Monday, July 11, 2011

Top 300 Songs of the 1990s

I posted this a year or so ago on Amazon Listmania as a set of 15 lists of 20 songs each. I chose Amazon at the time because I liked the way I could link to pictures of the Albums and other Amazon users' reviews of those albums.  Right now I'm boycotting Amazon because of the great efforts they're going to to avoid having their customers pay California sales tax, but that's a different story for a different sort of blog.

Like the 80s list, this is my own highly subjective list, but it follows the same basic rules (no more than one song per album, and no artist represented more than once in the top 40). I had another informal rule for the 90s list, which is that I allowed myself to include a couple of songs by my own band, but not any of the ones I wrote.

300 Crowded House - Chocolate Cake
299 Dj's Wally & Swingsett - Tell Me Something
298 Blood Oranges - Shady Grove
297 Guv'ner - Love The Lamp
296 Hominy - Sunny Days and Raisinets
295 RAD - Homegirls Cha Cha Network
294 Nine Iron - Girl From 911
293 Pavement - Rattled By The Rush
292 WCKR SPGT - Francis Mitterand
291 Lecture On Nothing - Truckload Of Bibles
290 Kiwi Lip Bomb - What To Wear
289 Public Works - Do you think it's an accident
288 Scrawl - Charles
287 Luna - Smile
286 Carney Hild Kramer - The Ballad Of Florida
285 Pudding & Fruit - Dick Clark's Hair
284 Ed's Redeeming Qualities - Calypso on the Beach
283 No Doubt - Just a Girl
282 Man Or Astro-man? - Destination Venus
281 Solex - Solex All Licketysplit
280 Robert Black - Failing: A Very Difficult Piece for String Bass
279 Extra Glenns - Going to Lubbock
278 Gary Lucas - Lydia, The Tattoed Lady
277 Guv'ner - Baby's Way Cruel
276 Timber - Bad Education
275 Pavement - Stereo
274 Guy Klucevsek - Samba D Hiccup
273 Karl Hendricks Trio - Some Girls Like Cigarettes
272 New York Ska-Jazz Ensemble - Comes Love
271 Liz Phair - 6'1"
270 Elvis Costello - So Like Candy
269 Love Camp 7 - And Sour Old Men
268 Money Mark - Hand In Your Head
267 Squirrels - Vincent Van Gogh
266 To Rococo Rot - Cars
265 Luna - California (All The Way)
264 Mouse On Mars - Albion Rose
263 Bogues - Mahalia Jackson
262 The Philistines Jr. - The Impossible Dream Of The Submarine
261 The Faint - Worked Up So Sexual
260 Radar Bros - Shoveling Sons
259 Morphine - Honey White
258 The Notorious B.I.G. - Hypnotize
257 David Thomas & Two Pale Boys - Planet Of Fools
256 Dieselhed - Tying Flies
255 Blast Off Country Style - Teenage Unicorn
254 Ed's Redeeming Qualities - Lawn Dart
253 Spaceways - Stravinsky & Butch
252 Cornelius - Thank You For The Music
251 Grifters - X-Ray Hip
250 Pere Ubu - Worlds In Collision
249 Orange Peels - I Don't Mind The Rain
248 Coax - Orchestra
247 Soul Coughing - Rolling
246 Port Vale - North By North
245 Suddenly Tammy - Plant Me
244 The Daktaris - Voodoo Soul Stew
243 Uncle Wiggly - Mandible Jackson
242 Planet Log - Your Bra and Star Trek
241 Cruel, Cruel Moon - I Don't Believe In Anything At All.
240 Damon & Naomi - Kinetoscope
239 Freakwater - Little Black Train
238 Only a Mother - Crosslegged And Amazed
237 Giant Step Nyc - Impresions (South Central Mix) - Giant Step NYC
236 Lyle Lovett - Church
235 Everybody's Creepy Neighbor - My Girl Says Yeah Yeah
234 Make-Up - Evidence Is Everywhere
233 My Dad Is Dead - Don't Burn Down The Bridge
232 Dr. Dre - Nuthin' but a "G" Thang
231 Uncle Wiggly - Eleanor's Pizza Party
230 Sea And Cake - The Biz
229 Public Enemy - 911 Is A Joke
228 Uncle Tupelo - No Depression
227 Tracy Bonham - Kisses
226 Defunkt - Salsa Negra
225 Beatnik Termites - Denise, Denise
224 Flop - Anne
223 Helium - Sunday
222 Pere Ubu - Folly Of Youth
221 Spacetime Continuum - The Ring
220 J Church - My Favorite Place
219 Dynamic Soundmakers - On The Run (Chase Theme)
218 Fifth Column - I Love You, But
217 David Byrne - Miss America
216 Cornershop - Brimful Of Asha
215 S. E. Rogie - Nor Weigh Me Lek Dat (Woman To Woman)
214 Richard Thompson - 1952 Vincent Black Lightning
213 Momus - MC Escher
212 Mercury Rev - Goddess On A Hiway
211 Only a Mother - Bucket Of Brains
210 Lunchbox - Up To You
209 Kleenex Girl Wonder - Long Live the Pelican Express Song 2
208 3D Picnic - Sunshine And Cockroaches
207 Radiohead - Creep
206 Cake - Jesus Wrote a Blank Check
205 Amy Rigby - Calling Professor Longhair
204 Curlew - Let's Sit Right Down / The Passing
203 Blue Hearts - Linda Linda
202 Eskimo - No Place
201 Missile Toe - Gloria

200 Sloan - Penpals
199 Eggs - The Government Administrator
198 Prolapse - Deanshanger
197 Richard Bryant - The Waltz Of The Blue Devils
196 Map Of Wyoming - Broken Sky
195 Combustible Edison - Cadillac
194 Death Cab For Cutie - Bend To Squares
193 Cake - Italian Leather Sofa
192 DJ Shadow - High Noon
191 Sleepyhead - Song For The Pied Piper
190 Curlew - As You Said
189 Pinetop Seven - Empty Hands And The Long Walk Home
188 Cannannes - Last 3 Weeks
187 Wimp Factor 14 - Role Model Glue
186 Gary Lucas - Glo-Worm
185 Danny Weizman - The Wet Dog Shakes
184 Ozomatli - Cut Chemist Suite
183 Los Amigos Invisibles - Otra Vez
182 Barbara Manning & Go-Luckys - Life/Luck
181 Linton Kwesi Johnson - Sense Outa Nansense
180 Slack Face - Time
179 Barenaked Ladies - One Week
178 Tindersticks - Travelling Light
177 Old 97's - Jagged
176 Skavoovie and the Epitones - Japanese Robot
175 Vulgar Boatmen - You Don't Love Me Yet
174 Silversun - Lava
173 Tone Dogs - Brave It
172 The C-60s - Virtues Of Concrete
171 Sisterhood Of Convoluted Thinkers - Pablo, Deepsea Aquanatics Mausoleum
170 Mommyheads - Annabelle Ann
169 Rasmus - Mass Hysteria
168 Naked City - Party Girl
167 Happy Family - Big Ass On Fire
166 Peter Blegvad - Just Woke Up
165 Olivia Tremor Control - The Opera House
164 Man or Astroman - The Powerful Fully Transistorized Dick Tracy Wrist Watch
163 Girl Trouble - Sister Mary Motorcycle
162 The Revelers - Detroit Bridge
161 Bevis Frond - Can't Stop Lyin'
160 Luna - Sideshow By The Seashore
159 Marah - Rain Delay
158 S.F. Seals - S.F. Sorrow
157 Sea And Cake - The Argument
156 Pavement - You Are A Light
155 Damien Jurado - Trampoline
154 Yo La Tengo - Be Thankful For What You Got
153 Neko Case & Her Boyfriends - Timber
152 Sparklehorse - Hundreds of Sparrows
151 Archer Prewitt - You Walk By
150 Lucinda Williams - Car Wheels On A Gravel Road
149 Meg Hentges - This Kind Of Love Is
148 Vehicle Flips - Impressed Beyond Belief
147 Schramms - What I Knew Today
146 Marine Research - At The Lost And Found
145 Planet Log - Ooh, I Like Your Shoes
144 Mark (Capozzi Park) - Ash
143 Calexico - Wash
142 Flop - A Fixed Point
141 Apples In Stereo - Seems So
140 Archer Prewitt - White Sky
139 Nothing Painted Blue - Niacin
138 Mephiskapheles - Attack Of The Geniuses
137 A.T.S. - Blanche
136 Stuart Moxham - I Wonder Why
135 Framework - Twilights/Walking The Dogma
134 Zuzu's Petals - Cinderella's Daydream
133 Jean Caffeine - Hard Work and A Lot of Hairspray
132 Material - E-Pluribus-Unum
131 that dog - He's Kissing Christian
130 Unrest - Isabel
129 Radiohead - Karma Police
128 Bill Fox - Down To Babylon
127 Very Pleasant Neighbor - Boyfriend in France
126 Sonic Youth - Kool Thing
125 Those Bastard Souls - The Last Thing I Ever Wanted Was To Show Up and Blow Your Mind
124 Vehicle Flips - Diplomacy, Home and Abroad
123 Gilberto Gil & Caetano Veloso - Wait Until Tomorrow
122 Fugazi - Waiting Room
121 Ne Zhdali - Bossa 2000 Turbo
120 Fatboy Slim - Praise You
119 Add N To (X) - Skills
118 Apples In Stereo - Lucky Charm
117 The Minders - Hooray For Tuesday
116 Kamikaze Ground Grew - Diamonds Are Just Glass
115 Sex Clark Five - States Rights
114 Charlie Chesterman And The Legendary Motorbikes - Bread & Butter
113 Richard Davies - Main Street Electrical Parade
112 Pansy Division - Cowboys Are Frequently Secretly Fond Of Each Other
111 The Orb - Little Fluffy Clouds
110 Push Kings - Lonely Times
109 Sahara Hotnights - Oh Darling!
108 Uncle Wiggly - Morphine & Ice Cream
107 Nirvana - Smells Like Teen Spirit
106 Sebadoh - The Freed Pig
105 Sean Lennon - Photosynthesis
104 Guided By Voices - Teenage FBI
103 Blur - Song 2
102 Incredible Force Of Junior - Sweet And Sour
101 S.F. Seals - Back Again

100 Robert Wyatt - Shrinkrap
99 Jurassic 5 - Lesson 6: The Lecture
98 Green Day - Basket Case
97 Matt Keating - Killjoy
96 Purple Penguin - Intro. Opening Question
95 Gary Lucas - Jericho
94 Andy Breckman - Don't Get Killed
93 Spot 1019 - Nothing But Good Things
92 Barbara Manning - Straw Man
91 Luscious Jackson - Don't Look Back
90 Farmers - Mars
89 Vehicle Flips - Expendable You
88 Sloan - The N.S.
87 Arrested Development - The Revolution Broadcst Live On 'da Airwaves
86 Bongwater - Folk Song
85 Chumbawamba - Cartrouble
84 The Hang Ups - Pretty BA
83 Bats - Dancing As The Boat Goes Down
82 Dauerfisch - Ride My Bike
81 Fridge - Ark
80 Sloan - Everything You've Done Wrong
79 Peace Orchestra - The Man Part 1
78 Chumbawamba - Look! No Strings!
77 Five Style - Mythical Numbers
76 Wimp Factor 14 - Botch
75 Revelers - Six Days (To Sunday)
74 Ben Folds - Underground
73 Jon Spencer Blues Explosion - Very Rare
72 Tullycraft - Pop Songs Your New Boyfriend's Too Stupid To Know About
71 Mountain Goats - Golden Boy Peanuts
70 Paleface - Burn And Rob
69 Two Lone Swordsmen - The Big Clapper
68 Those Bastard Souls - The Top Ten Zen Offenders
67 Vehicle Flips - Graduation Party
66 Barbara Manning - My 1st Gun
65 Soul Coughing - Is Chicago, Is Not Chicago
64 The Lonesome Organist - King Of The Rail Model 1895 Trainset
63 Spaceheads - Black Mirror
62 Push Kings - Pop Phenomenon
61 Superchunk - Slack Motherfucker
60 Brian Woodbury's Popular Music Group - I Burn The Flag
59 Yo La Tengo - Moby Octopad
58 Five Style - Deep Marsh
57 Austin Lounge Lizards - Brain Damage
56 Wilco - Someday Soon
55 Robert Wyatt - Blues In Bob Minor
54 Adam Elk - Hay
53 Meredith Miller - Dreams About You And Elvis
52 The Minders - Almost Arms
51 DJ Matsuoka - Samba Nexusia
50 Tortoise - TNT
49 Elliott Smith - Waltz #2 (Xo)
48 Nothing Painted Blue - Epistemophilia
47 Barbara Manning - Patience Is Gone
46 Beta Band - Inner Meet Me
45 Pavement - Cut Your Hair
44 Vehicle Flips - Potomac
43 Yo La Tengo - Speeding Motorcycle
42 Sloan - Underwhelmed
41 Luna - Superfeaky Memories
40 Beulah - If We Can Land a Man on the Moon, Surely I Can Win Your Heart
39 Belle & Sebastian - The Stars Of Track And Field
38 DJ Spooky - Synchronic Disjecta
37 Man Or Astro-man? - Taxidermist Surf
36 Ex + Tom Cora - State Of Shock
35 Gem - Like This
34 The Push Kings - Memphis
33 Cat Power - Say
32 Olivia Tremor Control - A Peculiar Noise Called "Train Director"
31 Slapp Happy - Powerful Stuff
30 Sentridoh - Losercore
29 Neutral Milk Hotel - King Of Carrot Flowers Part 1
28 Son Volt - Ten Second News
27 Ed's Redeeming Qualities - King Of Calypso
26 Amy Rigby - 20 Questions
25 Red Snapper - The Sleepless
24 Kalahari Surfers - Plan for Peace
23 Barbara Manning - Blood Of Feeling
22 Calexico - Stray
21 Old 97's - Victoria
20 Built To Spill - You Were Right
19 Robbie Fulks - Roots Rock Weirdoes
18 (EC) Nudes - O Pastor
17 Telegenic - Guardian Angel
16 Spaceways - Better
15 Wilco - A Shot In The Arm
14 Pavement - Trigger Cut / Wounded-Kite At :17
13 Yo La Tengo - Demons
12 The Beta Band - Round The Bend
11 Bevis Frond - He'd Be a Diamond
10 Nothing Painted Blue - Swivelchair
9 Guv'ner - Break A Promise
8 Sebadoh - Ocean
7 Heavenly - C Is The Heavenly Option
6 Luna - Ihop
5 Mommyheads - Jaded
4 Sloan - Suppose They Close The Door
3 Vehicle Flips - Our Returning Champion
2 Peter Blegvad - King Strut
1 Komeda - It's Alright, Baby

As with the 70s and 80s list, comments and complaints are welcome.

10 comments:

  1. This is indeed a great list. As I was scrolling down and read each song title, memories came back crashing. I remember singing some of these songs in school, with my family and friends and with some other special people in my life. Thank you for sharing this. I will have to search for these songs and listen to them once more.

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  2. Wow a lot of stuff I've missed thanks for bringing all this to my attention Dave, much appreciated. You must have listened to more stuff than the late John Peel! One track I remember from 1998 was Naked Hour by Baby Fox, absolutely gorgeous.

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  3. Teenage Fanclub- Planets
    Jules Shear & Carole King- How Many Times
    Ben Folds- Boxing
    The Jayhawks- Blue
    Fastball- Nowhere Road
    Jimmy Webb- Didn't We
    Flaming Lips- A Spoonful Weighs a Ton
    The Beatles- Free as a Bird
    James Iha- Jealousy
    The Wondermints- Proto-Pretty
    Elvis Costello & Burt Bacharach- God Give Me Strength
    Matthew Sweet- Divine Inspiration
    Weezer- Buddy Holly
    Madonna- Beautiful Stranger
    They Might Be Giants- Extra Savoir Faire
    Ben Folds Five- Narcolepsy
    Jellyfish- The Ghost at #1
    The Wallflowers- One Headlight
    Len- Steal My Sunshine
    Teenage Fanclub- What You Do to Me
    Johnny Cash- Bird on a Wire
    Gin Blossoms- Til I Hear It From You
    Ben Folds Five- Missing the War
    The Jayhawks- Take Me With You (When You Go)
    Fountains of Wayne- Survival Car
    Billy Joel- River of Dreams
    The Rembrandts- Rollin' Down the Hill
    Jeff Buckley- Hallelujah
    Sloan- C'mon, C'mon (We're Gonna Get it Started)
    Beck- Tropicalia
    They Might Be Giants- I Wanna Rock
    Jules Shear- Sad Sound of the Wind
    Teenage Fanclub- Hang On
    The Jayhawks- Big Star
    Sting- If I Ever Lose My Faith in You
    Fountains of Wayne- Lost in Space
    Macy Gray- I Try
    Barenaked Ladies- Be My Yoko Ono
    Joan Osborne- One of Us
    REM- Losing My Religion
    The Beatles- Real Love
    Bob Dylan- Make You Feel My Love
    Semisonic- Closing Time
    Boyz II Men- The End of the Road
    The Wonders- That Thing You Do
    John Hiatt- Perfectly Good Guitar
    Paul McCartney- Little Willow
    Tracy Chapman- Give Me One Reason
    The La's- There She Goes
    Tal Bachman- She's So High
    Aaron Neville- Everybody Plays the Fool
    The Smithereens- Yesterday Girl
    Tom Petty- You Don't Know How It Feels
    10,000 Maniacs- Because the Night
    Los Lobos- Two Janes
    Sheryl Crow- All I Wanna Do
    The Ba Ha Men- Dancing in the Moonlight
    Blues Traveler- Runaround
    Jules Shear- The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine
    Fatboy Slim- Praise You
    REM- Nightswimming
    The Jellyfish- All I Want is Everything
    Van Morrison- Real Real Gone
    Yo La Tengo- Emulsified
    Marc Cohn- Walking in Memphis
    Golden Smog- Pecan Pie
    Counting Crows- Mr. Jones
    John Hiatt- Real Fine Love
    Mariah Carey & Whitney Houston- When You Believe
    Collective Soul- Shine
    Eric Clapton- Change the World
    Annie Lennox-Walking On Broken Glass
    Boyz II Men- It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday
    Traveling Wilburys- Wilbury Twist
    Santana with Rob Thomas- Smooth
    Natalie Imbruglia- Torn
    Lenny Kravitz- Heaven Help
    Sinead O'Connor- Nothing Compares 2 U
    Sonic Youth- Superstar
    Leeann Rimes- Blue
    Eric Clapton- Tears in Heaven
    Gillian Welch- Tear My Stillhouse Down
    NRBQ- Another Word for Love
    Barenaked Ladies- One Week
    Blind Melon- No Rain
    Teenage Fanclub- Everything Flows
    Morrissey- Now My Heart is Full
    Suzanne Vega- Tom's Diner
    Lenny Kravitz- Fly Away
    Primal Scream- Movin' On Up
    Gin Blossoms- Found Out About You
    Red Hot Chili Peppers- Under the Bridge
    Beck- Loser
    Crowded House- Weather with You
    Sarah McLachlan- Angel
    Nirvana- Smells Like Teen Spirit
    The Cranberries- Linger
    Annie Lennox- No More "I Love You"s
    Hootie & the Blowfish- Only Want to Be With You
    The Cardigans- Erase
    The Verve- Bittersweet Symphony
    Amy Grant- Baby Baby
    Southern Culture on the Skids- Camel Walk
    Sixpence None the Richer- Kiss Me
    Green Day- Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)
    R. Kelly- I Believe I Can Fly
    Sarah McLachlan- Building a Mystery
    Redd Kross- Bubblegum Factory
    Bon Jovi- Blaze of Glory
    Lenny Kravitz- Always on the Run
    Deep Blue Something- Breakfast at Tiffany's
    U2- One
    Dave Matthew's Band- Crash Into Me
    Desree'- You Gotta Be
    Chumbawumba- Tubthumping
    Oasis- Champagne Supernova
    REM- E-Bow the Letter
    Seal- A Kiss from a Rose
    Radiohead- Paranoid Android

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  4. Bob Dylan- Hard Times

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  5. Beta Band- Dry the Rain

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  6. Stevie Wonder- Dancing to the Rhythm, For Your Love & Gotta Have You
    Johnny Cash- I've Been Everywhere & Wanted Man

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  7. Shonen Knife- Top of the World

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  8. Ben Harper- steal My Kisses

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  9. Carlos Santana- El Farol
    Eagle-Eye Cherry- Save Tonight

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  10. Come to California- Matthew Sweet
    Not When I Need It- Matthew Sweet

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