As with the 1980s, nearly all of the hits of the 1990s are available on Spotify, with no need to go more than ten deep when listing the biggest hits among them. Here's the countdown:
#10 - DEADEYE DICK - New Age Girl
From the Jim Carrey flick Dumb and Dumber -- which sported an awesome soundtrack, by the way -- comes this incredibly fun alt-pop number with the juvenile hook, "She don't eat meat, but she sure likes the bone." C'mon, you know you love it anyway.
#9 - A'ME LORAIN - Whole Wide World
I have no memory of True Love, the movie this song came from, though it was a Sundance Film Festival prize winner. And Lorain's song peaked at #9 in 1990, a time when a record label could push a song that high on the charts without a lot of real commitment from either radio or retail. Add that up and you can bet not many people go looking for this one.
#8 - LUTHER VANDROSS & JANET JACKSON - The Best Things in Life Are Free
Featuring additional vocals from most of the former members of New Edition, this all-star new jack swing duet came and went on the charts in 1992 like a rocket, forgotten almost as quickly as it appeared.
#7 - TYLER COLLINS - Girls Nite Out
Another flash-in-the-pan from 1990, you probably don't miss this one either. Grammar snobs might want to point out that "girls" should have an apostrophe after it (since presumably the night belongs to more than one of them), and that "night" is misspelled. But of course, that has nothing to do with its unavailability.
#6 - THE KLF - 3 A.M. Eternal
This club favorite from 1991 was available recently, but not currently, and that's a shame. Also missing is the actual hit version of its follow-up, "Justified and Ancient," with the fabulous Tammy Wynette.
#5 - VANILLA ICE - Play That Funky Music
Yes, you'll find the album version, but that doesn't count. The single version was rewritten with lines like, "Some people that I wouldn't break/ Then I stuffed number one in their face." It took me years to figure out that of course, he couldn't have put these lyrics on his album before "Ice Ice Baby" hit #1. And don't get me started on the fact the Vanilla can't sing in tune. It's not cool to caterwaul like this when you have none of the charm of Biz Markie.
#4 - RYTHM SYNDICATE - P.A.S.S.I.O.N.
Hmmm, maybe there's something to the misspellings being a problem? After their first album, they corrected "Rythm" to "Rhythm," but it didn't help them score another hit. I have a memory of a college buddy and me singing this chorus in parallel fifths as a Gregorian chant.
#3 - DIVINE - Lately
This one comes and goes from Spotify from time to time, but it's currently greyed out. It's a pleasant little R&B ballad from 1998 that spent a week at #1 on the Hot 100.
#2 - P.M. DAWN - Set Adrift on Memory Bliss
There's an unconvincing fake version out there. Don't fall for it. Don't settle for less than the glorious original, also a #1 Hot 100 hit.
#1 -
- The Most Beautiful Girl in the World
The first hit as an unpronounceable symbol for the artist formerly known as Prince has yet to appear on Spotify, years after the rest of his catalog made it there. I wonder why?
Of course, the biggest chart hits aren't always the most important songs. You won't find "Voices That Care," the supergroup benefit record David Foster put together at the time of the Gulf War. You won't find Folk Implosion's amazing "Natural One" from the gritty, depressing movie Kids. And while some of Aaliyah's catalog is finally showing up, you won't find "If Your Girl Only Knew" or "One in a Million."
There are also many versions of hits that are just ... the wrong one. Sometimes the album version needed a little more oomph to make it as a hit single, so a remix came out -- and you can't get the remix. Notable examples include "Every Heartbeat" and "Good for Me" by Amy Grant, "Piece of My Heart" by Tara Kemp, "I Get Around" by 2Pac, "Tic-Tac-Toe" by Kyper, and "The Motown Song" by Rod Stewart.
Another common theme for missing songs is cover tunes, and that makes sense when you figure that there are legal ramifications involving the original artists and writers. Check out this extensive list of '90s covers you can't hear on Spotify:
VARIOUS ARTISTS - ESPN Presents the Jock Jam [a medley of stadium favorites]
ADAM CLAYTON & LARRY MULLEN - Theme from 'Mission: Impossible'
RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS - Love Rollercoaster
THE WALLFLOWERS - Heroes
BONNIE RAITT - You Got It
THE B.C. 52s - (Meet) the Flintstones
HUEY LEWIS & THE NEWS - (She's) Some Kind of Wonderful
ERICK SERMON, KEITH MURRAY & REDMAN - Rapper's Delight
DIVINE - One More Try
WARREN G - What's Love Got to Do with It
CLINT BLACK - Desperado
ALAN JACKSON - Tequila Sunrise
JOOSE - If Tomorrow Never Comes
GARTH BROOKS - Hard Luck Woman
And this leads us to the most egregious missing element of the '90s on Spotify: Anything and everything by Garth Brooks, during the decade he scored nearly all of his big hits. You won't find "Friends in Low Places," or "The River," or "What She's Doing Now," or "Ain't Goin' Down ('Til the Sun Comes Up)." I mentioned in the previous blog that Garth recently signed an exclusive deal with Amazon Prime for his catalog.
Oh well -- someday. Remember that for many years, not even the Beatles were available in Spotify. They've come a long way.
