10. Slide - The Goo Goo Dolls
I've recently realized how many childhood classics the Goo Goo Dolls have that I didn't know by name. Iris, Slide, Broadway, Name, Here Is Gone and more. I think my parents played this band a lot when I was young. Either that or I heard them a lot in public, or someone who I spent a lot of time with did. But anyway, once again a song I have a lot of nostalgia for. That guitar line is just absolutely killer, John Rzeznik just absolutely kills it on the vocals. This song is also often misinterpreted because of how upbeat it is, it's about a couple wondering what they should do because the woman is pregnant and they don't know whether they should let it get born and have to deal with supporting a child financially, or whether they abort it, and make people around them think they are killers. And her mom disown her for killing her baby Which is a topic that has certainly taken on a new light in 2024. Despite all this, it is somehow the weakest hit single from this album. Which just tells you how good the others are. Cause it's a classic.
9. She's So High - Tal Bachman
Yet another song I heard growing up all the time, but didn't know the name of for years, until I listened to this year end list in fact. I was kinda surprised this song wasn't bigger than it was here, it only made the year end at 51 and only peaked at 14. It was bigger in Canada though. But anyway, this song is so good. And kinda relatable. This guy singing about how much he loves this girl who is completely out of his league and he has absolutely no chance of being able to date. As someone who has never had a date because of how shy I am, it hits. You hear the shyness in his voice, but then he breaks out of it to talk about how much he loves her, and you just hear it in his voice. How much he loves her and how he wishes he was in her league. And then near the end of the song, his dream comes true, the girl comes to speak to him and he immediately freezes. And the rock instrumentation is incredible. Such a classic.
8. Bailamos - Enrique Iglesias
This is the best thing I have ever heard from Enrique. And it's not particularly close. This song has that timeless sounding hugeness that a lot of the best ballads from this time have, it just sounds f*cking massive, with how it builds up. But not to the point of losing you in being too loud, it's at the perfect balance of feeling huge without completely overwhelming your ears. All the different musical elements combined together are just so beautiful and Enrique sounds utterly incredible. Just an incredibly uplifting song that makes me feel so happy listening to it.
Some of you might be surprised that I put this next song above Smooth, since I think in this community it's agreed that Rob Thomas on Smooth was better than in his own band. But well, I don't really agree with that...
7. Back 2 Good - Matchbox Twenty
I've recently realized that I think Matchbox Twenty are a very good band. I haven't listened to any of their albums yet, but almost all of their big hits were both childhood classics for me, and I still adore them. Expect to see a lot more of this band on best lists in the late 90s and early 2000s. And I feel like this song in particular has kinda become a forgotten gem, at least compared to their other big songs from their debut like Push and 3am, and songs like Bent and Unwell that would come after. And of the songs I know from their debut this is probably my favorite. First there's the lowkey, slow, guitar line that sounds beautiful and keeps the rhythm so well. Then you have Rob Thomas with his incredible deep voice that just fits the mood so well. I love all the vocal growls he does so much. And then there's the lyrics about a relationship falling apart that are very well written. I really like the line "Everyone here is hating everyone here for doing just like they do" in particular, that's a line that has real life truth to it sometimes. I know in this context it's about both of the lovers cheating, but oftentimes I see people hating on others for doing the exact same thing they are doing, sometimes without knowing it. And it kinda pisses me off, although I am probably guilty of the same thing sometimes. But anyway, what a song. And it didn't even make the top 5.
Yes I'm not done with praising this band. Deal with it...
6. Someday - Sugar Ray
Once again I get hating this song. It's cheesy, dumb, and the singer has a voice that I get finding annoying. I just don't agree with that. First, nostalgia. I might be even more nostalgic for this song than Every Morning as whoever it was in my childhood who played this band played it more than Every Morning. This song just like Every Morning reminds me of the best parts of my childhood, which is something I need often when I stress out about adult life.Also this song has a fantastic melody. That chorus melody is just impeccable. The guitar riff is so good. I could try and explain the long winded reason why this song is so high beyond the nostalgia, but frankly I have a hard time with that. So I will cop out and say this is the #6 song on this list because it's the song from this year I enjoy the 6th most.
Well, at least we have a ice cold take after that. Presenting one of the few songs of the 90s to have over a billion views on YouTube...
5. I Want It That Way - Backstreet Boys
This is once again a song I am nostalgic as sh*t for. It was everywhere when I grew up, but also my class sang it in choir once in middle school (at my school we had to take choir). And like, it's I Want It That Way. This song just sounds like heaven. Those harmonies are just chef's kiss. The beautiful, angelic instrumentation. Only problem with this song is the lyrics are a bit douchy, but like I am not gonna pretend like I care about them at all. This is a song that is all about the sound. And it sounds f*cking timeless. Oh and I didn't mention that f*cking key change. Chills. Every. Time. I miss that kind of key change in pop music. So much.
f*ck Machine Gun Kelly...
4. Out Of My Head - Fastball
I know I'm repeating the hell out of myself with this list, but once again a nostalgic song I heard a lot growing up, and proceeded to not know the name of for years and years. That piano, organ and guitar line is just such a great groove, and I love the singer's voice so much. The lyrics about him reflecting on a past relationship and how he messed up, doing stupid bad things are well written, and he sells it well. And the line "Sometimes I feel like I am drunk behind the wheel. The wheel of possibility. However it may roll." is especially great and relatable. And once again f*ck MGK for ruining this song with that awful duet with Camila Cabello.
The fact this next song is only #3 is mind-blowing, considering this is one of the best rock songs I have ever listened to...
3. Black Balloon - Goo Goo Dolls
Yet another song I heard a lot growing up. And so it's nostalgic. But also, this is one of the most mind blowing rock songs I have ever heard. The use of dynamics in this song is just unmatched. How they use them to make this song sound like an ocean during the verses, forming into a hurricane in the chorus. Every single instrumental element of this song is absolutely mind blowing. Just f*cking insane how they made something like this chart at all, let alone hit the Top 20. And it conveys the mood of the lyrics perfectly. This is a song about the narrator's girlfriend's heroine addiction, and how it is killing her inside and the narrator is trying to help save her, but worries that her addiction will spread to him. The crushing storm of the chorus just really conveys the pain that she feels from the heroine so well. Absolutely phenomenal song. So what two songs managed to beat it?
When I was writing the I Want It That Way entry I mistakenly wrote that it was my favorite ballad of the year, forgetting about this song. When I got to this entry I realized my very stupid mistake and removed that line. Because...
2. Sometimes - Britney Spears
This is my favorite Britney song. I don't think that is a particularly popular opinion. But I have had a huge personal affinity for this song ever since I rediscovered it. This might be the song here I relate to the most. This is a song about how Britney is slow to fall in love with people because she's shy but she really does enjoy being with them. And as an autistic introvert who is very shy and slow to warm up to people, but does really love being around people once I have gotten to know them, every single line hits so close to home. In this society us autistic people are looked down upon, and considered weird because of how shy we are and how long it takes us to warm up to people. And whenever I feel like people are being prejudiced because of this, I turn to this song, because I really do love getting to know people and being around them, I just take a while to warm up to people. Oh and it's also just one of the most beautiful sounding pop songs I've ever heard. The sparkling instrumentation is absolute pop perfection, and Britney sounds absolutely perfect.
So when I write these lists I often watch videos of similar lists by others in this community to get a sense of what the consensus on the songs is in the community. But for this year, I couldn't find very many. One of the only ones I could find was The Social Tune's list, which I watched. And I agreed with a fair amount of the list, and most of the ones I didn't are ones I understand like the Sugar Ray songs. With one exception, and a massive one at that...
1. Jumper - Third Eye Blind
For context of what I'm about to say, this is a song about Stephan Jenkins trying to convince a friend who is dealing with suicidal thoughts not to jump off a bridge. And he tries to convince him not to jump. Fionn's reasoning for including this song on his list was that he thought that Stephan Jenkins mentioning everything that the person committing suicide was going through would make them more likely to jump. Which I just blatantly disagree with. Stephan Jenkins mentions everything that person is going through to show that he understands what is happening to them. He's been there. Which in my own experience does really mean a lot to people having suicidal thoughts. Especially with him saying they need to put the past away and try and make it through this so that they can get to a better place. And I say this as someone who has dealt with suicidal thoughts before and has helped my online friends make it through them as well. That take just baffles me so much. But anyway to my own opinion. Third Eye Blind are a band I have gotten into a lot lately. Listened to their first two albums which are both incredible. And this is the best song I have heard from them. The guitar line is absolutely perfect. Fantastic groove. And that guitar solo is phenomenal. But the thing that sends this song into the stratosphere is Stephan Jenkin's vocals. He sells every single line perfectly. You just hear the concern in his voice, how he really doesn't want to lose his friend to their own head, lies that they made up. and once again. The lyrics are exceptional. I have been there myself, fighting suicidal thoughts, and I somehow made it through without telling anyone what I was going through. And I bet I would have wished I had a friend like Stephan Jenkins in this song when I was going through that. Would have helped so much. And then in the last few years my Discord friends Leslie and Nora have vented to me about having suicidal thoughts, and I talked to them about how I had been there, that I understand what they are going through, but that you gotta push through and make it, and you will find happiness eventually and it is all worth it. Which I know because I did so. This is one of the most motivational songs I have ever heard, and it is what I believe is the most important hit of the year. And my pick for the best hit song of 1999!
Thanks for reading! I'll see you next time!
