger, Alex Katunich, and Chris Kilmore wrote “Drive.” Incubus and Scott Litt produced it.

Take one listen to “Drive,” and it’s easy to understand why it was a hit.  The sound is clean, colorful, and enticing.  It begins with rhythmic acoustic guitars (Michael Einciger), which set the tone. The drum groove (Pasillas) is awesome, with DJ Kilmore providing some timely record scratches. Brandon Boyd is the star of the show, singing beautifully. The melodies are tuneful, while the lyrics are memorable and thought-provoking. “Sometimes, I feel the fear of / Uncertainty stinging clear,” Boyd asserts in the first verse, and adds, “And I can’t help but ask myself / How much I let the fear take the wheel and steer.” Do you see 👀 the driving reference? There are gorgeous ‘selective’ vocal harmonies during the pre-chorus.  Like the verse, the pre-chorus is tuneful and includes the titular lyric at the end (“But lately, I’m beginning to find that / When I drive myself, my light is found”). The chorus is the centerpiece:

“Whatever tomorrow brings, I’ll be there

With open arms and open eyes, yeah

Whatever tomorrow brings, I’ll be there

I’ll be there, yeah, oh.”

Following the second verse, second pre-chorus, and second chorus, there is a colorful, electric guitar solo – love the tone! It doesn’t last too long, but it’s enough to contrast and set up the bridge. The bridge follows, a variation of the final two lines of the pre-chorus.  Following one final chorus, “Drive” concludes with an outro featuring non-lexical vocables (“Do-do-do, do-do-do,” etc.). What is the big takeaway from “Drive”? Taking control of life and living without fear.  As the band’s only pop hit, it’s a damn good one.

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Incubus → Make Yourself  → Epic Records → 1999

Incubus, Drive: 1 Hit WONDERful No. 36 (2026) [📷: Brent Faulkner / The Musical Hype; Epic Records; Alexa Popovich, cottonbro studio, ds rexy, Thomas Ronveaux from Pexels; Clker-Free-Vector-Images, Gordon Johnson from Pixabay]

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