The Essential 90's Songs

[gpduke03]

Imagine you could make a CD with all the essential songs from the 90's on it. There was no limit to how many you could use. What songs would you use? I don't expect people to name every single song they liked, but if each person contributes 5 or so, we could come up with a pretty dang cool list. So begin. (BTW, not just pop, but alternative and whatever else).

[somelikeitwhen]

We'd probably need a 10-CD set that would cost around $50.00.
To supply the credentials, we need what every compilation album should have:
Dance hits, like Another Night, Be My Lover, and a handful of Madonna songs from the 90's
Rock hits, like Tonight, Tonight, Black Hole Sun, hell, even Mr. Jones if you could stomach it. And maybe a Green Day song. One of their crossover hits would be nice.
Tearjerkers, which means songs that make Hasselhoff lament his existance. Like Nothing Compares 2 U, My Heart Will Go On, and MMMBop. (Oh, wait, we mean sad songs? Not tearjerkingly bad songs...oops.)
And throw in an annoyingly-catchy club-banger, like I'm Too Sexy or I Like To Move It.
Anyone else up for it? I'm sure you can do better than me.

[JOJO SIWA DERANGEMENT SYNDROME]

We would need a mixture of big hits as well as some good ones that just didn't do well for whatever reason. And it would need to span across multiple genres.

I'll list a few in no particular order.

Mariah Carey - Dreamlover
Des'ree - You Gotta Be
Snap! - Rhythm Is A Dancer
Alanis Morissette - You Oughta Know
Ace Of Base - The Sign
Planet Soul - Set U Free
Annie Lennox - Walking On Broken Glass
Marky Mark & The Funky Bunch featuring Loleatta Holloway - Good Vibrations
Christina Aguilera - Genie In A Bottle
Los Del Rio - Macarena
Backstreet Boys - Everybody (Backstreet's Back)
NSync - Tearin' Up My Heart
Madonna - Secret
Whitney Houston - I Will Always Love You
Boyz II Men - End Of The Road
Cher - Believe
Celine Dion - Because You Loved Me
Gloria Estefan - Turn The Beat Around
Shania Twain - You're Still The One I Want
Spice Girls - Wannabe
Selena - I Could Fall In Love With You
Prince - The Most Beautiful Girl In The World
Nirvana - Smells Like Teen Spirit

[Devil Marlena Nylund]

I'm in the midst of counting down my favourite 90s songs on my website. Right now, I have 100-51 up but I'll have the rest up over the next short while. So this list is pretty much my Essential 90s list.

I'm looking forward to seeing those Time-Life Warner compilation things for 90s music! Awesome stuff!

[oscillations.]

Interestingly enough, I too was considering this recently. I was thinking about how I could possibly narrow down everything about the 90's to one mixtape. My tape would certainly look different than most people's, because it would only reflect my personal favorites (otherwise, what is the point?) I'd like to try my hand at a more objective, catholic mix one day, though, and include everything from Mariah Carey to Sebadoh.

[jaxxalude]

NIRVANA "Smells Like Teen Spirit"
DR. DRE "Nuthin' But A G Thang"
AALIYAH "One In A Million"
RADIOHEAD "Paranoid Android"
GOLDIE "Inner City Life"

If I had to narrow it down in terms of importance, it would be quite hard to try and top off a Top 5 like this, methinks.

[shocker]

Savage Garden "I Want You"
Billy Ray Cyrus "Achy Breaky Heart"
Paula Cole "Where Have All The Cowboys Gone"
Goo Goo Dolls "Iris"
Mariah Carey "Fantasy"
Tom Cochrane "Life Is A Highway"
Sugar Ray "Fly"
Londonbeat "I've Been Thinking About You"
Brian Setzer Orchestra "Jump Jive An' Wail"
Pretenders "I'll Stand By You"
Smash Mouth "Walkin' On The Sun"
Deadeye Dick "New Age Girl"
Sixpence None the Richer "Kiss Me"
Eric Clapton "My Father's Eyes"
Right Said Fred "I'm Too Sexy"
US3 "Cantaloop (Flip Fantasia)"
Dionne Farris "I Know"
Firehouse "Love of a Lifetime"
Hootie & The Blowfish "Only Wanna Be With You"
Bonnie Raitt "Something to Talk About"
Ace of Bae "The Sign"
Pearl Jam "Last Kiss"
Wilson Philips "Release Me"

Just a partial list. I would NOT include any grunge garbage like Nirvana, and very little (c)rap.

[joker]

In terms of the songs' importance, jaxx has got a good list going there. Here are some more of my favorites, just for the halibut:

Smashing Pumpkins - "Cherub Rock" & "1979"
Radiohead - "The Tourist" & "Street Spirit (Fade Out)"
Oasis - "Live Forever" & "Champagne Supernova"
Blur - "Girls & Boys" & "This is a Low"
Depeche Mode - "Enjoy the Silence"
Dr. Dre - "Dre Day"
Snoop Dogg - "Gin and Juice"
Pharcyde - "Passin' Me By"
A Tribe Called Quest - "Can I Kick it" & "Scenario"
Notorious BIG - "Juicy" & "Big Poppa"
2Pac - "I Get Around"
Red Hot Chili Peppers - "Under the Bridge"
Deee-Lite - "Groove is in the Heart"
Bell Biv Devoe - "Poison" & "Do Me"
Johnny Gill - "Rub You the Right Way"
The Sundays - "Here's Where the Story Ends"
James - "Born of Frustration"
Public Enemy - "Welcome to the Terrordome"
Jodeci - "Come and Talk to Me"
En Vogue - "My Lovin'"
Beastie Boys - "Sure Shot"
Mariah Carey - "Dreamlover" & "Always Be My Baby"
Madonna - "Vogue"
Janet Jackson - "Love Will Never Do (Without You)"
Harvey Danger - "Flagpole Sitta"
No Doubt - "Don't Speak" & "Spiderwebs" & "Just a Girl"
Garbage - "Stupid Girl" & "Queer"
Verve - "Bittersweet Symphony"

[banet2001]

A few songs I would add that have not been mentioned include:

Neutral Milk Hotel - Holland, 1945
Radiohead - Street Spirit (Fade Out)
My Bloody Valentine - Only Shallow
Bjork - Army of Me
Beck - Loser
Nine Inch Nails - Hurt
The Breeders - Cannonball
Jeff Buckley - Hallelujah
Blur - Song 2
REM - Everybody Hurts
The Flaming Lips - She Don't Use Jelly
U2 - One

[johnnywest]

I'd put "Right Beside You" by Sophie B. Hawkins on that one.

[Devil Marlena Nylund]

It's hard to make a list of favourites from the 90s. I found myself editing and adding in songs I forgot only to find myself having to kick a song from the bottom of the list off and that's tough to do!
When I made my list, I tried to make sure the songs I included were important to me at least at the time or have since become important or very well liked. I think my list is very pop-oriented since I grew up listening to the countdown shows and stuff. When the 2000s are over, I know my favourite 100 songs won't be very radio-relient.

[WotUNeed]

A lot of really good suggestions here.

A few that would make my list that I don't think I've seen:

-Radiohead: "Fake Plastic Trees"
-Cranberries: "Free to Decide"
-Mary Chapin Carpenter: "He Thinks He'll Keep Her"
-Paul Abdul: "The Promise of a New Day"
-Bonnie Raitt: I think I'd sub out "Something to Talk About" for "You Got It" but the other might be better for an essential set
-LL Cool J: "Mama Said Knock You Out"
-James: "Laid" or "Come Home"
-Wet Wet Wet: "Love Is All Around"
-Bryan Adams: "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You"
-Sting: "If I Ever Lose My Faith in You"
-Kenny Chesney: "She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy"
-Rod Stewart with The Temptations: "The Motown Song"
-Weezer: "Buddy Holly" or "Undone-The Sweater Song" or maybe "Say It Ain't So"
-98 Degrees: "Because of You"
-Merrill Brainbridge: "Mouth"
-Jennifer Paige: "Crush"
-Billy Joel: "The River of Dreams"
-Ugly Kid Joe: "Everything About You"
-Elton John: I think may favorite of his 90s singles was "Made in Egnland" but I guess, for a more objective "essential" selection, it would be one of these three: "Something About the Way You Look Tonight," "The One," or "Can You Feel the Love Tonight"
-Madonna: "Ray of Light"
-Donna Summer: "I Will Go With You (Con Te Partiro)"
-Monica: "For You I Will"
-Natalie Imbruglia: "Torn"
-Tamia: "So Into You"
-Heart: "Will You Be There (In the Morning)" ... because I'd really prefer not to vote for "All I Wanna Do Is Make Love to You"
-Whitney Houston: "I Will Always Love You" was a good choice, but I'd also consider "I Have Nothing"
-D'Angelo: I think "Untitled" was 2000s, so I guess "Brown Sugar"
-Eric Benet: "Georgy Porgy"
-UB40: "Can't Help Falling in Love
-Everything But The Girl: "Missing"
-U2: "Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses" or "Mysterious Ways" if not the previously suggested "One"
-Toni Braxton: "You're Making Me High"
-Everclear: "Santa Monica (Watch the World Die)"
-Blues Traveler: "Run-Around"
-Matchbox 20: "Push" or "Real World"

This is fun. I'm obviously not good at narrowing things down, so I'll quit here.

[Devil Marlena Nylund]

UGH! So many good songs. Why didn't I make my list a Top 200?!?!