Top 10 Best Hit Songs of 1995

Alright! Now that I’ve gotten through the bad stuff, it’s time to finish this year off by looking at the good stuff! And folks, do we have some good ones to go through today, because honestly I thought 1995 was a really good year for pop music. Yes indeed, we had a lot of really good songs come out this year folks. Yeah, the worst list was difficult for me to do because I was struggling with finding enough songs I thought were bad enough to be worth hating. However, I didn’t have to struggle nearly as much to find enough songs that I liked from this year, because there was just that many really good songs.

What surprises me the most about this list is that I actually knew some of the songs that appeared on this list prior to going back through this year and didn’t realized how much I liked the songs until putting this list together. Between all the overdone house music, cheesy R&B and hit-or-miss adult alternative, these songs were the ones that really shined through this year like the gems that they are. Seriously, considering the 20-year nostalgia rule, I’m surprised we aren’t seeing more songs like these cropping up again on the pop charts. Considering what songs are appearing nowadays, we could definitely use more songs like these.

Sorry, I think I’m done gushing for now. Anyway, honorable mentions. Here we go:

The Sweetest Days (Vanessa Williams) [75; 18; 13 weeks]

Like I said, I don’t think Vanessa Williams was a bad performer. She was capable of making decent songs. I honestly kind of wish she’d had a few more hits. Some of her songs after ‘Colors Of the Wind’ I thought were actually pretty good. This song is kind of similar to the Diana Ross song ‘Theme From Mahogany,’ so I like it for pretty much the same reason. It’s just a pretty song about seizing the day and living life to the fullest, and that’s something I can definitely find good in.

Ain’t Nuthin’ But a She Thing (Salt-n-Pepa) [--; 38; 3 weeks]

I admit, this barely got consideration for the list. I do like Salt-n-Pepa, I really do. I like that they make songs that have good messages, like how a decent man should treat a lady or how people should be more open about talking about sex. This song has a good message too: women shouldn’t be put down just for being women, because they’re just as capable as men (if not more so because of how much they need to fight against the barriers they’ve had placed in front of them). I just kind of wish some of their lyrics didn’t delve so much into corny territory. Besides that though, I do think this is a good song, and I hope to see Salt-n-Pepa on a list proper someday.

Who Can I Run To (Xscape) [--; 8; 13 weeks]

This year was apparently rife with girl groups all fighting to win the appeal of the public. This particular group had two other hits after this year, so I guess they could be seen as the ‘rival’ group to TLC, and it’s pretty easy to see why. The girls did have talent and powerful singing voices. It’s honestly a shame that people don’t really remember this group that much because I think they were a good group.

Bullet With Butterfly Wings (The Smashing Pumpkins) [--; 22; 9 weeks]

I wouldn’t call this my favorite single off of the Smashing Pumpkins’ album ‘Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness.’ However, it did end up being the album’s first single, and also its first hit single as well, making it the band’s second biggest hit single to date, only bested by their follow-up single ‘1979,’ which would come out the following year. Okay, the success of the song is one thing, but what about the song itself? Well, I guess what really wins me over with this song is its ferocity. It’s like Green Day if all their whininess was actually justified. Also, the way the lyrics talk about how the narrator is pretty much damned and is a punk that’s confined within the “cage” of modern society is something I feel like people could relate to. Don’t we all feel like we’re stuck in the boundaries society has set up around us sometimes and feel the need for primal release despite knowing that it won’t change anything? I feel like this is a song that people could still connect with despite it not sounding ‘pretty’ in the traditional pop music sense. And that’s something I can respect. Smashing Pumpkins: breaking out of the traditional boundaries set around them, even as they scream out about being confined by them.

I’ll Be There For You (The Rembrandts) [--; 17; 10 weeks]

Okay, I get the feeling I’m going to get a lot of flack for this, but hear me out. Yes, I admit, the fact that the song was just a less-than-a-minute long theme song that got extended into a three-minute pop song definitely does show in how this song was put together. The fact that the second verse includes the line, “Your mother warned you there’d be days like these,” despite the song opening with the line, “So no one told you life was gonna be this way,” feels like a serious misstep in how the song was put together. However, I feel like this is still a song that people could relate to. Yeah, there are times where your life is just a downward spiral and it feels like it goes on for days, weeks, months or even a year. And sometimes it’s just nice to have your friends there to support you despite your life going to shit. I can think of a number of times where having the support of a friend has helped get me out of various ruts in my life. Also, the melody to this song is incredibly catchy; it really sticks in the brain, which is more than I can say for most of the songs on the worst list, which just kind of came and went, leaving nothing of value behind. This song actually feels like it’s trying to impart something to the listener before it disappears. And that’s something I can appreciate from a song, even if it’s as slapdash as this.

You Got It (Bonnie Raitt) [--; 33; 6 weeks]

I will say right now that I don’t think this cover is necessarily better than the original. That said, I don’t think it’s necessarily that much less good compared to the original either. If there is any noticeable difference between the two versions, it’s the way that Roy Orbison sings it compared to how Bonnie Raitt sings it. Roy Orbison’s version is more soft-spoken and relaxed, while Bonnie Raitt’s version is more impassioned and powerful. That doesn’t make one better than the other; ultimately it’s a matter of taste regarding which version you think is ‘better’. I personally think that both versions are good for different reasons, and would be happy to listen to either version again given the chance.

Keep Their Heads Ringin’ (Dr. Dre) [53; 10; 18 weeks]

I admit, I don’t remember a lot about mid-‘90s hip hop or rap music. I didn’t grow up on names like Snoop Dogg or Dr. Dre, so their songs are kind of new territory to me. I will say this though: I think that the rap songs I heard from this year were much better compared to some of the rap songs I heard when going through the music from the 2000s. I guess it just goes to show just how much the quality of modern rap music has dropped. It’s sad, honestly.

Back For Good (Take That) [62; 7; 19 weeks]

My introduction to anything from Take That was Robbie Williams’s cover of George Michael’s ‘Freedom ’90.’ I feel like that wasn’t really a good introduction to anything from the group, because they were capable of making decent songs. I wouldn’t call this song the band’s best work; it still doesn’t really feel all that sincere, and the idea of a guy desperately trying to get back with a girl would be done much better by NSYNC the following year. However, I don’t think this song is all that bad. The melodies and harmonies are still nice enough, and the music does a decent job setting the tone of the song. Also, I don’t actually mind the lead singer’s falsetto voice all that much, even if he tends to flip between it and his normal voice uncomfortably frequently. Just wish it had better lyrics to work with.

Runaway (Janet Jackson) [29; 3; 17 weeks]

Oh hi again Janet Jackson! This is, what, the third time you’ve made an appearance on one of these lists? And I’m sure it won’t be the last either! Much like with Diana Ross, I guess I could consider myself a Janet Jackson fan at this point, to some degree. And can you blame me? She has a really good singing voice and a lot of personality to match it! I wouldn’t call her work from this year her ‘best’ by far, but it was still nice to hear her continuing into the ‘90s after she achieved success in her own right in the mid-‘80s. Though, this wasn’t the only hit song of Janet’s we’ll be looking at from this year.

Speaking of what’s actually making it on the list, let’s get to diggin’ the scene, diggin’ on you, diggin’ on me. We’re counting down…

…THE TOP 10 BEST HIT SONGS OF 1995!

#10.

I’m going to be honest, with these first two songs, I’m probably going to have to eat my own words because of some things I’ve said on previous lists. That being because I’ve gone on record as having said some not particularly favorable things about songs associated with these acts. But I guess this could be seen as my penance for being so negative and nitpicky in the past. So, once again, I need to start with an apology. Specifically, I’ll be needing to apologize for even considering putting the Naughty By Nature song ‘O.P.P.’ on my worst of ’91 list because, having now gone back and listened to it again, I realized it’s grown on me, and chances are a lot of other people also really like the song. So I don’t really have justification to say I don’t like the song anymore. I hope you can accept this first entry as my official apology for that.

#10. Feel Me Flow (Naughty By Nature) [73; 17; 11 weeks]

I guess Naughty By Nature and I may have gotten off on the wrong foot. When I first heard ‘O.P.P.,’ I couldn’t get past the Jackson 5 sample and how out of place it kind of seemed with the subject matter of the song. I mean, this was a song about screwing other people’s lovers, and they chose to take this light, bubblegum pop song to use as their melody for it. However, I feel like I’ve come around to liking the song now, to some degree, or at least respecting it. I don’t think I need to worry about having such issues with ‘Feel Me Flow’ though, because this is just a fun song.

Much like ‘O.P.P.,’ ‘Feel Me Flow’s melody is also built around a sample of another song, specifically heavily sampling the song ‘Find Yourself’ by New Orleans funk band The Meters. And folks, I think this particular use of sample is really well executed. The sample is tweaked slightly, with the tempo being picked up and the key being changed, and the resulting melody sounds fantastic. It works a lot better with the…well, flow of Treach, Naughty By Nature’s lead rapper.

Speaking of which, Treach’s flow and wordplay on this song are spot-on. The way he connects words is incredibly precise, and his use of rhyming and alliteration at points are very impressive. It’s kind of interesting that they should choose to take a song about discovering one’s own self and turning it into a brag track. It’s almost like they’re saying, “Yes, we have most definitely found ourselves. Now allow us to demonstrate just how much we’ve found of ourselves.” However, there’s more to the track than that; it also sounds very much like the group is celebrating Philadelphia, despite the band not actually being from that area. I mean, okay it’s pretty much restricted to one verse, but it definitely sounds like he’s trying to show appreciation for the city in the few lines he mentions it: “Coming from the town of illy and alleys are/Full of Phillies and Rallys suckers get/Silly as Sally then found in alleys, I’m rowdy really.” And it even encourages safe sex with the line, “I’m on a mission of just hitting/Now it’s written and kitten hitting wit mittens.” Nowadays when rappers brag about getting it on they do it in the most tasteless and disgusting ways possible. See artists like Lil’ Wayne as an example.

Sadly, things haven’t been going so smoothly for Naughty By Nature more recently, since the group’s members have broken off and regrouped, but are now in more professional relationships and have stated that the chances of a new album are unlikely. That really is a shame because I feel like we could use more rap groups like Naughty By Nature in the rap world today. They were fun to listen to while still presenting an impressive image of themselves. Normally I’m turned off by brag rap, but I feel like I can make an exception here.

#9.

And now for a second apology…

#9. Kiss From a Rose (Seal) [4; 1; 27 weeks]

Back on my ‘best of ‘91’ list, I kind of snubbed this song, saying that it didn’t really make a good impression of Seal and that it didn’t really fit into his usual musical style. I guess when I first heard the song, I only heard it as an uninteresting ballad that didn’t really showcase Seal’s talent as a musician. Even if that were the case though, I’d take Seal not doing as much experimentation with his music over, say, Bryan Adams experimenting with music while also coming across as a complete prick. Also, I guess I was kind of turned off to the song because of the film it was associated with. Yeah, I don’t think I’m breaking anyone’s heart by saying the Joel Schumacher Batman films have not aged well. However, while I feel like that is the case, this song certainly seems a lot better now that it’s been disassociated from the film it was featured in with the passage of time.

For starters, the music to this song is fantastic. It just captures this grand, sweeping sound that seems present in plenty of Seal’s other songs. Everything about the music, from the acapella vocals at the beginning and after the first chorus, to the soft percussion, to Seal’s vocal performance, all of it is just amazing. Seal’s tone on this song goes through these impressive shifts in tone and dynamic all through the song, and it feels like he’s simultaneously putting his all into the song and yet making it all sound effortless. He just sounds like he loves every moment he’s singing on this song.

But what about the lyrics? Well, I admit, the song is kind of confusing to me. Just listening to it, it at first sounds like just a love ballad; soft, basic and not really all that deep or interesting. However, some of his lyrical choices make it sound like he’s comparing his love for the person he’s singing to with drug addiction. Not a new concept, but still one that has been noticed and examined by others. And as has been noted, a relationship that you can describe in comparison to a drug addiction is not an indicator of a healthy relationship. But still, he finds that this person is a shimmering bloom in his otherwise gray life, and this feeling of love is strange to him, possibly indicating that he’s never been in love before. However, the strangeness of it enraptures him; he can’t get enough of it. And that honestly does sound like how a first love would feel, like something you don’t understand or can’t explain, but would still pursue just to have one more taste of that feeling it brings you.

Admittedly, Seal has stated that he has no intention of actually explaining the lyrics, so this is all merely speculation. Also, Seal has stated that he, at first, didn’t like the recording and wasn’t proud of it, but has grown to like it more after seeing how much other people love it. This could probably be more an indication that he loves the fame and money the single garnered for him rather than loving the song itself. Of course, even if that is the case, I feel like this is still a good song. Not necessarily Seal at his best, but still worth checking out.

#8.

Now, I admit, while I’m pretty familiar with ‘80s artists, despite having not even been born until after the decade was over, I am surprisingly not all that familiar with the big names in ‘90s music. I mean, while I can think of several ‘80s acts right off the top of my head, I can only think of a handful of acts from the ‘90s. And even the ones I can think of, I’m not sure if many of them actually went on to achieve the same level of fame as Michael Jackson or Madonna or the like. I mean, you’ve got Mariah Carey I guess, but you don’t hear people talking about Mariah Carey with a lot of fondness. She seems to be more one that people criticize, mostly due to how she sings. Also because she released a film back in 2001 that no one saw or remembers and those that did see it don’t speak of it kindly. I just feel like, as far as big names in music, the ‘90s may not have had the same level of impact as the ‘80s.

However, going back through this year showed me that, while the ‘90s didn’t have a great list of influential artists, the ones that did crop up were quite big, and some continue to be spoken of fondly to this day. We’re going to be looking at one of them right now.

#8. Dear Mama (2Pac) [51; 9; 17 weeks]

Yeah, Tupac Shakur may not have won as many #1 hit singles as the likes of Mariah Carey, but I don’t think Mariah could even hope to reach the same level of immortalized status as Tupac. When he was still alive, and even after he died, he was regarded as a genius in rap music. Hell, he was pretty much regarded as the William Shakespeare of rap music. And that would fit since he loved William Shakespeare’s work and theater in general. Keep in mind, Tupac Shakur was active for less than ten years and he left that much of an impact. Think about that. And honestly, while I never grew up listening to the guy, going back and listening to his music now I can certainly see what people liked about him. Oh, his discography did still include a few brag rap tracks, but for the most part his stuff focused on protesting the ills facing many African-Americans at the time, which could probably still be seen as relevant to this day.

Surprisingly, this next song doesn’t really fit into either of those categories, instead being a tribute to Tupac’s mother, Afeni Shakur, who sadly passed away earlier this year. In the song, Tupac talks about the various struggles his mother had to go through while taking care of him, including her addiction to cocaine, Tupac himself getting chased by the police and requiring her to step in and punish him for his behavior, and even he and his younger sister blaming her for everything that was wrong in their lives because they were poor. He also talks about the struggles of a single mother having to raise children by herself. Speaking as a white guy that was raised by both of my parents, I can’t exactly relate to the song myself, but I can definitely feel Tupac’s emotions through his music. He sounds heartfelt and honest about his declaration of love for his mother. And believe me, considering most of the kinds of songs that crop up in this genre nowadays, it’s nice to hear something like this coming from rap music.

I guess I should talk about the song being sampled for the hook also. The song used was ‘Sadie’ by the Spinners. I heard a few songs by the Spinners when going through the hit songs of 1976, but ‘Sadie’ is probably one of their more emotional songs, and I think it was a perfect choice to sample for this song. The original version was also fairly emotional, and the changes made to the sample take the original context and transform it into a message of thanks and affection for Tupac’s mother. Granted, this wouldn’t be the first time someone would do something like this with this song; two years prior, R. Kelly covered the song for his debut solo album and made that cover also as a tribute to his mother, who had died that same year. 

I feel like a song like this is a breath of fresh air coming from rap music. It’s not often that you see rappers demonstrate real vulnerability and earnestness like this, nowadays anyway. Nowadays when you hear a rapper performing a song it’s about how much money they have or how many “bitches” they’ve banged. It really is a shame that we don't have more people doing what Tupac did, not just in terms of aesthetics, but in terms of themes and subject matters too. When he died in 1996, we lost a very significant figure in rap music, and no one’s been able to do the same things he did since then. I guess that’s kind of good in a way, because it made Tupac an original and a unique artist that no one could possibly replicate the work of. Godspeed, Tupac; may you and your mama find peace together in the next world.

#7.

What’s better than a song by Michael Jackson? How about a song by Michael Jackson featuring someone that can actually match his intensity when he’s on his ‘A’ game?

#7. Scream (Michael Jackson & Janet Jackson) [56; 5; 9 weeks]

Something I’m noticing is that I seem to be taking more of a liking for songs by Michael Jackson that feature him performing with other people over him performing by himself. Not sure what that says about me, but I wouldn’t have put this song on the list if I didn’t think it belonged there. Don’t get me wrong, there are other songs by Michael Jackson I like, but I don’t really connect with his music the same way that, say, a diehard fan would. Most of the songs by Michael Jackson I like are because I think they’re good songs, not because it’s Michael Jackson. With that in mind, I feel like ‘Scream’ is a good song and that it plays well on both artists’ strengths.

Of course, we can’t really talk about this song without talking about what it’s associated with, so let’s get this out of the way now. In the summer of 1993, Michael Jackson was accused of sexually abusing Jordan Chandler, the then 13-year-old son of Evan Chandler. A number of people voiced hypotheses about what did or did not happen, but nothing concrete to prove it was brought to the public. The stress that resulted from the scandal led to Jackson developing health problems and needing to cancel the remainder of his Dangerous World Tour. Anyway, this song was primarily directed at the tabloids and media, whom Michael had been in a very tumultuous relationship with since the late ‘80s. This was also the first song he released since the allegations of child sexual abuse.

Having never been under media scrutiny myself, I can’t say whether or not this was the appropriate response Jackson should have had to all of this. I will say this though: listening to this song, I do legitimately believe that Michael was under a lot of psychological pressure after this event. It certainly does a better job convincing me of the pains and hardships that come with fame than things like R. Kelly’s ‘I Wish’ or Jay-Z’s ‘Holy Grail’ did. And really, all of that can be traced to Michael’s performance on this song. He utters every word as if he’s seriously struggling to keep his emotions in check. And, of course, Janet’s performance on this song does a good job contrasting that, coming across as more of a controlled fury to Michael’s gradual descent into madness. 

Personally, in regards to the allegations, I don’t feel like I can make proper judgment on whether or not Michael actually was guilty of anything. I was two at the time; I didn’t know who Michael Jackson was! I feel like the entire topic of child sexual abuse is too delicate for someone like me to properly address here. I can say this much, however: regardless of what the truth was about Michael Jackson’s situation, I can’t say that I think ‘Scream’ isn’t a good song. But more than that, it’s also a raw, unfiltered look at his emotional state in the midst of everything he was going through at the time. This song presents a more honest picture of MJ’s mental state at the time than any photo or interview could possibly capture. 

#6.

Now, as I think I’ve made clear prior to this list, I am not exactly a fan of Christina Aguilera. But why? What is it about Christina Aguilera that turns me off so? Well, her over singing is certainly a factor in why I don’t particularly care for her, as is her overuse of melisma (those hollow vocal gymnastics that a lot of artists tend to overindulge in at points). However, those things by themselves aren’t inherently bad, so those alone aren’t the root of the problem. No, I think the real issue is that, when you get down to it, Christina Aguilera really isn’t an interesting artist. She does a lot of stuff to try and disguise her lack of interesting qualities, but in the end she just can’t make herself stand out from any other artist of her ilk. And the main reason for that is that she just doesn’t sound like she’s enjoying herself while she’s singing; for her it sounds like it’s strictly business.

However, I feel like, in the hands of an artist that actually gave a shit and did enjoy herself when she sang, the use of melisma or incredible vocal force could actually be a strength. I mean, you have artists like Whitney Houston as an example of the latter, even though I’m not really much of a fan of Whitney Houston. And in cases of the former, there’s the other artist that people have tended to label as something of a pop music diva of her time. I am, of course, referring to Mariah Carey.

#6. Fantasy (Mariah Carey) [7; 1; 15 weeks]

Yeah, expect to be seeing quite a few ladies appearing on this list. As far as pop starlets of the ‘90s go, I guess I’m kind of old school. I’ve talked about Mariah on a previous list from the ‘90s, but while ‘Love Takes Time’ didn’t qualify for my ‘best of ‘91’ list, and I didn’t particularly feel strongly one way or the other about her other hit singles from that year, I can safely say I liked all of her output from 1995. I’m honestly not sure; I guess she’s grown on me a bit. I’m not sure yet if I’d consider myself a fan, but I at least think that she was interesting for her time. This song was the first single and first hit off of her fifth studio album ‘Daydream,’ and her ninth #1 hit single overall. It was also the second song, first by a female artist, to debut at the very top of the hot 100, after Michael Jackson’s ‘You Are Not Alone.’

But enough about the milestones the song set; let’s take a look at the song itself. It heavily samples the Tom Tom Club’s song ‘Genius Of Love,’ which you may recall I placed as a dishonorable mention on my ‘worst of 1982’ list. However, while that song caused me a migraine listening to it, the sample is practically unrecognizable here. Part of the reason for that is the annoying production elements that peppered the original song are thankfully absent from Mariah’s version. Mariah Carey actually handled part of the production on this song, while the rest was handled by Dave Hall, who not only handled production for this song, but also for songs off of Heavy D’s ‘Peaceful Journey,’ Mary J. Blige’s ‘What’s the 411?,’ yet another Mariah Carey single with ‘Dreamlover,’ Usher’s self-titled debut album, and even Madonna’s ‘Bedtime Stories.’

The other element that really works in this song’s favor is Mariah Carey herself. She not only provides a much better vocal performance than the performers on ‘Genius Of Love,’ but she offers much better lyrics too. Rather than just an endless string of nonsensical lines, the song actually provides a clear picture of what it’s describing. Specifically, the song talks about how Mariah is in love with a guy and how whenever she sees him she fantasizes about a relationship that she herself acknowledges is likely not possible. Hell, even the lyrics lifted directly from ‘Genius Of Love’ sound vastly improved when performed by Mariah! Not only are they better performed, but they actually sound like they fit into the narrative of the song more clearly.

I know Mariah Carey is viewed as pretty overrated by some, but I feel like it’s a shame we don’t have as many artists like her in the world. We need more singers that can infuse this effortless quality into the way they sing. And I mean effortless in that singing well comes across as second nature to them, not as in they’re not trying. But more than that, we just need more singers that sound like they love every second that they’re singing. Nowadays when we hear many artists performing, they either make it sound like grueling work or they don’t sound like they’re putting any effort into their music. Which makes me kind of relieved that Mariah Carey is still seeing at least some success to this day. Good on you, Mariah; keep it up.

#5.

I feel like this will probably be kind of an odd choice for this list. With most of picks for this list, I feel like people are familiar with either the song or the artist. I get the feeling that isn’t really the case with this next artist or song, which is a real shame because I really do like this next song and I think other people would too if they listened to it.

#5. I Know (Dionne Farris) [11; 4; 29 weeks]

If you don’t know who Dionne Farris is, that’s perfectly understandable. She’s mostly known for serving as the vocalist on the song ‘Tennessee’ by the alternative hip-hop group Arrested Development. No, not the show ‘Arrested Development.’ Since she performed the vocals on that song and it ended up becoming a top ten hit, I hesitate to really label her as a one-hit wonder. Although, her only hit in her solo career, ‘I Know,’ ended up charting even higher than ‘Tennessee,’ making it into the top five.

Listening to the song, it’s not hard to see why it was as successful as it was. It has a lot of positive elements going for it. For starters, the production to this song is fantastic. It’s just energetic and catchy and fun. I especially love the guitar part, particularly the licks slipped in at the beginning of each of the verses. It allows the song to have some space to breathe. Secondly, Dionne Farris is just a really good vocalist. Her voice has a lot of spunk and kind of a subtlety to the personality she adds to the song. It clearly sounds like she’s having fun while she’s singing.

And lastly, that leaves the lyrics. Admittedly, the lyrics to this song don’t really require a lot of brainpower to dissect. It’s basically a song where Dionne Farris is rejecting a guy’s attempts to hook up with her. But the way she sings them and the attitude she brings to the song just come across as positive and not condescending in the slightest. It kind of feels like she’s playing hard-to-get, or like she’s being polite about turning this guy down. She’s not in your face or confrontational about it like Beyoncé often is, which is why I have a lot of trouble getting into her songs. Dionne Farris, on the other hand, is just joyous and cheerful about the whole thing. She isn’t trying to put this guy down by turning him away.

Dionne Farris never really saw much success after her only hit, and sadly I feel like I can see why. Her other singles were just not as catchy as her first. In fact, some of them just got kind of depressing to listen to. And dourness and unhappiness just weren’t appealing traits for Dionne Farris to be presenting herself with. ‘I Know’ just perfectly captured Dionne Farris when she was at her best. Even if she never releases another song like this one, I would be perfectly happy with just this one song from her.

#4.

So, let’s talk about the UK for a bit. Through the ‘80s, one of the biggest genres in the UK was new wave music. One such act that ended up becoming pretty big, both in the UK and the US, was the Eurythmics. The Eurythmics saw quite a bit of success in the ‘80s, particularly for their biggest hit song: ‘Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)’ in 1983. I might end up talking about that song at some point in the future, once I actually get to 1983. But anyway, while technically a duo, the singer of the group, Annie Lennox, was the one that got most of the attention, particularly for the incredible amount of control she had over her voice. So, I guess it shouldn’t be a surprise that, by the ‘90s, she would start releasing her own singles.

#4. No More I Love You’s (Annie Lennox) [78; 23; 13 weeks]

Lennox’s second album, titled ‘Medusa’ consisted pretty much entirely of covers of various different songs. ‘No More I Love You’s’ is actually one of the more obscure covers on the album, originally being performed by yet another new wave duo: The Lover Speaks. And this song ended up winning Annie Lennox a Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance at the 38^th Grammy Awards, beating Mariah Carey, Vanessa Williams, Dionne Farris and Bonnie Raitt. Meanwhile, The Lover Speaks’s version didn’t peak higher than #58 on the UK charts and quickly disappeared soon afterwards. Why is that though?

Well, let’s start by looking at the original version of the song. This one sounds like it has a very desperate, insecure sound to it which, in my honest opinion, kind of clashes with what the song’s trying to go for. The song’s trying to be upbeat and happy sounding, but what The Lover Speaks were going for doesn’t really match that at all. It’s not really a bad song; it just feels kind of lacking. The Lover Speaks just weren’t really able to find an audience for the song. As far as upbeat new wave songs go, this song just didn’t really stand out compared to other acts of the same ilk at the time.

But what about Annie Lennox’s version? Shouldn’t that be fairly similar to the original? Well, I guess that’s where Lennox’s fairly ethereal presence really makes the song stand out. Especially impressive is her vocal performance, which transforms what was originally a song unsure of what it was trying to be into this organized, beautiful song about…Actually, I’m not entirely sure what this song is about really. It speaks of demons and monsters and madness, but I’m not entirely sure how that ties into the statement of ‘No more ‘I love you’s.’ Maybe the ‘lunatic’ and demons the song describes are meant to represent the feelings of being through so many unhappy romantic relationships and ultimately deciding that, if love is only going to bring the narrator unhappiness, then she will have no more of it? From what I’ve heard, the phrase ‘buttonhole tunes’ used in the song in the prechorus, “I don’t find myself bouncing home whistling buttonhole tunes to make me cry,’ could mean tunes that are catchy, that get stuck in your head easily. I guess I can see where that would fit with the previously stated idea for the meaning of the song: that now that the narrator’s fallen out of love with love she’s not blissfully singing catchy songs to herself that make her cry. Still though, I can’t help but feel like there’s more to the song than just that.

Regardless of the bizarre lyrical choices, I still think this is a nice song. It’s pretty, it’s haunting, and it does a great job showcasing how amazing Annie Lennox is as a singer. It really is a shame that this would end up being her last top 40 hit in the US, both solo and with the Eurythmics. Still, Annie Lennox is a great singer, and she deserves all the praise she’s received.

#3.

I feel like hip-hop and rap music are genres that tend to get way too much flack from people. Not every single rap song is about cars, money and hoes. And if you want good examples of such, the ‘90s are a good place to start. I mean, okay, there were still such songs back then, but that decade also had a lot more variety. Nowadays you need to wait for Macklemore to get another hit before you hear a rap song about anything besides the artist performing the song bragging about how rich they are and all the money they have. Back in the ‘90s though, there was a noticeably different image of what it really meant for someone to be ‘gangsta’. Allow me to demonstrate:

#3. Gangsta’s Paradise (Coolio ft. L.V.) [1; 1; 21 weeks]

I think this might be the first time I’ve actually talked at length about a song that ended up charting at the #1 spot on the Billboard year-end hot 100. I guess that’s because, when you get down to it, the year-end hot 100 really isn’t much of a measurement to a song’s quality or replay value. Keep in mind, this is my eighth set of lists I’ve done, and yet this is only the second time I’ve talked about the #1 song of a year I’ve gone back and looked at. I mean, I briefly touched on ‘(Everything I Do) I Do It For You’ by Bryan Adams back on my ‘worst of ‘91’ list, but that song didn’t really get much of an emotional reaction out of me. This, however, I absolutely love this song. Hell, I think I might actually like Coolio’s work in general. The guy never really came across as much of a bragger, and a song like this actually feels like it would be up his alley in a way.

I guess I’ll start by talking about the music. This song actually builds itself around a sample, specifically of the song ‘Pastime Paradise’ by Stevie Wonder. Stevie Wonder actually was pretty strict about letting Coolio use the sample, stating that he wouldn’t allow any profanity on the song in exchange for his permission to use it. And it is a beautifully used sample, folks. The original song is kind of a laid-back, relaxed melody that in a way kind of fits in with the theme of the song. It talks about how white people are stuck up about how much better things were back in the ‘good ol’ days’ while black people and many minority groups believe that the future will be better. ‘Gangsta’s Paradise,’ however, uses it for a much darker theme. Rather than comparing a bleak outlook with an optimistic outlook, this song uses the sample to set a rather unsettling tone for the song, which it needs to do considering the subject matter.

Speaking of which, let’s look at the subject matter and lyrics of the song. Now, most rap songs nowadays try to glorify the thug life and make it seem like gangsters are living in the lap of luxury. They have cars, they have money, they have hoes, and they have drugs, that kind of thing. ‘Gangsta’s Paradise’ reveals that it’s not such a glamorous lifestyle. It makes that clear right in the first verse, where the narrator talks about how, looking back on his life, he doesn’t really have a life left to live. And he even talks about how, because of how he was raised, he has no way to live a normal life because he can’t connect with normal people and normal people can’t connect with him. And he lives in the constant fear that he could die at any moment, even stating that he may not even live long enough to reach the next year of his life. And all of that is accentuated by L.V.’s chorus, which is delivered with this incredibly haunting performance that perfectly sets the tone of the song.

Coolio’s sadly drifted away from this particular type of song and has started making music more…in alignment with what we’ve come to expect from his genre. However, I feel like this song is still a magnificent addition to his work. Yes, he hasn’t managed to make anything this good since then, but even so he was able to prove that there was rap music out there that was willing to deviate from the norm. Keep thuggin’, Coolio; you were probably one of the realest rappers of your time, even if only for a brief moment.

#2.

You know what? It’s been a while. Let’s talk about girl groups. The ‘90s might have been the point when we would see the big resurgence of boy bands, but that's not to say we didn’t get any decent girl groups at the time to go along with them. While there weren’t many, the few that surfaced were actually pretty good; at least some of them were anyway. One, however, stood head and shoulders above the others. One group among this lot went on to be considered one of the best of their sort. Yes, I am of course referring to TLC.

#2. Waterfalls (TLC) [2; 1; 28 weeks]

I feel like TLC are one of those groups people know are good but haven’t actually heard that many of their songs. In all fairness, they’re not wrong; TLC really are as good as people say they are, or at least they were. I mean, while I feel like they were a good group, it was their second album, ‘CrazySexyCool’ that represented them as an unquestionably great act. Seriously, between singles like ‘Creep’ and ‘Diggin’ On You,’ that second album of theirs just had plenty of good things going for it. And of course, right in the middle of it all was this song: ‘Waterfalls,’ probably the best song of the group’s entire tenure, at least out of the songs of theirs that were singles or hits. But why? What is it about this song in particular that makes it the representation of the best of TLC’s output?

Well, I guess the first thing we’ll need to look at is the music. As far as instrumentation goes, the music for ‘CrazySexyCool’ was, in general, pretty watered down. The songs didn’t feel too loud or too overproduced; every song had just the right level of control over the production to give the songs a sort of subtlety to their presentation. This is especially prevalent in the singles. ‘Creep’ is pretty much built around that trumpet bit, and it’s one of the group’s most iconic songs. With ‘Waterfalls’ however, the production consists predominantly of synthesizers, with some moments in the song accented by horns, particularly during the chorus. In that sense, it’s fairly similar to ‘Creep,’ but I feel like the performances on ‘Waterfalls’ are better.

But enough beating around the bush; let’s dig into the lyrics. The song talks about different issues that were prevalent in the ‘90s, particularly the illegal drug trade and AIDS. Yeah, remember when AIDS was prevalent in the public consciousness? At this point in time, having AIDS was pretty much a death sentence, so it was nice to get a song that actually addressed the issue. The song is basically a cautionary tale about the dangers of the issues it addresses, and it’s great that we had a song that delivered this message, particularly through the pretty dark stories being told to illustrate the points. And, of course, that leaves us with the performance of the rapper of the group, and also one of the main writers of the song: Lisa “Left-Eye” Lopes. Her performance is probably the best part of the song, and easily the best rap performance of the year. Her flow is impressive, the words all connect with each other, and it ends in a fairly uplifting message, which admittedly kind of contrasts with the darker tone of the two stories told earlier in the song, but does a good job matching the fairly upbeat feel of the song otherwise: “Believe in yourself, the rest is up to me and you.” Considering the fact that Left Eye would tragically lose her life in a car accident seven years later, I feel like this could be seen as her wish for how she would want people to be inspired by her.

I just don’t think I can properly explain just how much I love this song, or how positive an impact I think TLC had on the music-scape at their peak. As one critic put it, in terms of the content of the music that girl groups released at the time, TLC were the role models. They had the most positive messages and they were just the best in terms of the quality of their work. As far as the music was concerned, their handlers knew what they were doing. And you don’t really see any girl groups like TLC anymore. The only girl group I can think of that’s around right now is Fifth Harmony, and they weren’t nearly as controlled or as focused as this. TLC: the faces of hip hop soul in the ‘90s, and probably the best girl group of all time.

#1.

Sometimes, when I pick a song to be my #1 for the best list, it can be kind of unpredictable. For example, I was not expecting ‘Lonely No More’ to be my #1 for the ‘best of 2005’ list. However, for the most part, I can tell right away if they’ll be going on the list, possibly even if they’ll be the #1. This year was kind of a surprise for me, because I was dead certain that ‘Waterfalls’ would be my #1 for this list. I just love everything about the song, and I felt like anything less than the top spot would be doing it a disservice.

However, then I ended up listening to the song that would become my #1 for this list, and…I don’t know, folks…it just stunned me. The song just blew me away, hit me straight in the gut with just how amazing it was. So, I’m sure you’re all curious what could possibly top ‘Waterfalls.’ What song could possibly be so good that it ends up one-upping probably the best song from one of the best girl groups of their time? Well…

#1. One Sweet Day (Mariah Carey & Boyz II Men) [--; 1; 6 weeks]

I was legitimately not expecting myself to love this song nearly as much as I did when I heard it while putting together this list. I mean, I’d heard the song prior to putting this list together, but I didn’t really think much about it. I guess I just didn’t really give it a lot of thought when I first heard it, but when I put this list together…I don’t know folks. Like I said, I was not expecting it, but I seriously do love this song. I’m kind of struggling here folks; I’m not sure I’ll be able to properly talk about this song. I’m just still kind of surprised by my reaction to this song. However, seeing as it is my job to do so…well okay, no it’s not; no one’s paying me to do this. But regardless, for my readers, I will try my darnedest to say why I like this song.

I guess the best place to start would be in the lyrics and subject matter of the song. The song speaks of lamenting the loss of someone dear to the narrator, apologizing for not doing all the things with this person that they could have while they were still alive. And that is definitely something I think people can understand and connect with. It is painful to lose a loved one, and all the thoughts of all the things you neglected to do with them can haunt you for a long time after they’ve been lost. However, the song then gets to the chorus and reassures the lost person that they’ll see each other again in Heaven. And it’s just a serious emotional jerker because the notion of getting to see someone again after losing them can be a very uplifting feeling, even if seeing them again doesn’t happen until after you’ve passed on also.

However, lyrics are only part of the picture, so let’s also consider the vocal performances on this song. I’ve already talked about Mariah Carey earlier on this list, but I feel like this song might be one of her best vocal performances yet. Furthermore, she kind of tones down on the melisma, so the performance feels less like she’s showing off vocal gymnastics and more like she’s being sincere and honest. But Mariah Carey’s not the only one giving a quality performance on this song; this might be Boyz II Men’s best vocal performance also. I especially love the opening verse; the soft tenor voice offers a nice balanced performance that does a great job leading into Mariah’s half of the verse. Hell, in general Boyz II Men compliment Mariah’s voice very nicely and all of their combined vocal melodies and harmonies together just sound, for lack of a better word, heavenly.

Rarely is it that a song like this appears on the pop charts anymore, a song talking about something as heavy and serious as death and still managing to find an optimistic spin on it. I mean, we have gotten at least one song that’s tried it recently with ‘See You Again’ by Wiz Khalifa featuring Charlie Puth, but that song wasn’t nearly as good as this one. And apparently I’m not the only one that thinks so, because not only did this song become a #1 hit, it currently holds the record for the song to hold the #1 position on Billboard for the longest period of time, at sixteen consecutive weeks. I guess this means that the general public may have hope yet. So there you have it folks: ‘One Sweet Day’ by Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men: the best hit song of 1995.