Best of the Rest of the Top 40: The 1990s

Cafe Society
1

Time to round out the 20th century with the best of the ‘90s. These are the voters’ choices for best not-quite-number-one song of each year.

What’s your favorite?

Previous polls: 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s

Best #1 single polls: 1955-56 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s All-time

2

Oh, shit.

Gonna have to think about this one…

3

Went with Sheryl Crow. The song is just interesting in its construction and lyrics.

4

I voted for “You Oughta Know.” It was one of two of these songs I voted for in the best-of-the-year poll (the other being “Tubthumping”). Sheryl Crow is dead-ass last.

5

I pretty sure that either Smells Like Teen Spirit or Losing My Religion is going to win but I’ve grown tired of both songs so I can’t bring myself to vote for any of these two.

The song I like most here is probably I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles) but as I remarked in the relevant year’s poll it’s actually from the 80s so it sort of doesn’t count.

It all boils down to All I Wanna Do vs You Oughta Know. Alanis wins.

6

“I Wanna Be (500 Miles)” is just what the Doctor ordered. :wink:

7

This is hard! Too many good (at least decent choices), but I finally went with the song with the car wash. It sets such a mood that makes me want to be there.

8

By a big distance I go with B-52’s, Backstreet Boys in the running.
No, just no to REM and Nirvana, ban those songs for life!!
Alanis had better songs than that, but I can tolerate it. Used to like the Proclaimers tune but now as an adult it sounds lame.

All over all good tunes, nothing is bad.

9

When “Losing My Religion” was released, there was nothing like it on the radio; it was so unique. I’ve heard it too many times for it to maintain that first impression.

Like REM, the B-52s are the sound of Athens. GA, and so dear to my heart. However, they have better songs than this.

I’ll admit Nirvana shook up the music world with “Teen Spirit”, but the rest of their catalogue is lost on me. The real talent in that band was and is Dave Grohl.

IMHO, Sheryl Crow is a marginal talent. No offense intended.

I actively avoid the The Proclaimers and Chumbawumba.

Alanis Morrisette gets my vote this time. “You Oughta Know” is a barn burner, and her band is most excellent.

10

I went with Nirvana. It was such a game-changer.

11

This one was a real poser for me, as it came down to either “Losing My Religion” or “I Want It That Way” (both beautiful, near-perfect examples of pop songs). I ultimately went with R.E.M., because unlike the majority posting here, I never grew tired of the song.

12

I like R.E.M. a lot, but never liked “Losing My Religion” much. (How many times can you say “consider this” in one verse?) And even a quarter-century after the fact, I’ve yet to grok why Nirvana was a big deal. I don’t dislike them; I just don’t have strong feelings for them either way. So I’m not voting for one of the leaders this time.

The rest of the songs mostly fall into the good-but-not-great category. I like “Roam,” “I’m Gonna Be,” “All I Wanna Do”, “Sunny Came Home,” and “Tubthumping,” but none of these strikes me as best-of-decade stuff. (And I might recognize the Backstreet Boys song if I went and YouTubed it, but I’m not gonna bother.)

That leaves “You Oughta Know” which gets my vote.