Back to the Disaster...

1.  "...Baby One More Time," by Britney Spears, origninally intended for the girl-group TLC became the best selling album by a teenager...ever.

2.  "Wannabe," by Spice Girls, launching an era (or a year or two) of "Girl Power," encompassing two or three more hit singles and a bad movie but also helping re-launch bubble-gum pop.  Thanks girls.

3.  "Livin' La Vida Loca," by Ricky Martin, commencing with a spectacle of a latin man shaking his bon-bon (actually meaning candy in French, p.s.) at the Grammy's, I suppose we can thank him for all of those wonderful Latin artists...and NSYNC and Chirstina Aguilera dubbed in Spanish.  Woot.

4.  "I'll Be There for You," by The Rembrandts, giving us a theme song to cherish for 10 wonderful seasonw with our favorite friends.  Nobody knows any of the second verse, but eh, who cares? 

5.  "My Heart Will Go On," by Celine Dion, marking yet another victory for the French-Canadian movie-theme-singing songstress.  The single also helped propel her album Let's Talk About Love to become one of the best selling of the decade, right ahead of her other album, Falling Into You.

6.  "Always Be My Baby," by Mariah Carey, not that it really matters what song you choose of hers.  She defined the 90s and everybody loves a comeback kid.

7.  "Ironic," by Alanis Morissette, the bane of all English teachers' existence.  I still remember Ms. Allen and Miss Cianfroca both yelling "THE SONG BY ALANIS MORISETTE IS NOT IRONIC!" except for the fact it's titled ironic yet as no irony in the lyrics.  I bet another name for the song was called "Shit Happens."

8.  "Semi-Charmed Life," by Third Eye Blind, represents all good in teenage years...smoking, sex, beach, guitars, and remarkably enough, is one of the few real 90s hits that still garners airplay.

9.  "Killing Me Softly," by The Fugeesand featuring Lauryn Hill, but did anybody care then or now who the hell the Fugees are? 

10.  “The Sign,” by Ace of Base, yet another invasion of America’s pop charts with Swedish Euro-trash…and we all loved it anyways.  If you listen to their album, an amazing thing happens:  you realize all of their songs have the same music with different words.  Hmmm..

11.  “Say My Name,” by Destiny’s Child, marking the beginning of Beyonce’s takeover of the world.  Plus, what other girl group could go through so much drama and still remain on top?  Oh yes, it’s…

12.  “Waterfalls,” by TLC, the girl group who went bankrupt, burnt down houses, hated each other, yelled, bitched, and went on VH1’s Behind the Music.  Ah, yes.  They were wonderful.

13.  “You Were Meant for Me,” by Jewel, the only chick with a guitar who could sing only sad songs, have messed up teeth and still capture America’s attention.  She was our art-house/coffee-shop girl and we loved her for it.

14.  “I Will Always Love You,” by Whitney Houston, before crack. 

15.  “Man! I Feel Like a Woman!” by Shania Twain who made it OK for even guys to sing along to bordering feminist music, but she was no angry chick with a guitar, she went on to sell 3 Diamond albums by the 2004 and remains the best cross-over success ever.

16.  “Ice Ice Baby,” by Vanilla Ice.  White rappers.  Could the 90s get any better?

17.  “Only Wanna Be With You,” by Hootie & the Blowfish, a frat band headed by a black man who I always swore was white until I saw him on VH1 last week.  Thank god that only lasted a year.

18.  “Save the Best for Last,” by Vanessa Williams, the first black Miss America who later resigned because she posed nude and still went on to multi-platinum success as a singer.  She’s got my vote.

19.  “As Long As You Love Me,” by Backstreet Boys, one of the many boy-bands that came to life in the late 90s only to fade off after 2000, left us with many guilty-pleasure songs but we haven’t missed them since.

20.  “Don’t Speak,” by No Doubt in their almost-breakup/pre-bitch-Gwen-Stefani-leaves-for-her-own-selfish-gain phase.  It would be their peak song with later efforts never living up to its success.

21.  “Can You Feel the Love Tonight?” by Elton John back when he and Disney still mattered.

22.  “Baby Got Back,” by Sir Mix-A-Lot, and the conservatives thought this was too risqué in 1992?  Just wait 12 years for Nipplegate.

23.  “I Will Remember You,” by Sarah MacLauchlin, finally someone could provide a soundtrack to every funeral in America.

24.  “Cotton Eye Joe,” by Rednex, is just one of those songs every decade has to have.  It makes you scratch you head and go “What the hell were we thinking?”  Just wait until the grandkids get a hold of this one.

25.  “Barbie Girl,” by Aqua.  I won’t even comment.

26.  “MMMBop,” by Hanson, the androgenous band who had adults everywhere wondering why three little girls were babbling on the radio. 

27.  “One Sweet Day,” by Mariah Carey and BoyzIIMen, again providing another anthem for the deceased.

28.  “Macarena (bayside boys mix)” by Los Del Rio that made America…look like idiots.

29.  “Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It” by Will Smith, the white man’s rapper.  He doesn’t swear, he’s been married to his wife for…well more than a year so that’s the silver anniversary in Hollywood-time, and he isn’t thug.  What’s not to love?

30.  “Believe” by Cher, proving once again, she still has what it takes, even if she is old enough to be a card-carrying member of the AARP.

31.  “All the Small Things,” by Blink 182 who foreshadowed the fall of pop and the rise of…weird dirty bands.

32.  “Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)” by Green Day, the fathers of Punk.

it's something unpredictable but in the end is right, i hope you had the time of your life. 

Honorable Mention:  "Two Princes" (Spin Doctors), "Breakfast at Tiffany's (Deep Blue Something), "Genie in a Bottle" (Christina Aguilera), "Gangsta's Paradise" (Coolio), "Pretty Fly (For a White Guy)" (The Offspring), "Sunny Came Home" (Shawn Colvin), "Where Have All the Cowboys Gone?" (Paula Cole) and surely many more...