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The Last Generation for Great Music Was: The 90's

Remembering the Good Old Days!

By Alisha AllenPublished 3 years ago 15 min read
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The Last Generation for Great Music Was: The 90's

Remembering the Good Old Days

By Alisha Allen

I have been asked to submit an article on my teenage favorite playlist and I am more than happy to do so. Music was especially important to me as a teenager. Like so many of us, life was challenging for me in high school. I sure had some fun moments, however, there was a lot of hardship too, and not just those fun moments. I know that is every aspect of life, however, when we are teenagers, we don’t really know how to deal with the rough times as we don’t have the maturity or wisdom, yet. Music was what really helped me to get through those rough times. Music also played a role in the great times too. So, I will be mentioning in this article some of the happy, upbeat party songs, as well as some of the songs that helped pull me out of depression.

This is a challenge (Which I love) so, I will not be mentioning any Nirvana songs, Pearl Jam, Or Limp Bizkit. (I wouldn’t mention Limp Bizkit anyway, as I really do not care for Fred Durst. Out, of all of the celebrities that I have met in my life, well, let’s just say he isn’t the friendliest). Not the ones that were played on the radio over and over again. I am going to be as creative as I can. So, let’s get ready for some Nostalgia.

10. Save Ferris: Come On, Eileen

I normally don’t like remake songs (with very few exceptions) and I still think the original is the best. Nobody can replace Dexy’s Midnight Runners, however, Save Ferris is a good substitute for this song. I think any band that would name their band after one of the sayings from one of the best movies ever made, ever (Come on Ferris Buellers Day Off is for sure one of the best movies to come out of the 80s. Such a classic!) is awesome. Plus, I have to patronize any band that comes from my hometown Las Vegas, NV. I will never forget the first time I heard this song. I was 15 and a freshman in high school and my best friend at the time, Joleena, had recommended that she and I go check out some of the local bands on the weekend. She and I went to The Huntridge Theater on a Saturday night and they happened to be the band playing that night. I have been hooked on this song ever since. Such a good song to listen to when you want to just escape your worries. Check out the link and listen to it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PU4PrWRlo_8

9. Concrete Blonde: Joey

When I was a Junior in high school there was a boy named Joey (Joey H.) that I shared both English and Math with and coincidentally we sat next to each other in both classes. He was not good at English at all, where I was the exact opposite, not good at math. One day we were taking a test in English and I noticed he was copying off me. Did I get mad? No! Instead, I waited till after class and told him “If you’re going to cheat and copy off of me in English, then I get to copy off of you in math”. He didn’t seem to mind that idea at all. So, from that point on, we copied off each other when it was test day in both classes. I know! I know! That was wrong. Looking back on it, that was so wrong, however this was high school, and we all do dumb stuff in high school. As a mother, I would be furious if my kid was doing that, now. You don’t learn anything by doing that. I know that now, but I still to this day think of him and that, whenever I hear this song. I wonder whatever happened to Joey H. I never saw him again after junior year. Anyway, Joey is still a good song to this day. It’s one of those songs that never gets old, whenever you hear it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OdpTcvSn8HQ

8. The Cranberries: Zombie

One can have not have been a kid in the 90s and not have heard this song. I’m sure there are some, however, I have yet to meet anyone that doesn’t like this song. It’s just one of those that you can’t get out of your head. It’s one of those that is fun to listen to-no matter what mood you’re in, whether it’s good, bad, or indifferent! Dolores O’ Riordan was a terrifically underrated vocalist. She had such a unique voice, which I think was a large part of The Cranberries’ success. We really did lose a talented artist when she died. I was glad that Bad Wolves remade this song as a tribute to her. I normally don’t do this, but I will post the link for both versions of this song. This is a situation where you listen to one, you’re obligated to listen to the other.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Ejga4kJUts

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9XaS93WMRQQ

7. Local H: Eddie Vedder

This is one of those songs that I listened to over and over, again, and yet don’t really know why. There is nothing exceptionally great about it, but I always found it to be such a fun song to listen to. Maybe it’s because Local H didn’t get too big, so therefore not very many people knew about them. It made me feel unique to be a fan of theirs. Maybe it’s because they came to town and I won backstage passes off the radio and got to meet them, and the whole band was super nice. I don’t know! This is just one of the songs in my nostalgia collection. Don’t really have much more to say about it than that.

Nshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mf5YSrfj2

6. Stabbing Westward: Sometimes It Hurts

I did say I would mention some of the hard parts. There was a time when this song played a big role in my life. When I was 18 and right out of high school, I met the person who taught me a lot of valuable life lessons. One day my best friend (Becca) and I were describing what we wanted in our next boyfriends. I told her “I want a guy with super pale skin, black hair, wears wristlets, a tattoo, and preferably one who speaks another language”. Well, the very next day I was at a party and what walked through the door? You got it! Exactly what I had just described, to a tee. I wasn’t the only one who noticed it, either. Becca urged me to go and talk to him the moment she recognized him from my description. Fortunately, I didn’t have to, as our mutual friend, Robert came over and told me that he had noticed me, as well and he was interested in talking to me, however, he was too shy to approach me himself. So, I walked over with Robert and met him. To my surprise, he was the same exact age as me! I had thought that he was a little bit older, but no. He was just more mature in some ways as he had been on his own for a while, having been emancipated at 16. He was multi-lingual as he was actually from Germany and spoke not only German, but quite a few European languages! We spent the whole night talking and before I knew it, I had a new boyfriend. That started the next several months for us. I will not say it was all romance and fun, because it wasn’t. Through him, I learned one lesson I hope to teach to my girls. When guys say girls are stupid for liking these Bad Boys (especially when they say “Hello! They are called bad boys for a reason”) well, they aren’t wrong. I learned that through him. Eventually, the relationship came to a screeching halt. I listened to this song many times during that period. This song did help me to get through that time. This song is really good for people who just got out of a relationship.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lYdP1a7dbA

5. Soul Asylum: Runaway Train

I have always loved this song, along with the video. I love how Dave Pirner put all those missing kids in that video. I hear that the authorities found like ten missing kids thanks to that video. I wish more musicians would do that. There are so many kids that go missing each year, that don’t get found. Maybe more would get found if more celebrities used their notoriety to help like he did. That is why Soul Asylum definitely deserves to be on this list.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NRtvqT_wMeY

4. Red Hot Chili Peppers: Love Rollercoaster

I was never the biggest fan of the tv show Beavis Butthead, however, I did like the movie. This song was perfect for the soundtrack. When I first heard this song on our radio station at the time 103.5 KEDG, I fell in love with it! Then I learned that it was on the Beavis and Butthead Do America soundtrack and that it had just hit the theater. This was one of the few times the song drew me to the theater right now! So, my good friend Leccie and I went and saw the movie right away. I don’t think I had laughed as hard before I did in that theater that day. I normally don’t watch movies in the theater twice, but I did that one though! I liked that movie so much that I bought it first thing when it came out on VHS (remember VHS?) If it had not been for me hearing this song on the radio, then I might not have ever seen the movie and I would have missed out on a lot of laughs. Whoever decided to put the Red Hot Chili Peppers version of this song on that soundtrack was a genius!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9UYs_ADWWUA

3. K’s Choice: Not an Addict

I really hesitated mentioning this one, or the story behind it, however, if there is a slight chance it might help someone else, then it’s worth it. I first heard this song in 1997 at the age of 15, but it wasn’t until the age of 19 that this song really impacted my life. The same old flame that I mentioned earlier, well, let’s just say he suffered from severe PTSD. I suffered from PTSD as well. Two people suffering from the same problem is not really a good combo. One of the things that really drew me to him was the fact that he was a hardcore Nikki Sixx fan (Bassist from Motley Crue) just like I was. He actually played bass, just like Nikki. He also drew, wrote songs and wrote poetry, just like Nikki. Well, there was another way he was like Nikki and wanted to be Nikki. That was his love of drug use. He had a love of meth. He was the person who introduced me to meth. I saw how happy he was when he was high. How he wasn’t thinking of the stuff that he was traumatized by and he was actually a nicer and much more fun person when he was on meth than when he wasn’t. One day he offered me to use some with him. I figured just one time wouldn’t hurt. Well, it did! One time led to another, then another, then another, etc. Each time I was using, this song was going through my head. I kept telling myself that. Then one day it happened. I realized I was. I also realized how bad he and I were for each other. We were feeding off of each other’s misery. We were basically no better than Sid and Nancy. I didn’t want to end up just like Nancy, so I did a hard thing. I left him, his friends, that whole lifestyle. People have asked me over the years if I had to go to NA meetings. No! I was lucky. I just quit by staying away from everybody that was part of that life. I don’t hold any ill feelings towards him. It was my choice. I admit that it was my doing. I sure hope that my kids don’t follow in my footsteps as far as that goes. However, if they ever do, then I feel like it makes me a much more sympathetic mom and I am here for them to get through it. I still like the song! It helps me to remember what I have overcome in my life. Sometimes we need that.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JT2SsWOCoEw

2. The Verve Pipe: The Freshmen

Ironically, I was a freshman in high school when this song came out. I had drama class that year and one of our assignments was to perform a lip- sync. One of my good friends in that class, Reuben (although we all referred to him as Radley) picked this song to do his lip-sync to. He played it on his CD player, and I fell in love with this song the first time that I heard it. I think the vocalist has good range, I like the guitar rhythm and it has a good message. What else do I like about it? It still, to this day reminds me of my good friend Radley when I still hear it to this day. It is interesting how some people will always be attached to certain songs in our memories. Makes me wonder if there are any songs that people attach me to in their memories. Neat how the human brain works that way. Still a great song and deserves a listen to every now and then.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1umEXpGHc0E

Before I name the number one song on my list, here are some honorable mentions:

Papa Roach: Last Resort

This is such a fun song. I was a senior in high school when it came out. What makes this song so memorable for me though, it was the first song that I ever went crowd surfing at a concert to. They performed at Las Vegas’ discount version of Woodstock. Xtreme Radio 107.5 OBC (Our Big Concert). They came on and my friend at the time, Bree told me to “Let loose! Have fun!” She then went and had some guy give her a boost and chuck her right into the crowd. That looked so much fun! I had always wanted to crowd surf and had heard how fun it was. So, I went and asked another guy to give me a boost as well. He bent down and told me to get on top of his shoulders. So, I got on top of them, then he quickly stood up. I was a little nervous about falling, however, I just went for it and jumped into the crowd. Next thing I knew people were grabbing me and throwing me up in the air! The next thing I knew, it was all over. As I got close to the entrance of the stage, a couple of security guards grabbed me and helped me to the stage exit. That was a fun time. I will never forget it!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0lSpNtjPM8

Creed: What if

This was always one of my favorite Creed songs. One thing that I like about it is that it’s on the Scream 3 soundtrack. I know people like to make fun of it, but I still like the Scream movie franchise. I especially had fun going to see the third one in the movie theater. My friend Becca and I had originally gone to see it-just the two of us, but while standing in line, I ran into some friends from middle school that I had not seen in years. So, naturally, we joined them and then all of us went out to the casino just down the street from the movie theater (Longhorn) and got a late-night special. That was back in the day when you could still get a steak and egg breakfast for only $0.99 in Las Vegas. That was a fun time. Every time I hear this song by Creed, I remember that night. Fun times!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BkHjFzw1TUg

1. The Flys: Got You Where I Want You

This is my number one pick. It’s too bad that The Flys are a one-hit wonder. They had a lot of talent. They had this song, then just vanished. This is another song that reminds me of OBC. They were actually the first band that played on stage (out of ten). That was one of the best concerts that I have ever been to. Since they were the first ones to play, I think that is why I think so highly of this song. I will probably be 100 years old, still listening to this song in my car as loudly as my ears can stand it! If you haven’t heard it, then definitely click on the link and listen to it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BM_OWaItNJM

Well, that is my teen angst playlist. I hope all my readers had as much fun reading this as I did writing this. Listening to all these songs made me feel like a kid again. Sometimes we need to revisit the past. I wish music today was the same as it used to be. Nowadays, most music sounds the same. There are still some talented artists out today, not like it used to be. I hope all the ones my age enjoyed going down memory lane. To the ones that had never heard any of these songs before, well, I hope you enjoyed listening to something new for you.



90s music
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About the Creator

Alisha Allen

I am a published author, former model, aspiring entrepreneur, screenwriter, and the most important job, a mother of two. I grew up in Las Vegas NV, however I just recently moved to Mesquite NV.

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