Song Lyric of the Day:
I search myself / I want you to find me / I forget myself / I want you to remind me
The Divinyls / “I Touch Myself”
A while back I blogged about some of my favorite ’80s music videos. And while it’s true that I listen to ’80s music a lot, I also listen to a lot of music from the ’90s. Whereas ’80s music defined my childhood, ’90s music defined my high school, college, and young adult life; it was the music I listened to as I figured out who I was, what I wanted to do in life, where I wanted to be. Maybe I’ll blog in the future about music from the year 2000 on. Otherwise known as the music I listen to while I figure out what I want to be when I grow up.
I’ve excluded some songs that are really obvious and cliched (buh-bye, “Smells Like Teen Spirit”) and wasn’t able to include some due to disabled embedding (honestly — who doesn’t allow embedding these days?). I’m also sparing you my long-dead love-of-all-things-grunge: Pearl Jam, Nirvana, Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, and the rest of their ilk. Regardless, here are some of my favorite songs and videos from the ’90s.
10. “Cantaloop (Flip Fantasia)” – US3
As a non-jazz fan — a fact that I’m surprised hasn’t caused my father to disown me — I love US3’s jazzy, peppy, and wholly original “Cantaloop.” And all these years after its release, I still think the voice at the start of the song introducing “a recording from Blue Note Records” sounds a lot like a young Gary Coleman. Don’t ask me why.
9. “Enter Sandman” – Metallica
Metallica is probably the first heavy metal band of which I was really a fan (okay, after Def Leppard in their glory days). This is the video that convinced me I just had to hear more from them; I even attended a concert they put on here in Knoxville. I doubt I’ll ever see a coffin-shaped stage again.
8. “Standing Outside a Broken Phone Booth With Money in My Hand” – Primitive Radio Gods
All-around cool and probably the only real hit for which the Primitive Radio Gods are known, my ears perked up when I heard this during the movie The Cable Guy. The slow, trippy beat does a great job of complementing the B.B. King song it samples, “How Blue Can You Get?”.
7. “Happy When It Rains” – Garbage
This song pleased the mopey, pessimistic goth girl within to no end, and I’ve been a fan of everything Garbage has done since. I was thrilled to finally see them in concert a few years ago in Norfolk, VA, because lead singer Shirley Manson not only has an amazingly strong voice in person, but because she’s an all-around talented badass. And the band as a whole rocks. Here’s hoping they decide to make some new music again.
6. “Buddy Holly” – Weezer
Weezer’s blue album was played nonstop in my college dorm room; their music was a very bright, peppy contrast to most of the darker music I listened to at the time (see: Garbage, Nine Inch Nails, Nirvana, Depeche Mode, et al). Fun videos and great music — both of which they still continue to produce — are what’s kept me a loyal Weezer fan all these years.
5. “I Touch Myself” – The Divinyls
One of the best songs to sing along to if you want to make other people uncomfortable. Brought renewed attention to that niche of specialty music: the ode to self-love. See also: “Shock the Monkey,” “She-Bop,” “Turning Japanese,” etc.
4. “Lightning Crashes” – Live
I fell in love with Live’s music beginning with “Selling the Drama,” but it was the insta-classic “Lightning Crashes” that convinced me the band would be around for the long run. I’m still a fan, and singing along with the crowd to this song at their concert in Virginia Beach a few years ago was a moment I’ll forever treasure.
3. “Freedom” – George Michael
Long before he started hanging out in public restrooms as a hobby, George Michael was known for making music. Really good music. “Freedom” was his ode to the downside of music stardom, and he went the ironic route by choosing not to appear in the video at all, instead having well-known models lip-sync to the song. At least his leather jacket from “Faith” made an appearance.
2. “Deeper Shade of Soul” – Urban Dance Squad
Who would’ve thought that a Dutch band sampling Ray Barretto‘s classic song, “A Deeper Shade of Soul,” and setting it to a hybrid sound including hip-hop, ska, funk, and rap would result in such a fun song? I love this song so much it almost makes me giddy, I think it’s so much fun to listen to. And sing along to. And dance to. Also to avoid being caught singing or dancing to (that’s for the spouse). Now if only I could get my hands on an MP3 of it, my music library would be complete.
1. “Me Myself & I” – De La Soul
A classic any way you look at it, this was one of my anthems (if you will) throughout the ’90s. It’s that rare song that cheers me up every time I hear it. Also notable for what is quite possibly the shortest Q-Tip cameo I know of (three words long). This is another essential song I need to add to my iTunes library.
