What are the 10 Best Songs of the 90’s?

The 90's to me were the greatest decade of music. It was a smorgasbord of sounds and flavors that were all welcomed to the dinner table and I ate each of them up over the course of ten years and kept coming back for more.

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No matter what you identified as, you had at least one song that still rings true to you to this day. That one song (or more) gives you such a special feeling that hits you the minute you hit play. The question is, did any of those make the list of the 10 best songs of the decade that was the 1990's?

After doing some hard research (aka asking a bunch of my friends) and interjecting my own opinions on this debatable topic, I have come up with what is potentially the ten best songs from the 90's. I even included some honorable mentions as side dishes to the wonderful entrees you are about to feast on.

So wet your palate, get your bib on and read what are potentially the best of the best from the 1990's.

 

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10: Sinead O'Connor: "Nothing Compares 2 U.". Yes, this was an original song by Prince and it barely qualified to make this list as it was released literally one week into the 90's, but my lord Sinead did this song justice and then some. The eventual winner for Video of the Year at the 1990 MTV Video Music Awards proved what a force she was vocally, as all she had to do in the video was sing in front of a black screen and nothing else. Brilliant. 

 

 

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9: Notorious B.I.G.: "Juicy". One of the most iconic rappers to hit the scene in the 1990's, with this being his signature song. 

 

 

8: Spice Girls: "Wannabe". These five ladies from the U.K. were everywhere in the mid to late 90's, and this bonafide pop classic kicked their careers off all the way to the top of the charts with its irresistible sound and hilarious music video that parodies the posh London lifestyle. 

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7: Alanis Morrissette: "Ironic". Everyone and their mom had Jagged Little Pill, and this song was its true standout (among all the other phenomenal ones). The lyricism in this song is quite incredible, as the way she parlays all the "ironic" things that can happen in ones life is truly remarkable. 

 

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6: Ace of Base: "The Sign". Swedish pop comes and goes each decade, and Ace of Base's synth based beats and catchy rhythms happened to take over the world in the early 1990's, especially with this number one track. 

 

 

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5: Nirvana: "Smells Like Teen Spirit". VH1 listed this as their number one song of the 90's years ago, and that might be stretching it a bit, but it does deserve to be part of the top 10 list for being such an incredible piece of music history from the lyrics to the video to what a fantastic figure Kurt Cobain and his band was within it.

 

 

4: Britney Spears: "… Baby One More Time". The quintessential pop song, and what took her from obscurity to pop princess in a matter of weeks. And now… she's a queen. 

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3: TLC: "Waterfalls". My personal favorite girl group of all time, and this song's message still rings true over 20 years later. 

 

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2: Madonna: "Vogue". The perfect song, the perfect choreography, and the perfect video. If there is one Madonna song that stands above the rest, this is it. 

 

 

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1: Oasis: "Wonderwall". Yes, Liam and Noel have an ego bigger than this world, but this song deserves the number one spot because it is simply incredible. There isn't much to it, but there doesn't need to be. It's a song that I will never ever get tired of listening to for the rest of my life. 

Honorable Mentions:

 

 

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Jamiroquai: "Virtual Insanity". The best damn music video ever made. 

 

 

Mariah Carey & Boyz II Men: "One Sweet Day". The longest running number one song on the Billboard Hot 100 (until Luis Fonsi tied it last year with "Despacito"), had these two powerhouses come together for a duet that remains one of the best in music history. 

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Fiona Apple: "Criminal". She was much needed in the late 90's, and this song and video was downright dirty yet fabulous in all the right ways. 

 

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No Doubt: "Don't Speak". The best thing to come out of the ska movement was a sweaty Gwen Stefani singing about one of the best breakup songs ever. 

 

 

Janet Jackson: "That's The Way Love Goes". Feel the groove, feel all of it with this classic track. 

This was created by one of our Contributing Writers and does not reflect the opinion of Instinct Magazine or the other Contributing Writers when it comes to this subject. 

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