33. While Pearl Jam’s best album is probably their debut, their strongest solo work falls three sessions in with Betterman. Vedder is at his peak here, carrying the first half of the song until the rest of the band comes in. And then, despite the sad situation in the song not at all being resolved, it becomes kind of fun, as if this is how we talk ourselves into continuing toxic relationships. It’s just much easier to plan things when you’re quiet than to actually do anything about anything. Thus is the cycle of the artists we love, and life.

32. Eminem’s twisted style of thinking is a turn off for many, though at his peak he has a case for most popular musician of this millenium. In ‘99 though, Slim was just releasing his first full length album, and the world was only beginning to listen. Guilty Conscience features three scenarios with a classic angel v devil on the shoulders debate in the form of Em and guest star Dr.Dre (who represents the reasonable side of the mind.) As great as it is, two things hold it back. One is that the best version of this song might not exist - uncensored with the hook added in. The other is that the bad side wins ⅔ times which isn’t great, but in Shady’s world that might be the best we can hope for.

31. Policy of Truth and Enjoy the Silence (from the Greatest list) is one of the best one-two punches on any album I’ve heard. They both can play as tech-pop songs, but are filled with heavy words of caution. This almost works as a sequel in a way, the1984 to Silence’s Animal Farm. One thing is for sure, they can’t handle the truth!

30. When I saw the Lips play live, they opened with Race for the Prize, and balloons barraged us in battalions from the ceiling along with confetti that would usually end a show rather than begin it. Most of the Flaming Lips best songs do kick off the album so it shouldn’t be too much of a surprise they’d go all out right at the start. If you’ve never heard it, or even if you have, I encourage you to close your eyes and picture that scene as you listen.

29. Alanis began her mainstream career about as well as anyone could hope for (except for Billie Eilish who pretty much did the same thing.) Massive sales, all the grammys (except new artist strangely enough), enough singles to keep you on the radio for years while you work on the follow up album. This is another great break-up song too, Love was not In during the 90s, where she won’t just let her shitty ex forget all about how shitty it is. And now that it’s been immortalized they never will. Mission accomplished.

28. Sublime had already made the Greats list with Badfish, so choosing another one by them was quite difficult. I feel like the Wrong Way is the right way to go here though. It is another song that is fun and bouncy with some upsetting things happening within. One might wish the sympathetic narrator in this song would help her rather than just take advantage, though it is possible he has only become sympathetic after Dannie did the right thing and ditched his ass.

27. Radiohead are in a similar position where they have already been properly honored on the Greats list, but just have a ton of songs to pick from for this one. So let’s take it back to the time where they were still a rock band rather than a Radiohead-band (obviously love this too though). My Iron Lung goes pretty hard at times, with one of the best solos anyone has ever shredded. I feel like this attitude was a way to popularize the band, something every change in their style seems to be moving towards, but they just can’t get it done, can’t stop the talent locomotive.

26. The rise of Girl Power in the 90s lead to the reboot of Charlie’s Angels and the immortalizing of The Prodigy’s already massive Smack My Bitch Up. Neither of these songs have anything to do with #girlpower, it’s electro rock done by dudes, but it needed to be noted how these things all linked together. Breathe is so dope though, it gets me really pumped up anytime I listen to it. Breathe with me! If you are looking for motivation during your quarantine workouts I’d highly suggest this one.

Right artists, not the songs I would’ve picked though.

Better Man is garbage. Shameful.

What would be your pick for Eminem?

Does it have to be a single? Not that it really matters since I think I’d give it to My Name Is, Role Model and Just Don’t Give a Fuck are three of his best early songs anyways. Guilty Conscience is cool but the interruptions hurt the flow a bit.

RM and JDGAF are great too. So is My Name Is but he kinda did it better with The Real Slim Shady and then better again on Without Out.

25-18 at ~920.

*Glass shatters*

I'm back.

"The reason I breathe is you"



25. Baby One More Time by Britney Spears

"I'll take you down the only road I've ever been down"



24. Bitter Sweet Symphony by The Verve

"Wait, no, I did not really pursue my little princess with persistence, and I was so low-key she was unaware of my existence"



23. Passin' Me By by The Pharcyde

"Coming down is the hardest thing"



22. Learning To Fly by Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers

"How many times have I felt diseased?"



20. Freak On A Leash by Korn

"Sicker than your average, Poppa twist cabbage off instinct"



19. Hypnotize by The Notorious BIG

"Can you put the past away?"



18. Jumper by Third Eye Blind

25. It’s hard to argue with anyone who says Baby One More Time was the start of modern pop music. Sure they always talked about how much they liked having sex, but now you can just put the sex into the song. Modern production, empowerment of the female body and Britney Spears herself all made this possible. And there’s just something about the loss of innocence that heigtens sex appeal, and that applies to both genders before you calling me a perv. We’re all pervs. To be young is to be horny.

24. Maybe it’s just because I first heard this song at the end of Cruel Intentions, but Bittersweet Symphony might just be the saddest song ever written. And it’s true, no matter whether or not you accomplish what you want, you’re still going to die, it is the little inevitability in the back of our heads at all times. But The Verve know all you can really do about it is make the best of things if that isn’t working find out if you can change.

23. Passin Me By is another smooth early 90s hip-hop song and another 90s song about unrequited love. Having a crush is adorable until you’re still thinking about several years later. The Pharcyde needed to take a bizarre ride to get this out of their systems. Though they never again reached the heights featured on their debut, so maybe heartbreak is the key to all 90s music after all.

22. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers are not a band that I usually associate with the 90s, but I guess they had their big reunion at the start of the decade and then made some of their best songs. Petty would go solo again after this and then there was another reunion. It happens alot in rock n roll. Learning To Fly is wonderful though, I count myself very lucky I was able to see them perform it during their last tour.

21. The late 90s had the best music videos. We’ve already seen many of them, but I think Freak On A Leash might lead the pack? Follow that bullet! Anyways, Korn’s earlier stuff might be a turn off for some, it is very hyper and rowdy. Leash has that incredible mellow yet foreboding riff, which obviously then explodes into old school Korn to please everyone listening in at home. Fii some meen na na manna oh, whatever that means, is fucking awesome and how can you not get hyped for that king of breakdown? Also, even though I liked Limp Bizkit better at the time and some of their songs still hit hard (though not top 50 hard), history favors Korn in the nu-metal wars of the 90s.

20. While we wish the title of Notorious BIG’s second album, Life After Death, didn’t end up being so damn accurate, he proved the concept as a ghost with this banger. Hypnotize was already iconic on its own, but 10 Things I Hate About You further cemented it with Julia Styles going wild on that table. Dude had so many other songs that could have made it with only two albums to hold them on. Definitely made the most of his tragically shortened career.

19. With the entire world on the edge right now, Jumper feels right at home in 2020. Third Eye Blind really killed it on this whole album and I wish I had gotten a chance to see them perform it for the 20th anniversary tour. I also just love to think about how this was the type of song you wanted to create a pop hit in the 90s. So bizarre, but I guess pop-rock has just been replaced by pop-rap.

I messed up on one, so shorter update than promised and anyone who saw it before I realized my mistake got an extra song! 18-11 tomorrow

Jumper is good, but Semi-Charmed Life ftw

Where's your description of Bomt? And why is the defining teen pop song of the late 90s only at 25?

Fixed it. Wouldn’t be a Flava’d fifty without me messing up a few times and/or changing the rules halfway through.

Is it the defining teen pop of the decade though? #Foreshadowing

Your first good section.

Tonight’s update has been postponed due to DLPA-20. Can’t steal her shine.

I took a nap today. It was very exciting. 18-11 coming ~12.

Ready to go. Yeah baby.

"Wanna, gonnabe, pussy eating, cock sucking prankstas, when the shit jumps off what the fuck you gonna do?"



18. Damn It Feels Good To Be A Gangsta by Geto Boys

it does feel good