3 Songs From the 1990s That Will Instantly Turn You Into a Singer-Songwriter Fan

The 1990s cared not for genre. Styles of music that were popular in the past began to fracture into sub-genres. All of a sudden, there were any number of rock sounds, pop bents, and rap expressions.

Here below, we wanted to highlight three artists that may or may not fit in a sonic box. But they are three songwriters who simply make you appreciate the art form. Indeed, these are three songs from the 1990s that will instantly turn you into a singer-songwriter fan.

“Stay (I Missed You)” by Lisa Loeb And Nine Stories from ‘Reality Bites (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)’ (1994)

In the mid-1990s, you couldn’t escape Lisa Loeb. Her lyricism and vocal performance on her track, “Stay (I Missed You)”, were ubiquitous. Though, her star rise almost never happened. She had written the tune and thought about selling it to other performers. Then actor, neighbor, and friend Ethan Hawke offered a chance. In 1994, he got her song on the soundtrack for the movie Reality Bites. Loeb was all of a sudden a household name—and for good reason.

“Give Me One Reason” by Tracy Chapman from ‘New Beginning’ (1995)

Tracy Chapman is likely your favorite songwriter’s favorite songwriter. Indeed, if you’re a fan of country star Luke Combs, that statement is especially true. While Combs famously covered Chapman’s tune “Fast Car”, he may want to consider busting out a rendition of Chapman’s 1995 offering, “Give Me One Reason”. Those who grew up in the 1990s likely remember this song being all over the airwaves, from the radio to VH1 to MTV. It was hip, funky, poetic, lovely, and beloved. The tune had a 100% approval rating—and still does.

“#41” by Dave Matthews Band from ‘Crash’ (1996)

In the 1990s, few artists, if any, did more for the acoustic guitar than Dave Matthews. He and his band helped to re-popularize the instrument, jam band music, and poetic songs about love and nothing all at once. For evidence of this, look no further than the 1996 track, “#41”, a stream-of-consciousness number about life itself. Is this a rock song? A folk song? Americana? Jam band? Who knows and who cares! What matters is that the song takes you to a place you can’t get to otherwise.

Photo by Ebet Roberts/Redferns