Culturally, the possibilities seemed endless during the 1990s. In the US, cult names went overground, with grunge and alt.rock making superstars of acts such as Pearl Jam and Nirvana, while the UK responded with Britpop, Cool Britannia and New Labour.
As this article from uDiscover’s shows, the icons and figures dominating the decade were both mercurial and diverse.
Here are their top 15 Songs from the 90s:
Nirvana ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ - The song that made Kurt Cobain a megastar and sent grunge overground is still rightly revered as one of the great rock anthems. Not bad for a song inspired by a deodorant.
Oasis ‘Wonderwall’ - Britpop dominated the UK scene during the mid-90s. One of the era's greatest was this moody, melancholic anthem from cranky Mancs Oasis.
The Verve "Bittersweet Symphony' - A huge transatlantic hit, this transcendent slice of existential pop by Richard Ashcroft’s post-Britpop crew was built around an ingenious sample from an orchestral version of The Rolling Stones’ ‘The Last Time’.
No Doubt ‘Don’t Speak’ - Classic break-up song from Gwen Stefani’s LA ska-pop outfit’s massive third album Tragic Kingdom.
Whitney Houston ‘I Will Always Love You’ - From the hit 1992 movie, The Bodyguard. Won a Grammy and remains the biggest ever selling single by a solo woman artist in history, having moved over 20 million units.
Eminem ‘My Name Is’ - The song that won US rapper his first Grammy, 1999 smash ‘My Name Is’ deftly – and memorably – sampled Labi Siffre’s 1975 track ‘I Got The…’
Metallica ‘Enter Sandman’ - From 1991’s magnificent, multi-million-selling Metallica and the one that made them global superstars.
Britney Spears '…Baby One More Time’ - Child star Britney Spears made the transition to grown-up pop stardom with this infectious number, which sold over 10 million copies. It remains one of pop’s biggest-selling singles.
R.E.M ‘Losing My Religion’ - Most bands wouldn’t win multiple Grammy Awards with a song launched by a mandolin riff, but then R.E.M aren’t most bands. Timeless in 1991 and still timeless now.
Fugees ‘Killing Me Softly’ - From hip-hop superstars Fugees’ second album, The Score, this reinterpretation of Roberta Flack’s 1973 hit was a multi-platinum success.
Blackstreet ‘No Diggity’ - Billboard chart-topping, Grammy award-winning 1996 smash from star-studded R&B supergroup featuring Dr Dre and Queen Pen.
Bryan Adams ‘(Everything I Do) I Do It For You’ - Love it or hate it, you couldn’t avoid this 15-million selling power ballad from ’91 from the film Robin Hood Prince Of Thieves which topped the UK chart for 16 consecutive weeks.
Sinead O’Connor ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’ - Still think originals always beat cover versions? You might change your mind after hearing this transcendent cover of a Prince song which became a worldwide 1990 smash.
Beck ‘Loser’ - Legendary ‘slacker’ anthem, with which Beck Hansen broke into the mainstream in 1993.
Madonna ‘Vogue’ - Long-established as a superstar, Madonna began the decade bang on trend with the dance-pop and house music influenced, multi-platinum ‘Vogue’: a song which still strikes an exotic pose today.
We agree with most of these selections, and it felt like a trip down memory lane to listen and sing along to all of them. What would your top songs of the 90s be?
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