Incredible Songs: 1990s, Vol. 2

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Incredible Songs: 1990s, Vol. 2 features music courtesy of Alanis Morrisette, Backstreet Boys, Coolio, Madonna, and Whitney Houston.

Ah, to be a 1990s kid! Sure, born in the late 1980s, much of the early music I experienced beyond the oldies played by my parents hailed from the 90s. Continuing a playlist series that examines various musical decades/eras, 🎧 Incredible Songs: 1990s, Vol. 2 marks the second of many anticipated volumes of some surefire musical highlights from the 90s, following 🎧 Incredible Songs: 1990s, Vol. 1 (2023). Will every big hit and every important song be covered? Nope – far too much ground! That said, you’re sure to find some bops and gems over the span of how many volumes of Incredible Songs: 1990s ultimately arrive. 🎧 Incredible Songs: 1990s, Vol. 2 features music courtesy of 🎙 Alanis Morrisette , 🎙 Backstreet Boys, 🎙 Coolio, 🎙 Madonna, and 🎙 Whitney Houston among others. Remember, each volume only scratches the musical surface!

1. Backstreet Boys, “I Want It That Way”

💿 Millennium • 🏷 Zomba • 📅 1999

“You are my fire / The one desire / Believe when I say / I want it that way.” WOO! Ah, those 🎙 Backstreet Boys were one of the biggest boy bands in the late 1990s. Bubblegum pop was all the rage, and BSB exemplified it, particularly on the 💿 Millennium (1999) highlight at hand, 🎵 “I Want It That Way”. This record is pop schmaltz at its best, with many characterizing or decoding the want – the desire – in NSFW ways. Do you think “I Want It That Way,” which spent 31 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, and peaked at no. 6, is really about anal sex? Kat George of Bustle seems to think so, citing the lyrics, “But we are two worlds apart / Can’t reach to your heart / When you say / That I want it that way”:

“[It] might sound like some emo Romeo and Juliet melodrama to some people, but what it really sounds like to most of us is that someone doesn’t want to put it in the stinker after they were asked politely.”

Oh, snap 🫰! Perhaps if “I Want It That Way” were officially about pulling up to the bumper, it would be hella fierce. Ultimately, however, the fierceness of “I Want It That Way” relies on puppy dog love from good looking young men, haha. “Am I your fire? / Your one desire…” Well now… To be fair, the songwriting (🎼 ✍ Andreas Carlsson and Max Martin) is sus. The verses, in particularly, are odd. Perhaps that’s why the outlandish assertion that this song is about anal is worth talking about 🤣. Ultimately, the tunefulness of the melody, and a catchy chorus helped make 🎵 “I Want It That Way” a 1990s classic. It was nominated for three Grammys (including Song of The Year), so, confusing, questionable lyrics or not, The Backstreet Boys and their songwriters 🎵 “Must Be Doin’ Somethin’ Right”, 🎙 Billy Currington 😝!

Appears in 🔻:

Backstreet Boys, I Want It That Way: FIERCE Pop + Rock 🔥🤘 31 (2023)

2. Madonna, “Justify My Love”

💿 The Immaculate Collection • 🏷 Warner • 🗓 1990

“Wanting, needing, waiting / For you to justify my love.” Reading the lyrics on the page, it doesn’t sound nearly as sexy and lustful as when 🎙 Madonna performs them. The words hail from the chorus of one of the sexiest (and most controversial) songs of her illustrious career, 🎵 “Justify My Love”. “Justify” appears on her 1990 compilation, 💿 The Immaculate Collection. Another no. 1 hit single for Madge, it stands out the first time you hear it. Notably, it was written by her, 🎼 ✍ Ingrid Chavez, and Lenny Kravitz. Madonna mostly provides spoken word, in an erotic, horny way. None of the lyrics are extraordinarily risqué – it was 1990 – but the personality she infuses elevates the temperature. “I want to run naked in a rainstorm,” she asserts in the first verse, adding, “Make love in a train cross-country / You put this in me / So now what, so now what?” Hmm, “You put this in me” doesn’t seem like a coincidence! Madge also makes it clear that she “Don’t want to be your mother /…sister either / I just want to be your lover.” Woo! The third verse seems the most progressive, particularly the end:

“I’m not afraid of who you are

We can fly!

Poor is the man

Whose pleasures depend

On the permissions of another

Love me, that’s right, love me

I want to be your baby.”

Those lyrics seem to match the LGBTQ 🌈 component of the music video 🎶📼, which features same-sex couples enjoying love just like Madge does.

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3. Whitney Houston, “All the Man That I Need”

💿 I’m Your Baby Tonight • 🏷 Arista • 🗓 1990

“And in the evening / When the moon is high / He holds me close and won’t let go / He won’t let go.” The late, great 🎙 Whitney Houston had a knack for covers.  Her most famous cover was 🎵 “I Will Always Love You” with 🎵 “The Greatest Love of All” in the mix as well.  However, on her 1990 album, 💿 I’m Your Baby Tonight, the 🏆 Grammy-winning singer also did wonders with another cover and no. 1 hit, 🎵 “All the Man That I Need”. “All the Man That I Need” was written by 🎼✍ Dean Pitchford and Michael Gore and originally recorded by 🎙 Linda Clifford in 1982.  Also, prior to the iconic Houston version, 🎙 Sister Sledge recorded it as the penultimate track on their 1982 album, 💿 The Sisters.  Ultimately, despite being a cover, Houston’s recording has become the definitive version.  Prior to researching “All the Man That I Need,” aside from a Luther Vandross reinterpretation (🎵 “All the Woman I Need” from 💿 Songs), it was the only version of the song I’d heard. 

Basically, everything that Whitney touched in her heyday turned into gold.  “All the Man That I Need” never ignited the charts until she anointed the track.  The big takeaway is that Houston made this non-original sound completely original.  The authenticity is a big selling point, as you buy what Houston is selling regarding love:

“He fills me up
He gives me love
More love than I’ve ever seen
He’s all I got
He’s all I got in this world
But he’s all the man I need.”

The chorus is the crowning achievement, particularly post-saxophone solo (courtesy of 🎙 Kenny G!).  We get a dramatic key change, and those signature, indescribable Houston ad-libs.  Her voice soars effortlessly, supported by marvelous backing vocals.  Also, the lush, warm production work cannot be denied (🎛 Narada Michael Walden).

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4. The Tony Rich Project, “Nobody Knows”

💿 Words • 🏷 LaFace • 📅 1996

Remember, it only takes one song to make history. For 🎙 The Tony Rich Project, that one song is the utterly stupendous, 🎵 “Nobody Knows”. “The nights are lonely, the days are so sad / And I just keep thinkin’ about / The love we had,” 🎙 Tony Rich sings in the chorus, continuing, “And I’m missin’ you / And nobody knows it but me.” Those lyrics are absolutely stunning – just beautiful to the n^thdegree! Rich won a 🏆 Grammy for 💿 Words, the 1996 album that the no. 2 Billboard Hot 100 appeared on. Also, it is worth noting that “Nobody Knows” was nominated for a Grammy for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance.

Rich penned “Nobody Knows” alongside 🎼 ✍ Don DuBosé. Furthermore, he produced the record, which ranks among the crème de la crème of the 1990s. The theme of the record is heartbreak, often perfect fuel for a pop/R&B gem. Rich reveals how much he misses her despite pretending outwardly he did not. “I pretended I’m glad you went away / These four walls closin’ more every day,” he sings in the first verse, continuing, “And I’m dying inside / And nobody knows it but me.” Similarly, in the second verse, he sings, “I carry a smile while I’m broken in two / And I’m nobody without someone like you / I’m trembling inside / And nobody knows it but me.” The regret is strong, with Rich asking himself, “How could I let my angel get away,” declaring, “A million words couldn’t say just how I feel,” and asserting, “Tomorrow mornin’, I’m hitting the dusty road / Gonna find you wherever, ever you might go / I’m gonna unload my heart / And hope you come back to me.” His authenticity carries ample weight, as does his marvelous vocal performance, backed by a chill but potent backdrop. The five-minute-and-change juggernaut is a surefire masterpiece of the 1990s that never grows old.

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5. Coolio, “Gangsta’s Paradise”

💿 Gangsta’s Paradise • 🏷 Tommy Boy • 🗓 1995

“They’ve been spendin’ most their lives livin’ in the gangsta’s paradise / We keep spendin’ most our lives livin’ in the gangsta’s paradise.” The late, great 🎙 Coolio (Artis Leon Ivey, Jr.) was an integral part of hip-hop/rap in the 1990s, with his biggest hit being the no. 1, 🏆 Grammy-winning single, 🎵 “Gangsta’s Paradise”. “Gangsta’s Paradise” famously appeared in the film and soundtrack for 💿 Dangerous Minds and reappeared on his 1995 album, 💿 Gangsta’s Paradise. 🎙 L.V. sang the chorus, which interpolates a 1970s 🎙 Stevie Wonder joint, 🎵 “Pastime Paradise”. Per Rolling Stone, getting Wonder to sign off on the use of “Pastime Paradise” was no easy feat. After Coolio’s wife stepped in, convinced Wonder’s brother to meet with Coolio, and Coolio agreed to remove profanity, and give Wonder writing credit (which yielded ample profit for him), it was cleared.

With a timeless chorus and epic production, that last and most important piece of the puzzle is Coolio. He slays in his rhymes with an ultra-compelling flow. Following the intro, Coolio famously raps, “As I walk through the valley of the shadow of death / I take a look at my life and realize there’s nothin’ left.” From there, “It’s on like Donkey Kong” for Coolio. “But I ain’t never crossed a man that didn’t deserve it / Me be treated like a punk, you know that’s unheard of,” he spits, continuing, “You better watch how you talkin’ and where you walkin’ / Or you and your homies might be lined in chalk.” Oh, snap! In the second, there’s the gem, “I’m 23 now, but will I live to see 24? / The way things is goin’, I don’t know.” There’s also the third verse, where Coolio rhymes, “They say I gotta learn, but nobody’s here to teach me / If they can’t understand it, how can they reach me?” He has a day-um point! Finally, can’t neglect to mention the refrain, which sometimes prefaces the chorus and ultimately, concludes the record: “Tell me why are we, so blind to see / That the ones we hurt are you and me?” “Gangsta’s Paradise” is the type of classic record that you could write an entire book about and probably still wouldn’t have completely analyzed it. It’s the definition of timeless.

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6. Alanis Morrisette, “Hand In My Pocket”

💿 Jagged Little Pill • 🏷 Warner • 📅 1995

Sometimes a music artist arrives on the scene at just the right time. That’s definitely the case with 🎙 Alanis Morissette, who was made for the alternative rock era of the 1990s. Her career masterpiece, 💿 Jagged Little Pill, had a major impact. The album earned the Canadian singer/songwriter four 🏆 Grammys, including wins for Album of the Year, Best Female Rock Vocal Performance and Best Rock Song (“You Oughta Know”), and Best Rock Album. She was nominated, over that cycle and the next, for a total of seven awards. Amazingly, our ‘handy’ song at hand, 🎵 “Hand in My Pocket,” wasn’t nominated. Bummer – it’s iconic AF!

“I’m broke, but I’m happy / I’m poor, but I’m kind / I’m short, but I’m healthy, yeah.” Sigh, those contrasting lyrics from the first verse of “Hand in My Pocket” are legendary. The same can be said of the second verse, as well as the third, where Alanis memorably sings a personal favorite line, “I’m brave, but I’m chicken shit.” Wow. Of course, the most memorable parts of the song are the chorus, which is varied throughout, at least the second and fourth lines:

“And what it all comes down to

Is that everything’s gonna be fine, fine, fine

‘Cause I’ve got one hand in my pocket

And the other one is givin’ a high five.”

Worth noting, Morrissette wrote “Hand in My Pocket” with 🎼 ✍ Glen Ballard, who also produced it.

Appears in 🔻:

You’ve Got to Hand it To These 13 Hand Songs (2020)

7. Korn, “Blind”

💿 Korn • 🏷 Sony Music Entertainment • 📅 1994

Among the most famous blind songs arrives courtesy of 🎙 Korn. 🎵 “Blind” serves as the opener from 💿 Korn, the 1994, debut album by the nu-metal collective. “Blind” is a marvelous introduction to 🎙 Jonathan Davis and company. Things commence with the enigmatic use of ride at the onset. Next, unique distorted, disjointed guitar riffs enter, providing an awesome, truly ear catching effect. The band takes its time building up the groove, eventually creating a record that sounds hellish and malicious.

Once “Blind” settles in, Davis provides a terrific vocal performance. Generally, it’s mostly even keel, with some of it sung in an undertone or whisper. Even so, there are some more assertive, grittier moments. Among the grittier moments arrives towards the end, as Davis sings, “I can see, I can see, I can see I’m going blind.” Woo! Something else that’s incredibly cool about “Blind” is how the tempo fluctuates between sections – quite creative! One of the best takeaways from this record is how much contrast Korn brings to the table. To reiterate, “Blind” serves as a marvelous introduction to Korn.

“Another place I find

To escape the pain inside

You don’t know the chances

What if I should die?

A place inside my brain

Another kind of pain

You don’t know the chances

I’m so blind.”

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8. Shanice, “I Love Your Smile”

**💿 Inner Child • 🏷 Motown • 📅 1991**

“Cause I love your smile / I love your smile.” 🎙 Shanice was a teenager when she released 🎵 “I Love Your Smile.” “I Love Your Smile” is the crowning achievement of her 1991 album, 💿 Inner Child, becoming a big-time pop hit. The R&B single would peak at no. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100. “I Love Your Smile” is a contemporary R&B classic. 🎙 Chris Brown would agree – he sampled it on his 2019 track, 🎵 “Undecided”. Furthermore, others have jacked this Shanice smash including 🎙 Silk (🎵 “I’m Sorry”) and 🎙 HRVY (🎵 “Runaway with It”) per WhoSampled. What’s the premise of this infectious song? Shanice is into this boy, period. She’s not into class (“I can’t hear the teacher / His books don’t call me at all”), work sucks (“My boss is lame you know / And so is the pay”), but “Hey, said I love your smile.” Also, worth noting, Shanice also famously says, “Blow, Branford, blow.” Why? Well, renowned jazz 🎷 saxophonist 🎙 Branford Marsalis plays a saxophone solo on this bop, of course!

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9. Aaron Neville, “Don’t Take Away My Heaven”

💿 The Grand Tour • 🏷 UMG Recordings, Inc. • 🗓 1993

“Oh, baby, I found heaven when I found you.” Aww, 🎙 Aaron Neville, that is so sweet! Not only is the opening lyric sweet, but so is the entirety of 🎵 “Don’t Take Away My Heaven”! “Don’t Take Away My Heaven” serves as the opener from the 🏆 Grammy-winning, versatile soul musician’s 1993 album, 💿 The Grand Tour. The record, penned by Academy-Award nominated songwriter 🎼 ✍ Diane Warren, is one of Neville’s best in a storied career. Warren’s pen is impeccable, period! Sadly, this gorgeous record only peaked at no. 56 on the Billboard Hot 100 – it was wronged by pop radio!

Regardless of the fact that it was a moderate success on the pop charts, Neville’s three-decade-old gem speaks for itself. Heaven is her, period. With his utterly distinct pipes, Aaron expresses the end if she were to go – he wouldn’t survive! This is best exemplified by the chorus:

“And the sun would have nowhere to shine

And the stars would all fall from the sky

Baby, please

Don’t take away my heaven.”

Neville does a bang-up job bringing Warren’s dedicated, poetic lyrics to life. Furthermore, 🎛 Steve Lindsey does a fabulous job supporting Mr. Neville with colorful, suitable production. No one sings like Aaron Neville – facts. Diane Warren gave Neville a surefire masterpiece with 🎵 “Don’t Take Away My Heaven”!

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10. Sophie B. Hawkins, “Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover”

💿 Tongues and Tails • 🏷 Sony Music Entertainment • 📅 1992

Seven words: “DAMN, I wish I was your lover.” Woo! Say that 🎙 Sophie B. Hawkins! In 1992, Hawkins saw 🎵 “Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover” do something surprising – reach no. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100. You might be asking yourself, why is it surprising when a marvelous record tops the chart? Well, when that marvelous song is a proud member of the LGBTQ+ 🏳️‍🌈 catalog – the ‘L,’ lesbian to be precise – it is surprising for the early 1990s.

Keep in mind, that America was still in this conservative, religious era – Daddy Bush was in his final year as president 😏. Televangelists 🤮 were big. Gay songs, well, not so much 👎! Hawkins changed that real quick with this lesbian love song which is considered one of the key entries into the LGBTQ+ catalog. She’s got what this woman deserves and needs, unlike “That old dog [that] has chained you up all right.” Yeah! “This monkey can’t stand to see you black and blue,” she sings in the second verse, continuing, “I give you something sweet each time you / Come inside my jungle book.” Woo, chillddd! The centerpiece and the big claim to fame besides the ‘jungle book’ line is the chorus in all its DAMN glory!

“Damn I wish I was your lover

I’ll rock you till the daylight comes

Make sure you are smiling and warm

I am everything

Tonight, I’ll be your mother

I’ll do such things to ease your pain

Free your mind and you won’t feel ashamed.”

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11. Deborah Cox, “Nobody’s Supposed to Be Here”

💿 One Wish • 🏷 Arista • 🗓 1998

“How did you get here? Nobody’s supposed to be here / I tried that love thing for the last time.” Those iconic lyrics grace one of my favorite R&B records from the 1990s, 🎵 “Nobody’s Supposed to Be Here”. This mid-tempo ballad marks the biggest hit by Canadian R&B singer, 🎙 Deborah Cox. Not only did it top the R&B charts but “Nobody’s Supposed to Be Here” just missed the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at no. 2. Of course, the centerpiece of this 1998 gem from 💿 One Wish is the epic chorus. Excerpted above, it continues as follows, in all its glory: “My heart says, ‘No, no,’ nobody’s supposed to be here / But you came along and changed my mind.”

Basically, Deborah Cox was D-O-N-E with love on this 🎼 ✍ Montell Jordan and Anthony “Shep” Crawford co-write. Despite nearly throwing in the towel, a chance for love has reared its head again, and she can’t refuse it:

“But when I turn around, again, love has knocked me down

My heart got broken, oh it hurts so bad

I’m sad to say love wins again.”

It’s a similar situation in the second verse, where Cox asserts, “Knowing these tears I cry, this lovely black butterfly / Must take a chance, and spread my wings.” Oh, that damn love! Cox’s pleasure and pain are our listening pleasure – no pain whatsoever for us – particularly her authentic, soulful ad-libs and nuances. She has a magnificent instrument, which soars over Shep’s production and nails that key change!

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12. Boyz II Men, “A Song For Mama”

💿 Evolution • 🏷 Motown • 📅 1997

On the uplifting 🎵 “A Song For Mama”, iconic R&B collective 🎙 Boyz II Men exemplifies Exodus 20:12 showing their love and appreciation for their moms. They honor incredibly special ladies. A highlight from their 1997 album, 💿 Evolution, the feels are lit 🔥 to the n^th degree. “You taught me everything / Everything you’ve given me / I’ll always keep it inside / You’re the driving force in my life, yeah.” For Boyz II Men, and people universally, a mother is one of the most special people in their life. A nurturing, loving mother is truly a blessing from God. While often we refer to a biological mother, sometimes, that mother does not have to be biological – they play that maternal role which Boyz II Men so elegantly characterize. Later, the Boyz add, “When everyone was downin’ me / You always did understand / You gave me strength to go on.” Ah, the support that only a mom can give – support friends can’t – is nothing short of a Godsend. The centerpiece of this top-10 hit is the chorus, which sums up this unconditional love radiantly!

“Mama, Mama you know I love you

Mama, Mama you’re the queen of my heart

Your love is like tears from the stars

Mama I just want you to know

Lovin’ you is like food to my soul.”

Nothing more needs to be said. The importance of honoring thy mother is something we all should strive to do. 🎼 ✍ Babyface penned a surefire gem 👏!

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13. Whitney Houston, “Exhale (Shoop Shoop)”

💿 Waiting to Exhale (Original Soundtrack Album) • 🏷 Arista • 🗓 1995

“For every win / Someone must fail / But there comes a point when / When we exhale.” Iconic R&B and pop singer 🎙 Whitney Houston had an extraordinary run with soundtracks in the 1990s. One of three key soundtracks she was part of included 💿 Waiting to Exhale (1995). The key song is the no. 1 hit, 🎵 “Exhale (Shoop Shoop)”, written by the one and only 🎼✍ Babyface. This is Babyface contributing top-notch songwriting and Whitney Houston at her best.

“Exhale (Shoop Shoop)” is a quintessential 90s classic. It perfectly captures the adult contemporary R&B vibes of the time. Houston sings incredibly, delivering an emotional, expressive performance. Why does this exhalation need to happen? Heartbreak, of course – it’s a beast! The three verses are incredible (“When you got friends to wish you well / You’ll find a point when / You will exhale”), but it’s that sing-along chorus, with all those “shoops,” that steals the show. Houston, of course, makes it sound effortless.

“Shoop, shoop, shoop

Shoop be doop shoop shoop

Shoop be doop shoop shoop (shoo shoo shoo huh) …”

If you had a black soundtrack in the 1990s, you know you’d betta call Whitney Houston – she unleashed straight-up magic. It’s not surprising that “Exhale (Shoop Shoop)” was a surefire gem that would ultimately win a 🏆 Grammy. Notably, 🎙 Robin Thicke released a cover in 2012. He’s not the only one to cover this certified classic.

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Incredible Songs: 1990s, Vol. 2 [📷: Brent Faulkner / The Musical Hype; Arista, LaFace, Motown, Sony Music Entertainment, Tommy Boy, UMG Recordings, Inc., Warner, Zomba; Piyapong Saydaung, Victoria Regen from Pixabay]

Incredible Songs: 1990s, Vol. 2 | Playlist 🎧

Published by the musical hype on July 19, 2023July 19, 2023