What song is most synonymous with "the Nineties?"

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Maybe it's too soon to ask this...
But what song most epitomizes "Nineties"-ness.
I'd say "Smack My Bitch Up" by the Prodigy because it combines the hard bop of industrial with the cheese of metal and a veneer of hip-hop.
Either that or "More Human Than Human" by White Zombie (or whatever out there sounds like a more Rap-friendly version of said song.)

― Lord Custos Epsilon (Lord Custos Epsilon), Monday, 5 May 2003 21:28 (twenty-two years ago)

Los Umbrellos - "No Tengo Dinero"

― James Blount (James Blount), Monday, 5 May 2003 21:30 (twenty-two years ago)

"Smells Like Teen Spirit" or "Gin & Juice"

― Yanc3y (ystrickler), Monday, 5 May 2003 21:31 (twenty-two years ago)

(in other words the most boring answer possible)

― Yanc3y (ystrickler), Monday, 5 May 2003 21:31 (twenty-two years ago)

Yo, Blount OTM. Also "Song 2", for Ned.

― Ally (mlescaut), Monday, 5 May 2003 21:34 (twenty-two years ago)

here are the defining albums...

the definitive 90s album

as for songs, i'd think of (not necessarily my own favourites) - "Firestarter", "Parklife", "Unfinished Sympathy", "Smells Like...". i'm bored of this game already, someone else answer the question.

― weasel diesel (K1l14n), Monday, 5 May 2003 21:34 (twenty-two years ago)

This is easy...

I Hate The 90's
Rodney & The Tube Tops

"Tube Tops Forever" b/w "I Hate The 90's"

Notes: Rodney & The Tube Tops are Thurston Moore, Eric Erlandson (Hole), Pat Fear and others.

― maria b (maria b), Monday, 5 May 2003 21:39 (twenty-two years ago)

the penultimate track on 'dbl live' by fushitsusha.

― Julio Desouza (jdesouza), Monday, 5 May 2003 21:44 (twenty-two years ago)

Between "Smells Like Teen Spirit" and "Fight The Power" everything else seemed reactionary for 8 years at least and in radioland still does.

― Mr Noodles (Mr Noodles), Monday, 5 May 2003 21:47 (twenty-two years ago)

"Smells Like Teen Spirit" for sure.

― Jazzbo (jmcgaw), Monday, 5 May 2003 21:55 (twenty-two years ago)

"Alternative is Here to Stay" by The Mr. T Experience

― theodore fogelsanger, Monday, 5 May 2003 22:02 (twenty-two years ago)

"Ready To Go" Repubblica

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Monday, 5 May 2003 22:21 (twenty-two years ago)

Also "Song 2", for Ned.

And for Ally, anything off 69 Love Songs.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Monday, 5 May 2003 22:24 (twenty-two years ago)

"SLTS" of course, which is fine with me since it's GREAT

― M Matos (M Matos), Monday, 5 May 2003 22:40 (twenty-two years ago)

Can't we just all sit down and accept that the only good bit of "Smells Like Teen Spirit" is *bun-ding*?

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Monday, 5 May 2003 22:44 (twenty-two years ago)

is that the noise the microwave makes when your roll is ready? (/it late's, i'm tired, lay off)

― mitch lastnamewithheld (mitchlnw), Monday, 5 May 2003 22:51 (twenty-two years ago)

baby one more time probably.

― Lid, Monday, 5 May 2003 23:01 (twenty-two years ago)

something with lite-grunge guitar over a drum machine. i think this sound(see the first alanis album esp.) is to the 90's what the cavernous drum sound was to the 80's.

meredith brooks, 'bitch' is a good example.

― derrick (derrick), Monday, 5 May 2003 23:10 (twenty-two years ago)

How about "Ironic" by Alanis Morrisette or "Ready Or Not" by The Fugees?

Alternatively, any of the myriad of drum 'n' bass or trip-hop remixes of "Ready Or Not".

― James Mitchell (James Mitchell), Monday, 5 May 2003 23:14 (twenty-two years ago)

ah, chumbawamba, 'tubthumping'!

― derrick (derrick), Monday, 5 May 2003 23:19 (twenty-two years ago)

Veruca Salt, "Seether"

― Sam J. (samjeff), Monday, 5 May 2003 23:20 (twenty-two years ago)

Eagle Eye Cherry "Save Tonight"
311 "Down"
Everclear "Santa Monica"
Genuine "Pony"
Matchbox 20 "Push"
Bush "Glycerine"
Busta Rhymes "Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See"
Sponge "Plowed"

― Famous Athlete, Monday, 5 May 2003 23:37 (twenty-two years ago)

What Yancey said, though I'd pick "Nuthin' But A "G" Thang." Still, "Teen Spirit" goes first in that dance.

― Sasha Frere-Jones (Sasha Frere-Jones), Monday, 5 May 2003 23:43 (twenty-two years ago)

Breeders "cannonball"

― electric sound of jim (electricsound), Tuesday, 6 May 2003 00:04 (twenty-two years ago)

I'm shocked that no one's said Beck's "Loser" (or even something off of Odelay) yet. His post modern uber smugness and name-checking eclecticism and cultural parasitism seem to be among the most universal of all nineties tropes.

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Tuesday, 6 May 2003 00:10 (twenty-two years ago)

MO MONEY, MO PROBLEMS

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Tuesday, 6 May 2003 01:35 (twenty-two years ago)

Dan Perry is OTM for the late '90s. For the early part I'm gonna pick Pearl Jam's "Evenflow," cuz it's fuckin' ludicrous. It HAS to be something by Pearl Jam a band who sum up everything poopy about the early years of the Clinton administration. Then P. Diddy moved his shoulder, said "uh huh, yeah" and it all went away.

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Tuesday, 6 May 2003 01:41 (twenty-two years ago)

SF Alex is a pretty much OTM. Certainly for the attitude. For the sound? Hmm. Probably a sampled pop hook from your favorite 80s band.

― Matt Maxwell (Matt M.), Tuesday, 6 May 2003 01:42 (twenty-two years ago)

But this ignores the Spice Girls, Anthony.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 6 May 2003 01:43 (twenty-two years ago)

You say that like it's a bad thing, Ned.

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Tuesday, 6 May 2003 01:44 (twenty-two years ago)

Which would make Pearl Jam go away more quickly and leave no soapy residue?

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 6 May 2003 01:45 (twenty-two years ago)

Thanks to my listening habits during the time period in question, my answer is Sonz Of A Loop Da Loop Era.

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Tuesday, 6 May 2003 01:47 (twenty-two years ago)

I find this answer pleasing.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 6 May 2003 01:47 (twenty-two years ago)

Canada.
Halifax.
90s.
Sloan.
Underwhelmed.

― Mr Noodles (Mr Noodles), Tuesday, 6 May 2003 01:48 (twenty-two years ago)

Ned, don't bring up the Spice Girls. I think their cultural moment is a subset of what Puffy represents. I was just thinking today about how he included that ironically beautiful footage of him dancing in the puddle in "I'll Be Missing You." Goddamn, he's a fascinating muthafucka. Him and Eddie Vedder need to collabo (though he worked with Sting, which is close).

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Tuesday, 6 May 2003 01:55 (twenty-two years ago)

Uh...but what DOES he represent? I'm not being flippant; he's never really struck me as either relentlessly fascinating or relentlessly horrible (or relentlessly horribly fascinating).

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 6 May 2003 01:57 (twenty-two years ago)

Imagine you have a cute little puppy with floppy ears and adorable eyes.

Now imagine that the puppy is an isufferable narcissist with frightening business acumen and appalling flow.

That puppy represents Puffy.

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Tuesday, 6 May 2003 01:59 (twenty-two years ago)

What would Ma$e be then?

― Mr Noodles (Mr Noodles), Tuesday, 6 May 2003 02:00 (twenty-two years ago)

Insufferable narcissist = all puppies are aware of their cuteness

Frightening business acumen = all puppies are knowledgeable of how to whine, wheedle and beg for attention and food

Appalling flow = let's face it, as MCs puppies suck

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 6 May 2003 02:00 (twenty-two years ago)

Imagine that puppy playing Robert Johnson in a made for HBO movie?

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Tuesday, 6 May 2003 02:01 (twenty-two years ago)

This analogy works on every level!

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Tuesday, 6 May 2003 02:02 (twenty-two years ago)

It's no weirder than a typical John Waters film.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 6 May 2003 02:03 (twenty-two years ago)

Puffy represents everything Pearl Jam didn't, if that cryptic sentence makes it any clearer. Though both represent a real '90s concept: keepin' it real on MTV despite being seriously silly-ass (the success of both seems almost as ludicrous as REM's, whose fame is enigmatic far beyond any decade's zeitgeist). For some reason every song by either act that I can think of is making me seriously happy (clearly I rememBAH pickin' on the boy...it's all about the benjamins, baby!). It's so retro. I may cry.

Have you seen his video for "Come With Me," Ned? That's some FASCINATING shit.

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Tuesday, 6 May 2003 02:03 (twenty-two years ago)

Have you seen his video for "Come With Me," Ned?

I can't say I've ever been tempted.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 6 May 2003 02:05 (twenty-two years ago)

(To paraphrase Anthony's post: Pearl Jam is represented by a colicky bunny.)

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Tuesday, 6 May 2003 02:05 (twenty-two years ago)

Both the bunny and the puppy could give you rabies.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 6 May 2003 02:06 (twenty-two years ago)

Frankly the weirdest thing about the Puff Daddy Behind the Music wasn't anything musical, but rather how desperately fawning about J Lo he was. Didn't he realize that VH-1 was going to show this?!?!? Did he think Jennifer Lopez was going drop Ben once she realized how pathetic P Diddy is without her? Was I supposed to be touched?

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Tuesday, 6 May 2003 02:07 (twenty-two years ago)

Ned, you haven't been tempted to watch Puffy sit on a couch listening to "Between The Sheets," then get thrown into an elevator, be blasted out of the roof, SING, then turn into a bunch of doves, and then dance Hammerlike in front of an orchestra while Jimmy Page rocks out on a billboard? And then Godzilla shows up to challenge Puffy to a staredown?

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Tuesday, 6 May 2003 02:07 (twenty-two years ago)

Nope.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 6 May 2003 02:09 (twenty-two years ago)

the "Victory" video is more absurd (Danny DeVito and Dennis Hopper cameo), but the song is more annoying.

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Tuesday, 6 May 2003 02:10 (twenty-two years ago)

actually, it's not the song that's annoying, it's more that you can't even hear it beneath all the explosions.

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Tuesday, 6 May 2003 02:11 (twenty-two years ago)

See, now that sounds interesting as musique concrete.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 6 May 2003 02:12 (twenty-two years ago)

Back in 88 or something, I was pretty sure the correct answer was "Never Let Me Down Again" by Depeche Mode. I actually think I could have been wronger.

― OleM (OleM), Tuesday, 6 May 2003 02:47 (twenty-two years ago)

Sabotage

― guava, Tuesday, 6 May 2003 04:37 (twenty-two years ago)

I'm shocked that no one's said Beck's "Loser" (or even something off of Odelay) yet. His post modern uber smugness and name-checking eclecticism and cultural parasitism seem to be among the most universal of all nineties tropes.

yeah, you'd think he were an ILM regular!

― M Matos (M Matos), Tuesday, 6 May 2003 04:49 (twenty-two years ago)

Dilettantes ALL!

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Tuesday, 6 May 2003 05:01 (twenty-two years ago)

honestly, though--this is something I was talking about w/JBR the other night--what I loved about Beck in '94 was how sardonic he was, how much genuine anger seemed to be simmering under the surface even when he was joking around. also, who isn't culturally parasitic at this point beside maybe pygmies or something? "cultural purity" isn't exactly something you read people praising musicians for, in large part because it basically doesn't exist anymore

― M Matos (M Matos), Tuesday, 6 May 2003 05:04 (twenty-two years ago)

you don't read no depression

― James Blount (James Blount), Tuesday, 6 May 2003 05:06 (twenty-two years ago)

I'm shocked that no one's said Beck's "Loser"

One of two I would choose. The other being Radiohead's "Creep."

― Roman (Roman), Tuesday, 6 May 2003 05:07 (twenty-two years ago)

something did happen to beck in 96, and that something weren't pretty. somehow he got it in his head that 'smart'(which for uber90s beck = ironic) and 'heartfelt'(which for uber90s beck = acoustic guitar) weren't compatible. he's like the friend who thought growing up=being boring, so when they finally do decide to grow up they do it by becoming boring.

― James Blount (James Blount), Tuesday, 6 May 2003 05:09 (twenty-two years ago)

haha Blount, my roommate gets it and even writes for them sometimes!

re: Beck in '96, I was majorly disappointed by Odelay (esp. considering the still-inexplicable critical acclaim, come on folx it was the beginning of the end), though I still think it's a decent record. it's more like he decided to do what he'd been doing before but not make such a mess out of things, and that's what his music's been missing ever since, because that mess defined him, made him stand out, communicated far more than quotes or samples or whatever did or maybe could in his case.

― M Matos (M Matos), Tuesday, 6 May 2003 05:12 (twenty-two years ago)

I was disappointed by Odelay at first - I loooooved Mellow Gold, but eventually ended up liking it more - blame "New Pollution". when it/he swept the critics polls I was actually relieved cuz I was convinced the fugees would do so (and was wrongly convinced they were the new arrrested development). I like the post-odelay fluke hits (imani coppola, omc, los umbrellos sorta) more than anything* from Odelay. I'm a little shocked/disappointed no one's mentioned 'how bizarre' on this thread yet (though mr. eddy hasn't posted yet so...).

* cept for "New Pollution"

― James Blount (James Blount), Tuesday, 6 May 2003 05:20 (twenty-two years ago)

(Beck's) post modern uber smugness and name-checking eclecticism and cultural parasitism seem to be among the most universal of all nineties tropes.

yeah, you'd think he were an ILM regular!

Watch it!

― Momus (Momus), Tuesday, 6 May 2003 08:37 (twenty-two years ago)

Robin S ~ Show Me Love

― gareth (gareth), Tuesday, 6 May 2003 09:00 (twenty-two years ago)

Dunno. Either some rap song, some electronica song or some American "alternative" one (the latter would be "Smells Like Teen Spirit")

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Tuesday, 6 May 2003 09:48 (twenty-two years ago)

"Atomjack" by Drive Like Jehu--they'll be playing it at all the '90s nostalgia dance nights in two years.

― die9o (dhadis), Tuesday, 6 May 2003 13:15 (twenty-two years ago)

We need an electro Drive Like Jehu.

― Jon Williams (ex machina), Tuesday, 6 May 2003 13:18 (twenty-two years ago)

I agree with Beck btw. Beck is sort of the ultimate 90s act, mixing elements from grunge, hip-hop, dance and more melodical retro-oriented styles in a very post modernist (that is, typically 90s) way.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Tuesday, 6 May 2003 13:20 (twenty-two years ago)

I think the 90's can be summed up as:

- some catchy song from "The Chronic"
- some Nirvana song
- Beck
- A terrible rap metal song

Actually, Rage Against the Machine needs to be mentioned here.

― Jon Williams (ex machina), Tuesday, 6 May 2003 13:22 (twenty-two years ago)

I think the 90's can be summed up as:
- some catchy song from "The Chronic"
- some Nirvana song
- Beck
- A terrible rap metal song

Add something off "....Jilted Generation" and "Little Fluffy Clouds" and you may be on to something

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Tuesday, 6 May 2003 13:23 (twenty-two years ago)

I think music for the Jilted Generation is more applicable to North America. But yes, good call.

Also, Third Eye Blind.

― Jon Williams (ex machina), Tuesday, 6 May 2003 13:26 (twenty-two years ago)

Friends In Low Fucking Places, people.

― g--ff c-nn-n (gcannon), Tuesday, 6 May 2003 13:37 (twenty-two years ago)

I love "Friends in Low Places"

Momus, that wasn't directed toward you at all!

― M Matos (M Matos), Tuesday, 6 May 2003 16:42 (twenty-two years ago)

Unfinished Sympathy

― Sami (Sami), Tuesday, 6 May 2003 16:58 (twenty-two years ago)

I'm a little shocked/disappointed no one's mentioned 'how bizarre'

OTMFM! That's a great song. So is Friends in Low Places, now that you all mention it. The 90s were bloody great, jesus.

― Ally (mlescaut), Tuesday, 6 May 2003 17:09 (twenty-two years ago)

The question suggests that whether or not there really is anything that unites all the moments and places of the 1990s, we can at least decide on something. It looks like a lot of people are just trying to think of their favorite song from that decade, I think that's a fine method, too. Anyhow I couldn't help thinking that our answers might be better if we took this thread into account: 1990: Time for the Soufflé.

I love "Low Places" but for some reason it doesn't seem particularly "90s" to me (whatever that could mean).

― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Tuesday, 6 May 2003 17:10 (twenty-two years ago)

Hunger Strike, Boombastic, & the Macarena.

― Hurlothrumbo (hurlothrumbo), Tuesday, 6 May 2003 20:01 (twenty-two years ago)

The early 90's were Super-Electric by Stereolab.
The late 90's were The Bells by Jeff Mills.

― Mike Taylor (mjt), Wednesday, 7 May 2003 01:05 (twenty-two years ago)

Ping-Pong rather than Super-Electric, surely? or was that just in Australia?

― electric sound of jim (electricsound), Wednesday, 7 May 2003 03:05 (twenty-two years ago)

1. "Slack Motherfucker" (token American indie rock song)*
2. "Loaded" (token British indie rock song)
3. "The Thunder Rolls" (token modern country song)
4. "Make 'Em Say 'Unngh'!" (token gangsta rap song)
5. "Paranoid Android" (token Radiohead song)
6. "Soon" (token shoegazer song)
7. "Tonight Tonight" (token symphonic rock song)
8. "La Femme D'Argent" (token chillout song)
9. "The Rockefella Skank" (token Big Beat/techno/dance song)
10. "Tennessee" (token non-gangsta-rap "uplifting" rap song)

― Evan (Evan), Wednesday, 7 May 2003 03:06 (twenty-two years ago)

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