The year 1999 was one of the most lucrative years for pop music, and the turn of the millennium brought with it a whole new trajectory for countless genres. Since so much great chart-topping music dropped in 1999, a lot of underrated songs have since been forgotten or lost in retrospect. Let’s jog your memory and examine a few excellent but somewhat lost songs from 1999!
“My My Metrocard” by Le Tigre
By the late 1990s, the riot grrrl movement had waned, and iconic band Bikini Kill had broken up. The band’s lead singer, Kathleen Hanna, was far from done. She formed the more electro-leaning punk band Le Tigre with Johanna Fateman and Sadie Benning in 1998, and the band dropped their debut self-titled album the following year. On that album is the super-catchy “My My Metrocard”, an in-your-face call out that criticized New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani while still being a delightfully bouncy ride from start to finish.
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“Emotion Sickness” by Silverchair
When most people think of the alt-rock outfit Silverchair, they think of songs like “Tomorrow” or “Abuse Me”. “Emotion Sickness” is one of their more underrated tunes that more than a few people in 1999 listened to while lying on the floor in shambles following a bad breakup. It’s one of those songs, and it still hits hard today.
“Wish I Could Fly” by Roxette
They really don’t make orchestral pop like this anymore. Swedish pop group Roxette dropped this gem in early 1999, and it was a fast international hit. “Wish I Could Fly” peaked at No. 20 on the Eurochart Hot 100 and No.27 on the Adult Contemporary chart in the US. I don’t hear this one often anymore, and that’s such a bummer. This was one of the coolest songs of 1999, in my opinion.
“Will 2K” by Will Smith
If you’re Gen Z, you might not know that actor Will Smith used to make music. Well, he still does, but he made quite a bit of music in the 1990s that absolutely slapped. One such gem from his discography is “Will 2K”, a very of-its-time rap tune that samples The Clash and Grandmaster Flash. “Will 2K” makes it to our list of forgotten and lost songs from 1999 because I rarely hear it nowadays, but it was a pretty big hit back in 1999, when it hit No. 25 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Photo by Ebet Roberts/Redferns
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