Oh nice! I'll be def be checking this out, I know our tastes match really well so I don't doubt there'll be a lot of my faves appearing here.

 

Coincidentally, I'm broadcasting my Top 100 singles of the 1990s on Sunday - New Year's Day. I compiled the list for Pitchfork in the autumn and wanted to play it out, sadly the majority of my picks failed to make their list. 😔

 

Ooooo that sounds like a good listen - I'm sure yours will be far better than mine as there are lots of songs appearing in mine that wouldn't make it at all if I were just looking back with my now more mature tastes!

Good start, my favourite songs by Heaven 17 are Come Live With Me, Crushed By The Wheels Of Industry and This Is Mine.

It was news to me that 'Temptation' had a 90s makeover until the relevant TOTP repeats came around! I knew the original song due to its appearance on a Now album and I didn't used to be a fan (I initially thought the woman's voice was too shrill :lol:) but it's really grown over time. Although... denying 'Out of Space' #1 in your chart? :nono: (...definitely need you to vote in the #5s rate!)

 

265 | Barenaked Ladies - One Week

 

Next up we move to the end of the decade and a bit of a one hit wonder in the form of Barenaked Ladies. I've always been a bit of a sucker for songs that have rhythmic annunciation in the verses and this certainly delivers on that front, I remember Radio 1 hammering it at the time and it wormed its way into my consciousness enough to rule for a week in February. It's the only example of that kinda American geek college rock that managed to top my chart (I think) although the likes of Len and Ben Folds Five did come close. I've just listened to it for the first time in ages and I do still like it, albeit it's a tad annoying, but it is somewhat sabotaged in this countdown by me having not played it in years.

 

 

The stats:

 

Date: 14 February 1999

Weeks: One

1990s chart rank: 259

2020s plays rank: 257

Biggest song it kept from #1:

(#3 w/c 14 February 1999)

Biggest fave now that I didn't love at the time: N/A

 

So much to say, already.

 

You're going to do a review of that length for each one? I would not have that sort of dedication.

 

This is not the only place that Temptation stopped Out of Space from hitting the top spot. In Dr B's and my Dance Number 1s of the 90s Out of Space was outsold by either Temptation or The Shamen's Phorever People keeping it in 2nd place at very best.

 

 

Dr B, 100 1990s songs in a day? What's not to stan?

Edited December 31, 20222 yr by Colm

'One Week' is a bit of fun but nothing too standout.

Love both of those, though prefer the original Temptation.

Oh I still really like One Week, but can definitely see why it'd annoy.

 

I'd defo be up for joining in Dr B's countdown, but the 1st is my delayed Christmas day this year, so unlikely to make much (if any) of it! :(

Sure itll be a fab rundown! Shame about the personal charts fizzling out though! I still find 75 or more to love each week and ive been charting over 50 years 😱

 

The original Heaven 17 is a total classic Ive never stopped loving for even a short while. The remix i havent played since it left the 90s charts. One Week is fun but it was never a big top 5 track for me. I loved a lot of American 90s rock but preferred the quirkier or tuneful side on the whole.

 

Look forward to agreeing with you a lot...😎

I actually hadn't heard 'One Week' until very recently when it popped up on Scott Mills' Radio 2 show which I was listening to with Jade.

 

I wish I had still not heard it. :ph34r: Maybe if I was around for its original release and had the nostalgia goggles I could see it being a bit of a quirky and standout song to look back on, but on a first listen in 2022 I really didn't enjoy it at all.

 

I don't think I know that remix of 'Temptation' but the original is a good song (though good enough to hold off 'Out Of Space' I think not x).

Looking forward to reading this thread dandy.

 

Can't say i'm too fussed about the remix of Temptation tbh, prefer the original which is great.

 

One Week is alright but I much prefer the track it beat out here, the fantastic Be There.

One Week is fine. Lyrically good. Almost like a rap song.

Never saw the appeal of Temptation, too 80s

One Week was beyond irritating, that UnNKLE song on the other hand is amazing

Be There is great. A different league.

Absolutely! As we progress you will see that I am in no way suggesting that I got all of these right at the time ooops :kink:

 

It's a long time ago. Your tastes have matured since then.

'One Week' is not really my thing either (although definitely an earworm) but agreed that 'Be There' is great, as UNKLE so often are :wub:

 

264 | Smash Mouth - Walkin' on the Sun

 

Okay so yesterday I may have said that I only had one American geek rock #1 yet somehow I forgot the very next song to appear, who knows maybe they'll all be geek rock from here on in after all! I haven't listened to this in a very long time so I'm doing so now, I still like the vibe of the intro and at the time I think I kinda felt like they could turn into a new Fun Lovin' Criminals... however the appeal didn't last too long as this fell rapidly down my chart after debuting at #1 in 1997. I seem to recall hating everything I heard from here on in from them also, including that awful Rock Star thing that was used in Shrek.

 

Looking down the official chart of the time I don't think it did any serious injustice with 2K being the glaring song that I didn't even realise existed until a few years ago... still, it wasn't on a par with the KLF's earlier 90s hits so I don't think it would have done a lot for me at the time regardless.

 

 

The stats:

 

Date: 19 October 1997

Weeks: One

1990s chart rank: 252

2020s plays rank: 263

Biggest song it kept from #1:

(#3 w/c 19 October 1997)

Biggest fave now that I didn't love at the time:

 

You're looking kinda dumb with your finger and your thumb in the shape of an L on your forehead with that pick. (This 'All Star' slander though xx)

 

263 | Beverley Knight - Made it Back 99

 

This was a re-release of an early Beverley single that went on to top my chart due to the sheer funkiness of the track... which, at the time, I had absolutely no idea was essentially the groove from Chic's classic Good Times. Whilst it doesn't match the original, I'm listening now and still think this is a decent enough use of the sample and the song itself is a pretty great 90s style soul effort. This was Beverley's only chart topper for me but I did think she had a pretty great run of singles for a while and never really achieved the success she deserved. This one entered low, climbed to #1 the following week before descending quickly again... however I can now look back and be glad of Beverley's random ascent or you'd all be faced with the incredibly irritating Turn Around here instead.

 

 

The stats:

 

Date: 11 April 1999

Weeks: One

1990s chart rank: 265

2020s plays rank: 246

Biggest song it kept from #1:

(#2 w/c 11 April 1999)

Biggest fave now that I didn't love at the time: