Attention!!!
Well we all know that the 90s were definitely the best decade for music (well at least I do). Although I am a fan of the 60s, 70s and the 2000s, nothing can beat the 90s with its plethora of genres branching into further sub-genres and laying the foundation for the future of coming eras. 60s had its Beatles and Elvis etc. 70s had the peak of Disco and the 80s, well there was nothing special about that decade. The 2000s introduced Electro pop, Romanian pop, K-Pop and several genres of rock, hip-hop and house music to the industry. However, the 90s was a memorable decade due to most of its achievements, accomplishments and contributions to the industry.
1.
Influx of Boy Bands and Girl Groups
The 90s witnessed the entrance of a host of boy bands and girl
groups in mainstream pop such as the Spice Girls, Backstreet Boys, NSYNC, 98
Degrees, 911, Destiny’s Child, TLC, Eternal, All Saints, B*Witched, Cleopatra,
Hanson, 3T, Boys II Men, Five, Westlife, New Kids on the Block, Take That,
Boyzone, No Mercy, Damage, The Moffats, BBMak, SWV, Wilson Phillips etc.
2.
90s Alternative Rock
Alternative rock music emerged and took over as the most
popular genre of rock during the decade. This genre’s distinction from
mainstream rock is expressed primarily in a distorted guitar sound, subversive
and/or transgressive lyrics and generally a nonchalant, defiant attitude.
Legendary bands such as Nirvana, Pearl Jam, R.E.M., Creed, Red Hot Chili
Peppers, Goo Goo Dolls, Alice in Chains, Third Eye Blind, Green Day, 3 Doors
Down, Counting Crows, Hootie and the Blowfish, Smashing Pumpkins, Garbage, No
Doubt etc. had their roots in the 90s.
3.
90s Eurodance
Although it emerged in the latter part of the 80s, eurodance
established itself as a clear genre in the 90s. It combines elements of disco,
techno and electro music and a chorus rich in melodic vocals and the verses
mostly being rapped. Ace of Base, La Bouche, 2 Unlimited, ATC, Culture Beat,
Real McCoy, Haddaway, Whigfield, Snap!, Fun Factory, Twenty 4 Seven, Vengaboys,
DJ Bobo, Dr.Alban, Cappella, Captain Hollywood Project, Corona, Le Click,
Alexia, Centory, Amber, Rozalla, Aqua, Eiffel 65, Mr.President etc. are some
who became extremely popular during the decade.
4.
Entrance of Britney Spears, Enrique Iglesias,
Ricky Martin, Christina Aguilera, Marc Anthony and Jennifer Lopez
The decade saw the entrance of various artists and bands to
the music industry but the entrance of Britney, Enrique, Martin and Lopez was
definitely a highlight as the foursome with their hits Baby One More Time,
Bailamos, Maria, Genie in a Bottle, I Need to Know and If You Had My Love
clearly made an impression worldwide as they have now gone onto become six of
the biggest selling artists of all time.
5.
Whitney Houston, Elton John, Janet Jackson and
Santana reach their peak
While Whitney, Elton, Janet and Santana were not new names to
the music scene in the 90s, the biggest hits of their careers were during the
decade. Whitney’s cover of Dolly Parton’s I Will Always Love You became a
global sensation. Elton John’s second rendition of Candle in the Wind sung for
late Princess Diana is the biggest selling single of the 90s. Janet’s That’s
The Way Love Goes and Santana’s Smooth reached the top in almost all the
countries they charted.
6.
Make Way for Vocal Heavyweights
The decade undeniably recognized talent and was rich with
artists with brilliant vocals and the 90s witnessed the start of singers such
as Celine Dion, Mariah Carey, Andrea Bocelli, Sarah Brightman Michael Bolton, R.Kelly, Seal etc.
7.
Oh! Those Sappy Country Love Songs
While there can be several types of love songs, there are
certain slow country types which are extremely sappy and due to their extremely
romantic nature are chosen for weddings. The decade witnessed the floodgates
being swung open by the likes of Shania Twain, Faith Hill, Tim McGraw, LeAnn Rimes,
Lonestar, Kenny Chesney and Martina McBride and their hits You’re Still The
One, Breathe, It’s Your Love, How Do I Live, Amazed, You Had Me From Hello and
I Love You.
8.
Mixed Pop Bands
While the boy bands and the girl groups were flourishing
during the decade we can see that there were bands composed of a mixture of
teenage girls and boys sprouting like mushrooms all over the world all based in
mainstream pop like Steps, Solid HarmoniE, S Club 7, The Corrs, Ace of Base,
ATC, No Doubt, Vengaboys, A*Teens etc.
9.
Ladies enter Rap & Hip-Hop
Whilst hip-hop and rap continued to gain mainstream success in
the 90s female artists and bands entered the genre, which was heavily dominated
by men and managed to gain significant commercial success. Iggy Azalea and
Nicki Minaj can thank Missy Elliot, Salt-N-Pepa, Lauryn Hill, Queen Latifah,
Lil’ Kim and Foxy Brown etc. for their efforts and attempts in establishing a
feminine presence in the genre.
10. The
Macarena
This
is the Gangnam Style of the 90s and I believe if social media was as popular as
it is now, the quirky dance track Macarena by Los Del Rio with its unique dance
moves would have achieved even more commercial success and influence at the
time. It is considered as the number one dance song of all time by Billboard
and is ranked at No.7 on Billboard’s All Time Top 100.
Till the next beat…
At Ease!!!
