BoTB 90s Style Week 2: Even The Greatest Make You Happy
This week, as like last, we get a full sense of the decade - the oldest song, belonging to Cathy Dennis, was released in 1990; I think we all know that the most recent song, from the arguable queen of ATRL, was released in 1999 (but made a single in 2000. Controversy!) Funnily enough, after her years as pop star ended, Ms. Dennis would go onto become one of the most successful songwriters of modern pop, penning verifiable works of genius like Can't Get You Out of My Head and ... Toxic.
That's the only connection between this week's ten I can make - unless someone can find that missing Reba/Biggie collaboration.
Man, this is female heavy week, huh? Download all the songs, listen to them, comment on them and then rank them - ten being your favorite track and one being your least favorite. I'll be closing this on Friday, so get those votes in.
Ry, I know how you feel - next week will be tough for me, but Week 6 will be the toughest week I have ever played in this game. My two faves - everyone should know who they are - are not only going against each other, but against Liz Phair and Pavement.
Big Time Sensuality
5 Years
Joga
Hyperballad
You've Been Flirting Again
Headphones
It's Oh So Quiet
Hunter
Isobel
Bachelorette
All is Full of Love
Unravel
Possibly Maybe
I Miss You
THE PIXIES
Velouria
Alison
IS She Weird
All Over the World
Dig for Fire
Down to the Well
Trompe Le Monde
Alec Eiffel
U-Mass
Sleater-Kinney
The Drama You've Been Craving
Dig Me Out
Sarah McLachlan
Possession
Good Enough
I Will Remember You
Tupac
Brenda's Got a Baby
I Get Around
Keep Ya Head Up
Dear Mama
I Ain't Mad at Cha
Changes
Shania (ignoring the obvious contenders)
Whose Bed Have Your Boots Been Under?
Any Man of Mine
Don't
You've Got a Way
Seriously, 10-5 were tougher to rank than any ranking in ANY of the BotB weeks. I thought about just flipping a coin, but instead...
10) Pearl Jam - Even Flow
9) Third Eye Blind - Jumper
8) The Notorious B.I.G. - Hypnotize
7) Britney Spears - Born to Make You Happy
6) Green Day - When I Come Around
5) Reba - The Greatest Man I Never Knew (ugh, why does this have to be a five? >_<)
4) Cathy Dennis - Touch Me (All Night Long)
3) Celine Dion - It's All Coming Back to Me Now
2) Selena - Amor Prohibido (I really don't want to rank this as a 2, because this song isn't bad, but geez, this competition is ridiculous)
1) Cher - Believe (I HATE this song. Hated it back in '99, really hate it now)
10. Green Day, performing When I Come Around
9. Britney Spears, performing Born to Make You Happy
8. Cher, performing Believe
7. Celine Dion, performing It's All Coming Back to Me Now
6. Selena, performing Amor Prohibido
5. Reba McEntire, performing The Greatest Man I Never Knew
4. The Notorious B.I.G., performing Hypnotize
3. Pearl Jam, performing Even Flow
2. Third Eye Blind, performing Jumper
1. Cathy Dennis, performing Touch Me (All Night Long)
This week was so hard to rank. This was the first time I heard "The Greatest Man I Never Knew" and it's a really beautiful song. I wish I could rank that song higher but this week was so competitive.
Pardon me for not writing anything, but I'm in a rush.
10. The Notorious B.I.G. - Hypnotize
09. Selena - Amor Prohibido
08. Third Eye Blind - Jumper
07. Cher - Believe
06. Britney Spears - Born to Make You Happy
05. Green Day - When I Come Around
04. Reba McEntre - The Greatest Man I Never Knew
03. Pearl Jam - Even Flow
02. Celine Dion - It's All Coming Back to Me Now
01. Cathy Dennis - Touch Me (All Night Long)
10-5 are epic and the Reba song isn't so bad. The rest are meh.
Britney Spears, performing Born to Make You Happy [10]
Green Day, performing When I Come Around [9]
Celine Dion, performing It's All Coming Back to Me Now [8]
Pearl Jam, performing Even Flow [7]
The Notorious B.I.G., performing Hypnotize [6]
Cher, performing Believe [5]
Reba McEntire, performing The Greatest Man I Never Knew [4]
Third Eye Blind, performing Jumper [3]
Selena, performing Amor Prohibido [2]
Cathy Dennis, performing Touch Me (All Night Long) [1]
Reba McEntire - The Greatest Man I Never Knew (10)
Britney Spears - Born to Make You Happy (9)
Pearl Jam - Even Flow (8)
Third Eye Blind - Jumper (7)
Céline Dion - It's All Coming Back to Me Now (6)
The Notorious B.I.G. - Hypnotize (5)
Green Day - When I Come Around (4)
Cathy Dennis, performing Touch Me (All Night Long) (3)
Selena Amor - Prohibido (2)
Cher - Believe (1)
I think it's fair to say that this week is better than last week, yes? Last week's selections were very on-the nose. This week is more interesting.
When I Come Around - Of all the rock songs this week, this is ranking highest. Would be higher if it were Basket Case though. 5
Amor Prohibido - This is tough. Selena was always going to be at a disadvantage, because I assume most here aren't familiar with her work. I had never heard this particular song before, but I really appreciate it for what it is. Credit goes to Selena; I think her actually being American gives a softness, a poppiness to her vocal that most Spanish-language recordings lack. Whether that suits the song lyrically is another question. 3
Even Flow - Wow. I feel instantly transported back to 1993. Wow. I don't particularly love the song (don't do me like I did Nicole Scherzinger, Ryan!) but it is nice to hear it. 1
The Greatest Man I Never Knew - Oh ****. OH ****. Ignore the trappings of early 90s country production for a moment and focus on Reba's voice, in all of its ungainly, burly glory. She digs into the lyric with a tenacity that most singers don't have, making it seem - and more importantly, feel - as if she had written it herself. If it weren't for another song coming later, this would surely be my ten-pointer. 9
Jumper - Overproduced within an inch of its life, as most 90s rock was. Still can't deny that it invokes a certain power over me - just trying to decide if it's nostalgia, or something tangible. 2
Touch Me (All Night Long) - Patrick, did you know there's an older version of this song?
I loved how this happened all the time in the 80s-early 90s.
Although Fonda Rae's version has funkier production, Cathy's has the better verse and bridge - by far. And I have to say that I get a kick out of her accent peaking through at the end of every phrase. 6
Hypnotize - WAIT. WHAT. Biggie was the only rapper alive that can make Puffy's weak-ass beats seem alive, fresh, and cool. This would be a ten if his dumbass wasn't always popping up! 8
Born to Make You Happy - I was, and still am, perplexed at this song's popularity amongst ATRLers - it wasn't even a single in America! To me, this screams "let's finish the album campaign off." I don't understand how it represents the best of what Britney was about at the start of her career - it relies on the submissive angle so much that it threatens to bring to mind Jessica Simpson. As much as everyone hates to admit it, ... Baby One More Time is the song that completely encapsulates Britney's appeal.
Still, this is a Britney song so it could never be at the bottom. 4
Believe - Ryan, this is for you:
I ... don't understand how anyone could hate this song. Vocoder is used to excellent effect here, perfectly matching and enhancing Cher's dulcet tones, capturing both sides of the word "bitter" (the verses) and "sweet" (the chorus). This song's general structure and sound remind me of Girls Aloud's "Untouchable," ....
... which is a good thing, because Xenomania produced both. In fact, this song's gigantic success jumpstarted Xenomania. Without Xenomania, I would have never had (arguably) Sugababes and (definitely) Girls Aloud. I can't hate it on principle. 7
It's All Coming Back to Me Now - Yeah.
This is the best track this week. No competition. The same guy who made Bonnie Tyler's "Total Eclipse of the Heart" and most of Meatloaf's oeuvre did this, and it shows. It is an epic record, in all ways.
But let's get into Celine's presence. From what I've read, her English language recordings have never really captured the beauty of her voice - more specifically, her tone - the way her French records have. I'm not sure that this does either, but fair enough - best single Celine Dion has ever released.
And the video. Never - NEVER - has she looked so desirable, so attractive, so beautiful. Just exquisite. This is so tied to my memory that it's hard to be objective, but I'll try.
Since this week has been ... hectic, I'll leave this open until tomorrow. Patrick, JT, supa, Ayu, and any stragglers who want to join the game - you have time!
And please send top fours - there can be no week 3 without them.
Download all the songs, listen to them, comment on them and then rank them - ten being your favorite track and one being your least favorite. I'll be closing this on Friday, so get those votes in.
In any other week, six of those ten would be my runaway #1, but of course, it's the 90s, so it's much more complicated. 
The rest are meh.
