Songs of the 1990s Mini Rankdowns (1995 Round)

[Qorey]

I think Steven is sending Richard my comments before they are published. 

[erik g]

um interesting 

[*Wallace]

- Oooh wow, really shocked to see Corey ranking "Stay (I Missed You)" 3rd since it's a ballad and all but I love it. Sad to see this song showing up as I was hoping it would be higher but oh well. 
- "Amor Prohibido" is good though I was hoping for this to be the first Selena song to show up here so I'm good with that.
- lol I love Erik's comment on "I Wanna Be Down."   Wow interesting how this song got so many #15 and #16 rankings but I'm glad to see it make it through to the Top 10, at least.
- LMAOO dying at Alex's comment on "Any Time, Any Place." Nice steaming song from Janet. Fine with this coming in 9th as it is far from my favorite of hers but pleased it still made the Top 10.

 

Remaining spots left: 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 10, 12, 14

[*Wallace]

Only one #1 and #20 each revealed on this latest set.

 

#1s revealed (6): nico, corey, gigi, steven, wallace, erik
#1s remaining (9): akshar, alex, chris, derek, elliott, lily, qk, richard, tom

#20s revealed (13): akshar, gigi, richard, tom, derek, erik, wallace, chris, steven, nico, qk, lily, corey
#20s remaining (2): alex, elliott
 

[rdhaley96]

Janet robbed. Portishead, too, but I’m a lot more surprised about the Janet cut.

[Alex95]

I know I'm in the minority but I found myself pretty underwhelmed by the top 20 and neutral about the order here.

[QueenKalie]

That set went pretty well for me there.

[taylorkat]

Ouch.

[Elliott]

10 hours ago, Alex95 said:

I know I'm in the minority but I found myself pretty underwhelmed by the top 20 and neutral about the order here.

Other than a couple of songs, same.

[Qorey]

19 hours ago, Alex95 said:

I know I'm in the minority but I found myself pretty underwhelmed by the top 20 and neutral about the order here.

 

I don't think you're in the minority. The nineties version of this rankdown allows more songs in that most of us haven't heard of. I mean, gone are the good old days when everyone was forced to pick something from the established list. Now we can just randomly select two obscure Selena songs and something from a singer that was only popular in Australia.

[Steven_]

Those Selena songs are not obscure, especially "Bidi Bidi Bom Bom." 

[Steven_]

8. 100% PURE LOVE – CRYSTAL WATERS

MUSIC VIDEO LINK

 

10.13

DEREK: 1

COREY: 2

AKSHAR: 4

LILY: 4

GIGI: 5

ELLIOTT: 6

NICO: 6

WALLACE: 10

ALEX: 12

TOM: 14

QK: 16

ERIK: 17

STEVEN: 17

CHRIS: 19

RICHARD: 19

 

 

COREY

Quote

Awesome dance song. What else can I say?

 

 

WALLACE

Quote

 

 

When I was looking through the 1994 list of songs, I just KNEW and was totally thinking of "100% Pure Love" as a Derek favorite song. I'm glad to be proven right there.  Anywho, I do really like "100% Pure Love" a lot and it's such a fun dance, house kind of song. I can't recall if I knew this from the original version or from elsewhere? Though my fondest memory of this song is from the Lisa & Vincent iconic House routine on So You Think You Can Dance Canada Season 1!  But yeah this song is such a fun and addicting jam!

 

I love how the song kicks up a notch on the pre-chorus where Crystal sings:

I want your love, I want it tonight
I'm taking your heart, so don't you fight
I'll be your answer, I'll be your wish
I'll be your fantasy, your favorite dish

And then the song kicks it up even more on the actual chorus of the song, that goes:

From the back to the middle and around again
I'm gonna be there 'til the end
100% pure love
From the back to the middle and around again
I'm gonna be there 'til the end
100% pure love

SO MUCH FUN!   The bridge section is also a lot of fun where the song goes:

You'll never have to run away
You'll always have a friend to play
You'll never go out on your own
In me you will find a home, home

That chorus is my favorite part of the song and I adore it a ton! I'm not really too familiar with the verses or most of the rest of the song, but the chorus sells it a lot for me to rank it this high.

 

 

 

 

RICHARD

Quote

This song isn’t bad, but I find it pretty repetitive and a little on the dull side. I would’ve much preferred something a lot more dynamic and interesting in the top 20… like this.~  

 

 

 

 

 

7. CHAINS – TINA ARENA

MUSIC VIDEO LINK

 

10.13

CHRIS: 2

LILY: 2

TOM: 3

ERIK: 5

ALEX: 6

RICHARD: 6

WALLACE: 6

AKSHAR: 7

STEVEN: 9

QK: 14

GIGI: 16

NICO: 18

COREY: 19

DEREK: 19

ELLIOTT: 20

 

 

RICHARD

Quote

I like this one! It builds in a really satisfying way, from the moodier beginning to the more powerful second half. Good vocal, good composition, just a good song in general.

 

 

WALLACE

Quote

 

 

I do love "Chains" by Tina Arena. Lol a funny thing about this song was that this was originally released in Australia in 1994 but if it didn't make it through to the Top 20, I would have suggested it for 1996, as it was released in the U.S. in 1996. So I guess that's one less song to worry about in '96.  Anyway, "Chains" is such a good and powerful song. I'm not too familiar with Tina Arena but I do know and love this song.  I can't really recall my first experiences with this song, but I think it must have been through some performances on Australian Idol, I would guess? Tina has an impressive vocal range here. She starts off the song in a deep lower register. Although I did think her lower register was deeper than I remembered, lol. I do like the latter half of the first verse where she sings:

A simple kiss like a turnin' key
A little click and the lock's on me

I also love the first pre-chorus of the song where she sings:

Can't move my arms
Can't lift my hands
I won't admit to where I am
But I know baby

From the second verse, I love the parts where Tina sings:

I've crossed the line from mad to sane
A thousand times and back again
I love you baby

Onto the chorus, the first time it was cool/fine. I felt like that was her setting the song up for a big moment. But come the second chorus, that's where the song blows up and really fires up into excitement where she belts out:

I'm in chains
I'm in chains
I'm in chains
I'm in chains

I love how the music intensifies and really lights up after that!  Tina really belts out and is SANGING her face off on the bridge!  

Should have known passin' through the gate
That once inside I could not escape
I never thought this could happen to me
I never thought this is where I'd be 

But baby, baby
Baby, look at me
I said baby, baby, look at me

I love the next part of the song where she continues belting out the rest of the song, some of which where she sings:

I'm in chains
Baby, baby, I'm in chains
I'm in chains
Baby, baby, I'm in chains 

I never thought this is where I'd be
I never thought that this could happen to me

Then Tina slays the rest of the song with all of her vocal ad-libs!  "Chains" is a really fantastic song from Tina Arena! I'm sure she has had a lot of success in her home country of Australia but I do wish she could have had more success in the U.S., which she did deserve.  I feel like some may not be familiar with this song but I think it could impress people, hopefully. But doesn't take away from this great song.

 

 

 

 

COREY

Quote

I almost want to tie this for last place, but this song has a slightly faster tempo.

 

 

 

6. BIDI BIDI BOM BOM – SELENA

MUSIC VIDEO LINK

 

9.46

LILY: 1

STEVEN: 2

DEREK: 6

GIGI: 8

COREY: 9

ERIK: 9

ALEX: 11

CHRIS: 11

ELLIOTT: 11

RICHARD: 11

NICO: 12

QK: 12

TOM: 12

AKSHAR: 13

WALLACE: 14

 

 

STEVEN

Quote

"Bidi Bidi Bom Bom" is probably my favorite Selena song. It's so catchy with a bouncy feel to it, always making it a fun listen. The different musical influences come together well here; it's a perfectly crafted song in my opinion. "Bidi Bidi Bom Bon" was a critical and commercial success. It dominated Latin music charts and is considered one of Selena's signature songs.

 

 

COREY

Quote

This song sounds like it was written by a young mother who is playfully annoyed with her children.

 

 

RICHARD

Quote

This one is a nice listen. I don’t prefer it to Amor Prohibido, but it has a similar celebratory sort of feeling behind it that I like.

 

 

WALLACE

Quote

 

 

I've always really enjoyed "Bidi Bidi Bom Bom" from Selena. In fact, I always thought of "Bidi Bidi Bom Bom" as my favorite Spanish language song from Selena. It's so cute, catchy. Ugh I wish I understood Spanish but one thing I know is that infectious chorus and I can certainly bop along to that. 

Bidi bidi bom bom
Bidi bidi bom bom
Bidi bidi bidi bidi bom bom
Bidi bidi bidi bidi bom bom

 

"Bidi Bidi Bom Bom" has a nice, smooth tropical feel to it that is easy to dance along to as well. Selena sounds fantastic singing on the song as well. Of the two Selena songs, I'm rooting for this one to rank higher.

 

 

 

 

 

5. COME TO MY WINDOW – MELISSA ETHERIDGE

MUSIC VIDEO LINK

 

8.53

AKSHAR: 2

COREY: 4

CHRIS: 5

ELLIOTT: 5

QK: 6

TOM: 6

ALEX: 7

WALLACE: 7

NICO: 8

RICHARD: 8

ERIK: 11

DEREK: 13

GIGI: 14

STEVEN: 14

LILY: 18

 

 

COREY

Quote

No one can belt it out like Melissa Etheridge. I can't complain about this song.

 

 

WALLACE

Quote

 

 

I can't remember if "Come to My Window" was the first song I knew of or heard from Melissa Etheridge, but I am thinking that it is. I do think I knew and liked this song originally from Melissa. This is a really moving and pretty song from Melissa. Although I have come to appreciate this years later after its release when I started being more familiar with this from singing shows. I do love how Melissa sings the opening verse of the song. That part of the song stands out a lot to me.

I would dial the numbers
Just to listen to your breath
And I would stand inside my hell
And hold the hand of death
You don't know how far I'd go
To ease this precious ache
And you don't know how much I'd give
Or how much I can take

I also really love how Melissa sings the pre-chorus and chorus of the song a lot where she sings:

Just to reach you
Just to reach you
Oh, to reach you
Oh 

Come to my window
Crawl inside
Wait by the light of the moon
Come to my window
I'll be home soon

It's soo good and powerful!  Speaking of powerful, I also really love the bridge of the song. Melissa sings that part with so much angst and power where she sings:

I don't care what they think
I don't care what they say
What do they know
About this love anyyyywwwwwaaaaayyyy?

So good and so much power!  I always knew I was a fan of "Come To My Window," but re-listening to this made me appreciate this more than I remembered. I do think this stands out as my favorite song from Melissa, so yeah I'm pleased with this making it to the Top 20.

 

 

 

 

RICHARD

Quote

I like the rawness and grittiness behind this song. I also like how even though it’s not expressly made clear in the lyrics, this song was a mainstream lesbian hit, even if that aspect of it was unacknowledged by people at the time.

 

Edited May 4 by Steven_

[QueenKalie]

I got 1, 4, 7, 8 left not bad.

[rdhaley96]

The “Grace” link got cut out of my “Pure Love” writeup, so here it is.~
 

Very much robbed of top 20, smh.

Edited May 4 by rdhaley96

[FrogLenzen]

2 minutes ago, rdhaley96 said:

The “Grace” link got cut out of my “Pure Love” writeup, so here it is.~
 

Very much robbed of top 20, smh.

[*Wallace]

- I'm really surprised with "100% Pure Love" making it all the way to 8th, but I'm not mad about it. A fun song. The all over the place polarizing ranks makes sense for it.
- I'm happy with "Chains" making it to 7th, especially since I do think Tina Arena is one of the lesser-known artists here. So I figured she would be at a disadvantage there. But it's still a strong and fantastic song. Happy to see a lot of high ranks for this.
- Ugh I feel bad for being the one ranking the other Selena song lower than the others, but I just happened to connect with the other songs more. With that said, "Bidi Bidi Bom Bom" is really good and deserving making it this far. Interesting seeing so many #11s and #12s for this too. I'm so confused by Corey's comment once again.
- Ah I think I was rooting for "Come to My Window" to make it to the Top 4 based off of the remaining songs left, so kind of a bummer that it missed out. Solid song from Melissa Etheridge and great ranking for it.

 

Remaining spots left: 3, 4, 8, 12

 

Rooting for my #3 or #4 to pull through. Kinda surprised but very happy that one of them made it this far though. Though I'm thinking my #8 would probably win this (possibly #4?)
 

[*Wallace]

A few more #1s and a #20 revealed in this latest set.

 

#1s revealed (8): nico, corey, gigi, steven, wallace, erik, derek, lily
#1s remaining (7): akshar, alex, chris, elliott, qk, richard, tom

#20s revealed (14): akshar, gigi, richard, tom, derek, erik, wallace, chris, steven, nico, qk, lily, corey, elliott
#20s remaining (1): alex
 

[~Tom~]

Very good placement for Chains!! I stan @*Chris and @*Lily’s rankings.

[Qorey]

#8, 12, 14 & 17 left. Not so great at all. 

[Steven_]

4. WHATTA MAN – SALT-N-PEPPA FEAT. EN VOGUE

MUSIC VIDEO LINK

 

7.73

DEREK: 3

WALLACE: 3

ALEX: 4

ERIK: 4

STEVEN: 5

CHRIS: 6

LILY: 6

NICO: 7

RICHARD: 7

QK: 8

AKSHAR: 9

COREY: 12

GIGI: 12

ELLIOTT: 13

TOM: 17

 

 

WALLACE

Quote

 

 

I'm so glad to see IDF put some respect on the icons Salt-N-Pepa's name as this is probably their last chance of making it through to the finals in this game. Unless one of their lesser known hits make it through? Anyway, I do love "Whatta Man" and think this is a great and fierce jam from Salt-N-Pepa and En Vogue. But of the Salt-N-Pepa jams in 1994 here, I was reallly wanting and rooting for "Shoop" to make it through to the finals and I'm so sad that it missed out. But I will still certainly take this being here. But wow, two iconic girl groups on the same track together is just.... legendary! I love how this song brings out the best and sassiest in both Salt-N-Pepa's and En Vogue's styles individually and together... and just how flawless it works. En Vogue sounds fantastic, as always, on the chorus where they sing:

What a man, what a man, what a man
What a mighty good man (gotta say it again now)
What a man, what a man, what a man
What a mighty good man (he's a mighty-mighty good man)
What a man, what a man, what a man
What a mighty good man (yes, he is)
What a man, what a man, what a man (oh, uh)
What a mighty good man (yeah)

 

 

Salt does her thing on the opening verse of this song. Some of my favorite lines she raps are:

I wanna take a minute or two and give much respect due
To the man that's made a difference in my world 

But I don't sweat it, because it's just pathetic
To let it, get me involved in that "he said, she said" crowd
I know that ain't nobody perfect, I give props to those who deserve it
And believe me y'all, he's worth it 

Hahaha, you so crazy, I think I wanna have your baby (ow!)

That last line will always make me chuckle.   Pepa does her thing rapping on the second verse. Some of my favorite parts that she raps are where she raps:

My man is smooth like Barry and his voice got bass
A body like Arnold with a Denzel face
He's smart like a doctor with a real good rep'
And when he comes home, he's relaxed with Pep' 

He's not a fake wannabe trying to be a pimp
He dresses like a Dapper Don, but even in jeans
He's a God-sent original, the man of my dreams

  But oh snappp, check out Ms. Spinderella rapping right after Pepa.... and dangg, she's actually got a longer verse than Pepa it seems. Why did I forget all about this?  

 

Yes, my man says he loves me, never says he loves me not
Not to rush me good and touch me in the right spot
See, other guys that I've had, they tried to play all that Mack s
But every time they tried, I said, "That's not it" 

Baby, rub it down and make it smooth like lotion 

From 7 to 7, he's got me open like 7-11
And yes, it's me that he's always choosing
With him, I'm never losing, and he knows that my name is not Susan

 

 

Salt kills it on the third verse once again where she raps again and some of my favorite parts are where she raps:

My man gives real loving, that's why I call him killer
He's not a "Wham! Bam! Thank you, ma'am!" He's a thriller 

He's a real smooth brother, never in a rush
And he gives me goose-pimples with every single touch
Spends quality time with his kids when he can
Secure in his manhood 'cause he's a real man 

Don't take him for a sucker 'cause that's not what he's about
Every time I need him, he always got my back
Never disrespectful 'cause his mama taught him that (I got a good man)

 

 

Then En Vogue slays it and kills it vocally with the rest of the song.   I love how Salt-N-Pepa rap about and En Vogue sing about the actual good men out there, as I feel  there were definitely more dissing men tracks out in the 90s/2000s for sure (which I can't say isn't deserved) but the good men need love too, so yayy for this song celebrating the good men... and the good men only.  

 

 

 

RICHARD

Quote

I think this one’s pretty cool, and I’m sure it’ll place high. Lots of personality in the delivery, even if the song itself is just a little more repetitive than I’d like. Vocally, it’s not too showy, but it’s nonetheless strong and powerful. Just an overall really solid song.

 

 

COREY

Quote

I used to think this song was overrated and overplayed, but it turned out to rank pretty well on my list.

 

 

 

3. BLACK HOLE SUN – SOUNDGARDEN

MUSIC VIDEO LINK

 

7.46

ALEX: 1

QK: 1

TOM: 2

ELLIOTT: 3

NICO: 3

RICHARD: 3

DEREK: 5

GIGI: 7

ERIK: 7

AKSHAR: 8

STEVEN: 12

WALLACE: 12

COREY: 14

CHRIS: 17

LILY: 17

 

 

RICHARD

Quote

The mood behind this one is so interesting. His low, gravelly voice really carries the track alongside the hard-hitting instruments. The song’s composition is also quite compelling, with a melody line that I find actually quite enchanting. This track overall is just really cool.

 

 

WALLACE

Quote

 

 

When we got to 1994, I had a strong feeling that "Black Hole Sun" by Soundgarden would make it through to the finals of this round... and yep, I was right.  This is a song I do remember seeing and hearing in the 90s, though not exactly sure when. But I remember seeing the music video on MTV a lot, therefore heard the song a lot then too. I don't think I was too fond of the song for awhile. But eventuallly it did and would grow on me overtime. Something just clicked with me here.  "Black Hole Sun" has this dark, twisted and cerepy sound to it.... and the music video certainly helps with that.  The verse are cool and good but don't do that much for me. But I do love the chorus.

Black hole sun
Won't you come
And wash away the rain?
Black hole sun
Won't you come
Won't you come
Won't you come

They do rock it out at that part, I won't lie.  Then they rock it out even more on the instrumental break of the song. I like how the song intensifies in its sound. I have a feeling that "Black Hole Sun" will do really well here. I feel like this could be popular amongst the rankers, enough so to make it to the Top 8 or so.

 

 

 

 

COREY

Quote

Very iconic song by an iconic band, and a phenomenally awesome video. It's the kind of song that's fun to discuss with your friends, but not the kind you want to sit and listen to. I wanted to nominate "Spoonman" back in the first round, but I knew that no one would let Soundgarden have two songs in the top 20, and there was no way Spoonman would get in over "Black Hole Sun"

 

 

 

2. THE POWER OF LOVE – CELINE DION

MUSIC VIDEO LINK

 

7.06

CHRIS: 1

RICHARD: 1

ERIK: 2

GIGI: 3

DEREK: 4

ELLIOTT: 4

STEVEN: 4

WALLACE: 4

AKSHAR: 5

TOM: 5

QK: 7

LILY: 12

COREY: 17

NICO: 17

ALEX: 20

 

 

RICHARD

Quote

This is such a classic. Gorgeous and powerful at the same time. Celine has always been a sensational vocalist, and that’s definitely the case here.

 

 

ERIK

Quote

Top 2 Celine song (at number 2)

 

 

WALLACE

Quote

 

 

Ugh for the 1994 list, I was hoping to see and have a diva battle off between Céline's "The Power of Love" vs. Mariah's "Hero" as that would have been fun to see but of course we can't have nice things here sometimes. Anywho, "The Power of Love" is undeniably a gorgeous and amazing song from Céline Dion. This is up there as one of my favorite songs from Celine so I'm happy that I can give her a high ranking. Céline sings this song so beautifully and with so much emotion. Her voice is so pretty and delicate. I really love how she sings the last few lines on the first verse that goes:

Your voice is warm and tender
A love that I could not forsake

From the second verse, I love the parts where she sings:

Even though there may be times
It seems I'm far away 

'Cause I am always by your side

I saved talking about the chorus, because I reallly LOVE the chorus the second time around. She belts out that part with so much clarity and power in her vocals, where she sings:

'Cause I'm your lady
And you are my man
Whenever you reach for me
I'll do all that I can 

We're heading for something
Somewhere I've never been
Sometimes I am frightened
But I'm ready to learn
Of the power of love

  The bridge of the song is simply fantastic, where Céline is just sanging her face off and belting it off where she sings:

The sound of your heart beating
Made it clear suddenly
The feeling that I can't go on
Is light years away

 

Céline kills it with the rest of the song! I really love one of her ad-libs where she sings Gonna do allll that I caannn and then belts out that long loooovvvveeee note. And yeah I love many of her other power notes as well. I have a feeling "The Power Of Love" will rank high on here and I look forward to seeing how well it ranks.

 

 

 

COREY

Quote

I know I've heard this song sometime before Celine Dion. They both sound very similar, but I don't think I've heard the earlier singer even once since Celine's version came out. As for my ranking, it is nothing special - just another boring old ballad from an equally bland songstress.

 

 

ALEX

Quote

I don't know if the song's a snooze or if singing shows ruined it for me.

 

 

 

1. ZOMBIE – THE CRANBERRIES

MUSIC VIDEO LINK

 

6.46

AKSHAR: 1

ELLIOTT: 1

TOM: 1

NICO: 2

CHRIS: 3

QK: 4

ALEX: 5

COREY: 8

ERIK: 8

LILY: 8

WALLACE: 8

RICHARD: 10

DEREK: 11

GIGI: 11

STEVEN: 16

 

 

ALEX

Quote

While I have some problems with The Cranberries, I will not lie, this song is That Bitch.

 

 

COREY

Quote

This song is a classic. When it first came out, I thought it was one of my favorite songs. I am still nostalgic about it, but I don't like it nearly as much as I thought I did.

 

 

WALLACE

Quote

 

 

I knew that if "Linger" would make it to the Top 20 of its respective year, I KNEW "Zombie" would do so as well.  I'm happy to see "Zombie" make it through to the Top 20 here as this is my favorite song from The Cranberries. I would also consider this their signature hit song, though maybe other songs of theirs could apply to this? Delores has a strong rock voice and she sings this song wonderfully and in such a unique way. She sings the opening verses in such a dark and haunting way that can give you chills. I do love the way that Delores sings the pre-chorus that goes:

 

But you see, it's not me
It's not my family
In your head, in your head, they are fighting
With their tanks and their bombs
And their bombs and their guns
In your head, in your head, they are crying

But then dangg, that chorus comes in with such full forces. It's so good and powerful where it goes:

In your head, in your head
Zombie, zombie, zombie-ie-ie
What's in your head, in your head?
Zombie, zombie, zombie-ie-ie-ie, oh

Chills!  

The rest of "Zombie" is really good/great and it's all such a powerful song. I feel like this song is pretty loved and respected on here, so I can definitely see this making it to the Top 6, maybe even the Top 4. I can see it doing really well regardless.  

 

 

 

 

RICHARD

Quote

I like the subtle intensity behind the track and the overall moodiness of it, especially with the guitar work. The song itself is sung well, but I can’t say I love Dolores’s gasping sort of vocal tic in the chorus. Overall, I still think it’s a good song.

 

[QueenKalie]

Solid winner.

[FrogLenzen]

had my 3-5 in the top 4 and my 11 takes it of course lol

[Qorey]

 

[*Chris]

"a bland songtress".... judging by this person's many wrong takes, I am not surprised. 

Edited May 5 by *Chris

[~Tom~]

Fantastic winner!