Ah, the 90’s. Such a fun time for music and entertainment. We had Madonna’s loopy (and pointy) fashions to gossip about, supermodels were ruling everything, and MTV still played actual music videos! It’s strange to think back to my high school days and realize that while they don’t seem that far behind me, in terms of where we are now they are light years away.
There are some things from that era that live on in our memories, however, and on the muzak stations in Wal-Marts across the country. Yes, I’m talking about the songs that rocketed to popularity during that decade and became so famous that we never wanted to hear from the artists again. If you are old enough to remember Beavis and Butthead, JNCO jeans, and the mudfight at Woodstock, you’ll want to scroll down.
Chumbawamba/”Tubthumping”
While news was just announced that the band has broken up, a lot of people stateside probably thought the band broke up years ago. In reality, they’ve done quite well for themselves overseas and, until the split, were together for 30 years. Most of us will probably never be able to get some of the lines from “Tubthumping” out of our minds, however; to this day, “He drinks a whiskey drink, he drinks a vodka drink, he drinks a lager drink, he drinks a cider drink” haunt my memory when I least expect it to pop up.
Sophie B. Hawkins/”Damn, I Wish I Was Your Lover”
I think I was in middle school when this came out, and I recall singing along to the lyrics in the car with my best friend while her mom drove us somewhere vitally important (probably the mall) and getting a raised eyebrow in the rearview mirror. Looking back on it, the 90’s were pretty sexed up, and not just because of Color Me Badd. It was almost as if the candy-coated pop cuteness that overwhelmed the airwaves in the 80’s needed some liberation in the next decade when it came to sex. Sophie B. Hawkins was no exception, writhing around in a sheet and professing all the things she’d do to be some lucky guy’s lover. This version of the video was actually banned by MTV for being too “erotic”.
The Divinyls/”I Touch Myself”
I don’t think this one needs an introduction. Enjoy.
Savage Garden/”I Want You”
Savage Garden actually had a few hits in a short span of time, then abruptly fell off the face of the Earth. This particular song was EVERYWHERE in my hometown the year it came out, prompting me to stop listening to the radio for a while. There’s only so many times one can hear the term “chicka-cherry-cola” before insanity seeps in.
Shaggy/”It Wasn’t Me”
1. She caught him “red handed” and he thinks saying it “wasn’t him” will get him out of the doghouse? 2. This song not only sends the message that it’s okay to cheat if you deny it, it also sends the message that men think women are idiots. And perhaps we are. 3. I literally heard this song 13 times on the same radio station in one day while working at a fast food joint. THIRTEEN.