Nostalgic Music - 1993

Good morning (or afternoon or evening, depending on when you read. It's morning for me, so that's where we'll leave it) all you 90s music enthusiasts. Welcome to yet another lively installment of Nostalgic 90s Music.

Before we take another epic dive into the wildly thrilling world of 90s music, it has come to my attention that TeenNick will be premiering what they call "The 90s Are All That" tonight! Behold, the beauty of classic 90s kids television for your viewing pleasure. I have already made a note to set my DVR as soon as I get home from work tonight so that I, too, may participate in the nostalgia-rendering footage. Read about it on my favorite blog here: http://childrenofthenineties.blogspot.com/2011/07/to-discuss-exciting-90s-tv-development.html

Now, on to what we've all (and by "we" I mean me) been waiting for, the music of 1993! First, as always, a few fun facts about the next year in our line-up:

*I turned 8
*The state of Washington executes notorious serial killer Westley Allan Dodd by hanging, making it the first legal hanging in the US since 1965
*Bill Clinton becomes the 42nd US President
*The World Trade Center is bombed by a van parked underneath in its garage
*The ATF raids the Branch Davidian compound in Waco TX, initially
killing 4 agents and 5 Davidians
*Lorena Bobbit becomes infamous by cutting off her husband's penis in Virginia
*A bomb from the Unabomber injures a computer scientist at Yale University
*Magic: The Gathering is first released
*NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement) passes in the US, Canada, and Mexico

So, there you have it. A brief and semi-educational look at 1993 in a nutshell (especially the release of Magic: The Gathering, obviously).

I would also like to dedicate this blog post to my kick-ass mom, who is (in one way or another) somehow a part of nearly every song on this list.

And now, without torturing you (or myself) and further, my first list of the Top 10 Songs of 1993:

1) "The River of Dreams" ~Billy Joel: As my all-time favorite musician/artist/singer/songwriter ever, this is a perfect place to start. "The River of Dreams" is the title track and first single released off of Billy's twelfth studio album, obviously named River of Dreams. The song became Billy Joel's biggest hit of the 90s, peaking at number 3 in the US and number 1 in Australia and the Billboard Adult Contemporary Chart. It was also nominated for a Grammy Award for Record of the Year, but lost to "I Will Always Love You" by Whitney Houston. (Touche, Grammys. Touche.)

It's hard to describe my undying devotion and loyalty to Billy Joel. I know pretty much every word to every one of his songs, and this one is no different. I remember my mother bringing home with the album that year and being obsessed with the cover art. My mother is a long-time Billy Joel obsessee, since long before he was famous, and encouraged my shared obsession by taking me to concerts, playing his music constantly, and reminding me that he is a native New Yorker (like her) and fellow member of the Tribe.

As for this particular song, it's a bit different than Billy's past hits. There's really no piano to speak of (considering he is THE Piano Man), but the song is catchy and meaningful, so you forget about the whole piano mishap. Also, if you don't already know the album by heart, I suggest downloading it from iTunes, as some of his best (albeit lesser-known) songs reside there, like "Lullaby(Goodnight, My Angel)," "Two Thousand Years," (which I think should replace all New Years Eve songs), and "All About Soul."

2) "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" ~The Proclaimers: Oddly enough, this song was first released in 1988 on The Proclaimers's album Sunshine on Leith and then later as a standalone single. The song reached number 11 in the UK and number 1 in Australia in 1989 but did not become a hit in the US until 1993, where is eventually reached number 27. Despite it's not-exactly-chart-topping performance here in the states, the song remains The Proclaimers's biggest hit and is a staple of their live performances. It is still played regularly at Scottish football and rugby games and has been featured in an array of TV shows and movies.

Every single time I hear this song, I literally laugh out loud. It's hilarious for many a reason, but the biggest reason being that this song hovers toward the top of my mother's list of songs she absolutely cannot tolerate and will not allow to be played in her vicinity (next to "I Shot The Sheriff" and "Red, Red Wine"). My brother and I used to sing this in the car on our way to day camp every morning that summer, raising my mother's blood pressure to what I can only guess was a seriously unhealthy level. But Mom aside, this song is awesome. I still have no idea what "haver" means, but I know that these guys loved this girl(s?) so much that they began making up words just to add to their song to her(them?). I believe it's impossible to not sing along to what may be the worlds easiest and catchiest chorus of all time, "And IIIII would walk 500 miles and IIIII would walk 500 more just beeeeee the man who walks a thousand miiiiiles to fall down at your door---BA DA BA!!!" You know you love the "ba da pa" part too, admit it.

3) "Whoomp! (There It Is)" ~Tag Team: Released in 1993 by the Miami bass group Tag Team, "Whoomp! (There It Is)" reached number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts and number 1 on the US R&B charts. The song quickly became a huge hit and was made the theme song for the 1993 Philadelphia Phillies. The chorus is nearly identical to the song "Whoot, There It Is" by 95 South (which was released only one month prior) but the verses of the two songs are entirely different. (Not to mention that the 95 South song only reached number 11 on the charts). A clear one-hit-wonder, this song is still used regularly today at all kinds of sporting events.

This song brings back fond memories of cheerleading competitions and Jock Jams. Anyone who has ever been part of a cheerleading team know that it's songs like these (used in one way or another by nearly every competitive team) that are the staple to cheer routines. Hearing this song brings me back to moments of letting my mom french braid my hair and cake on silly amounts of blue eyeshadow and hair glitter and red bows so that each girl on the team could look identical to one another while we hoisted each other in the air and did cartwheels (plus shouting on the "chaka-laka's" repeatedly). Completely practical. I apologize, Mom (and to everyone else on the team's mom) for making you sit through these things. (But we totally had fun.)

4) "If" ~Janet Jackson: Released on her fifth studio album, janet, as the second single, "If" peaked at number 4 on the US charts. Written by Janet Jackson, Jimmy Jam, and Terry Louis, the song was a major departure for Jackson, combining hip-hop, heavy metal guitar riffs, and dance music. The song was seen as an extension of what she was trying to create on her previous album, Rhythm Nation. The song was highly sexually charged and was picked on by critics, but remains a song Janet has performed on every single one of her tours, including her current tour Number Ones: Up Close and Personal.

This song gives me goosebumps. I still believe this is one of Janet's sexiest songs and it always makes me want to get up and dance like a crazy-person. (Not saying that I don't always dance like a crazy-person.) The guitar parts and military-esque beats (a la Rhythm Nation) were such a unique mix and had the capability to appeal to many more audiences than her previous singles. Janet represents an all around girl kick-ass-ness power (listen to "Son Of A Gun" of you're a nonbeliever as of yet) and I still get a charge out of wearing my mom's Rhythm Nation tour shirt. Plus, the video is super hot. It's win/win.

5) "Runaway Train" ~Soul Asylum: Released off their sixth studio album, Grave Dancers Union, "Runaway Train" was Soul Asylum's third album single. The song reached number 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1993 and also won a Grammy for Best Rock Song in 1994. The song was also well-known for it's video, which (in the US) started off with the line "There are over one million youth lost on the streets of America." Several versions of the video were made and eventually led to many successful reunions of missing children and their families. However, not every reunion was successful. In one case, one of the "missing" children turned out not to be "missing" at all, but was killed and buried in the backyard by her mother who was in a nasty court custody battle with the girl's father.

"Runaway Train" is one of my favorite songs of all time, and Soul Asylum still sits toward the top of my favorite bands list. The song is nostalgia gold, and while I didn't quite understand it's context back in the day, I can appreciate and respect it now for all it's efforts and concern for missing kids in both the US and UK. The band's other big hit, "Misery," is a favorite of mine and one of my BBFs, Joe, and together, the two songs bring me back...way back...to a time when music still rocked and had meaning.

6) "Can't Help Falling In Love" ~UB40: Released on their tenth (wow, really? UB40 had nine other albums before this one?) studio album, Promises and Lies, the song reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100. A cover of the original version by Elvis Presley (which was featured on his album and, later, movie Blue Hawaii), UB40 kept the song in it's original format, but gave it their own, unique, British-reggae feel.

Another one of my mom's all-time most hated groups, UB40 (thanks to their hit "Red, Red Wine," which has been deemed irresponsible and intolerable by Mom, as previously mentioned) still makes me smile. This is still one of my favorite Elvis songs (as cliche as it may seem) and I love UB40 for bringing it to a younger, more Elvis-ignorant generation. I know it's a cover, but there's something sincere in singer Robin Campbell's whiny voice. It's as if, well, he can't help falling in love with...me. Or someone. Whoever.

7) "I'll Never Get Over You Getting Over Me" ~Expose: Peaking at number 8 on the American pop charts, this song dominated the radio waves in the summer of 1993. The song was written by Dianne Warren and recorded by Expose for their album of the same name. The song has been covered numerous times, including a recording by the late, great Selena.

There's not much to say about this song. For some strange reason, I was obsessed with in the in summer of 1993. I have distinct memories of, once again, riding to day camp with my mom and hearing this song every single morning on the radio. I loved it and knew every word. Upon a recent listening, however, I've decided that there is absolutely nothing exciting about this song. Both the melody and lyrics are mundane, not exactly profound or thought-provoking. The vocals are OK at best and give me the feeling that it's best suited for a middle school dance and nothing more. Nonetheless, this song was a childhood staple that, for some reason, held my attention at age 8.

8) "Two Princes" ~Spin Doctors: The band's most popular hit, "Two Princes" was released on the album Pocket Full of Kryptonite. It reached number 7 in the US, number 3 in the UK, and number 2 in Canada; however, it was ranked by Blender Magazine as one of the "Top 50 Worst Songs Ever." The band also did a modified version of the song for Sesame Street stressing the important of sharing. (Awww.)

Despite the claims made by Blender, I would like to go on record saying that this is FAR from one of the worst songs ever. I could easily come up with 50 songs that were much worse than "Two Princes" (and perhaps I will in another blog post). This song has all the makings of a classic: easy rhyming, random white-boy scatting, gender equality (letting the woman buy him flowers---how fair!), and the offering of rockets. Who doesn't want rockets as a romantic gesture? I know I do. (Could be why none of my past relationships have worked out. Not enough rockets.) Plus, we all know this song and love to sing along (though, I'll be honest, I had to look up the lyrics.) It's a 90s favorite, for heavens sake! Also, big shout out to my friend Matt who performed this in high school (circa 2002 maybe?) in "concert" (or the high school equivalent) and totally kicked ass and didn't mess up the words. Kudos!

9) "I'm Every Woman" ~Whitney Houston: Originally recorded by Chaka Khan in 1978, Ms. Whitney re-recorded the hit for The Bodyguard soundtrack and released the single in 1993. This song was released just after her huge hit (another cover) "I Will Always Love You" from the same soundtrack and peaked at number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song remained in the Top 40 for 19 weeks. As a tribute to Chaka Khan, Whitney gives her a shout-out at the end of the song and Chaka is also featured in Whitney's video.

Ahh, another song that reminds me of my mom. This song is a serious proclamation of power for women everywhere. I mean, let's be honest, ladies...we know this song is gospel, we just didn't really want men to be privy to this secretive information. Thanks, Whitney, for giving us all away. We did not need them all knowing we could actually read their thoughts (every one from A to Z) and cast spells. Sheesh, talk about a dead give-away. But, regardless, this song is a booty-shaker and makes you feel powerful for all 4 minutes and 10 seconds.

10) "What's Up?" ~4 Non Blondes: Mistakenly called "What's Goin' On" by nearly everyone, "What's Up?" was named so to avoid confusion with the Marvin Gaye song (not that the two are comparable, but OK). The song was released at the second single of the album Bigger, Better, Faster, More! and was, unfortunately, their only real hit. "What's Up?" was written by Linda Perry (the band's singer, better known as celebrity go-to song writer for the likes of Christina Aguilera for songs like "Beautiful") and it ranked number 14 at it's peak position on the US Billboard Hot 100.

This is one of my favorite songs to sing (karaoke, in the shower, in my car, etc.), bar none. Linda Perry is one of my top favorite song writers and all-around wonder woman, and I find her voice incredible. Although not the prettiest voice ever, Linda possesses a quality that few share. I put her in the same category as Stevie Nicks: fascinating, strange, unique, and awesome. I still get pumped when this song comes on (especially when I was 25, since it was all too true...and still is a year later). "Twenty-five years and my life is still trying to get up that great big hill of hope...for a destination...mmmm..."

Well fellow 90s whores, there you have it. 1993 in a neat little mom-filled package. (Mom, I hope you're reading this, it being dedicated to you and all!) Join me next week as we ease on down the road to 1994. (I know. This is a 1975 reference, and I'll get there at some point. Play along.) Until next time...