So, a little proviso. I know that the main reason we're all doing this is nostalgia, and it would be very tempting to listen and rank these songs based on familiarity. I ask you, though, to really take advantage of this game and view these songs through a new lens - if certain production techniques sound dated, state them. If all of the the trappings of the 90s can't squelch a classic melody, state that too. Just - let's not use rose-colored glasses, shall we? Remember, hindsight is always 20/20. (How many clichés can I pack into one paragraph?)

As supaspaz quite wisely noted, this week is filled to the brim with singles - I believe all ten songs were hits for the artists. Should make for some illuminating observations. And, starting now, every song in this round will be the artist's number one choice, as chosen by you.



R.E.M., performing Losing My Religion



Moby, performing Porcelain



Michael Jackson, performing Scream (with Janet Jackson)



Mary J. Blige, performing Real Love



Hanson, performing MmmBop



George Michael, performing Freedom '90



The Fugees, performing Killing Me Softly



En Vogue, performing Don't Let Go (Love)



Beck, performing Loser



The Beastie Boys, performing Sabotage

Songs will be up in a bit, although they're easily found on Youtube.

For those that haven't played before, here's how we do it. We listen to all ten tracks, and the comment on them in this thread - comments can range from three words to three paragraphs. After that, we rank them - the best song of the week gets a ten, the weakest song gets a one, and everything else falls in between. This week's game will be closed on SUNDAY.

Have fun!

And the artists playing next week are:

Selena
Third Eye Blind
Britney Spears
Cher
Cathy Dennis
Reba McEntire
Green Day
Pearl Jam
The Notorious B.I.G.
Celine Dion

Send me your top four favorite 90s songs by them, via PM, by SATURDAY.

You're killing me, Smalls.

Like, I know what my 1 will be, but 10-2 is going to be a BITCH to decide.

I'm definitely not surprised by this list, as it mostly follows reflects these artists' biggest, defining hits from the era. I predicted all of these #1 picks, except for Michael Jackson (even in the '90s, he was so successful that it was hard to know where voters would go) and En Vogue (a pleasant surprise; my favorite song of theirs, though they have many that are much more iconic). Overall, though, it's a very strong crop of songs. I'll be back later with my rankings.

P.S. Love the grungy, sepia-toned aesthetic you have going for all the graphics!

I can't at the most popular songs making it (of course). :-/

Losing My Religion, Real Love, Killing Me Softly, and Sabotage.

Thank Duca for that! He's on the ball.

I think next week will bring more ... interesting results. If people stay away from Selena's two English language singles, even her biggest hit will be new for the majority of posters. I think the same's for Reba - how many ATRLers have heard Fancy?

SPEAKING OF ...

FYCs

Reba

Why Haven't I Heard From You?
Walk On
YOU LIE
Fancy
Rumor Has It
For My Broken Heart
Walk On
Does He Love You?
They Asked About You
THE. GREATEST. MAN. I. NEVER. KNEW. (PLEASE MAKE THIS HER NUMBER ONE)

Biggy
Juicy
Who Shot Ya?
One More Chance/Stay Awhile
Hypnotize
The Sky's The Limit

Britney

AUTUMN GOODBYE. THANKS.

Pearl Jam
Kinda obvious, but Better Man

CELINE DION

It's All Coming Back to Me Now
To Love You More
All By Myself
Beauty and the Beast (w/ Peabo Bryson)
Where Does My Heart Beat Now?
That's The Way It Is
Misled
Love Can Move Mountains
Tell Him (w/ Barbra Streisand)
The Power of Love

****, I love that woman.

I love the way you write Ace Reject!

Anyway, should I just comment on this week's songs and rate them from 1-10?

Yep! And thank you for the compliment.

You're welcome Ace.

And here's my list:

1) Real Love - Mary J
I love Real Love, the piano always slayed me hard. It's one of the few 90s classics that sound VERY 90s, but have aged perfectly, for me at least.
2) Moby - Porcelein
One of my faves from Play. This song is haunting and mysterious. Moby is truly a musician outta this world.
3) Scream - MJ & JJ
When I heard this song for the first time I swear I fell in love. My two faves together in this mind-blowing song! I still ***** Scream to this day. I think it has not aged at all and it will remain a classic for me, forever.
4) Beastie Boys - Sabotage
Sabotage is so aggressive and addictive. I can listen to this song all day long. Anyway, Beastie Boys are one of my favorite bands, the Kings of Hip-Hop!
5) Freedom '90 - George Michael
I always loved this song. The chorus, the verses, everything. It's just a great pop song! Lots of love to the amazing George too!
6) Loser - Beck
"I'm a loser baby, so why don't you kill me". Gosh, I haven't listened to this song in forever. Great song! I love the moody production and the honest lyrics.
7) The Fugees - Killing me Softly
I adore this cover, it's probably even better than the original. I love the verses, where everything is so quiet. The chorus slays too, obviously.
8) Hanson - MMMBop
One of the best teen-pop songs ever. This song is so 60s and 90s at the same time. A classic.
9) Losing My Religion - R.E.M.
I always loved the lyrics to this song. Losing my Religion will truly never get old. Best song from "Out of Time" imo.
10) Don't Let Go - En Vogue
Amazing 90s song. It has all the elements that a good 90s R&B song should have!

90s >>>

Is Real Love is your least favorite track of the week, or is it Don't Let Go?

Oops! Sorry!

Real Love= my fave!
Don't Let Go = my "least" fave.

I love all those songs as you can see in the descriptions.

Only one vote and one set of top fours so far? Me no gusta.

The Queen's week.

The singles (besides "Sometimes") >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

It's my sixth most played song from the album though, after "I Will Be There."

This week was so hard! A lot of really great songs by really great artists.

En Vogue, performing Don't Let Go (Love): 10
Those vocals simply soar. And the harmonies are so luscious that I just want to wrap myself in them.

R.E.M., performing Losing My Religion: 9
That mandolin! Sigh...

The Fugees, performing Killing Me Softly: 8
Lauryn Hill is so undeniable on this track.

Michael Jackson, performing Scream (with Janet Jackson): 7
That fierce electric guitar elevates this track to a whole other level.

George Michael, performing Freedom '90: 6
Everything about this song is incredibly infectious: George Michael's vocals, the keyboard line, the gospel-y shouts of "Freedom!" in the chorus. I just want to sexy dance down a hallway like Naomi Campbell now.

The Beastie Boys, performing Sabotage: 5
Somehow, the song's harsh cacophony it was makes it completely awesome.

Beck, performing Loser: 4
It's no wonder that guitar riff has become so iconic. And Beck's too-cool/bored-for-school delivery is perfect.

Hanson, performing MmmBop: 3
After listening to this song for the first time since my childhood, I have to admit: it's actually pretty good.

Moby, performing Porcelain: 2
Hauntingly beautiful, but honestly, a little boring. It feels more like background music than a techno smash.

Mary J. Blige, performing Real Love: 1
It has so much potential to be a truly great song -- but man, was early '90s R&B production terrible!

Just the rankings. I might edit my thoughts in later.

10) Beastie Boys - Sabotage
9) Moby - Porcelain
8) R.E.M. - Losing My Religion
7) MJ and Janet - Scream
6) Beck - Loser
5) The Fugees - Killing Me Softly
4) Mary J - Real Love
3) George Michael - Freedom '90
2) En Vogue - Don't Let Go (Love)
1) Hanson - Mmmbop

I literally love every song from 10-2. This ranking SUCKED. >_<

I completely forgot about this. I'll post my rankings now before I forget, and my FYCs in a few.

10. Mary J. Blige - "Real Love"
One word: piano. Mary sounds great as she usually does, but the flawless piano playing gets me *every* time. Plus, this is one of only a few songs that personifies my early childhood. One of the first memories of my life was being two-years-old, living in an apartment complex in Manhattan, and hearing this song blare out on the radio. I can't believe I still remember that, but good music creates good memories, and this song has never gotten old - at least for me.

9. Michael Jackson & Janet Jackson - "Scream"
I'm still surprised as to how this didn't become one of the bigger hits of the 90s. Yes, it had several top 5 placings around the world, but not a long of longevity. People mostly remember the amazing music video associated with the song, which is fine, but what I most remember was MJ's "I'm taking any ******** from anybody" delivery. It's more apparaent on "Dirty Diana", but it works here as well. Simply amazing.

8. George Michael - "Freedom '90"
My mother was always the George Michael fanatic, not me. Never liked his music, or the drunk driving misfit that he is. But "Freedom '90" almost completely changed my opinion of him. I didn't even give the song a listen until just recently, and I still can't believe how good it is. George's soothing vocals, the keyboard, the choir. It's all good, but the song seems to drag on a for a little too long. (Six minutes?!?!)

7. The Fugees - "Killing Me Softly"
I prefer this version to the original, because the original lacked one thing: Lauryn Hill. Her rapping is great as well, but whenever you hill Lauryn sing, it captivates you like no one else can, and you can really sense that she's releasing such emotion and pain into this song.

6. Beastie Boys - "Sabtoage"
The overall rapping ability and delivery was great, although as I've learned, you shouldn't max the volume out unless you really, *really* love this song. The video was a lot more entertaining, though.

5. Beck - "Loser"
He just sounds like the coolest nerd ever, lol. Any nerd from any generation can relate to this, although I get the feeling that everyone loved Beck back in '94. Of course, besides the very memorable chorus was the infamous simple, but memorable guitar playing.

4. R.E.M. - "Losing My Religion"
I have to admit - this is my first time listening to this song in full. I've heard much about it, but I've never gotten the chance to hear it until now. The instruments are nice, but for some reason, it just doesn't grab me in like I want it to. Maybe it just needs more spins.

3. En Vogue - "Don't Let Go (Love)"
Hmmm, this just doesn't click with me. Of course, they sound flawless as usual, but it really hasn't aged well with me. Maybe it's because I prefer other En Vogue songs, maybe it's because it's too soft, or maybe it's because I haven't heard it in a while.

2. Moby - "Porcelain"
Like En Vogue, it sounds nice, but it's too soft. It really does the set the mood if you want to relax for a bit, but it sounds awkward in any other situation.

1. Hanson - "Mmmbop"
Believe it or not, I don't hate this song. I don't understand the critical rave it received back in 1997 (which is why I don't like looking at reviews) and I don't understand why others tend to make this seem as hated as the "Macarena"! I do agree that it can get on your nerves if you hear it again, again, and again. I had my fair share like everybody else did back in the day, but I prefer hearing "Mmmbop" over garbage such as "S.O.S" by the Jonas Brothers, or "One Time" by Justin Bieber any day of the week.

Overall, it was a predictable, but not a bad week. Not one song I hated, but I have a feeling that's going to change as soon as next week. As for next week, I really hope Selena's entry isn't "Dreaming of You" which is probably what she's most known for on ATRL. (or the English speaking community for that matter ) I've had enough of it, so I hope ATRL is more open to some her spanish material.

Biggie's entry should be interesting. "Mo Money, Mo Problems" is a great song, but it really doesn't define Biggie Smalls for me. Hoping for "Juicy" or "Hypnotize".

Exciting!

Loser: I have to admit I was a bit bummed that this was Beck's number one, as I have more a collection from the Odelay album. But this is quite an auspicious debut, introducing many of the things that Beck would become known for - his unassuming wit, his nonplussed hip-hop inflections. I have always wished, however, that the actual song wasn't so ... aimless; that it matched the strength of the chorus. 4

Porcelain: The most surprising thing this week was this song being Moby's number one - and not South Side; it's not like ATRL to not pick the biggest hit. Perhaps I'm being a bit of a charlatan, but this is a little too Enya - without being Enya enough, if that makes sense. It feels like it's not really committing one way or the other, and thus passes right by me. Funnily enough, this is also one of the more dated tracks this week. 1

Losing My Religion: It's funny. When I was a little boy, this was one of the first "alternative" songs I'd ever heard, and I'll admit to being deeply unsettled by the video - but give me a break, I was five. I grew to love it, and so much about it still works for me - namely the marriage of Michael Stipe on lead vocal and Mike Mills backing him up, few pairings work so well. 5

But, in college, I discovered R.E.M.'s earlier 80s material. And ... this doesn't really compare? It gets lost in early 90s production. Still good, but not great.

MMMBop - I guess I'm going to be Hanson's lone defender this week, huh?



It takes a lot of work - and talent - to make something this disposable, this light, this ... pop. It's successful at blending the 60s and the 90s, and that hook is truly incredible. If we're just voting on the song, this has to rank high. 7

Sabotage: again, not my choice of a number one, but ... damn. The only downside is that there's no reason, in such a short song, to repeat the first verse. 8

Killing Me Softly: A beautiful interpretation of a classic, perfectly updated for a modern audience. But the shining light of this song is Lauryn - and if this is supposed to be the best of the best of THE FUGEES, shouldn't the other two do more than count and stutter in the background? 6

Scream: *CONTROVERSY ALERT* - Janet not only steals the song, but completely embarrasses her older sibling. Michael, doing his usual "I'm so angry I'm going to swallow my consonants" angst bit, is blindsided by Janet perfectly negotiating the compromise between pissed-offness and melody. By 1995, this song wasn't that revolutionary; weirdly enough, it packs a harder punch now. But not one of Michael's high points. 2

Freedom 90: Arguably George Michael's last great single. What could be a self-aggrandizing, self-pitying mess becomes, aided by actual hooks and stone-cold grooves, a statement of power, movement and resonance. The non-single version is too long, but is still a contender for my number one. 9

It's funny, because supaspaz and I often have the same reactions to a lot of songs. This week, when it comes to R&B, we couldn't be more diametrically opposed ...

Don't Let Go (Love): Two things En Vogue had going were a) vocals (those harmonies ??!?!?!?) and b) a sense of drama. Their best singles have some of the most exciting climaxes in 90s pop music; it's as if their songwriters knew that they could pull out all the stops, because the ladies' vocals were fill in the rest, and live up to it.

That being said, this song doesn't offer enough drama. The production is almost like a non-event here, and everything feels very secondary. Even among their biggest hits, this is a b-lister. I wish Hold On or My Lovin had played instead, they would almost assuredly get my number one. 3

Real Love: It might be arguable that this is Mary's best single, but here's a factual statement - it pops. When I downloaded this song earlier in the week, the first thing I noted was how much of the success of the track is down to its production. One thing that has to be taken into consideration is that Real Love was essentially the first track of its kind; a marriage of R&B sensibility and hip-hop ethos. One can hear it even in the final details, like how that clean, shimmering piano melody offsets the slightly disturbing, eerie synths that hover around it. Throw in some seemly incongruous b-boy chants, and you have a winner. Mary herself is no slouch, sounding so engaged she verges on possession - but not overwrought, a feat she would have trouble pulling off just two years later. She goes toe-to-toe with the poppiness of the track, and produces something that she hasn't really bettered. It sounds 90s, but as AyuM noted, of all of this week's songs, it's the one that's aged the best. 10

This is one of her best vocal performances