Sometime back I posted my selection of the Top 50 songs from the Eighties which not only defined the Hit Factor of the period but literally defined the industry on a whole taking the direction of music and style into altogether a new dimension. I was encouraged by the readership of this article and so here I come with a listing of the Top 50 songs from the 90’s.
As I began work to define the Top 50 songs from the 90’s, I found this a much easier task than it was before, as I knew clearly what I was looking for. As I studied the music, the artists, the styles etc, amazingly I saw how the direction of music took a new twist with the sound of the eighties literally staying the sound of the eighties and the nineties establishing its own unique sound and style.
That is what I love about Music. With the passing of each year, you can be assured you’ll be treated to something new, something fresh. Artists, who come out of nowhere, influence you in ways unimaginable and before you blink they are gone and a new icon has taken their place. A new sound is what you dig.
90’s also saw the most One-Hit-Wonders take the stage. ‘Groove Is The Heart’ one such hit by the band Dee Lite is an example as also the phrase which defined the nineties music – Dance. Groove. Shake-A-Leg. This period also saw a unique concept of Song-Specific-Dancesteps like those developed for the Billy Ray Cyrus hit Achy Breaky Heart or for Los Del Rio’s ‘Macarena’. There were new dance steps learnt for Vanilla Ice or MC Hammer hits. Each of these just spread like a fever!
Listed below is a list of top 50 songs, I believe which defined the 90’s. This time around I tried to ensure that the list is unique to artist i.e. only 1 of their hits from the decade would make it to this list. Choosing 50 of 1000’s was always going to be arduous hence the concept. Needless to say the song represents the artist through the decade. As before the list is based on not only its ‘hit’ factor at the time, but more so on its influence on the industry on the whole. Its iconic impact and relevance even today in 2011. These tracks are timeless.
Although listed 1-50, there was no way I could actually rank them. Every song earned its way to this list. So please do not take the numbers as a ranking! It is for this reason they have been listed alphabetically.
Do send me your feedback if you think any song on this list should have been replaced.
01. Achy Breaky Heart – Billy Ray Cyrus
02. All I Wanna Do – Sheryl Crow
03. All That She Wants – Ace Of Base
04. Believe – Cher
05. Black Or White – Michael Jackson
06. Blaze of Glory – Jon Bon Jovi
07. Cant Help Falling In Love – UB40
08. Don’t Speak – No Doubt
09. (Everything I Do) I Do It For You – Bryan Adams
10. Fields Of Gold – Sting
11. Freedom – George Michael
12. Give It Away – Red Hot Chili Peppers
13. Hand In My Pocket – Alanis Morissette
14. (Hit Me) Baby One More Time – Britney Spears
15. How Am I Supposed to Live Without You – Michael Bolton
16. I Believe I can Fly – R. Kelly
17. I’m Too Sexy – Right Said Fred
18. Ice Ice Baby – Vanilla Ice
19. I’d Do Anything For Love (But I Wont Do That) – Meatloaf
20. I’ll Stand By You – The Pretenders
21. It Must Have Been Love – Roxette
22. Its My Life – Dr. Alban
23. Just Another Day – Jon Secada
24. Justify My Love – Madonna
25. Lets Get Rocked – Def Leppard
26. Livin La Vida Loca – Ricky Martin
27. Losing My Religion – REM
28. Macarena – Los Del Rio
29. Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm – Crash Test Dummies
30. Mmmbop – Hanson
31. More Than Words – Extreme
32. My Heart Will Go On – Celine Dion
33. Nothing Compares 2 U – Sinead O’Connor
34. Now And Forever – Richard Marx
35. Return To Innocence – Enigma
36. Scatman – Scatman John
37. Step By Step – New Kids On The Block
38. Streets Of Philadelphia – Bruce Springsteen
39. Tears In Heaven – Eric Clapton
40. The End Of The Innocence – Don Henley
41. The River Of Dreams – Billy Joel
42. The Road To Hell – Chris Rea
43. Truly Madly Deeply – Savage Garden
44. Two Princes – Spin Doctors
45. U Can’t Touch This – MC Hammer
46. Wannabe – Spice Girls
47. What’s Up – 4 Non Blondes
48. Wicked Game – Chris Issak
49. Wind Of Change – Scorpions
50. Wonderwall – Oasis
That was tough! Just try and take out one and see how it hurts!!!!!!!
The basic aim? The List had to be eternal.
I do realize there were so many more amazing tracks. Somewhere someone had to be de-listed. I was a bit partial to artists who came up fresh in the 90’s and made their impact in such a way their sound still resonates today such as acts like No Doubt, Ricky Martin, Sheryl Crow, R. Kelly or Red Hot Chili Peppers. I also wanted to include a few ‘one-hit-wonders’ which actually impacted the period like Achy Breaky Heart or Whats Up by the 4 Non Blondes. Vanilla Ice & MC Hammer made magic during this time and somehow subsequently were hardly heard thereof.
I do hope you enjoy this listing.
A simple idea – try collating this list into a CD for yourself. Listen to it on ‘shuffle’ mode and you are bound to go back into the Nineties. The nostalgia will envelope you.
Pleasant Listening!