Whether you loved Eletronica or Grunge, we can all admit the 90s was its own golden age for music! We loved The Fugees “killing” us “softly,” the synthesized saxophone in Ace of Bass’s “All That She Wants,” and the musical stylings of the 90s’ favorite girl group, the Spice Girls.
Here’s a toe-tapping, jam worthy list of some of our favorite 90s tunes.
🎵 You Oughta Know
by Alanis Morisette gave us all the cathartic vibes we needed to get through our day. The song came out on her debut album, Jagged Little Pill, which sold 33 million copies. Alanis’s power anthem always made us want to crank the volume on the car stereo!
🎵 Enter Sandman
by Metallica had us all rocking our air guitars to the lyrics, “Exit light! Enter night!” We couldn’t get enough of James Hetfield’s gravelly voice and those power chords! It was the opening track on Metallica’s fifth album, and one of our all-time favorites.
🎵 Bittersweet Symphony
by The Verve gave us all those atmospheric violin vibes and probably got us thinking about that old classic 90s film, Cruel Intentions, starring a very young Sarah Michelle Gellar. Their fifth album, Urban Hymns, was surrounded by the controversy of sound plagiarism of a Rolling Stones song, so Mick Jagger was added to the songwriting credits.
🎵 Waterfalls
by TLC was a favorite in the land of pop and R&B. TLC was an acronym for the names of the band members, Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins, Lisa “Left Eye” Lopez, and Rozonda “Chilli” Thomas. VH1 ranked the group at number 12 for the 100 Greatest Women in Music!
🎵 Smells Like Teen Spirit
by Nirvana was the ultimate grunge anthem, and we loved rocking out to it in our ripped jeans and plaid shirts tied around our waists. Sadly, we lost the band’s lead singer, Kurt Cobain, in 1994, but the band and the song live on as one of the best of the grunge era.
🎵 Ray of Light
by Madonna is still one of the best dance songs of all time! Madonna teamed up with electronica genius William Orbit for this one. The song was nominated for three Grammys and won Best Dance Recording and Best Short Form Music Video.
🎵 Fantasy
by Mariah Carey gave us all the diva power. Mariah was known for her vocal talents and hitting some of the most impressive high notes we’ve ever heard. She was an instant hit on the pop and R&B charts. From her impressive stage performances to her amazing vocal range, Mariah was a 90s goddess.
🎵 Como La Flor
by Selena gave us the opportunity to learn some Spanish on our daily commute. Meaning “Like the Flower,” the song was surprisingly upbeat for a tune about a broken heart. Selena was known for her voice, her sparkly outfits, and her incredible moves on stage.
🎵 Torn
by Natalie Imbruglia had all of us working hard to learn how to pronounce “Imbruglia.” Though the artist proved to be a one-hit-wonder, we still love to sing along to the lyrics, and “Torn” was a favorite for mixtapes made for teenage breakups.
🎵 Heartbreak Hotel
by Whitney Houston also featured the vocal stylings of Faith Evans and Kelly Price. The song ranked number one on Billboard’s “Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs” chart. Rest in power, Whitney, the R&B world will never be the same without you.
Now that you have a list of sweet jams, go and curate your streaming playlist! It’s not as fun as making a mixtape, but you’ll be jamming out to some of the 90s best and most popular tunes! Don’t forget, if you come across some of those old mixtapes, Kodak can digitize those works of art for easier listening!
