The Purchase Independent

By Mariel Loveland

It’s always easy to point out the songs you didn’t like—that song “Blue” by Eiffel 65, which made no sense, or that song “Boombastic” by Shaggy that incessantly played at every beach bar until… just about last year. What’s difficult is narrowing down the ten songs that were there with you through your first crush, your first mp3 download, and the first time you were allowed to watch MTV with your parents knowing about it. Here are those songs—The Independent’s Top Ten Songs of the 90s:

1. Hey Sandy- Polaris (1993)
Hailing from the iconic “Adventures of Pete & Pete”, which aired on Nickelodeon from 1993-1995, it epitomizes suburban youth in the ‘90s.

2. Car- Built to Spill (1994)
Fifteen years after the release of There’s Nothing Wrong With Love, I climbed a fence at Coney Island to get a glimpse of Doug Martsch singing. It was still awesome.

3. Hand in My Pocket – Alanis Morissette (1995)
This song from Alanis Morissette’s 1995 album, Jagged Little Pill, peaked at #4 on the Billboard Top 40, and proved her to be more than a bad-ass chick who burns her ex-boyfriends via fm radio—after all, living well is the best revenge.

4. Wannabe- Spice Girls (1996)
In 1996, I would have believed that the divorce rate was lower than the number of friendships ruined over playing Spice Girls—someone had to be Scary Spice, and hey, this song did come out when I was 8!

5. 1979- Smashing Pumpkins (1996)
If one single song could encompass the feeling of the freedom found in obtaining your learner’s permit and subsequently aimlessly driving around, this would be it.

6. Tearin’ Up My Heart-*NSYNC (1996)
Let’s be honest, The Backstreet Boys pale in comparison. This song is still awesome, and Justin Timberlake is still hot.

7. Hows It Gonna Be- Third Eye Blind (1997)
Third Eye Blind’s self-titled album is sort of like a first boyfriend. I will probably always love it and I find myself wondering how I will feel when the scratches on the back of my CD end our 12 year romance?

8. Iris- Goo Goo Dolls (1998)
Originally written for the film, City of Angels, this track’s infinitely relatable chorus helps it stand the test of time. Inadequacy still feels the same way it did when I was eleven years old and first heard this song. If the world doesn’t understand, at least the Goo Goo Dolls do.

9. I Don’t Wanna Miss a Thing- Aerosmith (1998)
Appearing on the soundtrack to Armageddon, Aerosmith’s #1 hit crushed my dreams of becoming an astronaut. It not only made me realize that I’d probably die in some freak accident caused by a giant meteor, but that I just couldn’t take the heartbreak involved—and the fact that I will never look like Liv Tyler.

10. Back at One- Brian McKnight (1999)
In 1999, during a middle school dance, a nerdy 12-year-old girl asked a popular 13-year-old boy to dance to this song. When he said yes, she got nervous and ran away. This girl may or may not have been me.

Honorable Mention:
Hey Jealousy-Gin Blossoms (1992)
Sex and Candy- Marcy Playground (1997)
The Boy Is Mine- Brandy & Monica (1998)
Livin’ La Vida Loca -Ricky Martin (1999)
(You Drive Me) Crazy – Britney Spears (1999)

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