3 Songs From the 1990s With Unforgettable Lyrics

Have you ever found yourself singing something and wondered, How do I remember the lyrics to a song I haven’t heard in years? So much time may have passed, but when you hear certain music, muscle memory kicks in and without missing a beat (or word), you recite the entire thing.

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How listeners received songs in the 1990s had a lot to do with it. Culture primarily shared its collective focus on MTV and the radio. And when a song became a hit, you heard it over and over again. Repeat something enough times and you’ll never forget it, just like the lyrics to the songs on this list.

“Wonderwall” by Oasis

You don’t have to know what a “wonderwall” is to remember every word to one of Britpop’s defining anthems. Noel Gallagher repurposed George Harrison’s soundtrack title to the 1968 film Wonderwall and continued his run of culture-shifting songwriting in the 90s. Liam Gallagher performed the sing-song melody with a blend of sneering punk and tenderness, making “Wonderwall” unforgettable even to casual fans. “I said, maybe.”

“Enter Sandman” by Metallica

When you look up the word “ubiquitous” in the dictionary, it should just play Kirk Hammett’s riff to “Enter Sandman”. If grunge dominated the 90s, no one told Metallica. The band’s self-titled Black Album turned Metallica into the heavy metal Beatles. But James Hetfield’s nightmarish lyrics will forever be stuck in our heads, including his signature, “Yeah!” The best lullabies are simple and captivating, so a child can understand them. Consider this the decade’s most unforgettable heavy metal lullaby.

“Come As You Are” by Nirvana

You might wonder why I didn’t choose “Smells Like Teen Spirit”, but chances are, many listeners probably get those lyrics wrong: “A mulatto, an albino / A mosquito, my libido.” Together, they sound nonsensical and, when screamed, may blur into something indecipherable. Yet, it was still a landmark single. But the first line of “Come As You Are” is the title, and from there, the track continues as one of many Nirvana earworms. Kurt Cobain was a genius songwriter whose instinct for pop melody turned his struggles into anthems.

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