Top 10 Best Hit Songs of 1993

I’m not going to lie, folks; this was a difficult year for me to talk about. I wouldn’t necessarily label 1993 as a bad year. Plenty of good music still came out, and I can certainly see myself going back to some of the good tracks I’ll be listing below. That said, I couldn’t say the music from this year felt all that big or grand.

Apparently this was a problem with the early ‘90s, even when the decade officially started. The ‘80s sound had died off by this point and, while newer artists made music that fit the times more smoothly, older acts seemed to seriously struggle, especially those from the hair metal crowd. It was a rough start to the decade, to say the least.

Still, while the good music hasn’t stuck around like songs from other years have, I think they deserve some recognition. After all, regardless of a song’s cultural significance, quality should still be recognized. So, let’s dive into those songs now, starting with our honorable mentions:

That’s the Way Love Goes (Janet Jackson) [4; 1; 20 weeks]

What Mariah Carey is for soul and pop, Janet Jackson is for hip-hop and R&B. When she sings, it sounds second nature to her, and conveys her love of making music. ‘That’s the Way Love Goes’ has a very sexual tone to it, and Janet matches that with a very sensual, seductive vocal performance that fits the song well. It’s helped by excellent production provided by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, the same men that produced ‘Nasty’. Considering this song was following off the heels of her ‘Rhythm Nation 1814’ album, this was an impressive follow up.

Everything’s Gonna Be Alright (Father MC ft. Jodeci) [--; 37; 1 week]

I feel like Father MC is a criminally underappreciated rapper. He’s best known for introducing the public to R&B acts Jodeci and Mary J. Blige. This isn’t one of his most popular tracks, but when you had party songs like Robin S.’s ‘Show Me Love’ or hip hop tracks like ‘Whoomp! (There It Is)’ to compare it to, I’d take this. Still though, this wasn’t the best hip-hop party song to chart this year.

Dreams (Gabrielle) [--; 29; 3 weeks]

I wasn’t old or attentive enough to the pop charts in the ‘90s to remember the British pop from that time, but I can appreciate the music from that time now that I’m older. You wouldn’t catch any singers performing a song like this after Simon Cowell was through with them. Gabrielle’s beautiful, reserved vocal performance perfectly matches the equally lovely production that carries this song. This was her first single too, and her only hit in the US, because we can’t have nice things.

Linger (The Cranberries) [--; 16; 7 weeks]

Speaking of acts from the UK, this is probably one of the subtler bands on this list. This was Irish band the Cranberries’ first and only top 10 hit in the US. It describes a scenario where the narrator seems to be trapped in a relationship where the other person sounds like he doesn’t care about her. I mean, she saw him holding another girl’s hand and he apparently lies to her all the time. Still, as far as alternative rock goes, I’d take this over Sheryl Crow any day of the week.

What’s My Name? (Snoop Doggy Dogg) [--; 8; 5 weeks]

I know that Snoop Dogg’s basically untouchable at this point, but with the amount of crap he’s been associating himself with lately, it seems to become harder to remember that, when he started out, he was a good artist. This song not only demonstrates his skills as a rapper, but Dr. Dre’s as a producer. The sample used from George Clinton’s ‘Atomic Dog’ and the interpolation from Parliament’s ‘Give Up the Funk’ are used to great effect, and as one of the first tracks in the gangsta rap genre, it is a welcome addition to the pop charts.

Now then, I know you’re fed up, folks, but keep your heads up as we count down…

…THE TOP 10 BEST HIT SONGS OF 1993!

#10.

As far as ‘80s artists that transitioned into the ‘90s, Michael Jackson’s shift seemed to go relatively smoothly. Granted, his sound didn’t change all that much, but his newer material managed to transcend the decade divide and netted him several successful hits off of his then-latest album ‘Dangerous’. Some of these hits mainly charted because they were featured in Jackson’s Super Bowl XXVII Halftime Show, but others gained success on their own strengths.

#10. Who Is It (Michael Jackson) [--; 14; 10 weeks]

Technically, this song was released as a single in the UK in 1992, but it wasn’t released in America until March of 1993. Michael never performed the song at any of his world concert tours, which is kind of understandable. Compared to most of his other well-known songs, this one’s success was pretty lackluster. Even so, I wouldn’t call this a failure of a song by any stretch.

Many critics have stated that it was pretty much a copy of ‘Billie Jean’ from his ‘Thriller’ album ten years prior, and it basically is. Michael’s controlled vocals at the beginning building up to the chorus, the softer music that doesn’t overpower those, the lyrics talking about past relationships; this song is pretty much just ‘Billie Jean ‘93’. Still, I can understand why Michael would want to remake that song; it’s still regarded as one of the best he’s ever released to this day.

In all fairness, it’s not a complete recreation; there are still some differences. The most noteworthy is the subject matter and tone. Where ‘Billie Jean’ was about a woman claiming that Michael Jackson was her baby’s father, ‘Who Is It’ is about a lover cheating on him, while he demands to know with whom. The realization of his lover’s unfaithfulness leaves him in confusion and despair as he desperately tries to guess the identity of the man she cheated with. Michael’s vocal performance matches that sense of loss and pain that he’s trying to convey, and the chorus certainly adds to that.

This song probably would’ve charted a bit higher if not for the similarities to ‘Billie Jean’. I personally feel like Michael should’ve put a bit more effort into his songwriting than to just rip off himself. That said I couldn’t bring myself to hate on this. Michael Jackson being unoriginal was still better than some of the worst acts from this year at their most artistically creative.

#9.

Okay, I’m almost certain I’ll be getting flack for this one, but hear me out…

#9. I’d Do Anything for Love (But I Won’t Do That) (Meat Loaf) [36; 1; 14 weeks]

Let me just start by saying I get why people don’t like this song. The ambiguity of the lyrics is pretty frustrating, and the dramatic reveal of what he wouldn’t do for love just feels like kind of a given in any relationship. Also, there’s the “sex and drums and rock ‘n’ roll” line, which…yeah, that was incredibly stupid. This song almost didn’t make the list entirely because of that one line.

So, if this song has all these problems, how can I justify liking it? Well, there are a few things. To begin with, I love the instrumentation for this song. At twelve minutes, the whole thing feels incredibly flabby at points, but while the lyrics can be tedious, the production manages to take those twelve minutes and makes the most of them. It slows down at all the moments it needs to, it picks up the tempo at the big, bombastic parts and, most importantly, it sets the atmosphere for the song well.

While the individual lyrics can reach fairly deep into the realms of cheese, I can appreciate the message behind them. It’s a song about long-term commitment and not doing anything to render the relationship meaningless. As Jim Steinman put it, it’s about how the narrator “won’t stop doing beautiful things” and “won’t do bad things”. It’s a corny sentiment when you lay it out like that, but Meat Loaf’s vocal performance sells it. Every note sounds like he’s putting his all into them, as is expected from a Meat Loaf song.

Look, I’ll understand if you disagree with me on this. It’s partially based on my personal opinion after all, so I’m not expecting everyone to like this song just because I do. Also, I will concede that there are many songs better than this one, even from this year. At the same time though, there were also ones that were a whole lot worse.

#8.

Now here’s a song that I’m sure most of you will recognize, and in a good way.

#8. What Is Love (Haddaway) [82; 11; 14 weeks]

This might be my first time talking at length about German pop music. Haddaway is a Trinidadian-German musician who, like many European crossover acts, saw greater success in his native country. He was also surprisingly successful in Austria, Finland, Switzerland and the UK. Unfortunately, he’s only known for his debut hit song in America.

It’s fitting that Haddaway is a Eurodance artist. The genre originated in central Europe, particularly Germany, and he released this song around the time it was starting to gain popularity in the United States. Considering house music was in at the time, it fit right in, and it was probably one of the best of such songs of its time. Its upbeat dance track and soulful vocals stood out against the more stripped-down adult-alternative and gave it a sense of dignity and intelligence that pop rap tended to lack.

Of course, that just leaves the lyrics and subject matter. The song describes how the narrator is in love with someone who doesn’t love him back. Considering my own poor experience in romantic relationships, this speaks to me. It doesn’t even just sound like a mere sexual attraction either; the guy is infatuated by this other person, and it tears him apart that she doesn’t share his feelings. Furthermore, unlike Positive K, he doesn’t try to brag his way into this girl’s pants either; he sounds like he’s at an all-time low because of this.

I’m not going to pretend I don’t know why Haddaway hasn’t seen as much success in America; it’s because his other songs sounded too similar to this one. There’s some variation here or there, but for the most part he seemed to be recycling this one song idea. It’s even reached the point that he remade this exact song over and over just with different production. Granted, it’s not like it’s a bad song to try and recreate; I’m certainly not complaining, but it’s a shame that he had such a limited artistic vision. Still, this song wins my approval.

#7.

1993 saw a lot of film themes making the pop charts. Between the ‘Free Willy’ theme and half the soundtrack to ‘The Bodyguard’, this year was apparently incredibly good for movie tracks. This next song was, not just the weirdest of this bunch, but also one of the weirdest charting songs period.

#7. I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles) (The Proclaimers) [27; 3; 16 weeks]

The Proclaimers were a pretty bizarre act. They consisted of twin brothers Craig and Charlie Reid and released music that was too odd to exist in the mainstream but not odd enough to be hipster. Not helping matters was the fact that they tended to dress like colossal dorks. Even so, I don’t mind their music, and I think ‘I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)’ might be my favorite song by them.

Instrumentally, the song’s pretty basic. It’s somewhere between celtic, folk and college rock, and the sound matches nicely with the pair’s voices. Those accents blend well with a more folky sounding song; they work to its advantage by making it sound more earnest, if a bit more ridiculous.

Of course, the main selling points for me are the lyrics. The structure is also fairly rudimentary; the verses go as follows: “If I do X, well I know I’m gonna be, I’m gonna be the man who does X for you”. The chorus isn’t any more complicated:

But I would walk 500 miles

And I would walk 500 more

Just to be the man who walks a thousand miles

To fall down at your door

Even so, the simplicity of the song’s message is also a plus. The fact that it’s a love song and not, say, an “I wanna have sex with you” song makes the ridiculousness of the lyrics and the Reid brothers’ voices add to the idea that they believe every word they’re saying. They aren’t putting on airs of pretentiousness like Spin Doctors did.

The rest of the Proclaimers’ music is a surprisingly good listen also. They didn’t vary their sound all that often, but I don’t think they needed to. If they’d tried to change themselves to match trends more, they likely wouldn’t have lasted that long or sounded as good. I can respect them for staying true to themselves and maintaining their artistic integrity, something you don’t see a lot of bands doing that often anymore.

#6.

Remember Peter Gabriel’s ‘Sledgehammer’? That was a rather impressive song and video, wasn’t it? 1986 saw the release of his fifth studio album, ‘So’, which to this date is still one of his best selling records. It took him six years to release a follow-up, and there was no way it could possibly measure up to that album. But goddamn if it didn’t come close.

#6. Steam (Peter Gabriel) [--; 32; 5 weeks]

This wasn’t the lead single off of Peter Gabriel’s sixth studio album, ‘Us’, but it was the one that saw the most success between the two. Before people ask, no, this song isn’t as good as ‘Sledgehammer’. You can certainly see echoes of it in this song though, even in the video, which is kind of a mess honestly. That said, I think the song stands well enough in its own right.

Let’s focus first on the production and instrumentation. The song’s primarily driven by horns, but it also features guitar and bass keeping the song moving, plus an eclectic drum part. Those are accented by Peter Gabriel’s vocals, which carry his usual, quirky element that makes them unique. It’s also worth noting that this song is a little faster than ‘Sledgehammer’, which adds some diversity.

Of course, what specifically works in this song’s favor are the lyrics and subject matter. Once again, we’re seeing Peter Gabriel delving into a topic he seems to seriously enjoy to an almost embarrassing degree: sex. The song describes a woman who seems to know everything about everything, but Peter Gabriel knows more about her than she does. Interpret that however you wish. So, he wants to feel her “steam”, which is fairly explanatory.

As far as sex songs go, I’ve certainly heard worse. At the very least, Peter Gabriel is better at this than Bryan Adams because he sounds like he has some level of sexual experience and authority. He could only have written this kind of song if he’d had sex before. Where ‘Please Forgive Me’ is the awkward, uncomfortable, pathetic attempts at getting it on when you’re still in high school, ‘Steam’ is the sexual conquest of a seasoned veteran who’s intent on giving this woman the night of her dreams.

#5.

After the massive hit that was her debut album, Mariah Carey decided to explore other genres for her second. That album did pretty well for itself, but it didn’t achieve the same commercial or critical heights as her first, and it failed to introduce her to a new audience. So, for her third record, Mariah’s handlers decided to have her return to the same genre as her first, and I think that was the right choice.

#5. Dreamlover (Mariah Carey) [8; 1; 22 weeks]

What Madonna was to the ‘80s Mariah Carey was to the ‘90s. There might have been a number of noteworthy stars at different periods of this decade, but on the whole, the pop music world belonged to her. This was the period where she amassed the most hits, where she went through the most exploration of range and genres, and most importantly, where her quality was at its peak.

This song shows Mariah leaning a little more on pop with some R&B influence, and it’s a surprisingly good fit for her. While I do like it when she’s able to show off her range, I think she’s at her best when her voice is lighter and more melodic, like on ‘Love Takes Time’, ‘One Sweet Day’, or this song. Surprisingly though, ‘Dreamlover’ has her doing both.

Of course, it shares something in common with a different song of hers, ‘Fantasy’, in that it samples an older song, in this case ‘Blind Alley’ by the Emotions, and uses that sample to great effect. When putting this song together, she stated that she wanted to make something happy, which conflicted with co-writer and producer Dave Hall’s usual style. Of course, Walter Afanasieff, the only holdover from her debut album, contributed as well, reworking the organ, drums and keyboard, and changing the organ and hi-hat parts to add more swing and drive.

None of this is meant to make people think that Mariah’s continued success throughout the ‘90s was entirely because of everyone she worked with and discredit her own talent as a singer and songwriter. I still hesitate to consider myself a fan, but I won’t doubt that she is, or at least was very gifted and made incredibly good music. Twenty years later, she seems to be long past the point of having hits, but I hope she doesn’t stop making music regardless.

#4.

I don’t always enjoy going over artists I’ve already covered before. It tends to limit my exposure to the music of the time. That’s not to say that many of the artists I cover don’t warrant another listen though…

#4. I Get Around (2Pac) [56; 11; 15 weeks]

This was Tupac Shakur’s first hit song. It’s not his best, but it’s certainly a nice enough place to start from. It’s interesting to compare a song like this to some of the more socially conscious material he’s also made. While Tupac’s had quite a few songs about things like appreciation for his mama or respect towards women, it’s nice to know that, every once in a while, he can just have fun.

This song specifically focuses on something a lot of gangsta rappers tended to enjoy: bragging about their sexual activeness. It’s a song where Tupac talks about how he nails other guys girls, but it’s framed differently from how such songs tend to be. Most of the time, the guy’s just using it as a means to rub your face in the fact that he stole your chick because he can. Tupac, however, is presenting that it’s not meant to be a put down for the woman’s man; he respects guys that can keep their women away from him.

In addition, he still has standards about the kind of women he’ll engage in sexcapades with. He’s not just going to go with the first chick that asks; he wants the girl to tease him. For him that’s a form of foreplay. In addition, he makes it clear that he’s not interested in a relationship, and that he won’t put up with someone leading him on, deciding they don’t want sex, then accusing him of rape later.

Now, some of you are probably thinking, “Wait, wasn’t this kind of similar to that Positive K song on the worst list? How can you be okay with it here when you weren’t okay with it before?” One reason: Tupac possesses the charisma and personality that can allow him to pull this off. Positive K’s weak attempts at self-awareness just can’t measure up to Tupac’s swagger or confidence.

I might’ve been too young to get exposed to gangsta rap in its prime, but I’m glad that I can now look back on it and reflect on how much better it used to be. With some of the original big names in the genre gone now and their influence being felt less and less, it just goes to show how much good rap music we lost when Tupac and Biggie Smalls died. Keep getting around up in Thug Mansion, Tupac; you haven’t been forgotten.

#3.

I’m finding myself getting slowly more interested in rap music after putting these lists together, but I feel like there’s still something missing, something that could help draw me in further. What could possibly help me fully embrace hip-hop music? How about adding some jazz?

#3. Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat) (Digable Planets) [81; 15; 13 weeks]

For those not in the know, jazz rap is a fusion subgenre of hip-hop and jazz that coalesced in the late ‘80s. It was an attempt to combine African-American music of the past with the more dominant form of the present. It tends to use rhythms from hip-hop with the repetitive phrases of jazz instrumentation laid over that. The genre saw little mainstream success, but this year we got one hit song out of it from Digable Planets, and it is a masterpiece.

First, let’s look at the instrumentation and production. It includes samples from various songs: ‘Stretching’ by Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers, ‘Impeach the President’ by The Honey Drippers, ‘Blow Your Head’ by Fred Wesley & the J.B.’s, and ‘Foodstamps’ by 24-Carat Black. All four songs are incorporated impressively, and add to the atmosphere of the song. They each add a layer of class and style that most hip-hop music can’t hope to achieve, especially today.

That leaves us with the lyrics, with each verse written by one of the members of Digable Planets. All three verses share a common trend: for the most part, each line of each verse begins with a different pronoun, including question words like “who”, “why”, “where”, and “when”. As for the lyrics as a whole, they speak of hip-hop and how it had, or would become the new “cool”, and for the most part they were right. They even predicted this song becoming a classic.

It’s rare nowadays that you hear a song where the rappers brag about how cool they are and they come across as such. They sadly only ever released two albums before breaking up, but they have since had a few reunion tours, which apparently saw large crowds in attendance. If they decide to start releasing new material as a result of this, I wouldn’t complain; mainstream rap could use more Digable Planets in it.

#2.

1993 was a pretty good year for hip-hop. Pop rap was starting to fizzle out, gangsta rap was starting to take over, and we were seeing success from really good hip-hop acts like Tupac Shakur, Snoop Doggy Dogg, and Digable Planets. Sometimes though, it’s not the most high-minded projects that end up on top. In fact, it can be nice to have something simpler now and then, such as this.

#2. Hey Mr. D.J. (Zhané) [64; 6; 16 weeks]

Zhané was an American R&B/hip hop soul duo formed by Renée Neufville and Jean Norris. After meeting DJ Jazzy Jeff, they released their first professional recording together with ‘Ring My Bell’, which was on the same album that featured DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince’s ‘Summertime’. Former Warner Bros. executive Benny Medina then suggested they perform as a group, leading to their first recording opportunity: a high-profile spot on the all-star compilation ‘Roll Wit Tha Flava’. The song they created was ‘Hey Mr. D.J.’, one of the greatest hip-hop party anthems of all time.

The lyrics aren’t much to talk about; they basically talk about how it’s the weekend so let’s have some fun. How they’re presented, though, is very warmly and invitingly. Renée Neufville and Jean Norris are excellent vocalists and they play off of each other and harmonize very well on this song.

Of course, that leaves the production. The excellently handled, smooth as silk instrumentation was handled by 118^th Street Productions. I sadly can’t find a lot on this group, but from what I’ve seen this is one of the only things they’ve worked on. These guys deserved more work because this was easily the best-produced song to come from this year.

Zhané sadly didn’t do too much after this song. They released their debut album the following year, their follow-up album in 1997, and disbanded in 1999. The other singles they released weren’t as good as ‘Hey Mr. D.J.’, but I still liked all of them. I honestly wish they’d stuck around a little longer; I’m curious about what other kind of music they might’ve released. Despite all of this though, there is still one song I thought was better.

#1.

I’ve gone on record as saying I’m not a huge fan of doo-wop music. Part of the problem is that the genre just doesn’t feel very creative; once you’ve heard one such song you’ve basically heard them all. That said people could still do interesting things with the genre if they exercised enough effort, and I can safely say that, in 1993, Boyz II Men did so.

#1. In the Still of the Nite (I’ll Remember) (Boyz II Men) [12; 3; 13 weeks]

Boyz II Men were pretty unique for their time. Compared to other boy bands of the early ‘90s, like Color Me Badd or Hi-Five, they were easily the best. Their voices were generally in tune, and didn’t make me want to gouge out my ears, they didn’t sound like douche bags, and their subject matters tended to be a bit more mature for groups of their kind.

It’s worth noting that this is a cover of a Five Satins song from the mid-‘50s. The original was a traditional doo-wop ballad that didn’t really differentiate itself from other songs of the genre. It had generic lyrics about love, the harmonies were just not very interesting and while it might possibly have originated the term ‘doo-wop’, it just doesn’t feel very iconic.

Boyz II Men took this song and made it their own. In essence, all they did was make it a cappella, which can be a bit of a mixed bag. Doing so meant it needed to rely entirely on the voices to add layers or harmonies to the sound, and they deliver beautifully. For once, the nonsensical lyrics that bother me so much about doo-wop work to the song’s advantage by adding some atmosphere to the otherwise empty song. There’s just something the harmonized voices in this song bring that an instrument wouldn’t be able to.

With how often I tend to bash on terrible covers, it’s nice to hear one that’s not just good, but an improvement compared to the original. It’s not often that you hear an a cappella song on the radio, even back then, so it was a nice change to hear something like this. ‘In the Still of the Nite’ by Boyz II Men: the best hit song of 1993.