Am I Just Old Or Was 90S Music Forgettable?

[bednobs]

i ask because im watching top of the pops on BBC it's 1990 and it's all rubbish! and completely unmemorable

[Buenchico]

There was music in the 90s? I don't remember any!

[Mamyalynne]

It wasn't all bad;-)

[tiggerblue10]

Most of it was a bit rubbish apart from Nirvana, Radiohead, Stone Roses, Suede, Oasis etc. For me anyway.

[eve1974]

Yea much of it was!!!

[andy-hughes]

Every generation loves its own pop music - it's the soundtrack to our lives, or at least it was before the advent of technology which has meant that music is absolutely everywhere, with attendant dilution of its appeal and lasting impact.

The result has been that from the late 1980's and certainly into the '90's and to the present day, pop music has a built-in anonymity and obsolescence that was simply not the case in earlier times.

It means that the current attitude is to create very heavily produced homogeneous singles from artists with negligible identity and attendant lack of impact on the memory of listeners, who actually don't care, because there is so much else clamouring for their free-time attention.

As a (ahem!) senior music listener, I personally bemoan the lack of intensity and impact that modern pop music has, or indeed is meant to have, on its target audience, but that is not simply a case of mourning my lost youth, and wishing things were the same now as then.

As a professional music journalist, I can employ a completely objective view of the music I hear - as I have done above, and with that hat on, I can say that pop music has its good and bad, as it always has since Day One.

But as someone who was captivated by the appearances of David Bowie and Marc Bolan, I cannot for a moment imagine lasting memories like those being created from the modern crop of pop stars.

As you say, it is is unmemorable - but that is because it is designed to be so - more is the pity.

[Mamyalynne]

The 1990s were for me my second round of clubbing, mostly techno and dance stuff, really enjoyed it without the added teenage angst.

[Stickybottle]

Looking at my 90’s list on my ipod and some of the songs that stand out are:
Babylon by David Gray
Come As You Are by Nirvanna
Disco 2000 by Pulp
Drugs Don’t Work The Verve
Fading Like A Flower by Roxette
How You Remind Me by Nickelbsck
I Would Do Anything by Meatloaf
Inside by Stiltskin
Iris by the Goo Goo Dolls
KissFrom A Rose by Seal
A Little Time by Beautiful South
Losing My Religion and Nightswimming REM
Missing by Everything BTG
Motown Song by Rod Stewart
My Hero by Foo Fighters
Over My Shoulder by Mike + The Mechanics
Praying For Time by George Michael
Saltwater by Chicane
Weather With You by Crowded House

Not a bad list I reckon

[Buenchico]

I've just been scrolling through several different lists of what various websites consider to be the best of 90s music and I've really struggled to hear most of the songs in my head. There's very little that stands out for me. I'll make one exception though ;-)

[237SJ]

I think 90s music was boring as well. It was the Britpop era

[tiggerblue10]

I quite liked techno, dance and trance. The Prodigy were brilliant too :o)

[mushroom25]

// it wasn't all bad ;-) //

agreed - although there's a better version of the song you posted.....

[tonyav]

Most of it pretty boring ( to me ), one or two stand outs though.

[Bobbisox1]

I loved the 80s as a teen of the 60s, I thought the 70s was cheesy but loved the 80s

[douglas9401]

I love cheese!

[Mamyalynne]

Now you're talking, Saltwater by Chicane pulsing through my speakers now.

[Patsy33]

There was a few good ones. Not the best decade in my opinion

[mushroom25]

// I Love Cheese! //

you'd have loved this when it was released in 1995, Douglas?

[237SJ]

I loved the 70s. We had every genre of music. Philadelphia, Motown, reggae, ska, punk, pop, glam rock, prog rock, new wave, disco, funk. Definitely the most diverse decade IMO

[douglas9401]

I'm actually known as Gordon Zola by me mates. :-)

[tiggerblue10]

Is Saltwater the one with the theme from Harry's Game sample?