When an ex-boyfriend handed me mix CD after mix CD back in high school I had the chance to rediscover some of my childhood. He filled it with some classic “American Girls” by Counting Crows, “The Old Apartment” by Barenaked Ladies, “Hey Sister Pretty” by my personal favorite Sister Hazel, and even to my surprise Hanson’s “Penny and Me.” These songs flooded my iTunes after I was handed somewhere around eight mixes over our sweet, young relationship. They remain in playlists for days just like today: beautiful, 80 degree weather, ready for a blanket on the quad and friends to enjoy it with.

Growing up in the 90s, I clung to groups like Gin Blossoms, Goo Goo Dolls and Sister Hazel. Their beautiful harmonies gave each sunny day a new light. Remember with me as I reminisce on the glories of last weekend’s iTunes shuffle list: the 90s.

“Einstein on the Beach:” This Counting Crows song found its way to number one on the American Billboard Charts. The funny thing is that the song lacks any real meaning whatsoever. Frontman Adam Duritz eventually told the press that the song was not meant for any album and was meant to be more clever than meaningful. Still, it remains one of the most well-known and favored today.

“Hey Jealousy:” This could be one of Gin Blossom’s best songs, but then again… I’m a bit biased. It’s hard to say after seeing them perform live, many years after they hit it big back in the 90s. Their sound was exactly as they  recorded years prior. Even through the obvious aging, they were able to perform better than most of today’s performers. The smooth lyrics always capture me. “You can trust me not to think and not to sleep around. If you don’t expect too much from me, you might not be let down.”

“MmBop:” Yes, “MmBop.” The 90s means the glory of three blonde, long-haired brothers captivating the female gender with harmony. They really were talented, whether you’d call them gay now, you probable sung along with them during every MmBop-ba-doop-e-dop-ba-doo-wop. Needless to say they went on to bigger and better things. Their CD release, The Walk, brought Isaac, Tyler and Zach back into the spotlight once again. They took it to a new level really using the new deeper voices and emphasizing as much funk and bluesy attitudes as their white, American-made bodies would allow. It’s a new twist on the Hanson of yesterday. Look for their new album, Shout It Out, set to release on June 8.

“3 A.M.:” The meaning of this song used to escape me, but now I can’t escape it. Rob Thomas did a wonderful job as he poetically conquered his life-changing experiences as at 14 he dealt with his mother’s battle with cancer. “3 A.M.” is the story from his eyes. The band went on a hiatus in 2004, lost a guitarist but came back stronger than ever in 2007. Their newest album, Exile on Mainstream, re-released half of their old hits along with some new ones. “How Far We’ve Come” really brings it all together with emphasis on their past.

“Semi-Charmed Life:” Recent Radford University performers Third Eye Blind had an overwhelming response from students as they sang along to many of their 90s favorites. “Semi-Charmed Life”’s upbeat and catchy melody tells nothing about its dark lyrics hinting to a crystal meth addict. The quick, spoken words of Stephan Jenkins were an overnight hit, but listeners can’t quite identify with the song’s meaning.  The songs original lyrics read “I want nothing else to get me through this…” before changing to “I want something else to get me through this…”

So on the sunny days, bring it back a little, put on some music and reminisce. The meanings of your favorite songs may have changed a little, but they’re still worth listening to, even if you have a different view of them now.

Bands that should make your playlists:

- Toad the Wet Sprocket
- The Wallflowers
- Spin Doctors
- Sister Hazel
- Matchbox 20
- Hootie & the Blowfish
- Green Day
- Goo Goo Dolls
- Hanson
- Gin Blossoms
- Ben Folds Five
- Del Amitri
- Counting Crows
- Eagle-Eye Cherry
- Blues Traveler
- Blind Melon
- Barenaked Ladies

Story photo by Katherine Wilk

Cover photo by Alex Morgan

This entry was posted on Thursday, April 29th, 2010 at 12:00 am and is filed under Ritz. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.