6 June 1999 The voice isn't Baz Luhrmann's but that of an Australian actor called Lee Perry. The words aren't Baz Luhrmann's either; it's the text of a 1997 column written by Chicago Tribune journalist Mary Schmich. So, what exactly does Baz Luhrmann do here? Maybe 'Baz Luhrmann Presents' on the single sleeve (above) is … Continue reading Baz Luhrmann – ‘Everybody’s Free (To Wear Sunscreen)’
Tag: 90s
Various Artists – ‘Candle For Kosovo’
23 May 1999 I don't remember 'Candle For Kosovo', but I remember why Kosovo was in the world headlines in 1999. A decade that had begun so optimistically, with the fall of the Berlin Wall and the European communist regimes behind it, plus the end of apartheid and the liberation of Nelson Mandela, had quickly … Continue reading Various Artists – ‘Candle For Kosovo’
TLC – ‘No Scrubs’
9 May 1999 Truth be told, I didn't even know what a shorty was, which may explain other things. Thankfully, TLC introduce us to the concept of a scrub—also known as a buster—with the greatest piece of pop music exposition since the theme from The Fresh Prince Of Bel Air. With some relief I can … Continue reading TLC – ‘No Scrubs’
Westlife – ‘Swear It Again’
4 April 1999 Our new golden age of pop continues. Soon after Britney's '...Baby One More Time' we get something equally wondrous: take the familiar sight of five boyband lads with their matching white suits, air grabs and cruciform poses, give them what seems like just another romantic R&B-lite ballad with a key change at … Continue reading Westlife – ‘Swear It Again’
Britney Spears – ‘…Baby One More Time’
21 February 1999 Anyone born after February 1999 may disagree, but this feels like our first present-day number one. In chart pop terms, we've been living in a Britney and '...Baby One More Time' world ever since. The song made Britney Spears an instant icon and new type of pop star: the real-life girl whose … Continue reading Britney Spears – ‘…Baby One More Time’
The Offspring – ‘Pretty Fly (For A White Guy)’
31 January 1999 It's clear that the anti-hero of 'Pretty Fly (For A White Guy)', played memorably in the video by a young actor whose actual first name is Guy, is the village Vanilla Ice and really putting his back into crass cultural appropriation and stereotyping. I suppose it's just a bit awkward that the … Continue reading The Offspring – ‘Pretty Fly (For A White Guy)’
Chef – ‘Chocolate Salty Balls’
3 January 1999 The last year of the decade, the first of chart pop's new golden age, begins in typical '90s style with a TV cartoon show tie-in at number one. Yes, it's Isaac Hayes, an actual soul star, which has to be better than Bart Simpson rapping on 'Do The Bartman' and 'Deep, Deep … Continue reading Chef – ‘Chocolate Salty Balls’
Spice Girls – ‘Goodbye’
27 December 1998 If the Spice Girls watched Saved By The Bell, they'd know the episode where Zack dreams of his band Zack Attack hitting the big time, only to fall apart fighting while on their—what irony—Friends Forever tour. Geri leaving the Spice Girls in 1998 and specifying in her statement that it was "because … Continue reading Spice Girls – ‘Goodbye’
Cher – ‘Believe’
15 November 1998 Another piece of the '99 and '00s pop renaissance starts to move into place. Among the seven (7) co-writers on 'Believe', along with Cher herself, is Brian Higgins, soon after this to join forces with Miranda Cooper and form Xenomania, the celebrated writing-production team behind that string of fantastic Girls Aloud singles … Continue reading Cher – ‘Believe’
Kerri Ann – ‘Irreplaceable’
8 November 1998 When even U2, with 'Sweetest Thing', are upcycling a clunky B-side from their big-hat '80s into a jaunty 1998 number one, you know there's something in the air. Ironically for U2, if they weren't already sick of irony by then, it was the very thing they had tried unsuccessfully to sell in … Continue reading Kerri Ann – ‘Irreplaceable’
