One of the best things to do in the 1990s was look through record crates. Young people could spend entire Saturday afternoons flipping through vinyl albums, used CDs, old cassettes, and whatever else was around. That’s just what we wanted to highlight here below. We wanted to showcase three songs that were quite popular back in the day. Indeed, these are three one-hit wonders from the 1990s I remember hunting for rabidly in my local record store.
“C’mon N’ Ride It (The Train)” by Quad City DJ’s from ‘Get On Up And Dance’ (1996)
Why was this song so catchy? In the mid-1990s, music fans of all kinds were bumping the Quad City DJ’s. Their hit single, “C’mon N’ Ride It (The Train)”, was all over the radio airwaves. Listening back to it now, you can hear the excellent build the song offers. Every four bars there is something new to listen to, something new to dive into and enjoy. But more than anything, the propulsive beat was something to devour. It could get you up and dancing, or it could just put you in a good mood.
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“Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm” by Crash Test Dummies from ‘God Shuffled His Feet’ (1993)
This song has to be one of the weirdest of the 1990s. Its chorus is just a deep-voiced guy humming. But then again, sometimes the most unique songs are the ones we seek out to enjoy most often. That’s just what happened here with this tune from the Canadian-born band Crash Test Dummies. “Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm” got into your bones and sinews and stayed there. Lyrically, the track was about young people experiencing tough times growing up, from a car accident to difficulty at school. But more than anything, it was the timbre of this tune that stuck in your gut.
“Cantaloop (Flip Fantasia)” by Us3 from ‘Hand On The Torch’ (1992)
While the 1990s were perhaps the golden age for rap music, there are some hit songs from the era that you hear about less than others. Case in point: “Cantaloop (Flip Fantasia)” by Us3. The 1993 offering just puts you in a good mood. It’s lively and fun; it’s energetic and cool. But while the track isn’t always mentioned in the same breath as others from the likes of Jay-Z and Dr. Dre, it certainly is one to remember for the ages.
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