Defining the ’90s Music Canon(pudding.cool)
pudding.cool
Defining the ’90s Music Canon
https://pudding.cool/2020/07/song-decay
21 comments
There are very deep limitations in a) chart toppers vs. otherwise popular and b) ethnicity i.e. White/African American/Latino have quite a different slot of pop culture references in the US, much less pronounced for example in UK or Canada.
The other 'big thing' to consider is that Gen Z are still quite young, and sometimes it takes time to pick up on a lot of music. We hear tracks in films, living in other conditions.
Also seems like Gen X has pretty good musical knowledge overall! But probably due to being the 'right age' for having been able to listen to a lot of stuff.
Finally, dismayed by the 90's top-charters. I couldn't fathom listening to most of that even back then.
The other 'big thing' to consider is that Gen Z are still quite young, and sometimes it takes time to pick up on a lot of music. We hear tracks in films, living in other conditions.
Also seems like Gen X has pretty good musical knowledge overall! But probably due to being the 'right age' for having been able to listen to a lot of stuff.
Finally, dismayed by the 90's top-charters. I couldn't fathom listening to most of that even back then.
> Also seems like Gen X has pretty good musical knowledge overall! But probably due to being the 'right age' for having been able to listen to a lot of stuff.
I came to this same conclusion. Growing up, I heard a little '40s music from my grandparents and a lot of '50s, '60s and '70s from my parents. Hip-hop, new wave, alternative and grunge all came along during my lifetime.
I came to this same conclusion. Growing up, I heard a little '40s music from my grandparents and a lot of '50s, '60s and '70s from my parents. Hip-hop, new wave, alternative and grunge all came along during my lifetime.
> Also seems like Gen X has pretty good musical knowledge overall!
It's the generation defined by having watched MTV from the first broadcast to when it stopped showing music videos.
It's the generation defined by having watched MTV from the first broadcast to when it stopped showing music videos.
I once tried to figure out the soviet equivalent to Video Killed the Radio Star. At the time I thought it had a definite answer (involving people in golden lamé bouncing on trampolines?), but can't seem to re-search it now.
Taking "music video" to be an edited video with footage distinct from a studio performance, and not part of a larger work (to avoid musicals), I find
1984: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJApqjVuGb4
1983: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXEPghBgTXA
Anyone have 1982 or earlier?
Taking "music video" to be an edited video with footage distinct from a studio performance, and not part of a larger work (to avoid musicals), I find
1984: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJApqjVuGb4
1983: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXEPghBgTXA
Anyone have 1982 or earlier?
Afaik Soviet ‘estrada’ had lots of videos filmed like they're concert performances but made specifically for TV. With characteristic mannequin stage presence of the artists, the ‘singing hand’, and backing ‘bands’ wriggling incoherently, hands flopping around on the instruments. And no audience shown.
The only thing this mess could kill is my will to listen to anything until Western electronic and grunge stuff finally became widely available.
The only thing this mess could kill is my will to listen to anything until Western electronic and grunge stuff finally became widely available.
Talk about staying power, a search on "Естрада музика" led me straight to Piekha:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYChcUNYy7U
Even better because I collect clips involving libraries, and so it goes on a very short list including:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4G6QDNC4jPs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7N9C2JS9mWc
(singing hand? I'm getting some cool ionophone stuff, as well as a seductive western agent with wardrobe malfunction, but I doubt either of those were the reference... In other news, TIL the russian sign language for "officer" mimes epaulettes. I wonder how the plural is conveyed, maybe duplication?)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYChcUNYy7U
Even better because I collect clips involving libraries, and so it goes on a very short list including:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4G6QDNC4jPs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7N9C2JS9mWc
(singing hand? I'm getting some cool ionophone stuff, as well as a seductive western agent with wardrobe malfunction, but I doubt either of those were the reference... In other news, TIL the russian sign language for "officer" mimes epaulettes. I wonder how the plural is conveyed, maybe duplication?)
Apparently the Piekha's video is part of a film called ‘Moscow In Sounds’, from '69: https://youtube.com/watch?v=XWqhJhvRpmw
So I guess it doesn't conform to the criteria for your previous search. But the film supplies material if you have similar collections for other architecture.
However, you can easily count e.g. this clip from '60, though the production value is probably not what you expect: https://youtube.com/watch?v=FeK62wesICk
The ‘singing hand’ is a term for how the microphone-free hand often was the most animated part of a Soviet singer, being waved around while the rest stays in place.
BTW, the Russian spelling is “эстрада” (you won't need “музыка” since that's the primary meaning). Unless you had some other Cyrillic spelling in mind. The videos in your previous search have “эстрада80” as a hashtag.
P.S. The real impressive part in ‘Marian the Librarian’ is whatever the hell is going on with everyone's hair.
So I guess it doesn't conform to the criteria for your previous search. But the film supplies material if you have similar collections for other architecture.
However, you can easily count e.g. this clip from '60, though the production value is probably not what you expect: https://youtube.com/watch?v=FeK62wesICk
The ‘singing hand’ is a term for how the microphone-free hand often was the most animated part of a Soviet singer, being waved around while the rest stays in place.
BTW, the Russian spelling is “эстрада” (you won't need “музыка” since that's the primary meaning). Unless you had some other Cyrillic spelling in mind. The videos in your previous search have “эстрада80” as a hashtag.
P.S. The real impressive part in ‘Marian the Librarian’ is whatever the hell is going on with everyone's hair.
Thanks for the clarifications[1], and sorry I'm not counting that clip[2] in my head-canon, otherwise I'd have to count just about every number from every Blue Light special.
Москва в нотах still has its echoes to this day, even if the music[3] has to be imported from the west: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGfuorTdEZg
Is the hair much different from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6bRxLzFLv0 ? (it appears that costume musical comedy often tells us almost as much as the era in which it was filmed as the era which it depicts)
[1] especially the singing hand. I see from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dExwT_pEr9w
how soviets (even young athletic komsomolka!) were allowed to either sing xor dance, but never both at the same time.
[2] very slightly related: "Над Москвою дожди моросили" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKxd6HJW8sQ
[3] somewhere there is an excellent Lolita/Gazmanov interpretation of Felicita which I can no longer find.
Москва в нотах still has its echoes to this day, even if the music[3] has to be imported from the west: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGfuorTdEZg
Is the hair much different from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6bRxLzFLv0 ? (it appears that costume musical comedy often tells us almost as much as the era in which it was filmed as the era which it depicts)
[1] especially the singing hand. I see from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dExwT_pEr9w
how soviets (even young athletic komsomolka!) were allowed to either sing xor dance, but never both at the same time.
[2] very slightly related: "Над Москвою дожди моросили" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKxd6HJW8sQ
[3] somewhere there is an excellent Lolita/Gazmanov interpretation of Felicita which I can no longer find.
I also have to disqualify the following. It's single take and could have been stage business. But still, it's almost a music video, and judging from the comments, was televised in the late 70's.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkojGf_u2uI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkojGf_u2uI
Huh, TIL Vysotsky was pretty ripped.
Eh, that hair is realistic. Whereas in '62 somebody spent a ton of gel and time combing all those smooth waves.
Can't find a higher-res vid aside from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmYdwyiO0Zg
Can't find a higher-res vid aside from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmYdwyiO0Zg
спс for the full movie! Funny to see the view from Sparrow Hills[1] without an olympic stadium. For a modern clip in the genre, see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8zIfaNHiB0
The trick riding is relevant to my interests; I always find it amusing when a (presumably minuscule) minority of US conservatives seem to spend a great deal of effort in proclaiming the superiority of caucasian culture, yet show no apparent interest in either learning to dance lezginka or ride dzhigitovka[2] (let's not even mention adopting one of the caucasian religions!).
The bouffant of товарищ Шаврина, singing on the metro, isn't exactly realistic, but it is period. Сompare the earlier fashion mag cover: https://picsb.meshok.net/pics/169585507.jpg?1
(she may have been a bit fashion-forward; https://mega.ru/megastyle/article/istoriya-laka-dlya-volos/ claims hairspray wasn't usually a soviet thing until the 1970's. The last picture[3] reminds me of Shurik and Zinaida's apartment in Ivan Vasilievich Changes Profession. Did soviet apartments normally have that dorm-suite aesthetic, or was that characterising Shurik as a botanic?)
Also funny to see latin characters on sails, but I guess that's an international standard? The motorboat isn't obvious (as with greek license plates?) which character set it's been registered with.
Since someone mentioned earlier that we don't have enough dancing[4] on HN I'll recommend the space monument sequence as containing a variety of styles[5].
[1] I suspect that of the parts I'd find familiar if I ever visited Moscow, most of them would be within a few metro stops of Mosfilm's studios...
[2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJhexbRK9tw
[3] https://mega.ru/megastyle/upload/iblock/3d6/1466269590_ivan_...
[4] TIL Marian the Librarian ended with a dance number. Since "boogaloo" has been Streisanded, I've also recently learned about an Astaire reference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZ93GNHBHsE
Oh, most excellent, The Memories of Casanova @ 4:46! (the folio is Romeo and Juliet) When did US movies switch set dressings from cultural placement to product placement?
In the overhead @ 6:00, note that Harold Hill wears co-respondent shoes. If Marian falls for a guy like that, she'd better be confident that her "aisle, altar, hymn" game is strong.
[5] Leningrad "Music Hall" ensemble. They don't include Apache, but Bender does a nice parody of that genre in Двенадцать стульев.
The trick riding is relevant to my interests; I always find it amusing when a (presumably minuscule) minority of US conservatives seem to spend a great deal of effort in proclaiming the superiority of caucasian culture, yet show no apparent interest in either learning to dance lezginka or ride dzhigitovka[2] (let's not even mention adopting one of the caucasian religions!).
The bouffant of товарищ Шаврина, singing on the metro, isn't exactly realistic, but it is period. Сompare the earlier fashion mag cover: https://picsb.meshok.net/pics/169585507.jpg?1
(she may have been a bit fashion-forward; https://mega.ru/megastyle/article/istoriya-laka-dlya-volos/ claims hairspray wasn't usually a soviet thing until the 1970's. The last picture[3] reminds me of Shurik and Zinaida's apartment in Ivan Vasilievich Changes Profession. Did soviet apartments normally have that dorm-suite aesthetic, or was that characterising Shurik as a botanic?)
Also funny to see latin characters on sails, but I guess that's an international standard? The motorboat isn't obvious (as with greek license plates?) which character set it's been registered with.
Since someone mentioned earlier that we don't have enough dancing[4] on HN I'll recommend the space monument sequence as containing a variety of styles[5].
[1] I suspect that of the parts I'd find familiar if I ever visited Moscow, most of them would be within a few metro stops of Mosfilm's studios...
[2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJhexbRK9tw
[3] https://mega.ru/megastyle/upload/iblock/3d6/1466269590_ivan_...
[4] TIL Marian the Librarian ended with a dance number. Since "boogaloo" has been Streisanded, I've also recently learned about an Astaire reference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZ93GNHBHsE
Oh, most excellent, The Memories of Casanova @ 4:46! (the folio is Romeo and Juliet) When did US movies switch set dressings from cultural placement to product placement?
In the overhead @ 6:00, note that Harold Hill wears co-respondent shoes. If Marian falls for a guy like that, she'd better be confident that her "aisle, altar, hymn" game is strong.
[5] Leningrad "Music Hall" ensemble. They don't include Apache, but Bender does a nice parody of that genre in Двенадцать стульев.
> The last picture reminds me of Shurik and Zinaida's apartment in Ivan Vasilievich Changes Profession. Did soviet apartments normally have that dorm-suite aesthetic, or was that characterising Shurik as a botanic?
Not sure if you're serious here, but I had to rewatch the scene—and I wouldn't get too many ideas from it about a typical household. The apartment there is about as lifelike as a 50s interior decoration advert in the US. I'd say it does somewhat reflect Shurik's character as dedicated to the study, but a) somehow is completely devoid of artifacts of everyday life or work that the dude would leave all over, b) has no trace of the wife's influence other than the wall pictures. Not well thought-out. Shpak's apartment is way more elaborate, though of course that's largely done for the contrast.
Not sure if you're serious here, but I had to rewatch the scene—and I wouldn't get too many ideas from it about a typical household. The apartment there is about as lifelike as a 50s interior decoration advert in the US. I'd say it does somewhat reflect Shurik's character as dedicated to the study, but a) somehow is completely devoid of artifacts of everyday life or work that the dude would leave all over, b) has no trace of the wife's influence other than the wall pictures. Not well thought-out. Shpak's apartment is way more elaborate, though of course that's largely done for the contrast.
> b) ethnicity i.e. White/African American/Latino have quite a different slot of pop culture references in the US, much less pronounced for example in UK or Canada.
I wonder if UK and canada might be more similar to europe, where disco (as a popular culture which belonged to all those ethnicities) never really died in the same way it did in the states, killed by spontaneous popular uprising?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disco_Demolition_Night
I wonder if UK and canada might be more similar to europe, where disco (as a popular culture which belonged to all those ethnicities) never really died in the same way it did in the states, killed by spontaneous popular uprising?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disco_Demolition_Night
In Spain, specially in the East Coast, disco was replaced by techno/makina: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mákina
TIL about "X-Ta Si, X-Ta No". (and, in a cousin thread, that "mall pop" is a genre name. Does it mean music played in malls, or music performed in malls? Do malls even still exist?)
Maybe HN'ers with young children should try and convince them that the world really was low-rez back then and only achieved current resolution this century?
https://i.imgur.com/4rPGp.jpg
Maybe HN'ers with young children should try and convince them that the world really was low-rez back then and only achieved current resolution this century?
https://i.imgur.com/4rPGp.jpg
>. White/African American/Latino have quite a different slot of pop culture references in the US,
From a 80's born Spaniard all I can say the Spice Girls/Back Street Boys were like a plague here. Diito with Brit pop bands.
All of that with techno-trance dominating everything until the Reaggeton cr- music imported from Latam.
From a 80's born Spaniard all I can say the Spice Girls/Back Street Boys were like a plague here. Diito with Brit pop bands.
All of that with techno-trance dominating everything until the Reaggeton cr- music imported from Latam.
Popular music started to more or less "split" in the 90's. It was the beginning of the end of a single music as a shared cultural experience I think.
Hip-hop and alt-rock, for example, had massive trends that defined the 90's in their own way, but it's possible one wasn't really following both.
Then you had popular undercurrents in tandem - e.g. in the beginning of the 90's a bit of industrial, rave, and techno and at end electronica and nu-metal.
You did have the top-40 stuff that at least in Chicagoland would play the dance-oriented stuff and pop-R&B in the beginning of the decade.
Looking back it's hard to unify the 90's musically as one popular trend unless you're confining it to specific "super-genres" like rap/hip-hop, alt-rock, or top-40.
Hip-hop and alt-rock, for example, had massive trends that defined the 90's in their own way, but it's possible one wasn't really following both.
Then you had popular undercurrents in tandem - e.g. in the beginning of the 90's a bit of industrial, rave, and techno and at end electronica and nu-metal.
You did have the top-40 stuff that at least in Chicagoland would play the dance-oriented stuff and pop-R&B in the beginning of the decade.
Looking back it's hard to unify the 90's musically as one popular trend unless you're confining it to specific "super-genres" like rap/hip-hop, alt-rock, or top-40.
The article seems to suggest that hip-hop like "No Diggity" should be a defining song, while lots of people here are suggesting bands like Nirvana, or genres like dance/trance (e.g. Robert Miles). The thing is in the 90s all of this music was highly polarising. There were people who would simply not acknowledge any "rap" or "dance" as music at all. There were others who considered "guitar music" to be completely uncool. The most well-known songs in the article like Britney Spears, Spice Girls etc. were by far the most universally appealing songs at the time. Not everyone loved it, but not many people really hated it. It's no surprise that those are the songs that have stood the test of time.
[deleted]
It's any music that wasn't played on pop stations. No mention of Wu Tang, Tupac, Biggie, Green Day, Radiohead or even less known but influential artists like Aphex Twin. Resounding meh.
> It's any music that wasn't played on pop stations
Not sure about the US but in the early to mid-1990s MTV Europe was playing groups like Nirvana or Soundgarden in heavy rotation, all day, it was glorious. I was telling my SO just yesterday how interesting those times were, when a 13-old kid like I was back then could have a video like "Black Hole Sun" playing in the background on television at 12 in the afternoon while doing homework, just before going to school (we were studying in the afternoon).
[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3mbBbFH9fAg
Not sure about the US but in the early to mid-1990s MTV Europe was playing groups like Nirvana or Soundgarden in heavy rotation, all day, it was glorious. I was telling my SO just yesterday how interesting those times were, when a 13-old kid like I was back then could have a video like "Black Hole Sun" playing in the background on television at 12 in the afternoon while doing homework, just before going to school (we were studying in the afternoon).
[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3mbBbFH9fAg
For some reason I still remember vividly where I was when I first saw that video (with the melting Barbie doll on the barbecue). My family had just moved to a new house—quickly on account of an eviction—and it was a hot summer day. I had a grape Welch's soda and we had just got the cable hooked up.
Random story that's apropos of nothing, but to this day, when I hear that song, it still transports me to that time and place. I never really drank grape soda. Not before and not since. Not sure why I had it that day. But damn if I don't taste it when Black Hole sun is playing.
Random story that's apropos of nothing, but to this day, when I hear that song, it still transports me to that time and place. I never really drank grape soda. Not before and not since. Not sure why I had it that day. But damn if I don't taste it when Black Hole sun is playing.
I was in a college dorm sitting in a smallish room with about a dozen chairs and a TV mounted in a corner near the ceiling. Our high school drum line was at the campus as a camp to practice for the upcoming marching season. It was a hot day and we were all tired and sweaty from practice. Like you, hearing the song always sparks that memory.
The song’s namesake sculpture is located in a park a couple blocks from my home:
https://goo.gl/maps/AbD9P8iQFRFhN5f86
Coincidentally, Bruce and Brandon Lee are buried in a cemetery next door to this park.
The Sound Garden is another sculpture in another Seattle park.
Coincidentally, Bruce and Brandon Lee are buried in a cemetery next door to this park.
The Sound Garden is another sculpture in another Seattle park.
>> It's any music that wasn't played on pop stations
> Not sure about the US but in the early to mid-1990s MTV Europe was playing groups like Nirvana or Soundgarden in heavy rotation, all day, it was glorious.
I was a bit too young and didn't have cable back then to see for myself, but my understanding was MTV in the US played a lot of alternative rock in that time period, too. Those bands even set the fashion trends for a time (e.g. flannel, and lots of it).
Where I grew up, there were basically three radio stations teenagers listened too: one "pop" station that played the stuff in this list, and two contemporary rock stations that played the rock and alternative music that was omitted from this list.
> Not sure about the US but in the early to mid-1990s MTV Europe was playing groups like Nirvana or Soundgarden in heavy rotation, all day, it was glorious.
I was a bit too young and didn't have cable back then to see for myself, but my understanding was MTV in the US played a lot of alternative rock in that time period, too. Those bands even set the fashion trends for a time (e.g. flannel, and lots of it).
Where I grew up, there were basically three radio stations teenagers listened too: one "pop" station that played the stuff in this list, and two contemporary rock stations that played the rock and alternative music that was omitted from this list.
I don't even remember if we had to wait until 10PM for uncensored version of Smack my bitch up in my non English speaking European country or if they didn't care and played it whenever
God I miss this. Thanks for reminding me :)
Thing is the artists you specify did get play on MTV and the radio. Except for aphex twin, but out of all the artists here aphex twin had a bigger impact on my life.
Biggie is in that list, as Notorious B.I.G.
If you look at the bottom there are 3 or 4 Biggie songs graphed. I imagine none of them stood out enough to make the article.
It boggles my mind that "Smells like Teen Spirit" is missing here.
I think I lived through a different 90’s than the article talks about. No nirvana, no soundgarden, no STP, no alice in chains. I did see a single Pearl Jam song listed though.
I checked the first part linked at bottom, and apparently their version of 60s doesn't have The Beatles. They had The Doors, though, so it's not like they ignore all alternative-ish rock. Just almost all of it.
On one of their other pages they have a note that The Beatles is a notable artist that isn't in Spotify (or wasn't, at the time), so that is probably why.
Have you checked how popular these artists really were at the time outside your group of friends? None of them have ever had a top-five single in the US. Several of them have very barely had a top-hundred single!
Nirvana was not just popular among the posters friends. Pop radio play is a narrow way to measure popularity.
I don't know "STP" but Nirvana and Soundgarden got airplay in Germany on MTV, Viva (the other music TV channel) and most mainstream radio stations.
I suppose the whole thing is US-centric, but at least those 2 I'd have missed as well.
I suppose the whole thing is US-centric, but at least those 2 I'd have missed as well.
Stone Temple Pilots?
It's just short of their qualifying requirement, which is top 5 on the Billboard Hot 100. "Smells like Teen Spirit" reached a high of #6: https://www.billboard.com/music/nirvana
> It's just short of their qualifying requirement, which is top 5 on the Billboard Hot 100. "Smells like Teen Spirit" reached a high of #6: https://www.billboard.com/music/nirvana
That seems like a pretty bad criteria for a list like this, because it's heavily biased towards "flashes in the pan" and exudes "steady fires."
They should have probably used a "total" metric or at least augmented the list based on it. I think something like total airplay or total sales in the 5 years after release would have caught many of the songs people thing they should have included.
That seems like a pretty bad criteria for a list like this, because it's heavily biased towards "flashes in the pan" and exudes "steady fires."
They should have probably used a "total" metric or at least augmented the list based on it. I think something like total airplay or total sales in the 5 years after release would have caught many of the songs people thing they should have included.
[deleted]
See their other article for this: https://pudding.cool/2017/03/timeless/index.html (linked in another comment)
This is an interesting concept, but I think the researcher put too much personal bias in their choice of songs. For example, there are some very conspicuous omissions from the list: no Nirvana, no Foo Fighters, no Linkin Park, no Jay Z, no No Doubt. These are some of the most iconic musicians from the 90s.
I still see young kids walking around with the same Nirvana t-shirt with the yellow smiley face that I wore in middle school. So I imagine Smells Like Teens Spirit is recognized by teenagers today. I've heard a lot of people say that's the song that started the 90s.
Also, it would be interesting to normalize this by noting whether or not the song appeared on Glee. I'm fairly certain that's the reason for the Losing My Religion being so recognizable, I wonder how it compares to a song like It's the End of the World.
I still see young kids walking around with the same Nirvana t-shirt with the yellow smiley face that I wore in middle school. So I imagine Smells Like Teens Spirit is recognized by teenagers today. I've heard a lot of people say that's the song that started the 90s.
Also, it would be interesting to normalize this by noting whether or not the song appeared on Glee. I'm fairly certain that's the reason for the Losing My Religion being so recognizable, I wonder how it compares to a song like It's the End of the World.
> This is an interesting concept, but I think the researcher put too much personal bias in their choice of songs. For example, there are some very conspicuous omissions from the list: no Nirvana, no Foo Fighters, no Linkin Park, no Jay Z, no No Doubt. These are some of the most iconic musicians from the 90s.
It's garbage in, garbage out. They should have sanity tested their song selections before they started collecting data.
And even if they wanted to stick with an "unbiased" criteria like peak chart position, with 2,925,295 data points, they could have probably broadened the criteria to account for some of the problems.
It's garbage in, garbage out. They should have sanity tested their song selections before they started collecting data.
And even if they wanted to stick with an "unbiased" criteria like peak chart position, with 2,925,295 data points, they could have probably broadened the criteria to account for some of the problems.
As a gen-z born in 99, I can tell that many people who were born in 97-2002 might know a lot of songs by Nirvana, Foo Fighters, Guns 'n' Roses, Ramones. Also, at least when I did the quiz, I knew 1 out of 10 songs, and I used to listen to a lot of pop songs when I was a child.
It would also be interesting to see how the location might affect the numbers, since popular local radio and TV stations might have aired different songs, some movies and series were popular in some countries and not in others, etc. Tom Scott did something similar with Jingle Bells [1].
Something else to note: I missed Hey There Delilah and La Bamba, songs that you can recognise easily if the most recognisable part of the song is played.
[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V5u9JSnAAU4
It would also be interesting to see how the location might affect the numbers, since popular local radio and TV stations might have aired different songs, some movies and series were popular in some countries and not in others, etc. Tom Scott did something similar with Jingle Bells [1].
Something else to note: I missed Hey There Delilah and La Bamba, songs that you can recognise easily if the most recognisable part of the song is played.
[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V5u9JSnAAU4
The article says the choice of songs is "all the ’90s songs that charted in the top 5 of the Billboard Hot 100". Is that incorrect? It does seem likely that Jay-Z at least would be on there...
Smells Like Teen Spirit may have started the 90's but the Pixies arguably started Nirvana.
Pixies were the flame, Wipers were the fuse, Stooges were the bomb.
https://images.kerrangcdn.com/KurtDiaryPage.jpg?auto=compres... for the rest of the list.
https://images.kerrangcdn.com/KurtDiaryPage.jpg?auto=compres... for the rest of the list.
Linkin Park was not an iconic ‘90s band at any time in the 1990s —- why would they be a glaring omission when their debut came out in 2000?
Fair enough, I thought Hybrid Theory, which was all over the radio when it was released, came out in 99.
There's a local radio station that got bought out and changed its format, probably about 20 years ago. They played "It's the End of the World" on repeat for about 24 hours.
It’s worth a read:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/KXXR
They played it over the whole weekend. I was in high school and we all talked about it Monday morning. The replacement station then played it as it’s first track. Later, the station came back at a different frequency. Then the two stations swapped, and when they did, the replacement station played it on a loop on their final day.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/KXXR
They played it over the whole weekend. I was in high school and we all talked about it Monday morning. The replacement station then played it as it’s first track. Later, the station came back at a different frequency. Then the two stations swapped, and when they did, the replacement station played it on a loop on their final day.
Interesting. The event I was remembering was the second one, when The Edge switched. 1997, so my guess of 20 years ago wasn't too far off.
Pudding makes beautiful articles, but this is specifically 90's Pop Mall Music Canon. I think it'll be more interesting to analyze the top 1000 popular 90's songs still being streamed today and work backwards to measure the influence and delta of their past popularity.
Good thought - this can be quickly searched for too:
https://pudding.cool/2017/03/timeless/index.html
Nirvana are waaay out in front.
https://pudding.cool/2017/03/timeless/index.html
Nirvana are waaay out in front.
¿Por qué no los dos?
"The Final Teen Spirit Mashup (Nirvana vs Europe)" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rr06IyWMf4Y
"The Final Teen Spirit Mashup (Nirvana vs Europe)" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rr06IyWMf4Y
The list feels like the equivalent of an 80s canon that includes Rick Astley but omits Depeche Mode.
The approach of taking what was most popular at the time and intersecting it with what is most recognizable now doesn't seem like the right way to define a canon. A canon in art is usually meant to identify those works that, with the benefit of hindsight, were the most important or influential on the development of the art form. This list is heavily weighted towards R&B & pop-rap that has had virtually no lasting impact on subsequent works and I suspect many of these songs are only listened to today either out of personal nostalgia or in humorous contexts.
The approach of taking what was most popular at the time and intersecting it with what is most recognizable now doesn't seem like the right way to define a canon. A canon in art is usually meant to identify those works that, with the benefit of hindsight, were the most important or influential on the development of the art form. This list is heavily weighted towards R&B & pop-rap that has had virtually no lasting impact on subsequent works and I suspect many of these songs are only listened to today either out of personal nostalgia or in humorous contexts.
This is pretty interesting. I'm astonished there is no Nirvana or U2 in the canon.
I am wondering if looking at sales one year after the song came out, or radio transmission after a while, would be a stronger predictor of staying power than what peaked at a given time.
I am wondering if looking at sales one year after the song came out, or radio transmission after a while, would be a stronger predictor of staying power than what peaked at a given time.
[deleted]
I'm gonna go out on a limb here and posit that the respondents of this quiz aren't a random sampling of normal people. At 31 I'm square in millennial territory but was familiar with exactly zero of the "millennial all know these songs" examples.
I'm a Gen Xer. I'm not from the U.S. but I had to look up "No Diggity" in disbelief that someone would think it a "90's standard". I had literally never heard of it.
There's also plenty on the list that I recognise but I can guess why they've faded. Most obvious are followup singles that charted well despite being pretty bland (it was some previous song by the artist that was good). There's also a couple movie tie-ins that were only popular alongside the movie. Some, like Bryan Adams' "All for Love", manage to tick both those boxes (I don't think I'd heard that song in 25 years).
And Winds of Change by the Scorpions was gigantic in Europe in the early 1990s but it is literally a song about perestroika. It's about as entrenched in a specific era as a song can get.
Edit: wow, same website has an article discussing why "No Diggity" is the most timeless song. Shows what I know?
https://pudding.cool/2017/03/timeless/index.html
There's also plenty on the list that I recognise but I can guess why they've faded. Most obvious are followup singles that charted well despite being pretty bland (it was some previous song by the artist that was good). There's also a couple movie tie-ins that were only popular alongside the movie. Some, like Bryan Adams' "All for Love", manage to tick both those boxes (I don't think I'd heard that song in 25 years).
And Winds of Change by the Scorpions was gigantic in Europe in the early 1990s but it is literally a song about perestroika. It's about as entrenched in a specific era as a song can get.
Edit: wow, same website has an article discussing why "No Diggity" is the most timeless song. Shows what I know?
https://pudding.cool/2017/03/timeless/index.html
It seems very USA-centric to this European, too. Classic case of an American mistaking the USA for the entire world.
yup, black/R&B/hiphop/rap musis was very small in Europe, while I don't see mainstream eurohouse/trance hits like Robert Miles's Children, ATB's Till I come, Rhythm is a dancer, What Is Love from Haddaway, all even recognizable by my boomer father, let alone myself, none of them amde it into chart while they must be recognized for sure at least by 50% of Millennials
Children is the bomb,the melody just sticks to your brain even when I haven't listened to it for years I instantly recognize it and I'm a bit late to that movement so it wasn't much on the radio when I was a teen.
I'm 34. I've heard 'No Diggity' now, but a couple of years ago it was one of those songs I always heard people talk about with 90s nostalgia, but I somehow wasn't aware of it in the 90s. I knew 'No Scrubs' and 'Wannabe' and most of those others back then, but for me 'No Diggity' has kind of a Mandela Effect on me. Everyone apparently loved this song, but I never heard it.
I know "No Diggity" because I had a "Hip Hop Classics" CD at some point. I don't think I've ever heard it anywhere else in the UK, though.
I'm intrigued and surprised by this - it's one of the most frequently covered/remixed songs I know, has been a staple in DJ sets since it first became popular and most people I know in the UK would instantly recognise it.
Some covers:
Hackney Colliery Band: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LKHtfjXrUzs
Aphrodite (drum 'n bass): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20SezMmyE6w
Chet Faker (downtempo): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HIfFA8-RaHQ
Boeboe (trap): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Qqw18evmVA
Some covers:
Hackney Colliery Band: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LKHtfjXrUzs
Aphrodite (drum 'n bass): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20SezMmyE6w
Chet Faker (downtempo): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HIfFA8-RaHQ
Boeboe (trap): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Qqw18evmVA
All of those covers are in niche genres. I've no idea why you think that means the song should be more universally well known. I'm not sure what it is about music but some people find it very hard to relate to people with radically different musical tastes. I'm sure much of it is on purpose, though, to make people seem more cultured and refined.
I disagree that downtempo and drum and bass are niche genres, but in any case I'm not saying "these covers show it should be better known". I'm giving examples of how big a tune it is within my (and friends) musical bubble, didn't mean it as a dig against yours. Sorry if it came across that way.
edit: This made me curious what comes up on a search for "radio 1 no diggity" - here's Backstreet Boys: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zg8vknZ9L0M
Ed Sheeran: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-uijKNxpRCQ
Klaxons: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGqyUzPMHDo
edit: This made me curious what comes up on a search for "radio 1 no diggity" - here's Backstreet Boys: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zg8vknZ9L0M
Ed Sheeran: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-uijKNxpRCQ
Klaxons: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGqyUzPMHDo
No grunge classics in there at all. Is it sample bias, or were they never as popular in terms of raw sales as the pop songs used?
I think yeah, there's no hard rock or grunge in the list whatsoever, just pop music. I mean "Smells like Teen Spirit" was a smash hit.
edit: it seems it only ever peaked at no.6 on the billboard top 100, even though it probably sold a lot more than some songs on this chart.
edit: it seems it only ever peaked at no.6 on the billboard top 100, even though it probably sold a lot more than some songs on this chart.
Part 1 which contains the questionnaire this seems to be based on together with some more general results has a small section about "songs particularly well known to millenials but to few others". None of them reaches 50% with millennials. But that shouldn't be surprising, it's post-MTV music. Why would any two persons know the same songs?
https://pudding.cool/2020/04/music-challenge/
https://pudding.cool/2020/04/music-challenge/
Had this discussion quite a bit lately, and I have a theory.
When we grew up (I'm 36 and at the tail end of this) we couldn't easily find the music we liked and exclusively listen to it (unless you had rich parents who bought you all MCs and later CDs you wanted), we kinda had to listen to the radio and experience the whole spectrum.
This is even more true of people in the 35-50 age bracket.
But people who grew up with Napster or even later with streaming on demand don't even have to dig a lot. If they like one artist, they can just listen to them and the (very closely related, surprise) recommendations. No more begging your friends to make you a tape copy of some songs on CDs.
Also afaik the amount of music published goes up every year. So if I actively remember, say 100 songs from the year 1994 that is a much more meaningful representation than 100 songs that came out in 2019.
When we grew up (I'm 36 and at the tail end of this) we couldn't easily find the music we liked and exclusively listen to it (unless you had rich parents who bought you all MCs and later CDs you wanted), we kinda had to listen to the radio and experience the whole spectrum.
This is even more true of people in the 35-50 age bracket.
But people who grew up with Napster or even later with streaming on demand don't even have to dig a lot. If they like one artist, they can just listen to them and the (very closely related, surprise) recommendations. No more begging your friends to make you a tape copy of some songs on CDs.
Also afaik the amount of music published goes up every year. So if I actively remember, say 100 songs from the year 1994 that is a much more meaningful representation than 100 songs that came out in 2019.
this is very good observation I can confirm, in 90s we watched with my sister music videos and radio stations since tapes were quite expensive and CDs came later (and never really took off with me, almost everything pirated), so we listened almost everythjing in radio in 90s and watched music charts weekly even in TV to stay in picture.
though to be honest you could still be specialized, for instance I was quite a lot into EDM and you could listen almost every day (at least in Europe through 90s, especially in middle 90s) at least 1-2 hours just purely EDM shows, don't really remember other shows with focus on other genres
by end of 90s internet grew a lot, Winamp and MP3 were introduced plus songs through Napster, Direct Connect and I quickly turned away from radio and TV for most of my content and focused almost entirely on soundtracks while still listening to radio in work, still feel kinda nostalgic when thinking about our military dorm in beginning of 00s when we were listening every night in beds ballads like Hero from Iglesias to fall asleep
by the end of 00s I was either travelling or started to work in places without radio in background, so my knowledge of popular music after that dropped pretty much to 0, now you could play me anything from 2010< and unless it's megahits like Gangnam style I would have no clue whether it's popular unless I heard in shops or restaurants when passing by (and since I was out of western world for most of 10s part, good luck with western/US hits)
chart from article should clearly state it's American and I would like to see comparison between different continents, especially which western music would be recognizable in Asia, only then you know it's true global megahit
of course all of this is my personal observation and I'm sure it's also age thing with people having less time to listen the music and less focus on it as they age
though to be honest you could still be specialized, for instance I was quite a lot into EDM and you could listen almost every day (at least in Europe through 90s, especially in middle 90s) at least 1-2 hours just purely EDM shows, don't really remember other shows with focus on other genres
by end of 90s internet grew a lot, Winamp and MP3 were introduced plus songs through Napster, Direct Connect and I quickly turned away from radio and TV for most of my content and focused almost entirely on soundtracks while still listening to radio in work, still feel kinda nostalgic when thinking about our military dorm in beginning of 00s when we were listening every night in beds ballads like Hero from Iglesias to fall asleep
by the end of 00s I was either travelling or started to work in places without radio in background, so my knowledge of popular music after that dropped pretty much to 0, now you could play me anything from 2010< and unless it's megahits like Gangnam style I would have no clue whether it's popular unless I heard in shops or restaurants when passing by (and since I was out of western world for most of 10s part, good luck with western/US hits)
chart from article should clearly state it's American and I would like to see comparison between different continents, especially which western music would be recognizable in Asia, only then you know it's true global megahit
of course all of this is my personal observation and I'm sure it's also age thing with people having less time to listen the music and less focus on it as they age
There was a kind of serendipity, though, to what good radio DJs/playlists could introduce you to. I also spent a lot of money on compilations, some of which were curated quite well by labels (like Subpop and SST), record stores (Newbury Comics in Boston), and fanzines (Flipside).
Other sources for discovering good music included friends' record/CD collections, live shows, publications of varying quality, and (I hate to say it) MTV.
Some of these sources were controlled by the music industry, but there were ways for some really interesting and great music from unknowns to float to the surface.
Other sources for discovering good music included friends' record/CD collections, live shows, publications of varying quality, and (I hate to say it) MTV.
Some of these sources were controlled by the music industry, but there were ways for some really interesting and great music from unknowns to float to the surface.
Music stores were a primary source of discovery for me as well. I was introduced to my favorite band after my friend heard their CD playing at a music store.
Bigger stores often had listening stations where they would feature CDs with headphones so you could hear them before you buy. I got introduced to some amazing albums via that process.
Bigger stores often had listening stations where they would feature CDs with headphones so you could hear them before you buy. I got introduced to some amazing albums via that process.
I lived overseas in the 90s and radio there was pretty bad, but those listening stations at the local Tower Records kept me connected to English-language music and introduced me to some fantastic albums and artists, including NAS, The Verve, DJ Guru, and The Presidents of the United States of America.
The findings are mind-boggling to me. Though none of these songs are representative of my preferred style of music, I knew every single one of them so well that I feel like I still know every word. I was born in ‘93. I’m surprised that so few people from my age group seemed to recognize some of them.
As a GenX-er it's also mind boggling to me how some very 'ingrained' songs might not be recognized by younger folks. Quite a lot of good pop tracks, not my style, but they are played literally at the grocery store, I don't fathom how people don't know them.
Something has definitely changed in music (a few things) - at hockey games they are playing strictly rock up until 2000. Part of it is demographics, but there's just nothing to replace 'Welcome To The Jungle' by Guns and Roses that has enough widespread acclaim.
Something has definitely changed in music (a few things) - at hockey games they are playing strictly rock up until 2000. Part of it is demographics, but there's just nothing to replace 'Welcome To The Jungle' by Guns and Roses that has enough widespread acclaim.
Yeah, it's almost uncanny. I wonder what it's going to do with for instance movie tracks with popular appeal. Will we continue to play what people know? Will the canon of the 20th century be with us for a long time?
Sure, why not? Musical innovation seems to have slowed or fractured due to only pop music still having sufficient institutional backing to really retain large segments of listeners; meanwhile, music - like most communally-experienced art forms - thrives best when large groups of people know about them.
In other words: there's probably plenty of great stuff to replace/supplant 20th century hits, but unless you continually skulk random soundcloud pages you won't find it. All you get access to is undifferentiated pablum pop by default, which is amazingly less brave than it has ever been, musically.
In other words: there's probably plenty of great stuff to replace/supplant 20th century hits, but unless you continually skulk random soundcloud pages you won't find it. All you get access to is undifferentiated pablum pop by default, which is amazingly less brave than it has ever been, musically.
Pop is now 'extreme pop' i.e. Taylor Swift - bangers by the same production teams, they are products. So they lack a lot of soul.
The rest of music is very exploratory - production tricks, sounds, styles.
It seems that most basic melody and rhythm stuff is just to boring - but that is what sticks over the long haul.
So I think a lot of music today is too specific, and due to what big-pop is ... never sees the light of day anyhow.
We may in fact see a lot of 20-century music linger for a while.
That said, we don't listen to a lot of 1st half 20th century today ... though still tons from the 60's-80's. Top selling albums are consistently Queen, Metallica, Eagles.
The rest of music is very exploratory - production tricks, sounds, styles.
It seems that most basic melody and rhythm stuff is just to boring - but that is what sticks over the long haul.
So I think a lot of music today is too specific, and due to what big-pop is ... never sees the light of day anyhow.
We may in fact see a lot of 20-century music linger for a while.
That said, we don't listen to a lot of 1st half 20th century today ... though still tons from the 60's-80's. Top selling albums are consistently Queen, Metallica, Eagles.
Those pop production teams have been around for a while - eg. Stock Aitken Waterman, Cheiron Studios.
Indeed, the notorious Max Martin's been doing his thing since about 1997, and seems to show no signs of decline.
Akshuly he has had fewer mega hits lately.
What's up with the songs which have more recognition by later than contemporary generations?
I'd guess songs which get covered, parodied, or sampled are more likely to last?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9CF1vXmtrQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOfZLb33uCg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_H3Sv2zad6s
Wind of Change
She Ain't Worth It
Romantic
Diamonds and Pearls
I'd guess songs which get covered, parodied, or sampled are more likely to last?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9CF1vXmtrQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOfZLb33uCg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_H3Sv2zad6s
They seem to be on the lower end of recognition in general so that might have something to do with it (statistical variation)
Side note but I'm surprised that Diamonds and Pearls rather than any other 90's Prince song charted in the Top 5, especially compared to other singles from that album.
Side note but I'm surprised that Diamonds and Pearls rather than any other 90's Prince song charted in the Top 5, especially compared to other singles from that album.
I desperately wish I was part of the 11% of millennials unfamiliar with Ironic (don’t you think?)
Meanwhile, Wind of Change seems to only be known by Europeans, but may have been written by the CIA?! https://www.vulture.com/article/patrick-radden-keefe-wind-of...
Also, 38 years old. Born in 1982.
Meanwhile, Wind of Change seems to only be known by Europeans, but may have been written by the CIA?! https://www.vulture.com/article/patrick-radden-keefe-wind-of...
Also, 38 years old. Born in 1982.
I clicked that link. Absolutely no evidence it was written by the CIA, of any kind, by the sound of it. "May have been" is a fair but misleading summary. "No evidence it was" wouldn't've got me to click.
Anyone interested in a different 90's[1] might try tracking down the originals from the
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XzdXS_KvLVM megamix[2].
I was amused by: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2fNVztaC58 in which the conceit is a near future in which stars of the 90's moscow scene are living in the old folks' home[3].
[1] Is it wallowing in nostalgia if one hears many of the songs for the first time?
[2] Yes, this one includes Nirvana, as well as Mario.
[3] They're still popping pills at the bar, but presumably this time they have prescriptions.
I was amused by: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2fNVztaC58 in which the conceit is a near future in which stars of the 90's moscow scene are living in the old folks' home[3].
[1] Is it wallowing in nostalgia if one hears many of the songs for the first time?
[2] Yes, this one includes Nirvana, as well as Mario.
[3] They're still popping pills at the bar, but presumably this time they have prescriptions.
Goddamn, thanks for reminding me that my dim view of the general population didn't start with the introduction of facebook and discovering that the most most popular youtube videos/channels are.
Is it any wonder so many western nations can't handle even the basics of a pandemic or voting in non-populist idiots? Just look at their taste in music.
I must be doing something right. My kids are constantly surprising me by being familiar with songs that are older than they are.
On the other hand, I didn't know that "Wild Wild West" was by Will Smith! It was in constant rotation at the roller rink I used to go to so I've heard it a million times, but never knew where it came from.
On the other hand, I didn't know that "Wild Wild West" was by Will Smith! It was in constant rotation at the roller rink I used to go to so I've heard it a million times, but never knew where it came from.
>On the other hand, I didn't know that "Wild Wild West" was by Will Smith!
It was from the Wild Wild West remake movie he starred in as well. I think they were trying to recreate the success of the Men in Black formula[0] but that song wound up being the only part of it that anyone remembered.
[0]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fiBLgEx6svA
It was from the Wild Wild West remake movie he starred in as well. I think they were trying to recreate the success of the Men in Black formula[0] but that song wound up being the only part of it that anyone remembered.
[0]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fiBLgEx6svA
Sounds like this is biased towards American listeners and export of American music abroad
As European Xennial (more narrowed Millennial) I went through the chart in the end of article and I think this is first time I heard Baby Got Back (recognized by 84% millennials), No scrubs (89%), No Diggity (79%) and can guarantee recognitionr ate among my perrs would be way below 50% if I don't recognize it who was listening radio and going to cloubs all the time
also can't believe only 68% of Millennials would recognize Ice ice baby, that's completely insane, it was impossible to miss it as it was global hit in 90s, same with extremely popular rock ballad Always from JBJ with only 49% recognition among Millennials
also I don't see any mainstream eurohouse/trance hits like Robert Miles's Children, ATB's Till I come, Rhythm is a dancer, What Is Love from Haddaway, all even recognizable by my boomer father, let alone myself, none of them made it into chart while they must be recognized for sure at least by 50% of Millennials, which just again proves it's just chart for Americans who were not listening to house/trance in mainstream radio
As European Xennial (more narrowed Millennial) I went through the chart in the end of article and I think this is first time I heard Baby Got Back (recognized by 84% millennials), No scrubs (89%), No Diggity (79%) and can guarantee recognitionr ate among my perrs would be way below 50% if I don't recognize it who was listening radio and going to cloubs all the time
also can't believe only 68% of Millennials would recognize Ice ice baby, that's completely insane, it was impossible to miss it as it was global hit in 90s, same with extremely popular rock ballad Always from JBJ with only 49% recognition among Millennials
also I don't see any mainstream eurohouse/trance hits like Robert Miles's Children, ATB's Till I come, Rhythm is a dancer, What Is Love from Haddaway, all even recognizable by my boomer father, let alone myself, none of them made it into chart while they must be recognized for sure at least by 50% of Millennials, which just again proves it's just chart for Americans who were not listening to house/trance in mainstream radio
I have to say I am still super confused how Gen Z could recognize the Scorpions more than Millennials.
No Aphex Twin, or Daft Punk ... ? Ha
When you check the charts, this music wasn’t anywhere near as popular as you think it was.
Daft Punk never had any impact on the popular charts in the 90s. Top 4 in Belgium is the best they did according to Wikipedia.
Everyone’s just projecting their own personal tastes!
Daft Punk never had any impact on the popular charts in the 90s. Top 4 in Belgium is the best they did according to Wikipedia.
Everyone’s just projecting their own personal tastes!
> never had any impact on the popular charts in the 90s
...in the US.
They did somewhat better in the UK: https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/25579/daft-punk/
...in the US.
They did somewhat better in the UK: https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/25579/daft-punk/
That's still a single song scraping into the top five. Doesn’t seem like a notable result to be seen as a major omission?
I'm sure you listened to it, but doesn't seem to have made a dent at the time.
And the context of the article is the US.
I'm sure you listened to it, but doesn't seem to have made a dent at the time.
And the context of the article is the US.
Interesting there are hardly any era defining artists like Massive Attack, Beck, or The Prodigy (at least they've got Oasis), besides the rap/hiphop stuff its mostly just Mall Pop.
Lot of cool music not on this chart.
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Playing clips is broken for me (Firefox). Works only for first time, requires page refresh to work again.
works fine for me in newest FF on W10, I hope you are not masochist using horrible FF experience on Android where are much better browsers like Kiwi, Bromite or even Edge or Samsung internet available
Most of the graphs aren't showing up (Firefox on android?)
Underrated: Fishbone.
Taking the most popular songs at the time is not a recipe for finding the best songs/songs that will be remembered in the future. A good percentage of the songs listed were crap then and not worth remembering now.