The #1's of the 1990's - A Decade Study

As an actual, bonafide child of the '90's I have a very serious question - what in the actual hell was going on in '90's music? This decade was all.over.the place, although not necessarily in a bad way. The '90's are famous for seeing the "birth" of grunge music after all, and a lot of today's biggest music stars got their start during this time as well. The #1 songs on the Billboard Year End Hot 100 Lists this decade all sound incredibly different from each other, but they still each have that very distinct flavor that lets you know exactly what decade produced them.

1990: Hold On by Wilson Phillips (written by C. Wilson, C. Phillips, G. Ballard)

This song saw a pretty glorious revival after being featured in the hit 2011 film Bridesmaids (starring Kristin Wiig and Maya Rudolph). Hold On was released as American pop duo Wilson Phillips' lead single from their debut self-titled album in February 1990 and ended up being nominated for Song of the Year at the Grammys the following year. Written about band member Chynna Phillips' battle with substance abuse and the lessons she learned in AA, the song is certified Gold with the RIAA for having sold 500,000 copies in the United States, was listed as #15 on Billboard's 100 Greatest Girl Group Songs of All Time list in 2017, and, despite only spending one week in Billboard's coveted #1 spot, it became the #1 song of the year for the magazine.

I know there's pain/Why do you lock yourself up in these chains/No one can change your life except for you/Don't ever let anyone step all over you/Just open your heart and your mind/Is it really fair to feel this way inside, oh/Someday, somebody's gonna make you want to turn around and say goodbye/Until then, baby, are you gonna let 'em hold you down and make you cry/Don't you know, don't you know things can change/Things will go your way if you hold on for one more day/Can you hold on for one more day, things will go your way/Hold on for one more day

1991: (Everything I Do) I Do It for You by Bryan Adams (written by B. Adams, M. Kamen, R. Lange)

It's simultaneously sad and funny that despite really enjoying this song when I hear it, I can't not see one of two pop culture references each and every time: either the full length recreation of the music video by Stewie Griffin in Family Guy or Will Arnett grabbing Jason Bateman's face and singing the chorus to him in Arrested Development. Released in June 1991, this power ballad was released on both Adams's sixth studio album Waking Up the Neighbors and the soundtrack to the 1991 film Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (starring Kevin Costner and Morgan Freeman). This track exploded internationally: it spent 7 weeks at #1 with Billboard in America, 16 weeks at #1 on the UK Singles Chart (their longest unbroken record for staying at #1), and 9 weeks at #1 on the Canadian Singles Chart. It's certified 3x Platinum by the RIAA for selling over 3 million units in the United States and won the Grammy for Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or Television.

Look into my eyes, you will see/What you mean to me/Search your heart, search your soul/And when you find me there, you'll search no more/Don't tell me it's not worth trying for/You can't tell me it's not worth dying for/You know it's true/Everything I do, I do it for you

1992: End of the Road by Boyz II Men (written by A. Reid, K. Edmonds, D. Simmons)

You KNOW it's not a post about the '90's without a song from a prominent boy band, and who better to represent especially the early '90's than Boyz II Men? Released in June 1992 on the soundtrack for the 1992 film Boomerang (starring Eddie Murphy and Halle Berry), this song was another international success and is considered by many sources to be one of the most successful songs of all time. The track broke records at Billboard by spending 13 weeks in the #1 slot, is ranked by them as #6 on their Most Successful Songs of the Decade 1990-1999 list, and is ranked at #55 on their All Time Top 100 Songs list. It topped charts in Australia and the United Kingdom as well, won two Grammy Awards in 1993 (Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals and Best R&B Song), and is certified Platinum by the RIAA for selling over one million units in the United States.

We belong together, and you know that I'm right/Why do you play with my heart, why do you play with my mind/Said we'd be forever, said it'd never die/How could you love me and leave me and never say goodbye/When I can't sleep at night without holding you tight/Girl, each time I try, I just break down and cry/Pain in my head, oh, I'd rather be dead/Spinning around and around/Although we've come to the end of the road, still I can't let go/It's unnatural, you belong to me, I belong to you/Come to the end of the road, still I can't let go/It's unnatural, you belong to me, I belong to you

1993: I Will Always Love You by Whitney Houston (written by D. Parton)

The '90's was clearly a winning decade for songs featured in movies. Houston covered this Dolly Partotn song from the '70's for the soundtrack to the 1992 film The Bodyguard (starring Kevin Costner and Houston herself) and just about changed the world with how damn good her version its (and that's coming from someone who loves Dolly Parton). As of January 2013, Houston's version cemented itself in history as the best selling song by a female artist of all time and also one of the best selling songs of all time, period. It spent a whopping 14 weeks in Billboard's #1 spot and peaked at #1 in multiple countries around the world as well. Not only that, but mere hours after her tragic death in 2012, it returned to the Billboard Top 10 for the first time in twenty years. It won two Grammys in 1994 (Record of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female) and is certified 2x Platinum by the RIAA for having sold over two million copies in the United States.

Bittersweet memories/That is all I'm taking with me/So goodbye, please don't cry/We both know I'm not what you, you need/And I will always love you/I will always love you

1994: The Sign by Ace of Base (written by J. Berggren)

I think the first time I ever heard this song was at a friend's house on an episode of Full House, and even child-me knew it was a total bop with those bubbly, semi-savage lyrics and that oh so catchy melody. This song, like Hold On, got a modern makeover by being one of the main songs in the 2012 film Pitch Perfect (starring Anna Kendrick and Skylarr Astin). Swedish pop group Ace of Base released this song as a single in October 1993 for their album Happy Nation (although if you bought the album in America, it was simply called The Sign). Along with being a hit in its native Europe, the song spent 6 total weeks at Billboard's #1 in America, was nominatted for a Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Group or Duo in 1995, and has been certified Platinum by the RIAA for selling over one million copies in the United States.

I got a new life, you would hardly recognize me/I'm so glad, how could a person like me care for you/Why do I bother when you're not the one for me/Ooh, is enough enough/I saw the sign, and it opened up my eyes/I saw the sign, life is demanding without understanding/I saw the sign, and it opened up my eyes/I saw the sign, no one's gonna drag you up to get into the light where you belong/But where do you belong

1995: Gangsta's Paradise by Coolio ft. L.V. (written by A. Ivey, D. Rasheed, L. Sanders, S. Wonder)

Ok, let's take a HARD left turn into the world of '90's rap with this classic. Released as a single in August 1995, the song was featured on both Coolio's Gangsta's Paradise album and also the soundtrack to the 1995 film Dangerous Minds (starring Michelle Pfeiffer and George Dzundza). I was almost knocked off my couch when I saw Stevie Wonder had writing credits on this song since I didn't realize the chorus samples his 1976 song Pastime Paradise, so that was a fun little surprise. This song was HUGE, and is honestly still huge I think because honestly who doesn't at least know the chorus to this song or its famous opening line? It's sold close to eleven million copies worldwide, making it one of the best-selling singles of all time. It spent 12 weeks at Billboard's #1 and has been certified 3x Platinum by the RIAA for selling over three million copies in the United States (and that was jus was of 1996). It won the Grammy for Best Rap Solo Performance in 1996 along with multiple other accolades for both the song and the music video.

As I walk through the valley of the shadow of death/I take a look at myself and realize there's nothing left/'Cause I been bracing and laughing so long/That even my mama thinks that my mind is gone/But I ain't never crossed a man that didn't deserve it/Me be treated like a punk? You know that's unheard of/You better watch how you're talking and where you're walking/Or you and your homies might be lined in chalk/I really hate to trip, but I gotta loc/As they croak, I see myself in the pistol smoke/Fool, I'm the kind of G that little homies want to be like/On my knees in the night, saying prayers in the streetlight/They've been spending most their lives living in the gangsta's paradise/They've been spending most our lives living in the gangsta's paradise/We keep spending most our lives living in the gangsta's parradise/We keep spending most our relieves living ni the gangsta's paradise

1996: Macarena (Bayside Boys Mix) by Los del Rio (written by A. Monge, R. Perdigones)

I swear to God, I literally laughed out loud when I realized The Macarena was the #1 song the year it came out and then immediately felt one thousand years old when I realized the song is over twenty years old because I remember learning the dance in Kindergarten Music Class when it was still extremely new. The original song was released by Spanish Latin pop group Los del Rio in 1993 on their album A mí me gusta, and the extremely well-known Bayside Boys Mix was released as a single in August 1995. This song is goofy as shit, but everyone knows it has secret hypnotic powers because you CANNOT RESIST THE URGE TO DANCE WHEN YOU HEAR IT. VH1 ranked Los Del Rio as the #1 Greatest One-Hit Wonder of All Time in 2002, ranks #1 on Billboard's All Time Latin Songs, spent an impressive 14 weeks at Billboard's #1, and is certified 4x Platinum by the RIAA for selling over four million copies in the United States.

When I dance, they call me Macarena/And the boys, they say, "Que estoy buena"/They all want me, they can't have me/So they all come and dance beside me/Move with me, chant with me/And if you are good, I'll take you home with me/Move with me, chant with me/And if you are good, I'll take you home with me/Dale a tu cuerpo alegría, Macarena/Que tu cuerpo es pa' dare alegría y cosa buena/Dale a tu cuerpo alegría, Macarena/Hey, Macarena/Dale a tu cuerpo alegría, Macarena/Que tu cuerrpo es pa' dare alegría y cosa buena/Dale a tu cuerpo alegría, Macarena/Hey, Macarena

1997: Something About the Way You Look Tonight by Elton John (written by B. Taupin, E. John)

Pop legend Elton John got so incredibly lucky with this song for reasons I'll make clear a little further down the list. Released as a single in September 1997, the song was featured on his 26th studio album The Big Picture and, while it's not one of my favorite Elton John songs, is definitely still pretty good. Both the RIAA and the Guinness Book fo World Records recognize this song as Best Selling Single of All Time - it has sold an overwhelming thirty-three MILLION copies since its release. It spent 14 weeks at Billboard's #1 in America, and went 8x Platinum in the UK.

There was a time I was everything and nothing all at once/When you found me, I was feeling like a cloud across the sun/But I need to tell ya how you light up every second of the day/That in the moonlight, you just shine like a beacon of the bay/And I can't explain, there's just something about the way you look tonight/Takes my breath away, it's that feeling I get about you deep inside/And I can't describe, but there's something about the way you look tonight/It takes my breath away, the way you look tonight

1997: Candle in the Wind (1997 Version) by Elton John (written by B. Taupin, E. John)

OHHHH THAT'S WHY SOMETHING ABOUT THE WAY YOU LOOK TONIGHT WAS SO INSANELY POPULAR - it was the A-side to the Priincess Diana song! Also known as Goodbye England's Rose, Elton rewrote his 1973 song Candle in the Wind after the Princess of Wales' tragic death by car accident and it's become the second best selling single in history. Although it's been memed as well (BYE BYE, LI'L SEBASTIAN), it's a really beautiful tribute to a really beautiful woman. After spending 14 weeks in the #1 spot at Billboard in America, the song became America's first ever certified Diamond single (11x Platinum at the RIAA for over eleven million copies sold) and won Sir Elton a Grammy for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance in 1998. 1997 is, so far, the only year that features a tie for #1 Year End at Billboard because Something About the Way You Look Tonight and Candle in the Wind were released together.

Goodbye, England's rose, may you ever grow in our hearts/You were the grace that placed itself where lives were torn apart/You called out to our country and you whispered to those in pain/Now you belong to Heaven, and the stars spell out your name/And it seems to me, you lived your life like a candle in the wind/Never fading with the sunset when the rain set in/And your footsteps will always fall here along England's greenest hills/Your candle's burned out long before your legend ever will

1998: Too Close by Next (written by D. Lighty, K. Gist, R. Brown, R. Huggar)

Ok, not too big of a fan of this one, but it's definitely so '90's it almost causes physical pain. Released as a single in September 1997, the song was featured on American R&B group Next's debut album Rated Next and has become their biggest hit. It contains a sample of the song Christmas Rapping by Kurtis Blow, which admittedly I'm not familiar enough with to explain where exactly that is in this song. It spent 53 total weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, where it peaked at #1, but my favorite accolade of this song is the parody made famous on Vine: Why You Always Lying by Nicholas Fraser.

Baby, when we're grinding, I get so excited/Ooh, how I like it, I try, but I can't fight it/Oh, you're dancing real close, plus real, real slow/You're making it hard for me/All the songs on you requested, you're dancing like you're naked/Ooh, it's almost like we're sexing, oh, yeah/Yeah boo, I like it, no, I can't deny it/But I know you can tell I'm excited, girl/Step back, you're dancing kind of close/I feel a little poke coming through on you/Now girl, I know you felt it, but boo, you know I can't help it/You know what I wanna do

1999: Believe by Cher (written by B. Higgins, M. Gray, P. Barry, S. Torch, S. McLennan, T. Powell)

This is probably my favorite modern Cher song, and I have great memories of one of my sorority sisters belting this at the top of her lungs three years in a row during recruitment practice at 1am. Released as a single in October 1998, the song was featured on Cher's 22nd studio album Believe and was a pivotal point in her career for a few reasons: 1) it moved her farther away from her pop rock style into a more electronic dance style and 2) it included a pioneering use of the then very new Auto-Tune software to distort her vocals, a technique that later became known as "The Cher Effect." Once the song hit #1 at Billboard, it both made Cher the oldest female artist to hit #1 at the age of fifty-two and also set a record for the longest drought for a solo artist between #1 hits (Dark Lady was her previous #1 in 1974, twenty-five years earlier). The song has been certified Platinum by the RIAA for selling over 1.8 million copies in the United States as well as 375,000 digital sales.

No matter how hard I try, you keep pushing me aside/And I can't break through, there's no talking to you/It's so sad that you're leaving, it takes time to believe it/But after all is said and done, you're gonna be the lonely one, oh/Do you believe in life after love/I can feel somethinig inside me say, "I really don't think you're strong enough, no"/Do you believe in life after love/I can feel something inside me say, "I really don't think your're strong enough, no"

What a wonderfully weird time the 1990's were. Hopefully this took you down a nice trip on Memory Lane and/or gave you some new songs to listen to. See ya'll next week!