Popular Rock Music Of The 90s - The Songs That Defined A Decade
Rizzo Music is back with a new article from the "Popular Music of the 90s" series. Last week I made a list of some of the best pop music of the decade and today I am going to share with you my list for the most popular rock music of the 90s. Out of all the lists and playlists I have created in the past, this was by far the hardest to come up with. There are so many great artists and songs that originated in the 90s and deciding on just 5 songs for every year was tough. I tried to get representation out of all the key rock artists and hopefully I didn't forget anyone.
After much debate I was able to compile this list of 90s rock music. There are so many songs that I really enjoy that could not be included due restrictions on space but there are 50 great singles here for your enjoyment.
How it works:
For each genre of music I will rank the top 5 singles from each year in the 90s. I will provide a link for each song (either imeem or youtube, depending on availability) for your listening pleasure.
Disclaimer: These rankings are based on my personal preferences, not on actual popularity. I think of these lists as recommendations. Hopefully these songs will bring back some good memories, and if you have never heard them before, maybe create some new ones.
Interested in 90s Pop and Rap as well? Be sure to check out these lists as well.
90s Pop Music
90s Rock Music
Starting with the year 1999:
1. "My Own Worst Enemy" by Lit
2. "Jumper" by Third Eye Blind
3. "Scar Tissue" by Red Hot Chili Peppers
4. "The Chemicals Between Us" by Bush
5. "Heavy" by Collective Soul
1998:
1. "Inside Out" by Eve 6
2. "The Way" by Fastball
3. "Sex and Candy" by Marcy Playground
4. "Shimmer" by Fuel
5. "Closing Time" by Semisonic
1997:
1. "Bitter Sweet Symphony" by The Verve
2. "Push" by Matchbox Twenty
3. "Everlong" by Foo Fighters
4. "The Freshman" by The Verve Pipe
5. "Everything to Everyone" by Everclear
1996:
1. "1979" by Smashing Pumpkins
2. "One Headlight" by The Wallflowers
3. "Counting Blue Cars" by Dishwalla
4. "What I Got" by Sublime
5. "In the Meantime" by Spacehog
1995:
1. "Lightning Crashes" by Live
2. "Wonderwall" by Oasis
3. "Glycerine" by Bush
4. "Name" by Goo Goo Dolls
5. "Good" by Better Than Ezra
1994:
1. "When I Come Around" by Green Day
2. "Shine" by Collective Soul
3. "I Alone" by Live
4. "Self Esteem" by The Offspring
5. "About a Girl" by Nirvana
1993:
1. "Rooster" by Alice in Chains
2. "Mr. Jones" by Counting Crows
3. "Hey Jealousy" by Gin Blossoms
4. "No Rain" by Blind Melon
5. "Killing in the Name" by Rage Against the Machine
1992:
1. "Jeremy" by Pearl Jam
2. "In Bloom" by Nirvana
3. "Drive" by R.E.M.
4. "Nothing Else Matters" by Metallica
5. "Creep" by Radiohead
1991:
1. "Smells Like Teen Spirit" by Nirvana
2. "Man in the Box" by Alice in Chains
3. "Enter Sandman" by Metallica
4. "Losing My Religion" by R.E.M.
5. "Right Here, Right Now" by Jesus Jones
1990:
1. "Hunger Strike" by Temple of the Dog
2. "Kool Thing" by Sonic Youth
3. "Head Like A Hole" by Nine Inch Nails
4. "Stop!" by Jane's Addicton
5. "Thunderstruck" by AC/DC
Well there you have it. The top 5 songs from each year of the 90s. Thanks for listening and enjoy.
Agree? Disagree? Feel free to share your opinion by making a comment below.
Popular Pop Music Of The 90s - The Hits That You'll Never Forget
Remember when you could turn on the radio and actually find some decent music? That is what I miss the most about the 90s. Whether you liked rock, pop, or rap, the '90s provided your fix for your particular tastes. Although my tastes tend to lean towards the post-grunge music I grew up on, there was no denying some of the great songs that came out of the decade.
I thought it was time to switch it up and bring to you a new kind of article. Within in the next few weeks I am going to present to you my favorite 90s songs separated by genres. I thought I would start off with pop since its pretty general, and well, popular. I will get to strictly rock and rap and many other sub-genres in the future. Feel free to offer your suggestions.
How it works:
For each genre of music I will rank the top 5 singles from each year in the 90s. I will provide a link for each song (either imeem or youtube, depending on availability) for your listening pleasure.
Disclaimer: These rankings are based on my personal preferences, not on actual popularity. I think of these lists as recommendations. Hopefully these songs will bring back some good memories, and if you have never heard them before, maybe create some new ones.
Interested in ’90s Rap and Rock as well? Be sure to check out these lists as well.
90s Rap Music
90s Rock Music
Let's start with a year I am very familiar with 1999:
1. "Steal My Sunshine" by LEN
2. "Genie In A Bottle" by Christina Aguilera
3. "Bring It All To Me" by Blaque
4. "I Knew I Loved You" by Savage Garden
5. "If You Had My Love" by Jennifer Lopez
1998:
1. "All My Life" by K-Ci & JoJo
2. "Gettin' Jiggy Wit It" by Will Smith
3. "That Don't Impress Me Much" by Shania Twain
4. "I Want You Back" by NSYNC
5. "I Don't Wanna To Miss A Thing" by Aerosmith
1997:
1. "Mo Money Mo Problems" by The Notorious B.I.G
2. "I'll Be Missing You" by P. Diddy, Faith Evans, 112
3. "Truly Madly Deeply" by Savage Garden
4. "My Heart Will Go On" by Celine Dion
5. "As Long As You Love Me" by Backstreet Boys
1996:
1. "Always Be My Baby" by Mariah Carey
2. "Pony" by Ginuwine
3. "Because You Loved Me" by Celine Dion
4. "Macarena" by Los Del Rio
5. "Killing Me Softly" by The Fugees
1995:
1. "You Are Not Alone" by Michael Jackson
2. "I Know" by Dionne Farris
3. "This Is How We Do It" by Montell Jordan
4. "Beautiful Life" by Ace of Base
5. "Fantasy" by Mariah Carey
1994:
1. "I Swear" by All-4-One
2. "Another Night" by The Real McCoy
3. "Don't Turn Around" by Ace of Base
4. "Cotton Eye Joe" by Rednex
5. "Waterfalls" by TLC
1993:
1. "Weak" by SWV
2. "What Is Love" by Haddaway
3. "Fields of Gold" by Sting
4. "What's Up?" by 4 Non Blondes
5. "Linger" by The Cranberries
1992:
1. "Rhythm Is A Dancer" by Snap
2. "Walking On Broken Glass" by Annie Lennox
3. "To Be With You" by Mr. Big
4. "Save The Best For Last" by Vanessa Williams
5. "I Will Always Love You" by Whitney Houston
1991:
1. "Walking In Memphis" by Marc Cohen
2. "I Do It For You" by Bryan Adams
3. "Baby, Baby" by Amy Grant
4. "When A Man Loves A Woman" by Michael Bolton
5. "Unbelievable" by EMF
1990:
1. "Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)" - C & C Music Factory
2. "Love Shack" - B52's
3. "We Didn't Start The Fire" - Billy Joel
4. "Pump Up The Jam" - Technotronic
5. "It Must Of Been Love" - Roxette
Some might look at the list and think, really? Is that the best the 90s had to offer? I, on the other hand, look at this collection of music, and see memories. While I made it a point to disqualify anything that resembled rock and rap, and it still has some really good songs. At the very least I hope you found at least one good song in this giant list that you forgot about.
Agree? Disagree? Feel free to share your opinion by making a comment below.
90s Music Playlist - A Variety of Hits
It has been a long time since I made a playlist so I decided what better way to make a playlist then to have one with a little variety. '90s music is a topic that covers all genres and hopefully I got a good sample of the 1990s in this playlist. This playlist doesn't feature any hits that were that big in the '90s but does offer some pretty good songs and a couple of my favorites. No matter what type of music you enjoy, this should take you down memory lane, as there is sure to be at least one song you recognize. I hope you enjoy this selection of '90s music and be sure to tell me what you think of it. Feel free to check out my other playlists at the bottom of the post and I'll see you next time.
90s Music Variety Playlist
1. "Pardon Me" by Incubus
2. "Little Miss Can't Be Wrong" by Spin Doctors
3. "Interglatic" by Beastie Boys
4. "A Sorta Fairytale" by Tori Amos
5. "I'm Going Home" by Hootie And The Blowfish
6. "Pony" by Ginuwine
7. "Linger" by The Cranberries
8. "Down In A Hole" by Alice in Chains
9. "Otherside" by Red Hot Chilli Pepppers
10. "10 Days Late" by Third Eye Blind
Here's the link for the whole playlist: 90s Variety Hits
Looking for more playlists? We've got plenty.
Song #94: "Greedy Fly" by Bush
Next up is Bush with "Greedy Fly", coming in at #94 on the countdown. "Greedy Fly" is not as famous as some of Bush's other songs but did do very well on the charts. The second single off of their sophomore album, Razorblade Suitcase, "Greedy Fly" topped out at #3 on the Modern Rock Charts and #22 on the Hot 100. It was the follow up to their most successful single to date, "Swallowed", in terms of position on the charts. These two singles bolstered the album and Razorblade Suitcase was able to reach #1 on Billboard's Top 200 albums. In terms of sales, it fell short of their debut album, Sixteen Stone, but nevertheless went triple platinum.
Bush is a British alternative rock band that was intensely popular in the '90s. Their first four albums reached platinum status in the US, and they had three #1 singles on the Modern Rock Charts. Their fifth and final album was Golden State which was their least successful album to date. That was released in 2001 and soon after Bush disbanded. Lead singer Gavin Rosedale has moved on to a new band called, Institute.
Bush seems like it was the forgotten band of the '90s. When you look at what people listen to these days, you see Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and even Third Eye Blind, all of which are past their hay days. Bush is no where to be found. For being such a big act in the '90s you would think that they would have a decent following today, but that is not the case.
As for the music video, it is quite a doozey. To say that this is a dark video, would be an understatement. Like the song, it is very intense. To be honest, I am not positive on what exactly is going on but I can tell you that the main character of this video, played by Gavin Rosedale, has lost his "mind". It appears that he murdered someone and the music video attempts to tells the story. Starting out in the interrogation room after he has been arrested and ending in the same room after the story has been told. The imagery is staggering, as I assume they are trying to let you into the eye of a murder. Coming in at over seven minutes, it might leave you scratching your head. It is very interesting to say the least. Check it out and let me what you think!
Interested in other songs from the countdown? Check out the other Top Songs of the 1990s here
90's Rap Hits
First of it's kind on Rizzo Music, this week I am here to introduce our '90s rap music playlist.
Although I grew up mostly on '90s alternative rock, I do have some rap favorites that I would like to share with you. These hits are about as good as rap singles go. My favorite from this group of songs would have to be "It Was A Good Day" by Ice Cube. I can't find a better rap song to stroll through town with the windows down. It will have you head bobbing up and down from beginning to end.
Enjoy this one and be sure to let me know if I missed any classics.
'90s Rap Hits Playlist:
1. Master P - Burbons and Lacs
2. DMX - What's My Name?
3. The Notorious B.I.G. - Hypnotize
4. Ice Cube - It Was A Good Day
5. Snoop Dogg - Gin and Juice
6. Mobb Deep - Shook Ones Pt. II
7. Luniz - I Got 5 On It
8. Bone Thugs-n-Harmony - Foe tha Love of $
9. Dr. Dre - Nuthin' but a "G" Thang
10. 2pac - Hail Mary
Here's the link for the whole playlist: 90's Rap Hits Playlist
UPDATE: 90's Rap Hits Playlist Part II
Looking for more playlists? We've got plenty.
Top 100 Songs of the 90s
After watching VH1's Greatest Songs of the 90s, I was inspired to start up a series of posts with my picks for the Top 100 Songs of the 1990s. I am going to skip out on the rap songs since I am not that big of an expert on that field of music. I am tempted to include some pop from the 90s but we will see if any of it actually makes the list. I am going to set out a few ground rules for the list and link back to this post for every entry.
Rules (subject to change):
1) An artist can only have up to a maximum of three songs on the list.
2) No rap, Hip-Hop, or R&B will be included on this list.
3) Only singles will be considered for this list.
4) I will accept suggestions but this list is in no way comprised of results from a poll or any form of voting process. It is strictly the opinion of Rizzo Music.
5) And obviously the song must have been released between Jan 1st 1990 and Dec 31st 1999.
Each song will get it's own post with a little history of the song (chart positions, band trivia, song trivia ect.) and the music video. I will constantly update this post with links to each post so that this article may be used to find any song on the list. With each article I will link back to this article so to provide easy access to each song. I hope to write about 1 article pertaining to this list a week so that should set a preliminary completion date for the list on August 20, 2009. It would be nice to finish the list before then but that seems like a realistic date for the amount of work required for this sort of project. Comments? Suggestions? I would love to hear them. Thanks!
Links (More Coming Soon)
Songs 100-91
Song #100: "Take A Picture" by Filter
Song #99: "Walking in Memphis" by Marc Cohn
Song #98: "How Bizarre" by OMC
Song #97: "Meet Virginia" by Train
Song #96: "Down" by 311
Song #95: "Found Out About You" by Gin Blossoms
Song #94: "Greedy Fly" by Bush
Song #93: "The Impression That I Get" by The Mighty Mighty Bosstones
Song #92: "Don't Go Away" by Oasis
Song #91: "Touch, Peel and Stand" by Days Of The New
Songs 90-81
Song #90: "Hanginaround" by Counting Crows
Song #89: "Man on the Moon" by R.E.M.
Songs 80-71
Songs 70-61
Songs 60-51
Songs 50-41
Songs 40-31
Songs 30-21
Songs 20-11
Songs 10-1
Be sure to sign up for email updates or subscribe with your favorite feed reader to stay up to date with all of the latest additions to the list. If you are having any trouble with this, feel free to email me at "web at rizzomusic dot com".
Recently Discovered Songs - Top 10 Songs You Should Know Playlist
Lately I have been listening to a lot of music, most of which I never heard before. A lot of it has been from some of my favorite artists, but some have just been random songs that I have come across. I have been going through some old albums as well as some new ones and I decided to make a new playlist with some of my new favorites.
I would just like to make a note of Dishwalla, a band that I recently rediscovered and started to listen to them extensively. Know most for their classic radio hit, "Counting Blue Cars", they are a band that is much deeper then their one hit wonder status. If you happen to like "Coral Sky", which is in this playlist, I suggest you check out more of their latest album, which is self-titled. Some of my favorites from that album are "Above The Wreckage", "Collide" and "40 Stories". If your more of a fan of their older music you should definitely check out their Live... Greetings From The Flow State album. Well, that's it for this week. Hope you enjoyed it.
Top 10 Songs You Should Know - Week 20 - August 20-26 2007
1. Goo Goo Dolls - Big Machine
2. Dishwalla - Coral Sky
3. The Smashing Pumpkins - Neverlost
4. Big Head Todd and The Monsters - Bittersweet
5. Hootie & The Blowfish - Old Man & Me
6. Death Cab For Cutie - Photobooth
7. Better Than Ezra - Heaven
8. Depeche Mode - Policy Of Truth
9. Bush - Letting The Cables Sleep
10. The Wallflowers - Here In Pleasantville
Here's the link for the whole playlist: Recently Discovered Songs
Looking for more playlists? We've got plenty.
Better Than Ezra - "Live Again" Live At The House Of Blues In New Orleans
First of all I would like to say that this is one of my favorite songs and not just by Better Than Ezra. The studio version is great but the live one brings that extra element to it. It starts off with a piano solo and the kicks off to one of Kevin's classic explanations of what the song is all about. I've had the pleasure to see these guys in concert a couple of times and they are great live. Kevin has a great stage presence and is usually really funny with his comments between songs. If your a Better Than Ezra fan and have a chance to go see them, go.
Though they are past their prime in terms of mainstream popularity they still have a good fan base and tour fairly consistently year round. Anyway, I was listening to their live album today and I came across this song and thought I would share it with you. It's a good one, hope you like it. "Enough Said."
UPDATE: They removed the video I originally referring to. He tells a little bit different story at the beginning of this one. If you want to see the live performance I was talking about before, you'll probably have to buy their Live At House Of Blues New Orleans DVD, because I can't find it anywhere else.
SNL In The 90s: A Look At The Music
A great recap to a great decade. Saturday Night Live is a show that I really have enjoyed over the last decade or so. From Chris Farley to Chris Rock, this show was stacked with comedic geniuses. This television special had plenty of commentary from almost all the great cast members of the 1990s but it was lacking a little in the video clips. With such a long span to cover, it was hard to fit everything into a two hour special but I think that they did a good job. You really can't go wrong with Chris Farrley's Matt Foley skit or Will Farrell's Cowbell performance.
It was really fun to see all the old cast members come back to talk about the golden age of SNL that was the early 90s. The cool thing about it was that there were only a few missing from the commentary. The only one that I noticed that was missing was Adam Sandler. I, being such a avid 90s music fan, loved that fact that they included a bunch of past performances from so many good bands. The musical acts have always been an intricate part of Saturday Night Live, and it was nice to see them be included in the special.
I had to compile this list by memory because I didn't get a chance to tape it but I am pretty sure this is fairly accurate and almost complete. If you see any mistakes or additions that should be made, please feel free to leave a comment.
Musical Performances Featured on "SNL In The 90s":
Barenaked Ladies - "It's All Been Done"
Gin Blossoms - "Follow You Down"
Christina Aguliera - "What a Girl Wants"
Blues Traveler - "Hook"
Green Day - "When I Come Around"
R.E.M. - "Shiny Happy People"
Pearl Jam - "Not For You"
Dave Matthews Band - "So Much To Say"
Foo Fighters - "Learn to Fly"
Beck - "Sexx Laws"
Nirvana - "Smells Like Teen Spirit"
Sheryl Crow - "If It Makes You Happy"
Garbage - "When I Grow Up"
Oasis - "Don't Go Away"
I was really happy to see the lesser known bands like Blues Traveler get some air time as well as the more popular acts like DMB, Pearl Jam, R.E.M., and Nirvana. My favorite part of the whole show was the decision to have Oasis' "Don't Go Away" be the last act shown. This is one of my favorite songs from Oasis and from the 90s in general. A fitting end to a great decade of music and comedy. Thanks for listening and hope you check out some of these classic songs.
Summer Hits Playlists
The summer is just around the corner and I will be posting a lot more often, updating you with music news, reviews and more playlists. For this playlist I wanted to give you a little taste of summer as the school year is almost over and hopefully this cold April weather is going to heat up this week. These ten songs might seem very random but they are some of my favorite songs and either have something to do with summer or just remind me of the season. I would just like to point out one song in particular, "The Remedy (I Won't Worry)" by Jason Mraz. This song really has nothing to do with summer but I can remember listening to it constantly just a few summers ago and it seems that it is a song that might have been forgotten. I thought I would bring to light some classics like OMC and some songs you might not of heard of like "Just watch the Fireworks". Thanks for listening and I'm looking forward to a productive summer.
Top 10 Songs You Should Know
1. Steal my Sunshine - LEN
2. How Bizarre - OMC
3. Pinch Me - Barenaked Ladies
4. Run-Around - Blues Traveler
5. American Girls - Counting Crows
6. Summer Skin - Death Cab for Cutie
7. The Remedy (I Won't Worry) - Jason Mraz
8. Just Watch the Fireworks - Jimmy Eat World
9. Sunshine - Keane
10. Blinded (When I See You) - Third Eye Blind
Here's the link for the whole playlist: Summer Hits Playlist Part II
Looking for more playlists? We've got plenty.