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APPLE MUSIC PLAYLIST:
MERCH:
TIKTOK:
IG:
TWITTER:
(Return of the Mic) Come on
(Return of the Mic) Oh my God
(You know that I’ll be back) Here I am
Let me know your favorite 90s songs/albums/related things in the comments!
TIMESTAMPS
00:00 Intro
00:51 1990
02:32 Madonna – “Vogue”
03:53 1991
04:23 Garth Brooks – Ropin’ The Wind
07:56 Nirvana – Nevermind
09:58 1992
11:02 Dr. Dre – The Chronic
12:08 1993
13:15 The Wu Tang Clan – Enter The Wu Tang (36 Chambers)
14:57 1994
15:58 Green Day – Dookie
17:09 1995
18:06 Oasis – Wonderwall
19:49 Mariah Carey & Boyz II Men – “One Sweet Day”
22:23 1996
23:07 Spice Girls – “Wannabe”
24:59 1997
26:03 Suzanne Vega – “Tom’s Diner”
30:06 1998
30:40 Korn – Follow The Leader
32:23 Cher – “Believe”
33:46 1999
34:46 Britney Spears – …Baby One More Time
36:50 2000 & Beyond
SOURCES CITED
“The Boyz II Men Effect.” This is Pop, directed by Chelsea McMullan, season 1, episode 4, Banger Films, 2021.
Great Big Story. “How a Suzanne Vega Song Helped Create the MP3.” YouTube, 18 Mar. 2020, .
Harvilla, Rob. “How Soundscan Changed Everything We Knew about Popular Music.” The Ringer, The Ringer, 25 May 2021, .
Klosterman, Chuck. The Nineties. Prentice Hall Press, 2022.
Rose, Joel, and Jacob Ganz. “The MP3: A History of Innovation and Betrayal.” NPR, NPR, 23 Mar. 2011, .
Sanneh, Kelefa. Major Labels: A History of Popular Music in Seven Genres. Random House USA, 2022.
Weaver, Caity. “The Rise of The Spice Girls Generation.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 19 July 2019, .
Witt, Stephen. How Music Got Free: A Story of Obsession and Invention. Penguin USA, 2016.
8BIT COVERS
Blue:
Man I Feel Like A Woman:
Wannabe:
OTHER ASSETS
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Photo by Zach Vessels on Unsplash
Photo by Edson Saldaña on Unsplash
Photo by Madie Hamilton on Unsplash
The Music That Defined The 1990s | Mic The Snare
Hi-five
13.11.2022maybe highlight how this list is extremely western and very American. that's still an interesting topic, but it's not a definitive list.
meluckycharms111
13.11.2022Oh! And the swing dancing craze! And Hootie!
Adil Asgher
13.11.2022I’m a little surprised that Latin music did not get that much attention in this video collection, really the “deepest cut” was the Macarena. Surely other artists were carving their own spaces in this decade.
rina
13.11.2022Genuinely shocked at how little r&b there is in this video compared to rock/rap/pop when it was a big decade for r&b as well. Aaliyah would have been a great add. Along with several other r&b artists
I would have also added (or at least mentioned) Selena
Adil Asgher
13.11.2022Also, I just felt tickled that this decade almost dared to try and reinvigorate swing music, to varying degrees of success
BRUNO
13.11.2022I saw the thumbnail and was like, "I GUARANTEE KORN IS ON THE LIST". 🤣🤣🤣 30:37
Jonathan Williams
13.11.2022Amazing work here
mangolollipop
13.11.2022The 90s hold a special place in my heart and because I love the music and the era I was born in
Kai Decadence
13.11.2022Honestly the best thing about the 1990s is just how there was so much variety in the mainstream. It was the era of going all out when it came ot the music television and the radio. So many styles of music getting radio or MTV attention that you wouldn't think would've as well as the openness for new experimentation. All the different kinds of Alternative rock that took the sound but used it in different ways. The 2000s was when things started to become so formulaic in what you heard on the radio since at this point, the record labels took notice of what sounds were more popular than others and ran with this which made things so streamlined and oversaturated.
that's not to say that the 2000s didn't have good music because it did, it's just that there's no denying that as far as genre variety in top 40 music went, the 90s was the final era that had that and it was sad to see.
Anyway I love 90s music, especially 90s alternative rock so I live for videos like this, especially since there aren't many essay-like videos that talk about this era of music so thank you for taking the time to make this! I especially love how you included references to popular events that happened in their respective year along with the music lol. Yeah there were some bands I wished got covered that you didn't include like The Smashing Pumpkins, Nine Inch Nails, Fiona Apple, No Doubt, Haddaway, Deee-Lite, Bjork, Liz Phair, Third Eye Blind, Alice In Chains, Moby, Daft Punk, and many others but I understand that you were just wanting to focus on the core popular stuff so that's fair enough lol.
All in all, fun mini documentary. 🙂
lexi
13.11.2022love this ❤
Des_L1720
10.11.2022I love you.
Trying It At Home
10.11.2022blink 182 were a huge part in the turn of the millennium
Pooky1991
10.11.2022Much like New Jack swing, i am a sucker for the 90s House sound
Cess Xiii
10.11.2022Quite a bit out of bounds on some of the hip hop stuff, but over-all a good video. East v West was more about 2 labels, Wu wasnt a part of it, and those on the east who WERE, sounded nothing like them, and admittedly were trying to do an east coast version of what Dre n death row were doing. Including using samples of those west coast artists on their records lol
Cess Xiii
10.11.2022Nirvana did what they did, grunge dies in a 4 year span (at least 6 years less than what they replaced), and that same Sept 91 Guns n Roses go #1 and #2 first week album sales with Use Your Illusion 1 and 2. Even when trying, Nirvana couldn't stop Guns LOL m/ Also? Nirvana and especially Kurt, are the poster boys of desperately wanting their success while trying ridiculously hard to pretend they didnt want it at all. Neat trick LOL Ever see those letters of Kurt telling labels he will pay to be on them, he just wants to be on one? I mean, let's look at the entire picture here lol
Contrast Dab
10.11.2022OK Computer feels like an obvious missed opportunity, bestie. Radiohead's masterpiece was also the best critically received album ever and sold incredibly well. Kinda shaped rock for a while too
Was Ble
10.11.2022why 4:3??? 1990s theme??
L_i_b_r_a D
10.11.2022guys bebe rexha went blue ba ba dee da ba diiiii
Baraka Salumu
10.11.2022You touched on the popularity of R&B several times throughout this video, but one thing I would've loved to see you specifically mention was the futuristic sonic experimentation of late 90's R&B pioneered by the likes of Timbaland and Missy Elliot in songs and albums like Aaliyah's "One In A Million" and Missy's Supa Dupa Fly. I think when a lot of people think of 90's R&B they think of that sound in particular. Great video as always!
UltimateAwe
10.11.2022Excellent ❤
duane dogsdayout
08.11.2022MADONNA 🤩MADONNA 🤩MADONNA 🤩MADONNA 🤩MADONNA 🤩
duane dogsdayout
08.11.2022Do a Madonna deep dive! 🥺🙏🏾
Riley !
08.11.2022I love love love these videos, keep it up!! Welcome Back <33
Mya McGee
08.11.2022Great to see you back, Mic! This video hit me right in the childhood! That was a nice touch, adding “Dire Dire Docks” as the background music for 1996!
I would have liked to see you talk a little bit about the Latin pop explosion in the late 90s: Ricky Martin, Marc Anthony, Enrique Iglesias, and J Lo are just a few artists that come to mind for me.
Excellent video, and glad to see you’re doing well.
j b
08.11.2022Mariah the legend!!!!
Kowloon Broadcast Tower
08.11.2022maaan, I just appreciate this 90s-related video being that long. one of the best I‘ve ever seen dedicated to the subject. Great job 👏🏾
Tomas Jephersin
08.11.2022I Feel U Missed The Latin Wave…. Ricky Martin Enrique Iglesias And Jennifer Lopez… Even Selena… That Moment Was Wild
Louis Jones
08.11.2022OK Computer deserves a place on this list, just sayin. Great, great video.
Kathryn M.
08.11.2022Superb video, earned yourself a new subscriber. I laughed at how quickly mentioned the Macarena and diverted… that song meant more to me because I practiced the moves with my sister to celebrate my Uncle's wedding when that song released. We were very young at the time but that song brought me happy memories despite how goofy it is. Thanks for your retrospective on 90s music, I learned more about that period and some of the headlines too.
Olivia Draeger
08.11.2022Glad to have you back! I hope that you've gotten some much needed rest and have been practicing self care. You're always worth the wait<3
HJ Yeager
07.11.2022I guess it didn't necessarily help define the 90s, but to me, the best album of the 90s is Loveless by mbv
pbfloyd13
07.11.2022My favorite Nirvana story…
When they went to play on MTV unplugged they specifically chose to play none of their hits, all deep cuts and covers…
AND 👏🏿THOSE 👏🏿BECAME👏🏿 SOME 👏🏿OF 👏🏿 THEIR 👏🏿MOST 👏🏿POPULAR 👏🏿SONGS 👏🏿
gental robots
07.11.2022Great video but the thumbnail bothers me it has Memphis art which is a defining style of the 80s not the 90s it doesn’t matter but I’d like to see very early computer graphic design like the clueless logo or the matrix logo! Now that’s authentic 90s!
Lizzy Von Bloom
07.11.2022This Smashing Pumpkins erasure is criminal. Go to jail.
Jesse Jackson
07.11.2022the 90s to a 2000s kid is like that one decade in school you don't show up and a bunch of great stuff happens, so great it's comical
Ulemu Mpaso
07.11.2022you skipped Eminem he is the highest selling white rapper, and the best white rapper to ever do it.
Tara Gray
07.11.2022Love your videos!
Robin
07.11.2022IT IS HERE HE DID IT IT IS HEEEEERREEE!!
ari
07.11.2022YESSSS IVE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS ONE 😩😩
Liiszu Meow
07.11.2022Stellar video, as always. I was born in the end of 89, so a lot of that music was a defining factor in my upbringing.
I realise this list is very America-centric. If I could make note of one omission, it is The Prodigy. Music for the Jilted Generation was their first album, but 1997's Fat Of The Land was a pivotal moment in electronic music, blending genres like rock, hip-hop and breakbeat. The summer of love of '89 in the UK ushered in a new era of rave and breakbeat, which inspired countless of dance musicians. Breakbeat, garage – hugely popular at the turn of the century – then UK dubstep which turned into the US dubstep led by Skrillex and then EDM in general (which I think is shite but huge in the world). I am pretty sure Skrillex would list The Prodigy as an inspiration, and you talk about that in your 2010s video, so it all ties together.
Felix Blacksher
06.11.2022So much street cred lost for mispronouncing GZA. For shame.
Luciano Carneiro Guedes
06.11.2022Man, it is always a treat to watch your work. Thanks again!
Summer
06.11.2022I was literally wondering if you'd do something like this a little while ago!! great video as always, the picks made sense to me!
Jonas Wendin
06.11.2022I like your videos though and this was generally very good, BUT: Garth Brooks didn't define the 90's outside of America. At least not here in Europe. We care as much about Garth Brooks as we care about baseball or American "football", which is very little.
daming alam
06.11.2022No mention of 'Miseducation of Lauryn Hill'??? Incomplete list.
Tigger Weg
06.11.2022You missed a whole genre that was huge and influetial in the UK at least: Triphop. Shame!
strange_paradise
06.11.2022Growing up in the 90s was wild. Music was a big part of it, too.
Marko Rujević
06.11.2022Who are the guys in Germany from 1:25 ????
kyol
06.11.2022RIP Aaron Carter
Mic The Snare
06.11.2022Feels good to be back, thank you all for being patient. Hope this one is worth the wait 🙂