Welcome to the Friday Mailbag. Today, I’m happy to present my ten favorite songs of the 1990s. This is part of an ongoing series. See also: the ‘60s, ‘70s, and ‘80s.
The nineties, man... The decade when I first became aware of current music. I bought my first tape (Blues Traveler’s Four) and CD (Michael Jackson’s Dangerous). I slow danced with a girl (K-Ci & JoJo’s “Crazy”). I developed good taste (Hello Nasty) and bad (Significant Other). I had one of those plastic spinning CD towers, and I almost filled it.
Anyway, I spent two weeks immersed in ‘90s music. Here’s what stood out:
Rap (from New York)
Indie rock (from all over)
Punk (from Chicago)
Lilith Fair and Lilith Fair-adjacent folk-rock
Here’s the (really, really) longlist, arranged alphabetically:
2Pac - “California Love” (Death Row, 1995)
311 - “Down” (Capricorn, 1995)
Alanis Morissette - “Head Over Feet” (Maverick, 1995)
American Football - “Never Meant” (Polyvinyl, 1999)
Annie Lennox - “No More ‘I Love You’s’” (Arista, 1995)
Archers of Loaf - “Web In Front” (Alias, 1993)
Bastard - “Misery” (Bastard, 1992)
Beastie Boys - “Intergalactic” (Capitol, 1998)
Big L - “M.V.P.” (Columbia, 1995)
Blues Traveler - “Run-Around” (A&M, 1995)
Bonnie “Prince” Billy - “I See a Darkness” (Palace, 1999)
Bonnie Raitt - “Not the Only One” (Capitol, 1991)
Britney Spears - “Sometimes” (Jive, 1999)
The Broadways - “Police Song” (Asian Man, 1998)
Bruce Springsteen - “Streets of Philadelphia” (Columbia, 1994)
Celine Dion - “It’s All Coming Back to Me Now” (Columbia, 1996)
Chapterhouse - “Breather” (Dedicated, 1991)
The Clientele - “Reflections After Jane” (Johnny Kane, 1999)
Cocteau Twins - “Heaven or Las Vegas” (4AD, 1990)
The Cranberries - “Dreams” (Island, 1993)
The Cure - “Friday I’m In Love” (Fiction, 1992)
Damnation A.D. - “No More Dreams” (Jade Tree, 1995)
Darkthrone - “Transilvanian Hunger” (Peaceville, 1994)
Depeche Mode - “Enjoy the Silence” (Mute, 1990)
Dinosaur Jr. - “Feel the Pain” (Blanco y Negro, 1994)
Dismemberment Plan - “What Do You Want Me To Say?” (DeSoto, 1999)
Dr. Dre - "The Next Episode” (Aftermath, 1999)
Earth Crisis - “Firestorm” (Victory, 1993)
Emperor - “Into the Infinity of Thoughts” (Candlelight, 1994)
The Get Up Kids - “Valentine” (Vagrant, 1999)
Gin Blossoms - “Found Out About You” (A&M, 1993)
The Goo Goo Dolls - “Black Balloon” (Warner Bros., 1999)
Green Day - “Burnout” (Reprise, 1994)
Guided By Voices - “Motor Away” (Matador, 1995)
Hanson - “MMMBop” (Mercury, 1997)
Inside Out - “Burning Fight” (Revelation, 1990)
Iris DeMent - “These Hills” (Philo, 1992)
Janet Jackson - “Together Again” (Virgin, 1997)
Jawbreaker - “Accident Prone” (DGC, 1995)
Jeff Buckley - “Last Goodbye” (Columbia, 1994)
Jewel - “You Were Meant For Me” (Atlantic, 1995)
Jimmy Buffett - “Barometer Soup” (Margaritaville, 1995)
Jonathan Richman - “That Summer Feeling” (Rounder, 1992)
Kanda Bongo Man - “Monie” (Hannibal, 1991)
K-Ci & JoJo - “All My Life” (MCA, 1998)
Keith Sweat - “Twisted” (Elektra, 1996)
Kid Rock - “Devil Without a Cause” (Atlantic, 1998)
Korn - “Faget” (Immortal, 1994)
Lawrence Arms - “An Evening of Extraordinary Circumstances” (Asian Man, 1999)
The Lemonheads - “Into Your Arms” (Atlantic, 1993)
Less Than Jake - “All My Best Friends are Metalheads” (Capitol, 1998)
LFO - “Summer Girls” (Arista, 1999)
Life of Agony - “River Runs Red” (Roadrunner, 1993)
Lisa Loeb & Nine Stories - “Stay (I Missed You)” (RCA, 1994)
Madball - “Set It Off” (Roadrunner, 1994)
Madonna - “Take a Bow” (Maverick, 1994)
Main Source - “Live at the Barbeque” (Wild Pitch, 1991)
Mariah Carey - “Always Be My Baby” (Columbia, 1995)
Matchbox 20 - “3AM” (Atlantic, 1997)
Mazzy Star - “Fade Into You” (Capitol, 1994)
Merauder - “Downfall of Christ” (Century Media, 1996)
Michael Jackson - “Black or White” (Epic, 1991)
The Mighty Mighty Bosstones - “The Impression That I Get” (Mercury, 1997)
Mineral - “Five, Ten and Eight” (Crank!, 1997)
My Bloody Valentine - “To Here Knows When” (Creation, 1991)
Neutral Milk Hotel - “Holland, 1945” (Merge, 1998)
New Found Glory - “It Never Snows in Florida” (Eulogy, 1999)
New Order - “Regret” (CentreDate Co Ltd, 1993)
Notorious B.I.G. - “Mo Money Mo Problems” (Bad Boy, 1997)
Oasis - “Don’t Look Back in Anger” (Creation, 1995)
OMC - “How Bizarre” (Huh!, 1995)
Paul Simon - “Born at the Right Time” (Warner Bros., 1990)
Polaris - “Ivy Boy” (Mezzotint, 1999)
Prince - “7” (Paisley Park, 1992)
The Promise Ring - “Perfect Lines” (Jade Tree, 1997)
Pulp - “Disco 2000” (Island, 1995)
Raekwon - “Ice Cream” (Loud, 1995)
Rage Against the Machine - “Killing in the Name” (Epic, 1992)
Rainer Maria - “Planetary” (Polyvinyl, 1999)
Real McCoy - “Another Night” (Hansa, 1994)
Red Red Meat - “Gauze” (Sub Pop, 1995)
R.E.M. - “Man on the Moon” (Warner Bros., 1992)
The Roots - “You Got Me” (MCA, 1999)
Samba Mapangala/Virunga - “Sungura” (Stern’s Africa, 1991)
Sarah McLachlan - “I Love You” (Arista, 1997)
Saves the Day - “Banned from the Back Porch” (Equal Vision, 1999)
S.E. Rogie - “African Gospel” (Real World, 1994)
Shania Twain - “You’re Still the One” (Mercury, 1997)
Shawn Colvin - “Sunny Came Home” (Columbia, 1996)
Sigur Rós - “Svefn-g-englar” (Fat Cat, 1999)
Slapstick - “The Park” (Asian Man, 1997)
The Smashing Pumpkins - “Tonight, Tonight” (Virgin, 1995)
Smoking Popes - “No More Smiles” (Capitol, 1997)
Sonic Youth - “Kool Thing” (DGC, 1990)
Sophie B. Hawkins - “As I Lay Me Down” (Columbia, 1994)
Spiritualized - “Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space” (Dedicated, 1997)
Sugar - “If I Can’t Change Your Mind” (Rykodisc, 1992)
Sugar Ray - “Every Morning” (Atlantic, 1999)
The Sundays - “Homeward” (Parlophone, 1997)
Superchunk - “Driveway to Driveway” (Merge, 1994)
Take That - “Back For Good” (RCA, 1995)
Tevin Campbell/Powerline - “Stand Out” (Disney, 1995)
Texas is the Reason - “Antique” (Revelation, 1995)
Toni Braxton - “You’re Makin’ Me High” (LaFace, 1996)
Tuesday - “Everything Left Out” (Asian Man, 1997)
The Wallflowers - “6th Avenue Heartache” (Interscope, 1996)
Weezer - “Buddy Holly” (DGC, 1994)
Wu-Tang Clan - “Bring Da Ruckus” (Loud, 1993)
Yo La Tengo - “Sugarcube” (Matador, 1997)
Mary Chapin Carpenter - “He Thinks He’ll Keep Her” (Columbia, 1993)
My mom, not normally a fan of country music, bought Mary Chapin Carpenter’s Come On Come On on the strength of “Passionate Kisses,” a cover of a Lucinda Williams song. I like that song, but the album’s second track, “He Thinks He’ll Keep Her,” really knocks me out.
“He Thinks He’ll Keep Her” chronicles fifteen years in the life of a woman. She marries, has children, drives a lot, and falls out of love. In the end, she figures out how to make it on her own. The arc is delivered with compassion, and if you’re in the right headspace, it can mess you up.
Maxwell - “Drowndeep: Hula” (Columbia, 1998)
I am, by no means, a connoisseur of soul music. I appreciate legends like Marvin Gaye, Otis Redding, and Smokey Robinson, but my familiarity stops short at Philly soul, quiet storm, and the genre to which Maxwell is said to belong, neo soul. That being said, I adore Maxwell’s first two albums, Maxwell’s Urban Hang Suite and Embrya.
“Drowndeep: Hula” finds Maxwell in familiar territory, singing over a subtle groove and luxe arrangement with the goal of seducing the audience. He wants to turn you, the listener, on. And I am turned on. You are turned on. Maxwell turns people on. It’s a cool superpower.
I guess Embrya divided his fan base. That’s weird to me because it doesn’t sound all that different from UHS. In fact, it sounds better. It’s less direct, more vibey, but just as melodic. Like Maxwell traveled to Iceland and crashed the Sigur Ros practice space. Like he linked up with Pat Metheny and Lyle Mays. Like he spent a month listening exclusively to Brandy’s “Have You Ever?”
Maxwell is an elder statesman of soul now. He sells out Ravinia. He wears double breasted suits. When Embrya was reissued in 2018, a critical reappraisal followed, and it was almost universally positive. “Drowndeep: Hula” sounds current, relevant, and influential. It’s hard to hear the smeared, warbly pop music of 2021 without hearing Embrya.
Better Than Ezra - “Good” (Elektra, 1995)
This song has been in the air since it topped the modern rock charts in 1995, but I didn’t pay it much attention until 2017. When I finally turned my peculiar critical lens on “Good,” I found so much to love about it.
What do I love in a song? If you’ve been following along, you know that melody comes first, followed by a strong lyric. Bonus points if your lyric speaks to a feeling that hasn’t been worked to death by other musicians.
On “Good,” Better Than Ezra’s Kevin Griffin sings frankly about the end of a romantic relationship. Pretty routine singer-songwriter territory. He inhabits the empty rooms of an apartment, watches a torn letter fall to the ground. It’s his interpretation of these cliche images that resonates with me. And what did he conclude after reflecting on this breakup?
It was good, living with you
a-ha, it was good, living with you
A simple sentiment, but also a refreshing one given rock music’s history of vilifying ex-lovers, especially women.
Last but not least: great bass tone.
Belle and Sebastian - “The Boy With the Arab Strap” (Jeepster, 1998)
One of my favorite late night performances features Belle and Sebastian doing “Boy With the Arab Strap” on Jools Holland in 2001. They’ve brought along five background musicians, and they’ve told them to clap. For the entire song. That’s five minutes of clapping, on beat, with no variation. It works.
Tigermilk and If You’re Feeling Sinister are stronger albums than The Boy With the Arab Strap, but that album’s title track is Belle and Sebastian’s best overall song. It’s propulsive. It’s catchy. And yes, there’s a recorder solo. I’ve put recorder on my own songs, as a tribute to B&S’s dumb but endearing gesture.
Blink-182 - “What’s My Age Again?” (MCA, 1999)
Before “What’s My Age Again?” landed on radio in the spring of 1999, I flitted about from genre to genre, trying out rap, rock, and rap-rock. I shopped at Old Navy. I worried about my batting stance. I was not a punk rocker! But then Blink appeared out of nowhere–I was not at all hip to Dude Ranch–and set in motion a chain reaction that resulted in the version of Pat you know and love today. If not for Blink, I’d still be shopping at Old Navy and playing baseball. Now I shop at Banana Republic and watch baseball. A lot has changed.
But seriously, what a song. It’s Pop 101, plus punk. Everything is in order: the guitar intro, the vocals, the chorus, bridge, and triumphant final minute. People loved it! Blink hit so hard that major labels began feeding on regional punk and pop-punk scenes. That somewhat shameful practice brought about Fall Out Boy, New Found Glory, Good Charlotte, Paramore, Panic! At the Disco, and so on. Basically my favorite music. My 2000s list is going to be embarrassing for readers. I apologize in advance.
Pavement - “Here” (Matador, 1992)
I resisted Pavement for a long time, and that’s because I’m an idiot. Pavement wrote like ten of the decade’s best songs (“Transport is Arranged,” “Summer Babe,” “Gold Soundz”) with “Here” being my absolute favorite.
“Here” isn’t like most Pavement tracks. It’s less arch, more emotional, not nearly as interested in sabotaging its own self. The guitar lead sounds really good. Malkmus sounds wounded. The song sits in the middle of Slanted and Enchanted like an oasis from the noise. God, they were good. I should’ve seen it all along.
Nas - “N.Y. State of Mind” (Columbia, 1994)
We’ve reached the rap portion of the countdown. While the “golden age of hip hop” (mid-to-late ‘80s) appeals to me in theory, it’s the rap of the nineties that moves me. Nowhere is that truer than on Illmatic, the legendary debut from Queensbridge rapper, Nas.
Before “Oochie Wally,” before All That, and before he revealed himself to be an anti-vaxxer, Nas was a wildly talented lyricist with an ear for hard but jazzy beats. DJ Premier (of Gang Starr) earns the production credit here. Whenever Nas plays “N.Y. State of Mind” in concert, the crowd flips its shit approximately a second after the drop. The three descending piano notes that comprise the melody aren’t much, but like everybody says, “less is more.”
Mobb Deep - “Shook Ones (Part II)” (Loud, 1995)
New York City’s Queensbridge is the largest public housing project in North America. It’s also one of the most important places in rap history. Some emcees from The Bridge: Nas, Cormega, Capone, Juice Crew, and our number three group, Mobb Deep.
“Shook Ones (Part II)” sounds like a horror movie. There is a lyric about stabbing a brain. There’s also virtuosic interior rhyming and slant rhyming and all that good stuff. If Nas wrote the decade’s definitive rap album, then Mobb Deep wrote the definitive song.
Slowdive - “Alison” (Creation, 1993)
I heard “Alison” for the first time under ideal conditions: in my dorm room, via MySpace. It was 2005, and not much information was available online about Slowdive, shoegaze, My Bloody Valentine, or really anything for that matter. I did manage to download Souvlaki, and soon after, I started really loving music that wasn’t punk or hardcore. It was a weird and thrilling time in my life. Sometimes I wish I could go back, but then I remember that I became a music obsessive to cope with and better understand my angst. I don’t really struggle with that anymore–nice!–and “Alison” still sounds fantastic.
Alkaline Trio - “San Francisco” (Asian Man Records, 1998)
My favorite song of all time. I remember first hearing it on a Discman in my aunt and grandma’s old living room. The guitar intro caught my attention, and everything else fell into place. I was probably fifteen years old, and Alkaline Trio altered my life’s trajectory for the better.
Here’s a playlist with my top 10 and all the honorable mentions. What do you think? Did I miss something? Drop me a line: newexperimentalhours at gmail dot com.
I can’t wait for the 2000s!!!