Some of the best tunes of a generation were released around the turn of the millennium. So many late 1990s songs have been burned into the brains of millennials around the world. However, only a select few have stood the test of time. Let’s get nostalgic, shall we?
“My Heart Will Go On” by Celine Dion
Celine Dion has produced a lot of music through the years, but few songs are as instantly recognizable as “My Heart Will Go On”. This song was made even more famous by its use in the film Titanic. If you were alive and conscious in the year 1997, you know every word to this outstanding pop ballad.
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“Believe” by Cher
Cher might be best known for her work in the 1960s as one part of the folk rock duo Sonny & Cher, but millennials know her best from her 1990s dance-pop era. “Believe” was released in 1998, and that song was by far the biggest song of the year, at least in terms of Eurodance and the disco revival that was happening at the time. The whole of the album of the same name is essential listening if you really want to be transported back to the turn of the century.
Fun fact: “Believe” was one of the first songs to use Auto-Tune for vocal distortion, leading to the technique’s popularity for years after. It was known as the “Cher effect.”
“Ray Of Light” by Madonna
I loved this song when I was a child, and I love it still today. Madonna’s Ray Of Light era was absolutely amazing, and I think it’s a bit underrated in the context of the rest of her career. This song (and its album of the same name) was released in 1998 to pretty substantial acclaim. Like Cher, Madonna jumped on the Eurodance and disco bandwagon, and I’m eternally thankful that she did. This song is amazing.
“I Want It That Way” by Backstreet Boys
This wouldn’t be a proper list of late 1990s songs without mentioning at least one American boy band. “I Want It That Way” by Backstreet Boys was in constant rotation on radio stations for a couple of years, starting with its release in 1999. This pop ballad was likely engineered to be extremely easy to sing along to, and I’m not mad about it.
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