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The best songs of the 90s have become timeless several decades later. Discover which ones marked an era.
There are songs that stay engraved in the mind for many years, some of which become classics. Today we want to review the best songs of the 90s, those that topped the charts in the last decade of the previous millennium and made millions of people around the world sing and dance.
The best songs of the 90s
The 90s was a time full of technological and social changes in which music did not stay aside. We tell you which were the best songs of each year and who was number one in the world during these years. You will find songs of all kinds, from hip hop to soundtracks. Let’s get to it!
1990
This was Madonna’s year with the song Vogue, a leadership she shared with other greats of the moment like Bette Midler, George Michael, or a very young Mariah Carey who was launching onto the stage with Vision of Love. But without a doubt, the song that ranked highest on the charts that year was U Can't Touch This by MC Hammer.
1991
This was the year of grunge rock especially linked to Nirvana, who managed to introduce a new sound that felt fresh and groundbreaking. Alternative and underground rock came to the forefront thanks to the songs included in their album Nevermind. The most important song of this year is Smells Like Teen Spirit, a song considered one of the best of all time by Rolling Stone magazine. From 91 also comes one of R.E.M.’s best-known songs, Losing My Religion.
1992
During that year, the more melancholic side of bands began to bloom, and Radiohead knew how to make the most of it with their song Creed. But not only the number one on the charts that year sang of sorrow and sadness; in that year Red Hot Chili Peppers released Under the Bridge and R.E.M. resonated with another of their great hits, Everybody Hurts. And although it was not at the top of the charts in 1992, Metallica managed to place their most well-known ballad as one of the best of all time: Nothing Else Matters.
1993
Without a doubt, it was the year of Whitney Houston. One of the highest-grossing films of the nineties premiered in cinemas, The Bodyguard, which still today, thanks to the musical, continues to enjoy great success worldwide. One of its strong points was its soundtrack, which gathered some of the diva’s best hits and some songs and adaptations created for the film. The song I Will Always Love You, a version of a country song several years old, managed to conquer the number one spot on the charts that year, turning Whitney Houston into a true immortal legend.
This year also became the year of Mariah Carey as she began to dream with one of her best-known hits, Hero.
1994
Marked by the death of Nirvana’s leader Kurt Cobain at 27 years old, something that undoubtedly was a blow to the music industry of those years. A melancholic and sad atmosphere settled that year, and the song Zombie by The Cranberries, with the voice of the late Dolores O’Riordan, led as the most listened-to song of the year.
Another movement was also beginning to take shape that would reach its peak in 2000 with groups like Evanescence or Within Temptation, who inaugurated one of the darkest eras of rock worldwide. We refer to Sweet Dreams, the Eurythmics (1983) version performed by Marilyn Manson.
1995
The moment of British pop groups. An introspective and dark stage in music was left behind to enjoy new rhythms like Wonderwall by Oasis. But without a doubt, if any band represents one of the greatest successes in those years in British pop, it is the Spice Girls. Who hasn’t given their all at least once listening to their Wannabe?
1996
The era of a Spanish name, yes Macarena, our most international song became number one worldwide. The song full of joy encouraged everyone who heard it to dance and, of course, to follow its “hardworked” choreography. But this was also the year of the Backstreet Boys with their Everybody.
1997
11 Oscars, more than 1.8 billion dollars earned at the box office, and a love story that conquered half the world made Titanic emerge in 1997 from the icy waters of the ocean to bring us one of the most important films of the 90s. This phenomenon also came with a carefully crafted soundtrack in which Céline Dion’s voice sang to us in My Heart Will Go On.
But there was still room for rock with Blur’s song Song 2. It was also the year Robbie Williams left the group Take That (a true teenage phenomenon of the 90s) to start his solo career. From this year is his song Angels.
1998
The most played on radio stations worldwide was one of the divas best known for her limbs, especially with plastic surgery, we speak of Cher and her Believe, which marked the disco point of the year. Although there was still room for great ballads like I Don't Wanna Miss A Thing by Aerosmith. But without a doubt, one of the songs that played the most that year was Big Big World by Emilia.
1999
The end of the century came with one of the songs you surely know and have danced to more than once, Mambo No. 5 by Lou Bega. But without a doubt, one of the most remembered songs of that time was the one that catapulted Britney Spears, Hit Me Baby One More Time. Also from this year is the work of another queen of early 2000s pop, Christina Aguilera, with Genie in a Bottle.
Have you listened to them all yet? What are you waiting for? You can find them on platforms like Spotify and listen to them loud on your favorite speaker. Surely some of them will pleasantly surprise you.
