The 10 Greatest Tracks From The '90s
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The '90s weren't all heroin chic and distressed flannel and worrying about the correctspelling of Rachael Leigh Cook. At least not for everybody. These were the years whenJohnny Depp went from dating Winona Ryder to Kate Moss toVanessa Paradis. Tarantino and the Weinsteins changed Hollywood for the better, at leastfor a very bloody decade, and the information superhighway was going to save the world(apart from that whole Y2K kerfuffle). Our pants were baggy and saggy, and men's shirtscame untucked on more than just casual Friday (a mixed blessing also first busted out inthe '90s open-plan dot-com office). Reminder: This was before iTunes,before Audiogalaxy, even. We still bought CDs, trawling magazines and radio stations insearch of the latest grunge, trip hop, Britpop, and, erm, happy hardcore. The following 10tracks do not mark the biggest hits of the decade, nor even the selected artists' greatestcommercial successes. These are the songs that survived overplaying, that are aslistenable today as when they were first played on MTV's The Grind (nods headexistentially in disbelief) or soundtracked a phat/fly/pimpin' skateboardingvideo. 10. Jay-Z, "Can I Get A…"
From the soundtrack to the first Rush Hourmovie, this track is blessedly nothing like that overblown "action comedy," insteadrocking an addictive and minimalist bounce that proved to be Jay-Z's biggesthit yet. Produced by Irv Gotti, who was also behind DMX's "What's My Name?", it's allabout the stuttering horn sample in the song's coda; you can just hear the fancy rimsspinning endlessly on that Lexus GS. Also, Ja Rule's bandana skillz -- what what. 9. The Breeders, "Cannonball"
Despite grunge's clear appropriation of the Pixies'quiet-distortion-quiet-distortion technique, bassist Kim Deal didn't sit on herlaurels in the '90s. Instead, she joined up with her identical twin sister, Kelley, andformed The Breeders, dosing the frowny world of indie rock with a shock of noisy, welcomewhimsy. Alongside Garbage, Hole, PJ Harvey, and Sonic Youth's Kim Gordon, the Deal sistersinspired a nation of Manic Panicked riot grrrls to don Doc Martens and sling axe just liketheir male Seattle counterparts, and we can only be thankful for that. 8. The Fugees, "Fu-Gee-La"
It's hard to understand just how fast Lauryn Hill'sstar burned out, how quickly we exchanged WyclefJean for will.i.am. How soon we forget! With their earworm hooks(perhaps only eclipsed by Jay-Z's far more annoying "Hard Knock Life"), the Fugees madeeven ballad covers sound good ("Killing Me Softly") and took sampling to some far-outplaces (Enya, whassup?). The Haitian trio were political without turning sappy, and attheir best introduced a laid-back feel missing from hip-hop since De La Soul's late '80shippie heyday. 7. Weezer, "The Good Life"
Sometimes albums only find their niche after thefact, and sometimes a band's biggest hits are the least enduring. Though "Undone -The Sweater Song," "Buddy Holly," and "Say It Ain't So" are really fun, Weezer peakedcreatively on Pinkerton, though their audience, their critics and even theband themselves didn't feel that way at the time. With its raw sound and often even rawerlyrics, the band exposed an embarrassing but relatable side not much seen before (or,sadly, after). That's not to say the album doesn't have any Weezer-patented power-popmoments. "El Scorcho," "Tragic Girl" and "The Good Life" easily split the differencebetween happy mosh pit and angry crying jag. 6. Beastie Boys, "Sure Shot"
Like Weezer, the BeastieBoys shot to '90s fame with the help of Spike Jonze's inventive music videos, whichwarranted endless Buzz Bin plays with their snappy colors and silly comedy. OffIll Communication, an album filled with amazing flute samples (true fact), "SureShot" is the most infectious. Aside from its, let's say, more infantile lyrics ("I keep myunderwear up with a piece of plastic"), the track is also memorable for calling bullsh*ton hip-hop's ongoing disrespect for women (no surprise, as Ad-Rock is married to BikiniKill's Kathleen Hanna. Represent). Continue Reading
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