I had a blast reminiscing about all the 90s television, fashion and nostalgia, but I intentionally left out 90s music because I truly felt it deserved it’s own separate blog post. Music in the 90s was, weird. I remember thinking as a kid/pre-teen that it was just my taste in music that was weird because it seemed to involve so many different genres and styles, and maybe that is true, but then I find myself looking at all the bands and artists and think, music in the 90s was really trying to “find itself” and stand out. It needed to be different and offer something fresh, and I am sure there are thousands of blogs, articles and the like written that dive further in depth into the meaning of music in the 90s and what it meant to the culture and society at the time, but this is not that blog. What I mean is that when I think about some of the music I used to listen to growing up in the 90s, I laugh and say “that really was terrible, but I love it!” Like anything else, these artists, songs and bands are tied to great memories and in themselves are just nostalgia. So let’s load up that CD Walkman and get to jumpin’ around with some of my favourite 90s earworms.
SPICE GIRLS
Let’s just get these girls out of the way, because this group was THE GROUP of the 90s. Whether you loved them or just had a sibling who did, everyone knows the Spice Girls. I would be putting it lightly by saying I was OBSESSED with the Spice Girls growing up. Passionate and enthusiastic, I lived for any and all things Spice Girls. I remember I had 2 copies of Spice & Spice World because there was one copy that always stayed home and one that came with me in my CD walkman or in the car if my family was nice enough to let it play! From having concerts at school or in my backyard, to birthday parties, and basically anywhere, there was almost always a Spice Girls song coming out of me. How crazy it is to think of some of the lyrics… I has no idea what it really meant when “tonight is the night, when 2 Become 1.” To this day, there isn’t a moment that passes by where if I hear “Wannabe” “Say You’ll Be There” “If U Can’t Dance” “Spice Up Your Life” “STOP” “Who Do You Think You Are” or “Too Much” that I’m not passionately belting out the lyrics and trying to reenact the dance moves from the music video or movie. To be fair, doesn’t everyone just get up to dance and sing along whenever Wannabe comes on at a wedding or dance?
Before I move on to another group, I will do a small shout out here to bands like S Club 7 and B*Witched for also filling my head with catchy-ass songs like “S CLUB PARTY” and “Bring It All Back” as well as “C’est La Vie” “If It Don’t Fit” and “Rollercoaster” – but remember what I said about laughing and remembering how terrible the music was? Yeah… these are not songs I tend to revisit, ever, but 90s Amanda LOVED THEM! I had to include them because I rocked out to them pretty often too. I did like bands like Destiny’s Child but I wouldn’t say they were a favourite of mine, same thing with TLC as I felt with these groups it was more just a few songs I liked rather than being able to listen to an album from beginning to end.
Backstreet Boys & NSYNC
How could you possibly pick just one? Cue everyone who is loyal to the soil for BSB or NSYNC coming at me… bahahaha. No seriously though, boybands were the best in the 90s weren’t they? Some of my favourite BSB songs were, “Get Down” “We’ve Got It Goin’ On” “Everybody (Backstreet’s Back)” “Quit Playing Games with My Heart” “It’s Gotta Be You” and “Larger Than Life.” My BFF would be disappointed to learn that I only ever had 3 BSB CDS in my life – Backstreet Boys, Backstreets Back, and Millennium – but they got their share of playtime in my CD player! I don’t know if I could choose between only keeping BSB or NSYNC, because NSYNC had some great songs too: “Tearin’ Up My Heart” “I Want You Back” “Here We Go” and the BEST CHRISTMAS SONG EVER “Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays” – seriously though, did most people who weren’t young girls even know the difference between the two bands? BOTH were great and another awesome reason why we are thankful for the rise of the boybands- thank you 90s! We have their popularity in the 90s to thank for the reason why the early 2000s graced us with really great songs by both these bands. Oh, and because everyone is thinking about it as they read this, my favourite Backstreet Boy was Kevin (I liked that he looked mature and had things figured out- with Brian being a close second) and as far as NSYNC goes it was Joey (I value fun and goofy personalities – with JC being the hottie).
Just as I did above, I have to give a shoutout here to Hanson because they were not the traditional boy band – they actually played their own music. I really liked their music, beyond the classic “Mmmbop” I remember playing the album Middle of Nowhere on repeat many many times. Seriously, that album was great! “Where’s the Love” “Thinking of You” “I Will Come to You” “A Minute Without You” and even “Man From MIlwaukee” was hella-catchy!
Those, That’s SO 90s Groups
There is no other way to really categorize these next artists that are so totally 90s. I’m talking about your AQUA, Vengaboys, Ace of Base, Prozzak, Eiffel 65, Smashmouth- most of which are remembered for one or two really catchy songs, and then forgotten about. While this is partially true, I included them because these songs were total earworms for me: “Barbie Girl” “Dr.Jones” “We Like to Party” “Boom Boom Boom Boom” “The Sign” “Don’t Turn Around” “All that She Wants” “Strange Disease” “Sucks to Be You” “Blue” “Walkin on the Sun” and “All Star”- easily getting stuck in your head for days! I am sure I am forgetting some… These bands were fun to listen to and that’s all I really have to say about that.
The Bands
Now I get to talk about No Doubt, The Smashing Pumpkins, Nirvana, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Green Day, and Metallica, – the kind of bands that I really felt I got into because of the influence from my older brothers. I remember having No Doubt’s Tragic Kingdom album in my own collection, and most of everything else was borrowed from my brothers’ massive CD case collection- you know those MASSIVE ones that were kept in the car that held the discs in the sleeves but not the booklets? Yup. I found that Nirvana and Green Day especially would only make their way into my own CD player if I had the song stuck in my head from having my brothers play the CD so often and so I stole it from them and tried to give it back before they noticed. While I know that U2 was totally more of a 80s band, as that is when they started, I didn’t start obsessing about U2 until the 90s – obviously because I was older at this point but again because of the influence of my brother. I should have a separate section on this, but I won’t. I really love U2 and I fell in love with them as a band because Achtung Baby – yeah the album is way better than Joshua Tree! So I am including them in this 90s post because that album was released in 1991 and was the first album I ever “borrowed” from my brother and never gave back. Don’t get me wrong, I recognize the 90s was a WEIRD time for U2… Zooropa? POP? Remember when I said earlier about the journey of standing out and finding yourself, yeaaaaaaaah that was a strange time to be a U2 fan – but “Lemon” is still a favourite, a weird, odd, favourite. “Numb” and “Stay (Faraway so Close)” are songs I often return to and am glad to blare from my speakers from time to time.
Other bands I grew to love in the 90s also included Matchbox Twenty, Blink 182, The Offspring, Third Eye Blind, Barenaked Ladies (yes- the Steven Page ERA!), Hootie and the Blowfish, and Sugar Ray, just to name a few. I can thank Blink 182 for introducing me to punk-rock music and for inspiring some of my late 90s early 2000s fashion choices and desire to pick up skateboarding as a hobby. Matchbox Twenty is still a band I really love listening to today (and that more recently means Rob Thomas’ solo stuff- but still great!). My Matchbox Twenty favourites include “3 AM” “Push” and “Real World” – and some of their best stuff came in the early 2000s. When I think of Blink 182 I instantly hear “All the Small Things” “What’s My Age Again” and”Josie” – once again another band that had some great stuff come to follow these tracks in the early 2000s. Who could forget “Pretty Fly” or “Why Don’t You Get a Job” from The Offspring? Though, “Come Out and Play” was an instant favourite for me. I’m feeling SO NOSTALGIC right now! Thinking of the Barenaked Ladies songs gives me all the feels, maybe because this band was really one that my whole family liked? I can’t even name all the songs because too many of them would be listed here. Let’s agree that “Gordon” “Maybe You Should Drive” and “Born on a Pirate Ship” were good albums, but nothing beats “Stunt” (Maroon came out in 2000 so it doesn’t make the list!) When it comes to Hootie and the Blowfish, they were one of those bands I didn’t realize I liked until I noticed that the songs I kept hearing on the radio and liking were all by them – “Let Her Cry” “Only Wanna Be With You” “Hold my Hand” just to name a few. Sugar Ray fits into that category as well: “Fly””Every Morning” “Someday”- most of the tunes off of the “14:59” album.
I know I am surely missing some bands that fit into this category of rock, punk-rock, alternative style music – so please let me know if I missed one of your favourites. Before I end this blog post, I do need to squeeze in one last category of 90s music…
Rap/Hip Hop
Okay, so I was still a young kid in the 90s, but there are quite a few songs from this genre that I always remember, and still often listen to: “OPP” by Naughty by Nature, “California Love” by Tupac (I have my brother to thank for that as he is a HUGE fan), “Jump Around” by House of Pain, “Mamma Said Knock You Out” LL Cool J, “Doo Wop (That Thang) by Lauryn Hill – which I totally knew all the words – “Baby Got Back” – Sir Mix-a-Lot, “Ruff Ryder’s Anthem” by DMX, “U Can’t Touch This” – MC Hammer, “What’s My Name” – Snoop Dogg, and the song you loved and hated then loved again because it was so overplayed: “I’ll Be Missing You” by Sean Combs (you-know-before-he-was-P-Diddy), “I Wish” by SkeeLo, and last but not least, “The Next Episode” by Dr. Dre. Special mention to “Ice Ice Baby” by Vanilla Ice because how he looked rapping is how I felt whenever I would be trying to rap along to these songs. Bahaha.
I definitely know I missed some bands, artists or groups from the 90s. I’d love to hear of some of the ones I missed that you love (or loved if you’re over them now) or ones that were popular that maybe you didn’t like at all? Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got a CD to burn on my computer titled “Amanda’s 90s Favourites Volume 1.”
Five Feet High Thoughts 