Anthems 90s

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When Mother Love Bone frontman Andrew Wood passed away in 1990, his former roommate Chris Cornell teamed up with two of Wood’s bandmates – guitarist Stone Gossard and bassist Jeff Ament – to pay tribute to their fallen comrade. Though its members would go on to scale greater heights in Soundgarden and Pearl Jam, Temple of the Dog was a formidable act in its own right, as proven by the chart success of the supergroup’s eponymous album and its lead single, “Hunger Strike.” It’s one of grunge’s earliest works, and one of its most essential. That Dog – Minneapolis (1997) The widow of Notorious B.I.G., Faith Evans’s musical talent is often overshadowed by her personal life. But the church-choir-bred vocalist had a talent that was leaps and bounds beyond many of her peers. Honeyed and at once yearning and comforting, Evans’ velvet voice skims over this wistful romantic ballad with depth and precision. 71: Silk – Freak Me R&B meets bubblegum pop in Soul IV Real’s bouncy debut single “Candy Rain.” Powered by the youthful voice of the youngest brother Jason “Jase” Dalyrimple of their family band, the single still slapped thanks to production by their mentor and Uptown labelmate Heavy D. 25: Usher – You Make Me Wanna

A hot song with an equally hot video, Toni Braxton’s runaway No.1 from her sophomore album was the hit of the summer of ’96, and more than earns its place among the best 90s R&B songs. Rumored to be about everything from weed to masturbation, the suggestive lyrics were cleverly buried under a poppy, danceable, uptempo beat that borrowed from the burgeoning electronica movement. 17: Boyz II Men – On Bended Knee It topped the charts in a number of European countries, including Ireland, and appears on VH1’s 100 Greatest One-Hit Wonders. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I think it can be heard at a few weddings and night-outs in Ireland too.

Gin Blossoms: “Hey Jealousy” (1992)

You would’ve been foolish to dismiss Cibo Matto as a mere novelty act for their food-centric lyrics. Their debut Viva! La Woman is kitschy, sure, but it’s also vivid and inventive, and nowhere were they more kitschy, vivid, or inventive than they were on “Sugar Water,” a hypnotic hybrid of trip-hop and pop. Cocteau Twins – Cherry-Coloured Funk” (1990)

The chart success of Sublime’s “What I Got” (and its parent album) was without a doubt bittersweet for the band and its fans, as frontman Bradley Nowell died of a heroin overdose just months before the single was released. But it would be reductive to tie that success to Nowell’s passing, as the tune’s loping guitar melody and warm synthesizers would’ve almost certainly made “What I Got” a hit – think of it as a Grateful Dead mantra for skate-punks and frat boys. The Sundays – Here’s Where the Story Ends (1990)The 4 Non Blondes got their start in the San Francisco bar scene, especially lesbian bars, which garnered them a significant following of queer women. My second artist-repeat from the ’80s is my favourite band, with probably their most misinterpreted song. It was his first single since his arrest by undercover police officers for performing a lewd act in public, which prompted him to come out as gay. The lyrics to the song disparage the incident and include the lines “I’d service the community, but I already have, you see” (he was given community service for the incident). Michael has said he wanted to lighten the stigma around cruising, and, for me, it lightened the stigma around being gay in general.

Though their F-bomb-dropping cover of “I Will Survive” was more notorious, “The Distance” was the bigger hit for Cake, thanks to the song’s racing-as-a-metaphor-for-romantic-pursuit narrative and mariachi-inspired trumpet. Given how dour and humorless much of grunge could be, Cake’s deadpan goofiness offered a welcome respite. The Cardigans – Lovefool (1996)

63: Deborah Cox: Nobody’s Supposed To Be Here

Maybe you put this on a mixtape to your middle school crush or swayed to it at a dance, but this ballad is as serious as it gets. It was originally written for country music singer John Michael Montgomery but All-4-One made it a No.1 hit and won a Grammy for best pop performance in 1995. 57: Whitney Houston – Exhale (Shoop Shoop) Spiderbait enjoyed a brief moment of recognition in the US when “Calypso” was featured in the great teen comedy 10 Things I Hate About You, though fans of the spiky Aussie pop-punk band probably would’ve been more familiar with “Buy Me a Pony.” It’s amazing to think of how many hooks Spiderbait could cram into songs that weren’t even two minutes long. Saint Etienne – Only Love Can Break Your Heart (1990) Oasis’ most famous song has become something of a punchline, owing to countless amateur guitarists fumbling their way through it at coffeehouses and parties. However, “Wonderwall” itself is timeless. “There are many things that I would like to say to you / But I don’t know how,” Liam Gallagher sings, tapping into a lovelorn sincerity as everlasting as Kurt Cobain’s teenage angst. The Offspring – Come Out and Play (1994) This heavy soul song is a response to James Brown’s 1966 hit “This Is a Man’s World”. Neneh Cherry discusses the strength, resilience, and power that transcends and remains despite everything this woman has been put through. By the end of the song, it is clear that this is a woman’s world. 68: Paula Abdul: Rush Rush The very idea of a dance rendition of a Neil Young ballad sounds like it shouldn’t work. But Saint Etienne pull off their cover of “Only Love Can Break Your Heart” by staying true to the original’s emotional tenor – a melancholy, homespun charm that’s better suited for dancing on your own in your bedroom than in the club. Stereolab – French Disko (1993)