Some pop songs live in your mind rent-free. They are so catchy and memorable, or you heard them at such a formative time in your life, that they just reside in your brain without issue. Not only that, but there is no chance they’ll be leaving your psyche anytime soon. But so what, bring on the songs!
Videos by American Songwriter
And that’s just what we wanted to do here. We wanted to dive into three pop songs we love—a trio of tracks from the mid-90s that simply live in our brains like we bought them a nice suite. Indeed, these are three pop songs from 1996 that live in our minds rent-free.
“Un-Break My Heart” by Toni Braxton from ‘Secrets’ (1996)
In the mid-90s, Toni Braxton could have had a line wrapped around the Earth with people who wanted to un-break her heart! She sounded so sad on the recording for this hit track. Who hurt you, Toni Braxton!? Well, either way, she parlayed the success of this track into a successful career, both on and off stage. Braxton was one of the it celebrities in the middle of the decade. But it’s all thanks to her elegant singing and her passionate delivery on this tune, which hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
“I Love You Always Forever” by Donna Lewis from ‘Now In A Minute’ (1996)
Some hooks are just magnets for your brain. And the instant this song came out in the middle of the 90s it stuck hard and fast to many a mind. Count us in that mix, too. There’s just something about that rapid-fire chorus that Donna Lewis sings on this number that wraps us around her little sonic finger. No wonder this tune hit No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 upon its release. It’s that catchy!
“Wannabe” by The Spice Girls from ‘Spice’ (1996)
One of the most lip-synched songs of the mid-90s, this debut single from the British-born girl group the Spice Girls had everyone wondering who these gals were and what they were talking about. There are some nonsense words in the chorus for this track, but that just made the whole thing more charming. Relationships are hard, but they are also important. “Wannabe”, which hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, makes that point clear as day.
Photo by Andres Ballesteros/EPA/Shutterstock
Leave a Reply
Only members can comment. Become a member. Already a member? Log in.