Search results
- Smells Like Teen Spirit – Nirvana. In the early 90s, Nirvana shattered the music scene with ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit.’ The title was inspired by a deodorant brand, Teen Spirit, which Kurt Cobain’s friend jokingly wrote on his wall, saying Kurt smelled like it.
- Waterfalls – TLC. TLC’s ‘Waterfalls’ was one of the first songs to address HIV/AIDS and the illegal drug trade. Its groundbreaking music video was one of the most expensive at the time, costing over a million dollars.
- Baby One More Time – Britney Spears. This iconic debut single from Britney Spears almost went to TLC, but they passed on it. It became a defining song of the late 90s and launched Spears into superstardom.
- Enter Sandman – Metallica. Metallica’s ‘Enter Sandman’ was a departure from their earlier thrash metal style, marking a shift to a slower tempo that helped the band reach a wider audience.
‘60 Songs That Explain the ’90s’: The Rebirth of Cher, via Auto-Tune. "Believe" always sounded like the future—even today. By Rob Harvilla January 17. Lenny Kravitz and the Fear of a Black Rock...
- “Smells Like Teen Spirit” by Nirvana, 1991. The album “Nevermind” became a guiding star for all other bands coming out of the Northwest to emulate, as well as a style sheet for everything grunge.
- “MMM Bop “ by Hanson, 1997. A band of teenage brothers created a song that was an absolute shocker—and not even English, or a common saying at the time.
- "1979” by Smashing Pumpkins, 1996. Billy Corgan was fronting the American alternative rock band Smashing Pumpkins, which originated in Chicago. Their sound was different—a blend of gothic rock, heavy metal, and dream-pop infused with electronica; not unlike Oasis at the time.
- “U Can’t Touch This” by MC Hammer, 1990. The first rap entry on this list, MC Hammer came out swinging in 1990 with a signature dance and a look that was unlike anything anyone had ever seen before.
People also ask
What music influenced the 1990s?
What's '60 songs that explain the '90s' all about?
What songs defined the 1990s?
What music was popular in the '90s?
- “Friends in Low Places”—Garth Brooks. March 6, 2024 • 100 mins. In the penultimate episode of 60 Songs, Rob takes it way back. Listen as he recalls the first song he remembers consciously hearing as a baby before diving into the world of Garth Brooks and 90’s country music.
- “Give Me One Reason”—Tracy Chapman. February 28, 2024 • 92 mins. Rob ranks the books he was forced to read in high school before turning his focus on the greatness of Tracy Chapman’s “Give Me One Reason” from her 1995 album ‘New Beginning.’
- The Songs We Didn’t Do (Everyone Yells At Rob) February 21, 2024 • 106 mins. Hello friends, and thank you for stopping by for a very special episode of 60 Songs.
- “Hard Knock Life”—JAY-Z. February 14, 2024 • 93 mins. Rob looks at JAY-Z’s career backwards this week before reaching the rap legend’s 90’s pop crossover hit, “Hard Knock Life.”
- “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” Nirvana
- “…Baby One More Time,” Britney Spears
- “Wannabe,” Spice Girls
- “Nuthin’ But A ‘G’ Thang,” Dr. Dre Feat. Snoop Doggy Dogg
- “Ironic,” Alanis Morissette
- “Juicy,” The Notorious B.I.G
- “Wonderwall,” Oasis
- “Losing My Religion,” R.E.M.
- “1979,” Smashing Pumpkins
It’s not the song that started the grunge movement, but it’s the one that crystalized its importance and its reach. Nirvana was the biggest band in the world after the release of its 1991 album, Nevermind. And while frontman Kurt Cobain died just a few years later, his memory lives on thanks to songs like “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” which boasts mor...
Post-Cobain, popular music veered away from the dark, brooding nature of grunge into the bright and sticky styles of pop. Enter Britney Spears. Her music video for “…Baby One More Time,” from the album of the same name, is essential ’90s watching.
We go from solo girl pop to the group variety. This 1996 song, which came out a few years before Spears, is the quintessential song about friendship. It’s also supremely catchy.
Dr. Dre’s 1992 album, The Chronicannounced him as a solo artist, separate from N.W.A. It also announced the arrival of newcomer Snoop Dogg, whom Dre discovered.
It’s like raaaaaaiiiiinnnn on your wedddiiiinnngg daaay! The chorus of this song still rings in the ears of music fans. Truly, Morissette’s 1995 album, Jagged Little Pill might be therecord of the ’90s. It bridged rock with pop with alternative. Even had harmonica!
The perils of list making, this list should easily also have Tupac on it. But we’ll take the chance here, as we talk about the artful and skilled rapper whom Pac feuded with, Biggie, to also bring up his name. Sadly, the West Coast-East Coast rap war of the decade claimed both their lives. But the silver lining is that their music subsists, in all ...
The Gallagher brothers. Either writing hit songs or fighting. They’re worse than the Successionsiblings. They, too, boast a number of hits, perhaps no bigger than the acoustic-driven “Wonderwall.”
A timeless song, an artful video. But the reason this track is on the list is to honor R.E.M., which in many ways kicked off the college radio and alternative rock revolutions of the era.
Smashing Pumpkins, for all their oddities, was one of the biggest bands of the decade. There’s no debating that. And while we could have Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, TLC or any other band, we’ll end here with Billy Corgan and his hit, “1979.” Photo by Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic
- Jacob Uitti
- 5 min
- Senior Writer
60 Songs That Explain the '90s. Published 03/13/24. “Friends in Low Places”—Garth Brooks. In the penultimate episode of 60 Songs, Rob takes it way back. Listen as he recalls the first song he remembers consciously hearing as a baby before diving into the world of Garth Brooks and 90’s country music.
Sep 27, 2022 · 250. Len: “Steal My Sunshine” (1999) Of all the great one-hit wonders of the ’90s, Len’s “Steal My Sunshine” might be the most enduring and the most inexplicable. Somehow, a pair of Canadian...
