FlourishAnyway believes there is a playlist for just about any situation and is on a mission to unite and entertain the world through song.

Nostalgia for the 1990s

Were the 1990s good to you? While many Gen Xers got married in the 1990s, Gen Y grew up on the decade's television, music, and technology scene.

The economy experienced a resurgence with the introduction and growth of the internet. We ran out to our local stores for free promotional discs to sign up for Earthlink or AOL email accounts. (Some of us still use those email addresses!) We used clunky search engines like Lycos, WebCrawler, or Excite for dial-up internet service. Our 35 mm cameras (with actual film) served us well. So did our pagers, fax machines, Sony Discman and MP3 players, and those answering machines for our landline phones. If all of that sounds ancient, how about this throwback: Remember when Amazon.com sold only books and Blockbuster carried all the latest VCR tapes?

Back then, we looked stylish in our Mom jeans, Doc Martens, jelly shoes, grunge wear, or goth gear, and we caught Seinfeld and Friends every Thursday without fail. Collecting Beanie Babies was an obsession. (What did you do with yours?)

Of course, the decade wasn't all fun and games. There were tragedies and turmoil both at home and abroad, including:

• the Persian Gulf War
• the Clinton-Lewinsky matter and that blue dress
• mass shootings at Columbine
• the deaths of Princess Diana and Mother Theresa within a week of one another
• the Oklahoma City bombing
• the Los Angeles riots and
• widespread fear of Y2K as the new millennium approached.

However you spent ups and downs of the 1990s, hopefully, there was love in your life to see you through. Bring back the memories of this change-filled decade with a nostalgic playlist of pop, rock, country, and R&B love songs.

Reader Poll

1. "I Will Always Love You" by Whitney Houston

Unless you were hiding under a rock throughout the1990s, then you must certainly recall when this song was all the rage. Whitney's spine-tingling high notes are unmistakable.

The year was 1992, and the powerhouse vocalist recorded a cover of the 1974 Dolly Parton country song for The Bodyguard, the motion picture she was co-starring in. The song describes the bittersweet parting between a man and woman. As they part company, the narrator wishes her friend well and promises to remember him fondly. Houston's version became a phenomenally successful R&B, pop, and adult contemporary crossover hit which spent 14 weeks at the top of the Billboard charts, a record at the time. When Whitney Houston died in 2012, the song once again entered the Billboard charts and peaked at number 3.

2. "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" by Aerosmith

Although Aerosmith had been making music since the 1970s, this rockin' love song from 1998 was the band's biggest hit, topping the charts across the globe. The guy in their song doesn't want to surrender to sleep because he just wants to stare at his lover as she dreams. Although that may sound a little creepy to some, be assured that his intentions are pure. He is completely smitten with his honey and fears that if he closes his eyes, he might miss her smile, the flutter of her eyes, her heartbeat.

The ditty was inspired by a 1997 Barbara Walters interview of James Brolin and Barbara Streisand. In the interview, Brolin awkwardly confessed that he missed his partner when he slept. (Old people love goals.) The couple married in 1998.

3. "Love Will Never Do (Without You)" by Janet Jackson

This upbeat 1990 rock song received heavy rotation on MTV (which was a continuous music video channel at that time). In the song's video Janet pranced around in her high-waisted Mom jeans on the beach while threatening to spill out of her tight cami top.

The tune was a chart-topper internationally and celebrated a successful relationship between opposites. The narrator is pleased that she and her lover always seem to iron out any conflicts that arise between them. Although their friends swore they'd never make it, somehow the couple always proves them wrong.

Janet Jackson was inducted into Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2019.

4. "You're Still the One" by Shania Twain

Shania Twain was a young Canadian singer who was beginning her country recording career in Nashville when the famous record producer "Mutt" Lange tracked her down at Fan Fair in 1993. He offered to write songs with her and produce her music. It was a Beauty-and-the-Beast-type of love attraction involving a man almost two decades her senior. They married later that year, and he helped catapult her to country and pop crossover superstardom.

By 1998, Shania was singing this song about how her lover was still the one turning her on. The song's narrator shows pride that the love relationship has beaten the odds and is still going strong romantically. Unfortunately, the same couldn't be said for Shania and Mutt. He cheated on her with her best friend, and the two were divorced in 2010. Mutt married his mistress and in a plot twist you couldn't make up, Shania married the mistress' husband.

5. "Because You Loved Me" by Celine Dion

None of us flourish in life without the guidance and assistance of others. This heartwarming 1996 song pays tribute to those contributions. The Grammy Award-winning song became a worldwide smash hit and is Celine Dion's biggest song. Use it when you want to express true gratitude to a best friend or loved one for their loyalty, strength, and unwavering support through both difficult and triumphant times.

6. "More Than Words" by Extreme

This soft rock love ballad represented a significant departure from Extreme's usual metal sound, but it proved to be a recipe for success for the band. The mellow number describes how the narrator wants more than to merely hear his partner utter the words, "I love you." Instead, he needs to see her demonstrate how much she cares through her attitudes and actions. The song was Extreme's only number one mainstream hit.

7. "Save the Best for Last" by Vanessa Williams

Before the friend zone was even a named thing, the woman in this 1992 pop song felt hopelessly stuck in it. Her male friend confided the details of his dramatic love life and shared his wishes and dreams with her while she silently pined away for him. Rather than professing her hopeless crush on him, she listened and waited patiently for his love.

Then something magic happened: he saw her in a romantic light. She got the fairytale ending she had been hoping for all along.

The chart-topping tune became a signature song for Vanessa Williams and allowed her to redeem herself in the public eye. After being crowned the first African American Miss America in 1984, Williams was pressured to resign after it was discovered that Penthouse magazine had obtained unauthorized nude photos of her and planned to publish them.

8. "Nothing Compares 2 U" by Sinéad O'Connor

Anyone who has ever been abandoned by a lover can relate to the longing and searing pain expressed in this 1990 hit. Although written and first recorded by Prince, the song was made famous by Sinéad O'Connor. The power ballad describes a narrator's stark loneliness without her partner in her life.

Now alone, she counts the desolate days since her other half ripped out her heart and withdrew his love. Although she has the freedom to do whatever she wants, she feels like a bird without a song. Nothing compares to her lover.

Although the song was a widespread success, ranking at the top of the charts across the world, it was O'Connor's only mainstream Top 40 hit. This effectively made her a one-hit wonder.

9. "I'd Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That)" by Meat Loaf (featuring Lorraine Crosby)

This high octane declaration of passion and commitment snagged Meat Loaf both a Grammy Award and his only number one hit. (Unfortunately, he didn't properly credit the female soloist in the song, later identified as Lorraine Crosby. She was merely referred to as "Mrs. Loud.")

In the 1993 heavy rock ballad, the narrator pledges how he would do anything—well, almost—for love. He offers dramatic examples, including running into hell and back and taking a vow and sealing a pact. However, if you're like me, you probably wonder what exactly he's referring to when he says he'd do anything for love but he won't do that. (Hey, don't let your mind go to dark places. The answer is in the lyrics.)

As the love-struck narrator persuades his sweetheart of his devotion, he describes five things he would never do:

• "I'll never lie to you (and that's a fact)"
• "I'll never forget the way you feel right now"
• "I'll never forgive myself if we don't go all the way tonight"
• "I'll never do it better than I do it with you" and
• "I'll never stop dreaming of you."

Because his lover still doesn't completely trust his promises, she retorts that eventually he'll become bored and realize it's time to move on or inevitably sooner or later he'll be screwin' around. Nope. He swears those are two additional things he won't do.

10. "I Can Love You Like That" by All-4-One

This 1995 love ballad was the second song that All-4-One borrowed from country singer John Michael Montgomery to make an R&B/pop crossover hit. (In both instances, I prefer the country version.)

The ditty features a man who promises to grant the woman he loves a fairytale ending. She grew up reading stories of Cinderella, watching all the romcoms, and dreaming of her very own Prince Charming. Now he entreaties her to open up her heart and look at him as a potential love match because he has so much tenderness and love to provide.

11. "You Were Meant for Me" by Jewel

Aftereffects of a breakup can leave you wounded and shellshocked as you try to get your bearings and move on. The girl in this 1996 folk-styled love song misses her ex-boyfriend and hopes that he will return as she goes about her daily routine.

She mentions small details of vulnerability—keys left in the door, spots on the mirror, leaving the light on—to signify that she's struggling to make sense of the giant hole left in her life by this loss. What did she do to make him go away? She can't yet wrap her head around his leaving because they were meant for one another.

How Well Do You Know 1990s Musical Artists? Take the Quiz

For each question, choose the best answer. The answer key is below.

1. Which musician has never had a number one hit on the mainstream Billboard pop chart?
   • Jewel
   • Bonnie Raitt
   • Shania Twain
   • Hootie & The Blowfish
   • all of the above
2. Which artist experienced homelessness in their youth?
   • Jewel
   • Brian McKnight
   • Oleta Adams
3. Who was Whitney Houston's godmother?
   • Dionne Warwick
   • Aretha Franklin
   • Diana Ross
4. Janet Jackson is the ______ of the 10 Jackson children.
   • fourth
   • seventh
   • eighth
   • youngest
5. How many years difference was there between Celine Dion and her husband René Angélil?
   • 26
   • 42
   • 19

Answer Key

1. all of the above
2. Jewel
3. Aretha Franklin
4. youngest
5. 26

12. "Something to Talk About" by Bonnie Raitt

Infused with the blues, this flirty 1991 rock song won Bonnie Raitt another Grammy Award. (She has a total of 10). The ditty playfully describes how there is talk about town that the narrator and her friend stand too close, laugh too loud, and stare too long to be "just friends." The narrator pretends to be caught off guard by the rumors that they are lovers. Having ulterior motives, she suggests that maybe others see something they don't. Why not prove the rumors true? Bonnie Raitt was named one of 100 Greatest Singers of All Time according to Rolling Stone magazine.

13. "Get Here" by Oleta Adams

When Saddam Hussein invaded then annexed Kuwait, gas prices jumped from just under $1.00 a gallon to $1.25 a gallon overnight. Before long we had a war on our hands. We sent troops overseas for Operation Desert Storm, and this song became an anthem for all of the lovers separated by miles and uncertainty.

The 1991 R&B/pop crossover song was Oleta Adams' only Top 40 hit. The emotional ballad describes a woman who wishes to bridge the distance between herself and her significant other through any transportation method possible. She implores him to "get here if you can." Among her suggested modes of travel are:

• railway
• airplane
• hot air balloon
• sailboat
• magic carpet ride
• swinging rope to rope from the trees
• riding a speedy colt across the borders and
• caravan "cross the desert like an Arab man."

14. "I'll Never Let You Go" by Steelheart

The 1990s had its share of one-hit wonders, and unfortunately, the rock band Steelheart was one of them with this electric guitar-intense love song. The 1991 number describes with soaring vocals how the protagonist had long dreamed about holding a woman like the one he loves now. As she rests in his arms, he promises to hold onto her forever, this goddess with the angel eyes.

15. "Kiss Me" by Sixpence None the Richer

A romantic invitation to kiss beneath the moonlight as the fireflies dance about…that's what this sweet pop song from 1998 is about. It was featured in the television series Dawson's Creek as well as several films.

Although Sixpence None the Richer is a Christian rock band, there has been ongoing controversy about the unspecified genders of the lovers involved in this love song. (One lover is in a dress and the other is in a flowered hat.) No judgment here, but people weren't as open in the 1990s as they are now.

1990s History and Culture

16. "Only Wanna Be with You" by Hootie & The Blowfish

Opposites may attract, but they typically spell more disharmony.

We couldn't get enough of Hootie & The Blowfish back in the 1990s. "Only Wanna Be with You" was the group's most famous song. The 1995 rock number refers to a man's love for his girlfriend. They both come from different worlds, want different things, and don't even seem to get along all that well. However, he just knows he loves her and wants to be with her. Who, like me, has been there too?

The song's lyrics feature a tribute to Bob Dylan by citing several Dylan songs and lyrics, something Dylan's management company knew about in advance. However, when the tune became a commercial success, Dylan sued Hootie & The Blowfish and received an out-of-court settlement in 1995.

17. "Un-Break My Heart" by Toni Braxton

Don't you wish hearts could be unbroken? The lovelorn woman in this 1996 R&B/pop crossover hit pleads with a lover who has left her feeling broken and dejected. She begs him to return and undo all the suffering he has created in abandoning her. Sadly, she perceives the exclusive solution to stopping her tears as reuniting with him. Girl, get a hold of yourself. He's gone.

The song won a Grammy Award, became an international smash hit, and is widely known as Toni Braxton's signature song.

18. "When a Man Loves a Woman" by Michael Bolton

Based on this 1991 Grammy Award-winning remake of Percy Sledge's classic, one might believe that men are the more emotional sex. This ditty features a man who realizes he is helplessly blind to his sweetheart's faults and thinks of nothing else but her.

Swept up in love, the narrator is willing to subject himself to self-denial to make his lover happy. He will gladly play the fool to keep her affections. The desperate, tender-hearted narrator promises to protect his partner's honor against all threats, even if that means turning away from his best friend. With Michael Bolton's soaring vocals, the song hit number one on charts across the globe.

19. "Back at One" by Brian McKnight

Brian McKnight was at the peak of his career when he released this 1999 R&B/pop crossover hit that counted off all the reasons he and his lover belonged together. According to him, their love is undeniable and she has breathed new life into his lonely heart. The international hit song became McKnight's signature song.

20. "I Knew I Loved You" by Savage Garden

Some relationships feel as if they were written in destiny. This 1999 pop song details the surreal feeling that one's romance is fated and provides the missing pieces one has been searching for:

I knew I loved you before I met you
I think I dreamed you into life
I knew I loved you before I met you
I have been waiting all my life.

Even More Love Songs From the 1990s

This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional.

Questions & Answers

Question: I'm looking for a ballad song with the title something like this, "It's Your Dreams." Can you help?

Answer: Stevie Ray Nicks has a song called "In Your Dreams" (2008) and there are many others who have songs with that title. It's hard to say given the paucity of information.

© 2019 FlourishAnyway

Comments

FlourishAnyway (author) from USA on September 01, 2019:

Devika - Thanks for stopping by. I hope you have a wonderful weekend.

Devika Primić from Dubrovnik, Croatia on September 01, 2019:

Awesome! I am familiar with these love songs and you shared a unique list.

FlourishAnyway (author) from USA on July 22, 2019:

Nithya - I love that one too! Thanks for stopping by! Hope you are doing well.

Nithya Venkat from Dubai on July 22, 2019:

A great list of songs from the 1990’s. My favorite is "Because You Loved Me" by Celine Dion.

FlourishAnyway (author) from USA on July 22, 2019:

Mary - I appreciate the kind comment. I'm glad you enjoyed these songs.

FlourishAnyway (author) from USA on July 22, 2019:

Yves - I'm just now getting around to comments from yesterday. The delay had nothing to do with your comment. It was lovely. We recently had a water main break and a collapsed driveway as a result. I had to handle it all while my husband was out of town. When it rains it pours sometimes! But life is getting better now. Hope all is going well for you!

FlourishAnyway (author) from USA on July 22, 2019:

Linda - That would be pretty neat, wouldn't it? She has a beautiful voice. It's too bad she was a one-hit wonder. There was so much talent there.

FlourishAnyway (author) from USA on July 22, 2019:

Yves, You're so kind. The 90s was an awesome decade. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and that song. Have a wonderful week.

Yves on July 22, 2019:

Hi Flourish.....I had submitted a comment on this article this weekend. I hope it wasn't too long. Sometimes I go on a bit. Anyway, hope your week is off to a good start!

Mary Norton from Ontario, Canada on July 22, 2019:

That's a wonderful picture of your wedding. These songs are some of my favourites.

Linda Crampton from British Columbia, Canada on July 21, 2019:

You've shared some interesting facts about the 1990s, Flourish. I love Oleta Adams' idea of traveling by magic carpet. I wish this transport system really existed!

Yves on July 21, 2019:

Hi Flourish.....With nearly every song, I'd think, "Yup, that's the best one I like best." But then I'd come upon another and another. There were too may good ones. You out did yourself, girlfriend! So, I guess if I had to choose, my all time favorite might be "Unbreak My Heart" by Toni Braxton.

By the way, love the picture of you and your husband. You looked so lovely in your wedding dress and your husband is really handsome!!

Finally, here is my other favorite version of Unbreak My Heart. It's performed by Il Divo, in Spanish. (I happen to love Il Divo because they're handsome Latin men, except for David, who is not Latin, but a talented American.) But I love him too. Anyway, you might get a kick out of the version. In the end, the video shows then performing on stage!

But I digress. Your article is wonderful. So amazing how many things happened in the 90's!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJNzmNB48no

Kaili Bisson from Canada on July 21, 2019:

I love "She's So High" too Flourish. Just a lovely song from a talented young man (must be the good genes he got from his Dad. :-)

FlourishAnyway (author) from USA on July 21, 2019:

Nell - I'm sure it brings back lots of vivid memories hearing these songs. Thanks for sharing a bit of your life.

FlourishAnyway (author) from USA on July 21, 2019:

Kaili - Thanks for these suggestions. I've added them both to not only this playlist but they also happened to be one-hit wonders in the US Top 40 so I added them to my article on one-hit wonders from the 1990s. I especially like "She's So High."

FlourishAnyway (author) from USA on July 21, 2019:

Peg, I loved your recap. It's neat to hear what each person recalls and where they were/what they were doing.

Nell Rose from England on July 20, 2019:

Such detail as always. And yes great memories! I had a bit of a strange nineties, broke up, went made 'out there' got back together! all to the sound of these songs, lo!

Kaili Bisson from Canada on July 20, 2019:

Wow Flourish, not much missing here! I love your lists! I just heard this one last night, so how about 1999's "You Wanted More" by Tonic. It has that wonderful late '90s grunge sound. And for your Canadian content, also from 1999, "She's So High" by Tal Bachman, son of Randy Bachman, ex-Guess Who and Bachman-Turner Overdrive.

Peg Cole from Northeast of Dallas, Texas on July 20, 2019:

I was working for a "Global" telecom corporation, when international commerce was still a fresh idea - a given these days. We ushered in a decade of change with our individual data bases evolving into a corporate-wide storage retrieval systems, eventually adapting SAP and on-line invoicing and purchasing - the paperless 90s (ha!).

I remember being at work hearing of the Oklahoma bombing and following the impeachment proceedings for the President. Harvard Graphics was exciting for those pesky reports and Windows 95 was in demand. Wow, good times.

The songs were catchy, memorable and cool with boy bands, girl bands and Whitney's distinctive voice and range. Ah, the 90s.

Loved your wedding photo!

FlourishAnyway (author) from USA on July 19, 2019:

Shannon - This is the first comment I've gotten from you on this, but I wonder if Mother Maven got mad and deleted it haha. I wonder what we have to do to make those popups go away. Thanks for commenting again.

FlourishAnyway (author) from USA on July 19, 2019:

Heidi - The heat here is impossible. It's 102 in the shade so I stay inside and turn it down low. I hope you don't have to go out in the heat too often. Mr. FlourishAnyway is a major reason why I Flourish. He's my lean-to in so many ways, a pretty good guy all around.

FlourishAnyway (author) from USA on July 19, 2019:

Linda - Thank you for sharing your life in the 1990s. I remember Waco like it was yesterday. I always admired Janet Reno and other leaders who actually took responsibility for decisions whatever the results. Not many people did that then and certainly not now. Glad you enjoyed the throwback songs.

FlourishAnyway (author) from USA on July 19, 2019:

Pamela - Thanks for the kind compliment. In many ways the 1990s seem like just a blink of the eye away. Glad you liked the songs.

FlourishAnyway (author) from USA on July 19, 2019:

Bill - It's hard to believe it was so long ago. In many ways, the 1990s was the last phase of innocence before the sea change of 9/11. Thanks for stopping by and sharing a bit of what you were doing in this decade.

Shannon Henry from Texas on July 19, 2019:

Maybe Maven's stupid popups did more than block me from my phone from commenting. I could've sworn I left one from my desktop?

I was just talking to my kids today about 80s and 90s music and boomboxes. LOL

FlourishAnyway (author) from USA on July 19, 2019:

Bill - You strike me as the type to throw your all into whatever you decide to do. I'm like that too.

Heidi Thorne from Chicago Area on July 19, 2019:

Wow, I think you covered everything I could have even thought of for the 90s where I kind of blanked out musically. LOVE the pic of you and Mr. FlourishAnyway. Does he realize that's his role? :-D

Thanks for the rad 90s memories! Stay cool this weekend!

Linda Lum from Washington State, USA on July 19, 2019:

Oh, the memories. In the 90's I was working full time, raising two babies, and husband was gone almost 50 percent of the time because of work. These tunes were our background music. I know and remember every one. This is more than just a playlist. The historical highlights was shocking--30 years sounds like such a long time ago. Has it really been that long since Waco? You've outdone yourself on this one.

It's time to pull our my Toni Braxton album.

Pamela Oglesby from Sunny Florida on July 19, 2019:

There were some really great love songs in your article. I didn't realize there were so many great love songs in the 90s. I liked almost all of them. This was a nice trip down memory lane. I like te way you give relevant facts by each of the songs.

Bill De Giulio from Massachusetts on July 19, 2019:

Great list Flourish. I also got married in the 90's, bought our first home, raised kids and so on. All seems like a blur now. Where has the time gone? Great list of songs, certainly some classic's that have withstood the last 3 decades.

Bill Holland from Olympia, WA on July 19, 2019:

I was too busy teaching in the 90's to pay much attention to music. I suppose I would go with Lonestar on this one; that's the one that made the greatest impression at the time,me thinks.

FlourishAnyway (author) from USA on July 19, 2019:

Liz - I love the idea of a 1990s themed birthday party. Makes me feel old, but I guess 1990 was almost 3 decades ago. Is that even possible?

Liz Westwood from UK on July 18, 2019:

This is a great list of songs. Once again you have picked one of my favourites at the top. You have done a good job mixing the text with illustrations and videos. It gives your article a very balanced look. The iconic songs are the ones that have stood the test of time. We were recently at a 90s themed birthday party. It was interesting to hear some old favourites.