There is a lot of great music being made today, and streaming platforms like Spotify make finding fresh music easier than ever. However, the internet also makes it easy to discover, or rediscover, music released decades ago, and this week I’ve been enjoying some sounds of the 90s. Naturally, I made a Spotify playlist (surprise) of all the songs that have been stuck in my head.

Hopefully, this list includes tunes you haven’t heard in a while. It’s got a mixture of upbeat melodies (‘Say What You Want’, Texas), sunny pop songs (‘Hooch’, Everything) and shiny alt-rock tunes (‘Two Princes’, Spin Doctors). Just all-round good vibes really.

You can find them all in one place here, plus a few more songs that didn’t make the “90s” list from the 80s and early 2000s. So, relax (or get ready to jump around), take a break from your studies and let these tracks take you back.

Two Princes –Spin Doctors 1993

The Spin Doctors’ first album, “Pocket Full of Kryptonite” reached number 2 in the UK charts from 1992-1993. “Two Princes” is an upbeat, catchy alt-rock tune that you’ve probably heard before but never knew the name of.

“Said, if you want to call me baby/ Just go ahead, now/ And if you’d like to tell me maybe/ Just go ahead, now/ And if you wanna buy me flowers/ Just go ahead, now/ And if you like to talk for hours/ Just go ahead, now.”

You Only Get What You Give – New Radicals 1998

“Wake up kids/ We’ve got the dreamers disease”.

A feel-good song that’s been featured in many movie soundtracks. The music video features teens in the baggiest 90s clothes taking over a shopping mall and chasing out security guards so they can throw a giant dance party. Looks like a good time (but not so fun in 2021, you know why).

Praise You – Fat Boy Slim 1998

Norman Cook (FatBoy Slim) created the dance classic “Praise You” in his home studio after buying some old funk and soul records in Camden Market.  “Praise You” reached number 1 in the UK charts in 1999.

Brother – Toad and the Wet Sprocket 1995

A catchy song about the love between family: “so much has changed/ And so much has happened these years/ But still I find that you/ Are waiting here”.

There She Goes – The La’s 1990

A pop song originally released by Liverpool band ‘The La’s’, that has since been covered by The Boo Radley’s, Sixpence None the Richer, Robbie Williams and The Wombats.

How Bizarre – OMC 1996

The pop song from a New Zealand band resurfaced recently because of TikTok. It reached number 5 in the UK charts in 1996.

“Is that a Chevy ’69?”/ How bizarre/ How bizarre, how bizarre”.

Fly – Sugar Ray 1997

A pop-rock song with reggae influence.

“Put your arms around me, baby/ Put your arms around me baby/ I just wanna fly”.

Smile – Vitamin C 1999

A sunny pop song featuring some more reggae vocals.

“(Whatcha gonna do, say, whatcha gonna do)/ Put a smile on your face/ Make the world a better place”.

Steal My Sunshine – LEN 1999

A summer one-hit-wonder from a Canadian band. In an interview with Stereogum, Consanzo explained that he wrote parts of the song on napkins and his leg and when he was at a three-day rave. The tune captures that care-free summer feeling.

Better Days (And the Bottom Drops Out) – Citizen King 1999

I think we can all imagine better days after the very restricted year we’ve had, but this tune is sure to lift your mood.

Say What You Want – Texas 1997

A pop song from a Scottish band that reached number 3 in the UK charts in 1997. “You can say what you want/ But it won’t change my mind/ I’ll feel the same about you”.

All I Wanna Do – Sheryl Crow 1993

All I Wanna Do is a laid-back tune which reached number 4 in the UK in 1994. “All I wanna do is have some fun/ I’ve got a feeling I’m not the only one”. The message still resonates today, and Sheryl Crow posted a quarantine edition on Instagram back in May 2020.

Summer Girls – LFO 1999

This song is made up of rhymes, which might not give it a deep meaning but it makes it fun:

“Now I can’t forget you and it makes me mad/ Left one day and never came back/ Stayed all summer then went back home/ Macauly Culkin was in Home Alone”.

Hooch – Everything 1998

The mellow vocals make this the perfect song to help you get excited for summer and soaking up the sun.

Take a Picture – Filter 1999

This song is about taking a picture to remember the moment. “Could you take my picture?/ ‘Cause I won’t remember”. Richard Patrick explained further that it was about not remembering what happened the morning after he got drunk.