# I'm doing a nostalgia project on mid-90s pop music and want input **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 26, 2006, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-doing-a-nostalgia-project-on-mid-90s-pop-music-and-want-input/385608 "2006-12-26T12:58:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2006, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-doing-a-nostalgia-project-on-mid-90s-pop-music-and-want-input/385608/1 "2006-12-26T12:58:53Z")
I’m working on a nostalgia vanity project, compiling the soundtrack to my 6th grade life. I remember this period vividly, and I remember the music vividly. I played junior league hockey, I went to sailing camp in the summer, I had crushes on approximately 9,000 girls, I was completely lost in the world of _Goldeneye_ for N64 and _Final Fantasy VII,_ and every night I would sit in my room and listen to B97 on my ancient SHARP boom box. Some of my favorite songs: _Buddy Holly_ by Weezer, _Kiss the Rain_ by Billie Myers, _Tubthumping_ by Chumbawamba, _Where Have All the Cowboys Gone_ by Paula Cole, _I Am Barely Breathing_ by Duncan Shiek, _I Could Never Be Your Woman_ by White Town, _Lovefool_ by The Cardigans,_Summertime_ by The Sundays (last week I put this song on a mix tape for my girlfriend and she loved it - unaware that it came out so long ago.) I’m trying to compile a very thorough list of this music for my vanity project. Specifically, the thrust of the project here is centered around my idea that there is a _mid-90s_ radio music that is very seperate and different from the grunge/alt-rock radio music of 1990-1994, and very seperate and different from the hip-hop/pop-punk radio music of 1999-2004. I’m not sure how exactly to classify it (I’d say “light pop” from my examples above) but I think that it has had an influence on the indie and “twee” music that is just now being created and listened to by my musical generation. As of now, this is all just a nebulous cloud of vague theories and ideas, but I’m trying to shape it into something coherent, and to do this I’m looking for comprehensive and thorough lists of the music that was played on pop radio stations during the mid-90s. I have looked at the various hit charts from the time period (mostly [this one](http://www.musicoutfitters.com/topsongs/1997.htm)) and I’m starting to think that the Billboard and other “top” charts don’t tell the whole story of mid-90s music, and specifically are a poor representation of the music that my peers and I listened to when we were kids. (Hence this being a vanity project.) Namely, looking at the charts, R&B, boy-bands and rap dominate in force, and this may have been the most popular music statistically, but it wasn’t what _I_ remember hearing. It might have been because my radio station of choice was more “white.” It may have been because my young brain just filtered out the all the R&B and rap because I had been inundated with Beatles since I was five and so was conditioned to respond to British pop music. Whatever the reason, the point is that the bands that stand out the most from my 6th grade year were not the R&B and rap that make up the billboard hits, but the obscure pop one-hit wonders, which all the above but Weezer would classify as. I’ve been trying to come up with an extensive list of this kind of music, but I’m running into the issue of my memory. I just _know_ that there are other songs that I listened to that are not on these billboard charts, but I just can’t _think_ of them. Oh! I got one: _Sex and Candy_ by Marcy Playground. See what I mean? There were all those songs on the radio that seemingly came and went in minutes, but many of them were distinctive and interesting despite that. And of course there were the standbys from the alt-rock era - The Cranberries, Alanis Morrisette, Natalie Merchant, etc - who were still coming out with new music after 1995. And newcomers like Fiona Apple (I’ll never forget the first time I saw her video for _Criminal_ in 1996!) This post may seem rambling and incoherent (well, it is - I’ve been up for about 20 hours) but the overall point is that as an amateur music journalist, I want to write about the music of my formative years, and now with iTunes and Ruckus I can easily compile a soundtrack to go along with this project of sorts. I want to know where (besides Wikipedia) I might be able to find in-depth lists of the pop music of the mid-90s. I also would love to hear what some of you remember about 90s music - good or bad - and particularly what you remember if you’re my age (20-24.) And if any of you have radio singles that I should add to this project, let me know, because I want to be really thorough. ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2006, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-doing-a-nostalgia-project-on-mid-90s-pop-music-and-want-input/385608/2 "2006-12-26T13:03:13Z")
I’ll also add that although the R&B was not a big part of my personal music experience as a kid, it was a big phenomenon of the time and so it’s definitely part of the discussion here. And another thing that can’t be overlooked is the short-lived “swing” craze with the Cherry Poppin’ Daddies and the Squirrel Nut Zippers. If **Big Bad Voodoo Lou** pops into this thread, I’d love to hear about his take on all that. ---
**Author:** ![Omega\_Glory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/7c8e57/32.png) [@Omega\_Glory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omega_Glory)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2006, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-doing-a-nostalgia-project-on-mid-90s-pop-music-and-want-input/385608/3 "2006-12-26T15:04:25Z")
I’m 24, and we might have been listening to the same kind of station back then. I’m not sure exactly when these songs were released, or if any of them are what you’re looking for but some of the songs I remember are: Champagne Supernova- Oasis Save Tonight- Eagle Eye Cherry No Rain-Blind Melon Runaway Train-Soul Asylum Two Princes-Spin Doctors Hey Jealousy-Gin Blossoms Loser-Beck There were a few hits back then from Hootie and the Blowfish and Toad the Wet Sprocket too. Are you going to share your final list with us? ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2006, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-doing-a-nostalgia-project-on-mid-90s-pop-music-and-want-input/385608/4 "2006-12-26T15:12:19Z")
_Lump_, _Peaches_, and _Kitty_ by The Presidents Of The United States Of America _Time Bomb_, Rancid ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2006, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-doing-a-nostalgia-project-on-mid-90s-pop-music-and-want-input/385608/5 "2006-12-26T15:35:42Z")
Isn’t 10 years a little short time wise for ‘nostalgia’? ---
**Author:** ![saoirse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@saoirse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saoirse)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2006, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-doing-a-nostalgia-project-on-mid-90s-pop-music-and-want-input/385608/6 "2006-12-26T15:58:10Z")
[QUOTE=adam yax] Isn’t 10 years a little short time wise for ‘nostalgia’? [/QUOTE] What are you kidding? I’m already nostalgiac for October. ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2006, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-doing-a-nostalgia-project-on-mid-90s-pop-music-and-want-input/385608/7 "2006-12-26T16:06:01Z")
Here’s some that pop into my head when I think of that time period. In no particular order or regard for correct spelling . . . Kiss me - Six pense none the richer Push - Matchbox 20 The Way - Fastball Building a Mystery - Sarah McLachlan Sonny Came Home - Shawn Colvin Superhero - Garrison Starr Runaround - Blues Traveller All for You - Sister Hazel You Oughta Know - Alanis Morissette December - Collective Soul What I got - Sublime (at least that’s when I remember it getting airplay?) Spiderwebs - No Doubt I’ll check back if I think of any more. ---
**Author:** ![Omega\_Glory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/7c8e57/32.png) [@Omega\_Glory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omega_Glory)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2006, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-doing-a-nostalgia-project-on-mid-90s-pop-music-and-want-input/385608/8 "2006-12-26T16:49:47Z")
A few more: Counting Crows-Mr. Jones, Round Here Goo Goo Dolls-Name, Slide, Iris Matchbox 20-Back to Good, 3 AM, Real World No Doubt - Spiderwebs Proclaimers-500 miles Third Eye Blind- Jumper, How’s it Gonna be Meril Baines- Would it be so Bad? GreenDay- Time of your life, When I come around ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2006, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-doing-a-nostalgia-project-on-mid-90s-pop-music-and-want-input/385608/9 "2006-12-26T17:01:16Z")
how about: Mmmmm Mmmmmm Mmmmmm by the Crash Test Dummies ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Ashtar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@Lord\_Ashtar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Ashtar)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2006, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-doing-a-nostalgia-project-on-mid-90s-pop-music-and-want-input/385608/10 "2006-12-26T17:20:04Z")
[QUOTE=adam yax] Isn’t 10 years a little short time wise for ‘nostalgia’? [/QUOTE] Tell that to VH1. They’ve already done two “I Love the 90’s” specials. ---
**Author:** ![Yookeroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yookeroo/32/323_2.png) [@Yookeroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yookeroo)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2006, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-doing-a-nostalgia-project-on-mid-90s-pop-music-and-want-input/385608/11 "2006-12-26T17:49:45Z")
This period for me was: early Moby (_Move_, _Next Is the E_, _Feeling So Real_ etc.). Daft Punk’s first record (Discovery) 808 State Eat Static early Chemical Brothers early Prodigy etc. ---
**Author:** ![Angel\_of\_the\_Lord](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/angel_of_the_lord/32/2949_2.png) [@Angel\_of\_the\_Lord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Angel_of_the_Lord)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2006, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-doing-a-nostalgia-project-on-mid-90s-pop-music-and-want-input/385608/12 "2006-12-26T18:02:07Z")
“Don’t Speak” --No Doubt “I Love You Always Forever” --Donna Lewis “Torn” --Natalie Imbruglia “Kiss Me” --Sixpence None The Richer “Come To My Window” --Melissa Etheridge “Closing Time” --Semisonic “Walking On The Sun” --Smash Mouth “Fly” --Sugar Ray “It’s All Coming Back to Me Now” --Celine Dion “Virtual Insanity” --Jamiroquai “You Get What You Give” --New Radicals “Livin’ La Vida Loca” --Ricky Martin “Basket Case” --Green Day “Bittersweet Symphony” --The Verve “One Week” --Barenaked Ladies “All I Wanna Do is Have Some Fun” --Sheryl Crow “Wonderwall” --Oasis “Linger” --The Cranberries “Take A Picture” --Filter “Lullaby” --Shawn Mullins “I Don’t Wanna Miss A Thing” --Aerosmith “Steal My Sunshine” --Len “I Want You” --Savage Garden “She’s So High” --Tal Bachman “Building A Mystery” --Sarah McLaughlin “Uninvited” --Alanis Morrisette “Mambo #5” --Lou Bega “Barbie Girl” --Aqua “Meet Virginia” --Train “The Bad Touch” --Bloodhound Gang “Bitch” --Meredith Brooks “One of Us” --Joan Osborne “One Headlight” --The Wallflowers “Bang and Blame” --REM That’s just off the top of my head. I’m 23. I personally really, really miss 90s music. This isn’t really so much because of personal taste–I’m really more of a punk/electronic/alternative/goth music fan. But. . .okay. Back in The Day, pop music was usually one of two things: 1.) Based at least tenuously on rock music 2.) Forgettable and sugary Now, it seems to be more. . .loud and angsty, I guess. R&B, rap and metal-based. I like some rap, some metal, and some R&B, but those aren’t my main interests. And. . .I don’t know. The ones I mentioned are catchy, somehow. Upbeat and catchy. Or at least catchy. I won’t crow about them being the pinnacle of music, because they aren’t, but they are more my speed. One thing I noticed is there are a lot of traditional female vocalists–Sarah McLaughlin, Natalie Imbruglia, Paula Cole, Donna Lewis, Celine Dion. That doesn’t seem to be as common today. It seems that music today (at least, non R&B/rap based) is more band-focused. Here are some fairly comprehensive links (though they’re by NO means exhaustive): [http://www.bradboard.com/90s.htm](http://www.bradboard.com/90s.htm) [http://members.tripod.com/john\_larocque/90.html](http://members.tripod.com/john_larocque/90.html) I’d love to discuss more via e-mail, since this is kind of a pet project of mine. My email’s in my prof, if you’re interested. ---
**Author:** ![robardin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/43a26b/32.png) [@robardin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robardin)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2006, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-doing-a-nostalgia-project-on-mid-90s-pop-music-and-want-input/385608/13 "2006-12-26T20:16:52Z")
Some great entries so far. Man, I feel old if this is now “nostalgia” music… I just turned 36 last week, and these songs represent my last gasp at actually being abreast of current pop music. My iPod playlist sorted by Year has maybe 25 songs (out of 2000+ tracks, including classical, jazz, soundtracks and stuff) produced after the year 2000 :eek: I’ll start another thread on what current and recent songs I should look for on iTunes to shake a cane at. Meanwhile, other (non-R&B/Hip-Hop) radio hit favorites I would add to your list of '90s pop music: “I’m Too Sexy” by Right Said Fred (what, nobody’s mentioned it yet?) “The Distance” by Cake “Closer” by Nine Inch Nails “Faraway (So Close)” by U2 “Give It Away”, “Under The Bridge”, “Breaking The Girl” by the Red Hot Chili Peppers “Self-Esteem” by Offspring “Creep” by Radiohead “Fly”, “Someday” by Sugar Ray “Walking in Memphis”, by Marc Cohn PS: if you can find the parody(?) of _One of Us_ by Joan Osborne, _What If God Smoked Cannibus?_, it’s hilarious. ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2006, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-doing-a-nostalgia-project-on-mid-90s-pop-music-and-want-input/385608/14 "2006-12-26T20:49:31Z")
[QUOTE=Argent Towers] … Summertime\* by The Sundays (last week I put this song on a mix tape for my girlfriend and she loved it - unaware that it came out so long ago.) [/QUOTE] ☹ Not much longer till that AARP applications shows up in the mail, is there? ---
**Author:** ![interface2x](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c0e974/32.png) [@interface2x](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/interface2x)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2006, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-doing-a-nostalgia-project-on-mid-90s-pop-music-and-want-input/385608/15 "2006-12-26T20:52:21Z")
[QUOTE=Angel of the Lord] One thing I noticed is there are a lot of traditional female vocalists–Sarah McLaughlin… [/QUOTE] \*McLachlan. Sorry, pet peeve. ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2006, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-doing-a-nostalgia-project-on-mid-90s-pop-music-and-want-input/385608/16 "2006-12-27T00:07:52Z")
First of all, I want to thank everyone for all their input. It’s been extremely useful, and helped me remember a lot of songs that I had forgotten. I’m glad that some other people are interested in this ( **Angel Of The Lord,** I’ll contact you.) Great help, everyone!! I think some people don’t realize how long ago 6th grade seems for someone who’s in their early twenties. Some of the older people here might be shaking their heads and thinking “wait until you’re my age and then you’ll know nostalgia.” I guess you’re right, in a way, but don’t discount the emotional effect of looking back just ten years. Especially given that this time period represents my first real attention towards the opposite sex (a turning point in anyone’s life,) listening to the music of it really takes me back there. So no, I don’t think it’s too recently to be nostalgia. ---
**Author:** ![Omega\_Glory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/7c8e57/32.png) [@Omega\_Glory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omega_Glory)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2006, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-doing-a-nostalgia-project-on-mid-90s-pop-music-and-want-input/385608/17 "2006-12-27T00:54:25Z")
[QUOTE=Argent Towers] . I’m glad that some other people are interested in this [/quote] Yea, update the thread if you remember any more songs. I haven’t thought about some of these in years. > [@](#): > > I think some people don’t realize how long ago 6th grade seems for someone who’s in their early twenties. Some of the older people here might be shaking their heads and thinking “wait until you’re my age and then you’ll know nostalgia.” I guess you’re right, in a way, but don’t discount the emotional effect of looking back just ten years. Especially given that this time period represents my first real attention towards the opposite sex (a turning point in anyone’s life,) listening to the music of it really takes me back there. So no, I don’t think it’s too recently to be nostalgia. Ten years really is like a lifetime ago when you’re in your early twenties. The gap between say, being thirty, and being forty probably makes ten years feel like a smaller amount of time than it seems to be when you’ve only been around for a couple of decades. Of course, I’m not speaking from experience, but I feel nostalgia for my tween and teen years (7-12 years ago) every once in awhile. ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Purl\_McKnittington](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@Miss\_Purl\_McKnittington](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Purl_McKnittington)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2006, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-doing-a-nostalgia-project-on-mid-90s-pop-music-and-want-input/385608/18 "2006-12-27T01:41:57Z")
What? No Ben Folds Five? Songs by them I think should be included: 1. Brick (“She’s a brick and I’m drowning slowly”) 2. Kate (“Every day she wears the same thing / I think she smokes pot / She’s everything I want / She’s everything I’m not”) 3. Smoke (“You keep saying the past is / Not dead / Well stop and smell the smoke / You keep on saying the past is / Not even past and / You keep on saying / We are smoke”) 4. Lullabye (“Goodnight, goodnight, sweet baby / The world has more for you / Than it seems”) You might want to include a little Sixpence None the Richer (“Kiss Me”). Vanessa Carlton and Michelle Branch, though not part of the 90s, seem to have more in common with mid-90s pop music than their current peers. Ah, man, I wish this music had been playing when I was in high school and not middle school. I’d rather have memories of dancing to “Kiss Me” at the high school prom than freaking . . . god, I don’t even remember. It would be great if somebody made a masterlist. I think I have most of these on my computer already, but I’d love to include the songs I’ve forgotten about. ---
**Author:** ![Sattua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sattua/32/11906_2.png) [@Sattua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sattua)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2006, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-doing-a-nostalgia-project-on-mid-90s-pop-music-and-want-input/385608/19 "2006-12-27T02:19:18Z")
Oh boy. I’ve never gotten past the 90s. I mean… it was so good. I’m going to rattle off song names, even though I know many of these have already been mentioned. The Verve: Bittersweet Symphony Chumbawumba: Tubthumping Smash Mouth: Walking on the Sun, All Star, I Can’t Get Enough of You Baby Sugar Ray: Fly, Every Morning, Someday Eagle Eye Cherry: Save Tonight Macy Gray: I Try The Cardigans: Lovefool Ace of Base: their whole stinking first album Hootie and the Blowfish: whole Cracked Rear View album Shawn Colvin: Sunny Came Home Loreena McKinnitt: The Mummer’s Dance Shania Twain: You’re Still The One Chris Isaacs: Wicked Game Madonna: Ray of Light, Beautiful Stranger Cher: Do you Believe in Life after Love? Cherry Popping Daddies: Zoot Suit Riot The Mighty Mighty Bosstones: Knock On Wood Butthole Surfers: Pepper Spin Doctors: Two Princes, Little Miss Can’t Be Wrong, Pretty Baby Tom Petty: You Don’t Know How It Feels Melissa Etheridge: Come To My Window, I’m The Only One Des’ree: You Gotta Be John Mellencamp & Me’shell Ndegeocello: Wild Night Bob Seger: re-recording of Night Moves Fastball: The Way The Macarena! Right Said Fred: I’m Too Sexy Blues Traveler: Runaround Barenaked Ladies: One Week Sixpence None the Richer: Kiss Me The Rembrandts: I’ll Be There For You Weezer: Buddy Holly Annie Lennox: Broken Glass, Whiter Shade of Pale Aerosmith: Crazy, Cryin’ The Eagles: Hell Freezes Over recordings, esp. Hotel California Steve Winwood: Roll With It Scatman John: Scatman Beatles: Free As A Bird R.E.M.: What’s the Freq., Kenn?, Bang & Blame, Lotus U2: One, Mysterious Ways Collective Soul: Shine, Breathe Marcy Playground: Sex and Candy ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2006, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-doing-a-nostalgia-project-on-mid-90s-pop-music-and-want-input/385608/20 "2006-12-27T02:24:58Z")
Oh man, Annie Lennox. My MOM used to play her all the time. Thanks for more suggestions! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-doing-a-nostalgia-project-on-mid-90s-pop-music-and-want-input/385608.md?page=2)