SUMMER MUSIC | LISTICLE

Five ‘90s Summer Playlist Hits for Frying an Egg on the Sidewalk

The songs that make my summer

Summertime And the living’s easy — George Gershwin’s ‘Summertime,’

Or, Sublime’s ‘Doin’ Time’

It was the great philosophers of LFO that informed us, “Billy Shakespeare wrote a whole bunch of sonnets.”

Yeah, I still don’t know what they were on about in ‘Summer Girls,’ but that was the 90s. The land of my birth.

It was a time of bands like LFO (Lyte Funkie Ones. Seriously), bubblegum queens Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera, and the All-Stars themselves: Smash Mouth.

My memories of the 90s are defined by music. And, of course, the fact that Michael Jordan could team up with the Looney Tunes—and the soundtrack to Space Jam could also be a hit.

It was a time when the Friday night tradition was the smell of Blockbuster, being upset that the movie you’d waited for all week, guys was out of stock. A time of possibly the most boring age in the history of U.S. automotive design. Seriously—the Toyota Corolla is the car of the ‘90s. It shows up, does the job, and that’s the best you hope for.

This playlist is my time machine back to the feeling of summer in the ‘90s.

It’s bigger on the inside.

Smash Mouth—All Star

Before it was a meme, and before it graced theaters with Shrek—‘All Star’ was most of our introduction to a little band called Smash Mouth.

Right at the end of the 90s, dropping in 1999 off their album Astro Lounge, this is arguably the distillation of 90s summer energy. Equal parts chaotic, perfect for whatever party you were throwing, and performed at god knows how many high school talent shows.

A song that was a meme before it was, actually, a meme.

And this one? I remember the music video first. There was a strange time, once, when we all would be stoked to get home to see what was popping up on MTV. And now? We have YouTube.

Tupac & Dr. Dre—California Love, ft. Roger Troutman

Who was Roger Troutman? Glad you asked. A brilliant musician, but you’ve probably never really heard of him unless you’re a music nerd. He was ridiculously influential to West Coast music, and one of his favorite things is featured here—the talk box.

It’s a device that connects to either a guitar or a keyboard (usually) and lets a singer make some really wild sounds—and gives this sweet, summer jam its signature intro. California loooooooove.

More of an East Coast guy myself, but this song, from a legendary musician and poet—still has a very special place in my heart. Vibes include, but certainly not limited to, a blast down the 101 and knowing how to party.

Third Eye Blind—Semi-Charmed Life

I’m a sometimes-musician, when I can get talked into it. This was the second song I ever learned to play on guitar. The first? Pearl Jam’s ‘Last Kiss.’

It was a toss-up for me to include this or ‘Never Let You Go.’ I’ve got memories of both, and both are memorable ‘90s hits, from arguably one of THE bands of the 90s—Third Eye Blind.

Also, if you ever get tired of hearing about how awful and scandalous today’s music is—just remind the person that there was a ‘90s chart-topper about crystal meth.

This one right here.

Outside this, there’s also the fun-for-the-whole-family ‘Push it Real Good,’ from the good, kid-friendly artists Salt-N-Peppa.

Backstreet Boys—Everybody (Backstreet’s Back)*

* Alright.

Listen.

It was a hard choice between Backstreet Boys and N*Sync. I actually flipped a coin.

This is another summertime jam that became something of a meme/cultural touchstone/national treasure (without Nic Cage, I might add).

Probably the best-known of the Boys catalog, it was actually the fourth single off the album—their debut album. The first? ‘We’ve Got It Goin’ On.’

And you know what, maybe they did.

Plot twist: It wasn’t actually even on the first pressings of the album. The label felt it was too similar to the title of their follow-up already in the works — Backstreet’s Back.

This song is peak ‘90s bubblegum, boy-band pop, and still infinitely singable. It’s just so ridiculously catchy. Just imagine how the malls would be blasting this, while you sauntered your way down to Spencer’s and Gadzooks.

Los Del Rios—Macarena

I’ll die on the hill that no 90s summertime playlist is complete without the song that didn’t just become a meme: it was THE song that became a meme.

The hit we all know, and still remember the dance to, wasn’t actually the first version of the song.

‘Macarena,’ only became an international hit after its remix by The Bayside Boys.

No word to date on whether or not Bayside’s back or not.

For those of y’all who didn’t witness this phenomenon firsthand, let me set the scene.

Imagine, there you are, in your Reeboks (or Pro Keds) and Champion shorts, headed to gym class. You, Cheeto-dusted fingers, over-caffeinated from a Surge, are excited because again today, you’ll be dancing the dance of kings!

The Macarena.

By turns adopted by schools for anything they could think of, and then banned because it got out of hand (ask your local millennial about yo-yos and Pogs, too), it’s the most ridiculous classic from the most ridiculous era.

And it’s still excruciatingly danceable.

And no, nobody ever cared that nobody knew the lyrics.

I kept it to just five, but I know all of you have your faves from the 90s.

And I expect y’all to let me know, so I can add them to my playlist.

Thank you for reading. And thank you for the memories. I can almost feel the blue and gold glow of the Blockbuster sign.