Part 5 of my series takes me into the 90s. The last four years of the decade were full of good music so I'm hopeful of some great songs to listen to. Please comment if you like any of these.

20. Ready Or Not - Fugees

 

Peak position - 1

 

I can't really give this one a good review as the distinctive backing track which continues throughout the record was stolen from an Enya song called Boadicea without her permission and the chorus is based on a song by The Delfonics. All that's left is some rapping and someone bashing a drum. The Fugees and Enya eventually settled out of court.

Edited June 6, 20178 yr by King Rollo

19. Dil Cheez (My Heart...) - Bally Sagoo

 

Peak position - 12

 

This is most unexpected,some Indian music,and it's not Indian music combined with a Western dance beat,it's proper Indian music. I don't remember this single at all. I like it,the singer is called Shabnam Majid. Bally Sagoo was born in Delhi but brought up in Birmingham and had one other top 40 hit. He now does music for films and TV as well as his own records.

18. Loungin - LL Cool J

 

Peak position - 7

 

I didn't mind hip hop when it first emerged in the 80s but by the mid 90s,it had become boring and predictable and that description fits this song. LL Cool J is short for Ladies Love Cool James.

17. The Naughty North & The Sexy South - E-Motion

 

Peak position - 17

 

This is basically the same line repeated over and over again for the whole record. It's obviously aimed at clubbers who have taken something. It was a top 20 hit in February and then again in October. E-Motion didn't trouble the chart again.

Edited June 7, 20178 yr by King Rollo

16. Love II Love - Damage

 

Peak position - 12

 

A decent chorus but overall a fairly forgettable piece of R&B music. It's one of seven top 20 hits they had from 1996-2001.

15. Seven Days & One Week - B.B.E

 

Peak position - 3

 

I love this one,a 90s trance classic. I thought they might be a one hit wonder but they had four top 20 singles. BBE stands for Bruno,Bruno and Emmanuel,they came from Italy and France.

 

 

 

 

14. No Diggity - Blackstreet featuring Dr Dre

 

Peak position - 9

 

Good song. I'm not a fan of this sort of music but I like this one. However,like the Fugees song,the main hook is taken from another track,in this case,'Grandma's Hands' by Bill Withers. 'No Diggity' got to no.1 in the US.

13. My Kingdom - Future Sound Of London

 

Peak position - 13

 

I know a couple of their songs but I haven't heard this one before. The single is 30 minutes long. I just listened to the radio edit,very good. This sort of electronica wouldn't have a hope of reaching the top 40 nowadays. I've never got round to listening to any of their albums. I should do,this is just my sort of thing. 30 minutes must be close to a record for the longest top 40 single. If anyone knows of anything longer than that,please let me know.

According to wikipedia Orbs Blue Room was 39 minutes long and was the longest single to make the charts

Thanks,I had a feeling it might be The Orb.

12. Trippin' - Mark Morrison

 

Peak position - 8

 

A really boring song. It's one of five top 10 singles he had in the space of 12 months. He'll always be best known for 'Return Of The Mack'.

11. Setting Sun - The Chemical Brothers

 

Peak position - 1

 

What a fantastic song. One of the best no.1s of the 90s,in fact one of the best no.1s ever with an unrelenting wall of sound. Featuring the vocals of Noel Gallagher,it was their first top 10 single.

10. Rotterdam - The Beautiful South

 

Peak position - 5

 

This is pleasant enough but not one of their best songs. They had 22 top 40 singles in total,more than I thought.

9. I Love You Always Forever - Donna Lewis

 

Peak position - 5

 

When I saw the name Donna Lewis,I was expecting a black soul singer but this is a white Welsh singer with a child like vocal. Now that I've heard the song,I remember it well but I haven't heard it since 1996. It's a good song. It was kept at no.2 on the Billboard Hot 100 for nine weeks behind Macarena by Los Del Rio. She must hate that song. Only 'Waiting For A Girl Like You' by Foreigner and 'Work It' by Missy Elliott have spent more weeks at no.2 without getting to no.1 in the US. Donna Lewis had only one other UK Top 40 hit and that just scraped in at no.39.

8. Beautiful Ones - Suede

 

Peak position - 8

 

Some Britpop now. The song was alright,I liked the intro. This was one of five top 10 singles from the same album,'Coming Up'.

 

 

 

7. Breakfast At Tiffany's - Deep Blue Something

 

Peak position - 1

 

A radio friendly pop/rock song. I have no memory of it getting to no.1. I thought it would have peaked around 5 or 6. It was no.6 on VH1/Blender's list of "50 Most Awesomely Bad Songs Ever". I don't think it's that bad at all. They had one other top 30 single,so avoiding the one hit wonder tag.

6. You're Gorgeous - Babybird

 

Peak position - 3

 

I didn't like this song at the time and it's still quite annoying. Babybird had eight top 40 hits but they'll always be remembered for this one only.

5. It's All Coming Back To Me - Celine Dion

 

Peak position - 3

 

I'm not a big Celine Dion fan but I like this one,an epic Jim Steinman power ballad. It's a track that could be added to the "songs that were cover versions (but you never knew)" thread if it's not on there already. I certainly didn't know that it was first recorded by a girl group called Pandora's Box in 1989. Their version only got to no.51.

A real mixed bag for me - I liked the Fugees choice of samples (and No Diggety) so feel fairly positive about them, Donna Lewis was fab, Chemical Brothers best record & classic, Celine did a decent version of a Steinman epic (gasp!), Deep Blue Something was all over US radio while I florida holidayed that year, and I liked the Beautiful South track. Totes agree about Babybird, so fed up with hearing that one at the time, so dreary and annoying. Still is, though I dont hate it anymore as I dont hear it much. :lol: