4 Songs That Defined the Classic Sound of the 1990s

The 1990s had something for everyone. Music fans could walk through the door of their favorite neighborhood record store and find a CD, tape, or vinyl album that offered any number of styles. The decade was a veritable smorgasbord of songs.

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Here below, we wanted to highlight four memorable tracks from the eclectic era that continue to remind us of that time, some three decades later. Indeed, these are four songs that defined the classic sound of the 1990s.

“Black Hole Sun” by Soundgarden from ‘Superunknown’ (1994)

Ah, grunge. We hardly knew you. And yet, the short-lived rock sound took over the globe for a period of time thanks to bands like Nirvana, Alice in Chains, Pearl Jam, and Soundgarden. Here, we wanted to take a moment to remember “Black Hole Sun”, that sky-scraping tune that had everyone singing about some strange solar eclipse from hell.

“Criminal” by Fiona Apple from ‘Tidal’ (1996)

Anyone who lived through the 1990s knows—the decade was a bit depraved. There was something sexy about being dangerous. And perhaps no one summed that up quite like Fiona Apple. The glassy-eyed poet-genius was the object of many’s affection. But it was her mere presence that made her an incandescent star. One word and she could get you to drop everything and leap into the abyss.

“Intergalactic” by Beastie Boys from ‘Hello Nasty’ (1998)

While the Beastie Boys made a name for themselves first in the 1980s, the group solidified a legacy in the 1990s with the memorable rap tune, “Intergalactic”. There were lots of important rap artists in the 1990s, from Snoop to Eminem to Missy Elliott to Jay-Z, but there was something ubiquitous about this song that helped to define the era.

“…Baby One More Time” by Britney Spears from ‘…Baby One More Time’ (1999)

The beginning of the 1990s sounded a lot different than the end of it. The decade opened with gloomy grunge and gangsta rap. But it concluded with cheery, often saccharine pop music directed at high school students. Hey, the decade had something for everyone! And sitting on the throne of that musical movement was the pop royal herself, Britney Spears. When she came onto the scene with “…Baby One More Time”, she announced herself as the biggest name in mainstream.

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