Which of these three songs best represents the 90s?

[All Along The Watchtower]

In the spirit of BRTD's latest threads here...

Song 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eeWjzBHUdsI

Song 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZThOsCv2Mw

Song 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nm-1xvWibt0

This is not, o/c, asking "what is the most 90s song ever?" Just out of the three songs I selected, which one do you think best embodies that decade?

[free my dawg]

Write-In: Two Princes

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nzY2Qcu5i2A

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nzY2Qcu5i2A

This.

[DemPGH]

Yeah, the movies thread got me thinking about this too, ha.

Madonna captured all of the '90s, and is who I think of when I think of '90s performers. So many people were great for a few years or who you can associate with the early '90s or the late '90s, but Madonna is all of the '90s.

It's clearly "Ray of Light" from 1997, I believe. Heh, boy, do I remember that year.

[tik 🪀✨]

I'll go #3

You're missing some pop rock faux-rapping diddies though.

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=LQj--Kjn0z8

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=MyjTrwOMSO4

[Clarko95 📚💰📈]

I've always felt that "Hey Jealousy" represents the 90s best in my mind.



But I wasn't there for half of it. So I went with Pretty Fly for a White Guy.

[RosettaStoned]

 I went with Song #2. IMO, Semi Charmed Life by Third Eye Blind has always been the most 90s song.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Either Smells Like Teen Spirit or Cut Your Hair.

[morgieb]

Between Song 1 and Song 3 IMO.

I concur with most of the other nominations, and reckon Longview is pretty 90's too.

[politicallefty]

Of the choices, Song 2 is definitely one of the definitive songs of the early 90s. (It's also one of my favourite songs.) I voted for that over the others.

It's hard to pick one song as being definitive of the 90s because there's a pretty big difference between early 90s music and the music later in the decade. If I had to pick, it'd have to be something from the early 90s. I think it had the biggest impact and has had far more staying power. In my view, Smells Like Teen Spirit is the definitive 90s song.

[patrick1]

Yeah, the movies thread got me thinking about this too, ha.

Madonna captured all of the '90s, and is who I think of when I think of '90s performers. So many people were great for a few years or who you can associate with the early '90s or the late '90s, but Madonna is all of the '90s.

It's clearly "Ray of Light" from 1997, I believe. Heh, boy, do I remember that year.

Hate  to burst your bubble here but Madonna was an 80's act who managed to stay relevant every couple years by putting out a moderate hit or alternatively being an attention w.

"Grunge" was popular for a year or two.

I really like the Hey Jealousy and Semi Charmed Life votes because it captures what was being played.

Sadly, I think I go with Spice Girls Wannabe, it really ushered in a new age of boy bands and girl band gimmicky garbage that has continued unabated.

[DemPGH]

She "stayed relevant"? Ha! She evolved into a brand name in the '90s. But it could be a geographical thing as well. Or it could be an unanswerable question.

I forgot about grunge, maybe because it was just another mid '90s thing as I recall, and I didn't know three people who were into it.

I had a buddy who was into Charlie Daniels, but country has always been kind of it's own thing. Country rock, I guess, was trendy in some circles, but maybe it had been for years, IDK about the country scene.

[Oakvale]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DL7-CKirWZE

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sEDw9xgSmSc

[Napoleon]

She "stayed relevant"? Ha! She evolved into a brand name in the '90s. But it could be a geographical thing as well. Or it could be an unanswerable question.

My initial reaction was the same- uh, dude, Madonna was definitely the 80s. But after looking into it I might agree. Then again, she was the top earning celebrity of 2013 so......

[traininthedistance]

I'd say that the three biggest things that came out of the '90s were a) grunge, b) gangsta rap, and c) boy bands.  So, perhaps, some representatives from those genres?

Though "Ironic" is a pretty great choice (and is what I voted for here); it has to be in the running.

I'd also nominate this:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xat1GVnl8-k

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

This should also be mentioned: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENXvZ9YRjbo

[patrick1]

She "stayed relevant"? Ha! She evolved into a brand name in the '90s. But it could be a geographical thing as well. Or it could be an unanswerable question.

I conflated her early 90's, when she was the biggest star in the world, with the 80's stuff. I see the 90's as a steady decline leading into a caricature that she became. i.e kabbalah, British accented, scary looking, Swept Away

[retromike22]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pav2f4b-1ZE

[DemPGH]

She "stayed relevant"? Ha! She evolved into a brand name in the '90s. But it could be a geographical thing as well. Or it could be an unanswerable question.

My initial reaction was the same- uh, dude, Madonna was definitely the 80s. But after looking into it I might agree. Then again, she was the top earning celebrity of 2013 so......

To me, Springsteen is wall-to-wall in the '80s (and beyond). He's the musician of that decade. Madonna's success crescendos by the end of the '80s and then explodes in the '90s (and beyond).

But it's a very subjective discussion (like being a 7th grade boy and seeing her in Dick Tracy and thinking, whoa!). But you know, is Shakespeare a great 16th century author, or a great 17th century author? Hmm. Both, obviously!

[patrick1]

She "stayed relevant"? Ha! She evolved into a brand name in the '90s. But it could be a geographical thing as well. Or it could be an unanswerable question.

My initial reaction was the same- uh, dude, Madonna was definitely the 80s. But after looking into it I might agree. Then again, she was the top earning celebrity of 2013 so......

To me, Springsteen is wall-to-wall in the '80s (and beyond). He's the musician of that decade. Madonna's success crescendos by the end of the '80s and then explodes in the '90s (and beyond).

But it's a very subjective discussion (like being a 7th grade boy and seeing her in Dick Tracy and thinking, whoa!). But you know, is Shakespeare a great 16th century author, or a great 17th century author? Hmm. Both, obviously!

I was actually in 7th or 8th grade and remember seeing Dick Tracey in the movies, so I hear ya there. From my POV, though she just got worse as the decade went on. The Evita stuff holds no relevance for me.   All of her good music, IMO,  was in the 80's. Springsteen reached his heights of pop stardom in the the 80's but much of his classics are in the 70's.

Whoever, said Two Princes nailed this question too. That is a good one.  Ace of Bass is a very 90's thing too.

[Eraserhead]

She "stayed relevant"? Ha! She evolved into a brand name in the '90s. But it could be a geographical thing as well. Or it could be an unanswerable question.

My initial reaction was the same- uh, dude, Madonna was definitely the 80s. But after looking into it I might agree. Then again, she was the top earning celebrity of 2013 so......

To me, Springsteen is wall-to-wall in the '80s (and beyond). He's the musician of that decade. Madonna's success crescendos by the end of the '80s and then explodes in the '90s (and beyond).

But it's a very subjective discussion (like being a 7th grade boy and seeing her in Dick Tracy and thinking, whoa!). But you know, is Shakespeare a great 16th century author, or a great 17th century author? Hmm. Both, obviously!

Springsteen's best stuff came out in the 70s.

As for the songs here, I voted for the second one (mostly because it's the only one I like).

[Franknburger]

I tended to see the 90s as a rather boring period - not much new, mostly 80s trends continuing. However, all the posters here have reminded me that a number of really great songs came out in that decade.

I think, a bit more internationality is appropriate:

Germany*)
UK (yeah, it already has been mentioned)
Sweden
Latin*)
Down under

Personally I'd go for this one. It represents a major 1990s trend, namely female singing/ song-writing, As #3 is in the same tradition (and a pretty good example of it), I voted for it.

For those curious, here two of my German language favourites - still very popular here, though probably unknown to most outside the German-speaking world:
- Local heroes
- Political anthem

*) Don't have them on CD, for good reason, but they are nevertheless quite typical for certain periods of the 90s.

[Dancing with Myself]

Madonna stayed relevant thanks to the 90's. She had her movies and did well with Evita, plus she got knocked up and became a mom, she evolved.

As for the main three, none of them were spectacular but I'd go with 3 I guess.