1990s Imaginary Jukebox poll

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Here we go with some of the toughest pairings yet. To repeat the text from the 70s and 80s polls: I made an imaginary jukebox for a few decades that contain 50 "singles" of one artist, or two similar songs or artists; so 100 songs in total. They reflect a mix of my own taste and (American) biases, plus what an average cross-section of people might want to listen to if this was a real jukebox in a bar or something (only popular stuff I can't stand at all was ruled out).

Poll Results

OptionVotes
NIRVANA – Smells Like Teen Spirit/NIRVANA – All Apologies 2
PETE ROCK & CL SMOOTH – T.R.O.Y. (They Reminisce Over You)/THE PHARCYDE – Passin’ Me By 2
GINUWINE – Pony/AALIYAH – Are You That Somebody? 2
GUIDED BY VOICES – Game of Pricks/GUIDED BY VOICES – Motor Away 2
BEASTIE BOYS - Sabotage/BECK – Devil’s Haircut 2
THE CARDIGANS – Lovefool/LEN – Steal My Sunshine 2
LAURYN HILL – Doo Wop (That Thing)/MISSY ELLIOTT – The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly) 1
PAVEMENT – Summer Babe (Winter Version)/PAVEMENT – Gold Soundz 1
MAZZY STAR – Fade Into You/PORTISHEAD – Glory Box 1
ELLIOTT SMITH – Between the Bars/CAT POWER – Metal Heart 1
DAFT PUNK – Da Funk/STARDUST – Music Sounds Better with You 1
THE CURE – Friday, I’m in Love/NEW ORDER – Regret 1
COCTEAU TWINS – Cherry-Coloured Funk/SLOWDIVE – Alison 1
APHEX TWIN – Xtal/APHEX TWIN – Windowlicker 1
BELL BIV DEVOE – Poison/MARK MORRISON - Return of the Mack 1
BIKINI KILL – Rebel Girl/SLEATER-KINNEY – Dig Me Out 1
BJORK – Hyperballad/BJORK – Joga 1
MARIAH CAREY – Fantasy/DESTINY’S CHILD – Say My Name 1
A TRIBE CALLED QUEST – Check the Rhime/A TRIBE CALLED QUEST – Electric Relaxation 1
THE BREEDERS – Cannonball/LIZ PHAIR – Never Said 1
SMASHING PUMPKINS – Cherub Rock/SOUNDGARDEN – Black Hole Sun 0
THE NOTORIOUS B.I.G. – Juicy/THE NOTORIOUS B.I.G – Hypnotize 0
SINEAD O’CONNOR – Nothing Compares 2 U/SAINT ETIENNE – Only Love Can Break Your Heart 0
OASIS – Live Forever/OASIS – Wonderwall 0
OUTKAST – Rosa Parks/OUTKAST – SpottieOttieDopaliscious 0
WU-TANG CLAN – Protect Ya Neck/WU-TANG CLAN – C.R.E.A.M. 0
WARREN G feat. NATE DOGG – Regulate/LUNIZ – I Got 5 On It 0
SOULS OF MISCHIEF – 93 ‘til Infinity/DIGABLE PLANETS – 9th Wonder 0
PULP – Common People/BLUR – Coffee and TV 0
RADIOHEAD – Paranoid Android/RADIOHEAD – Karma Police 0
R.E.M. – Losing My Religion/U2 – One 0
TLC – Creep/TLC – No Scrubs 0
nine inch nails – closer/RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE – Killing in the Name 0
NAS – NY State of Mind/JAY-Z – Dead Presidents II 0
ERYKAH BADU – On and On/D’ANGELO – Brown Sugar 0
MARY J. BLIGE – Real Love/JANET JACKSON – That’s the Way Love Goes 0
2PAC feat. DR.DRE – California Love/BLACKSTREET feat. DR. DRE – No Diggity 0
DEEE-LITE – Groove is in the Heart/ROBIN S. – Show Me Love 0
DEPECHE MODE – Enjoy the Silence/PET SHOP BOYS – Being Boring 0
DIGITAL UNDERGROUND – The Humpty Dance/DE LA SOUL – A Rollerskating Jam Named “Saturdays” 0
DR. DRE – Nuthin’ But a G Thang/SNOOP DOGGY DOGG – Gin and Juice 0
DR. OCTAGON – Blue Flowers/DJ SHADOW – Midnight in a Perfect World 0
FOO FIGHTERS – Everlong/WEEZER – Say It Ain’t So 0
GETO BOYS – Mind Playin’ Tricks on Me/ICE CUBE – It Was a Good Day 0
MADONNA – Vogue/GEORGE MICHAEL – Freedom ‘90 0
THE MAGNETIC FIELDS – 100,000 Fireflies/BELLE AND SEBASTIAN – Lazy Line Painter Jane 0
MASSIVE ATTACK – Unfinished Sympathy/MASSIVE ATTACK – Protection 0
MOBB DEEP - Shook Ones Pt II/RAEKWON – Ice Cream 0
MY BLOODY VALENTINE – Sometimes/YO LA TENGO – Autumn Sweater 0
FIONA APPLE – Criminal/PJ HARVEY – Down by the Water 0


Chris L, Thursday, 7 September 2023 12:18 (two years ago)

You know what would make a great #51? OPP/Fantastic Voyage

sell cigs to kids (a hoy hoy), Thursday, 7 September 2023 12:23 (two years ago)

Still to come: a 60s version, and a 2000s one I decided to do after all. I never thought about a 2010s edition before -- we'd probably start getting into more contentious choices for that one, but that might be interesting.

Chris L, Thursday, 7 September 2023 12:30 (two years ago)

xp that would be a good one. OPP was paired w/ Humpty Dance for a while as I've revised this.

Chris L, Thursday, 7 September 2023 12:32 (two years ago)

Here are some more alternates:

THE FLAMING LIPS – Race for the Prize
NEUTRAL MILK HOTEL – In the Aeroplane Over the Sea

SUEDE – Animal Nitrate
ELASTICA – Stutter

SUPERCHUNK – Slack Motherfucker
FUGAZI – Repeater

TEENAGE FANCLUB – The Concept
DINOSAUR JR. – The Wagon

JAMES – Laid
EDWYN COLLINS – A Girl Like You

ARCHERS OF LOAF – Web in Front
UNREST – Make Out Club

OL’ DIRTY BASTARD – Shimmy Shimmy Ya
GZA – 4th Chamber

BONNIE “PRINCE” BILLY – I See a Darkness
SILVER JEWS – The Wild Kindness

OBLIVIANS – Bad Man
THE GORIES – Nitroglycerine

THE ORB – Little Fluffy Clouds
ORBITAL – Halcyon + On + On

BLACK SHEEP – The Choice Is Yours (Revisited)
GANG STARR – DWYCK

THE VERVE – Bittersweet Symphony
WHITE TOWN – Your Woman

STEREOLAB – French Disko
CIBO MATTO – Sugar Water

GIN BLOSSOMS – Hey Jealousy
THE CRANBERRIES – Linger

UNDERWORLD – Born Slippy NUXX
THE CHEMICAL BROTHERS – Setting Sun

METALLICA – Enter Sandman
ALICE IN CHAINS – Man in the Box

Chris L, Thursday, 7 September 2023 12:33 (two years ago)

Again, leaving off the double dips (which there seem to be a lot more of this time around):

BELL BIV DEVOE – Poison/MARK MORRISON - Return of the Mack
MARY J. BLIGE – Real Love/JANET JACKSON – That’s the Way Love Goes
DEEE-LITE – Groove is in the Heart/ROBIN S. – Show Me Love
GINUWINE – Pony/AALIYAH – Are You That Somebody?
MADONNA – Vogue/GEORGE MICHAEL – Freedom ‘90

fair but so uncool beliefs here (Eric H.), Thursday, 7 September 2023 14:09 (two years ago)

Had it've been "DAFT PUNK – Around the World/STARDUST – Music Sounds Better with You," that might've been my vote (tho, yes, a partial double-dip option)

fair but so uncool beliefs here (Eric H.), Thursday, 7 September 2023 14:23 (two years ago)

An artist can receive 2 songs each if they had a lot of big or important songs during the decade (preferably on different albums, but obviously not required) and two of them pair off well. They can't appear as a lead artist in more than one pair though (featured spots are ok).

Chris L, Thursday, 7 September 2023 14:25 (two years ago)

That's fine, of course, just setting up a personal obstruction to make paring these down easier

fair but so uncool beliefs here (Eric H.), Thursday, 7 September 2023 14:26 (two years ago)

"t.r.o.y."/"passin me by" without a second thought

is he disgruntled adrian? (voodoo chili), Thursday, 7 September 2023 14:32 (two years ago)

I had pretty much checked out of radio listening by the 90s so I don't know many of these -- Beasties/Beck cut through the murk of my memory.

I Wanna Find an ILXor That'll Flag My Last Post Till I Have To Go (WmC), Thursday, 7 September 2023 14:36 (two years ago)

could use some more bobbins. aside from that I think I burned out on California Love and No Diggity a while back or they'd have won easily, as it is I might be in the TROY/Passin' Me By camp too

or something, Thursday, 7 September 2023 16:58 (two years ago)

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

System, Wednesday, 13 September 2023 00:01 (two years ago)

Here's a few more, why not:

AIR – All I Need
BOARDS OF CANADA – Turquoise Hexagon Sun

PUBLIC ENEMY – Brothers Gonna Work It Out
LL COOL J – Mama Said Knock You Out

MF DOOM – Doomsday
QUASIMOTO – Microphone Mathematics

MOS DEF – Ms. Fat Booty
THE ROOTS feat. ERYKAH BADU – You Got Me

GREEN DAY – When I Come Around
RANCID – Ruby Soho

AUTECHRE – Bike
AUTECHRE – Clipper

BELLY – Feed the Tree
LUSCIOUS JACKSON – Naked Eye

SEBADOH – Brand New Love
FOLK IMPLOSION – Natural One

Chris L, Wednesday, 13 September 2023 00:47 (two years ago)

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

System, Thursday, 14 September 2023 00:01 (two years ago)

four months pass...

Sorry to update these threads every time I decide on new/more natural pairings, and to break up one of the poll co-winners, but this round was sparked by hearing the Cornershop song for the first time in a long time this morning. It may not be the most fashionable sound rn but it belongs w/ Beck.

BEASTIE BOYS - Sabotage
RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE – Killing in the Name

BECK – Where It’s At
CORNERSHOP – Brimful of Asha

THE BREEDERS – Cannonball
PJ HARVEY – 50 Ft. Queenie

DR. OCTAGON – Blue Flowers
MF DOOM – Doomsday

GREEN DAY – When I Come Around
WEEZER – Say It Ain’t So

MAZZY STAR – Fade Into You
THE CRANBERRIES – Linger

MOBB DEEP - Shook Ones Pt II
NAS – NY State of Mind

MY BLOODY VALENTINE – Only Shallow
SMASHING PUMPKINS – Cherub Rock

NINE INCH NAILS – Closer
FIONA APPLE – Criminal

THE NOTORIOUS B.I.G. – Juicy
JAY-Z – Dead Presidents II

PORTISHEAD – Roads
DJ SHADOW – Midnight in a Perfect World

ELLIOTT SMITH – Between the Bars
YO LA TENGO – Autumn Sweater

SOUNDGARDEN – Black Hole Sun
FOO FIGHTERS – Everlong

Removed: Metal Heart, Never Said, Hypnotize
Switched songs by: MBV, Portishead, Beck, PJ Harvey

Chris L, Thursday, 8 February 2024 14:59 (one year ago)


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