The Top 80 Songs of 1995

I feel like I just broke up 8 or 9 albums to give this list.  Though 1995 may be great for being the first year anything on the radio sucked completely that it led to many new Indie bands making great music, there’s nothing “fantastic” about it.  There may be some great songs, but probably no classics … basically just another reason why I justified to myself that my Phish-only listening theory was adequate. 

80.  Fuck You (An Ode to No One) – Smashing Pumpkins (Heavy Metal)95

Here’s a brief history on songs called “Fuck You.”  Naturally, a thrash metal band named Overkill may have done it first in the 80s, but this one was next.  A rap act known as the Beastie Boys did “Hey Fuck You” in 2004.  That crazy little girl Lily Allen did one in 2009, and the best known one yet is of course, Cee Lo’s version that he did in 2010. 

79.  The Hustle – The Pharcyde (Rap)95

78.  Santa Monica – Everclear (Hard Rock)95

I used to love playing that guitar intro riff all the time, and give people that false excitement that I was going to rock out Eveclear.  Smiley face.   

77.  All I Really Want – Alanis Morisette  (Pop Rock)95

76.  Peaches – The Presidents of the United States of America (Hard Rock)95

With these guys and Everclear representing American hard rock, I’m already missing Nirvana. 

75.  Waking Up – Elastica (Distorted)95

74.  Grind – Alice in Chains (Grunge)95

Alice in Chains apparently never got the memo that grunge was over, and that’s a good thing because it’s much better than the rest of the hard rock coming out this year. 

73.  Bullshit – The Pharcyde (Rap)95

In the same manner that Alice in Chains didn’t get the grunge memo, The Pharcyde wasn't told that the golden age of hip hop was over. 

72.  Car Seat – Blind Melon (Psychedelic Rock)95

71.  Hand in My Pocket – Alanis Morissette (Pop Rock)95

This very well could be the most gimmicky song in the history of life aside from maybe Billy Joel's "We Didn't Start the Fire."  It seems like something she wrote this while studying for a 7^th grade aptitude test. Before you laugh at me for ranking any Alanis tunes remember, this is the 18^th highest selling album in the United States of All-Time. 

70.  Macarena – Los Del Mar (World)95

I can’t tell if I genuinely like this song, or am just infactuated with the larf of it.  It’s so much fun. 

69.  Dash 7 – Wilco (Alt-Country)95

68.  Southern Belle – Elliott Smith (Folk)95

67.  The Lover – Medeski, Martin & Wood (Instrumental)95

66.  Blue – The Jayhawks (Alt-Country)95

65.  Thru the Eyes of Ruby – Smashing Pumpkins (Distorted)95

My view on the Mellon Collie album is that it’s just too much.  It’s very hard to pull off the double album without a bunch of throwaway songs as even The Wall has throwaway songs.  Then, once you have throwaway songs, the album’s flow disrupts and the listener is left picking at songs like it was itunes.  Who has the time to sit down and appreciate a double album, or more importantly wants to hear that much Smashing Pumpkins at once?  They’re not an AC/DC type band where they get old after about 10 minutes, but there are very few bands that don’t get old after listening to them for an hour and the Pumpkins aren’t one of them. 

64.  Toes Across the Floor – Blind Melon (Distorted)95

63.  Bad Days – Flaming Lips (Psychedelic Rock)95

This is the Riddler’s theme song (sort of) in the timeless classic Batman Forever. 

62.  Alphabet Town – Elliott Smith (Folk)95

61.  Beautiful – Smashing Pumpkins (Slow Rock)95

60.  Fake Plastic Trees – Radiohead (Alternative)95

This is a good tune but it leads to the path of the type of Radiohead songs that I don’t enjoy.  They’re called the “Thom Yorke is a whiney little bitch” songs. 

59.  Black Steel – Tricky (Electronic)95

Tricky covering Public Enemy is interesting to say the least. 

58.  Brooklyn Zoo – Ol’ Dirty Bastard (Rap)95

57.  Pick Up the Change – Wilco (Alt-Country)95

56.  Black Star – Radiohead (Alternative)95

55.  Natural One – The Folk Implosion (Indie)95

Remember that movie Kids?  Yeah, I don’t either. 

54.  Mouthful of Cavities – Blind Melon (Distorted)95

53.  Kill Hill Niggas – Cypress Hill (Rap)95

Getting Wu-Tang members to rap with you is the late 90s version of getting Q-Tip to rap with you. 

52.  Street Spirit – Radiohead (Alternative)95

51.  Down By the Water – PJ Harvey (Indie)95

50.  That’s Not the Issue – Wilco (Alt-Country)95

We almost have a full blown ho-down going on hyah. 

49.  Carnival – The Cardigans (Alternative)95

48.  Chubb Subb – Medeski, Martin & Wood (Instrumental)95

47.  Funky Freakers – Cypress Hill (Rap)95

Temple of Boom was released when I had already given up on rap.  I can’t say how good or bad it is, but naturally I can say I should probably give it a whirl while high some time. 

46.  Bathysphere – Smog (Indie)95

Callahan has some good Leonard Cohen in him.  Not enough artists have enough LC in them. 

45.  Skinned – Blind Melon (Bluegrass)95

44.  Sideshow by the Seashore – Luna (Indie)95

43.  Clementine – Elliott Smith (Indie)95

42.  The Bends – Radiohead (Distorted)95

41.  Dump Truck – Blind Man (Distorted)95

40.  Pharcyde – The Pharcyde (Rap)95

I hate having to include a song which has the same name as the band, AND has a one line repetitive chorus that disrupts the songs beautiful pace, but the chill pace of this is very nice. 

39.  Release Yo Delf – Method Man (Rap)95

I’m gaining a new appreciation for Method Man. 

38.  Needle in the Hay – Elliott Smith (Indie)95

37.  Tom Courtenay – Yo La Tengo (Indie)95

36.  Hyperballad – Bjork (Electronic)95

Though Bjork isn’t entirely my bag, I love the unique world she created for herself and lives in … or maybe that’s just how Iceland is. 

35.  Walk – Blind Melon (Folk)95

Here’s a band from the 90s that probably could’ve been special and making great music today if they could’ve just kept their shit together. 

34.  1979 – Smashing Pumpkins (Alternative)95

33.  Bones – Radiohead (Distorted)95

32.  Runnin’ – The Pharcyde (Rap)95

Maybe the Pharcyde started listening to too much Boys II Men and that’s why Labcabincalifornia was pretty lame. 

31.  I Must Be High – Wilco (Rock)95

30.  Where the Wild Roses Grow – Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds (Folk Rock)95

Nick Cave and Kylie Minogue … in 1995 it happened. 

29.  Sorted for the E’s and Wizz – Pulp (Alternative)95

28.  2x4 – Blind Melon (Distorted)95

This song becomes great when that screeching electric guitar change occurs. 

27.  Bullet With Butterfly Wings – Smashing Pumpkins (Distorted)95

26.  Christmas at the Zoo – Flaming Lips (Distorted)95

25.  Common People – Blur (Alternative)95

Holy crap this sounds like Arcade Fire. 

24.  Box Full of Letters – Wilco (Rock)95

This song made an appearance on MTV’s “Beavis and Butthead”, and this is probably around the time I completely stopped watching anything on MTV.

23.  Psychiatric Explorations Of The Fetus With Needles – The Flaming Lips (Psychedelic Rock)95

Flaming Lips song titles are generally not to user friendly. 

22.  Galaxie – Blind Melon (Distorted)95

21.  High and Dry – Radiohead (Alternative)95

20.  Chinatown – Luna (Indie)95

I’m not sure why I’m calling these guys an Indie band with their label being Elektra. 

19.  Lightning Strikes the Post Man – Flaming Lips (Distorted)95

18.  You’re All I Need to Get By – Method Man and Mary J. Blige (Rap)95

This is a pretty dope tune that I’ve never heard before … and of course it’s a Marvin Gaye remake. 

17.  My Iron Lung – Radiohead (Distorted)95

16.  #1 Crush – Garbage (Electronic)95

15.  The Abandoned Hospital Ship (Psychedelic Rock)95

14.  Throw Your Set in the Air- Cypress Hill (Rap)95

This song and Smashing Pumpkin’s “Zero” get special treatment for appearing in episode #3F21 of the Simpsons entitled, “Homerpalooza.

13.  Drop – The Pharcyde (Rap)95

12.  Lemonade – Blind Melon (Distorted)95

As great as the two Blind Melon albums are (I believe the next one was just outtakes or something so that doesn’t count), I feel we were deprived of their classic album.  It was bound to happen.

11.  House Mop – Medeski, Martin & Wood (Instrumental)

10.  Army of Me – Bjork (Industrial)95

How come when people danced to industrial music in the 90s, they did that move where they punched towards the ground?  Sometimes I miss the angst of the 90s. 

9.  Passenger Side – Wilco (Alt-country)95

8.  Just – Radiohead (Distorted)95

Here’s one of the few instances where Radiohead writes a great hard rock song.  I wish they did this more often. 

7.  Alright – Supergrass (Alternative)95

6.  Shimmy Shimmy Ya – Ol’ Dirty Bastard (Rap)95

I have to admit this song wouldn’t rank this high if it weren’t for the beginning of Knocked Up. 

5.  Zero – Smashing Pumpkins (Distorted)95

“I’m Billy Corgan, Smashing Pumpkins.  I’m Homer Simpson, smiling politely.”  I always thought "Smiling Politely" would be a great band name. 

4.  Da Funk – Daft Punk (House)95

I still haven’t seen Tron yet, which reminds me of the first time the movie came out.  At the back of my mind, I was always mildly curious to see what made it tick, but never caved.  Now a second one comes out, some years later, and looks interesting, yet, it still hasn’t even made my Netflix cue. 

3.  23 Minutes in Brussels – Luna (Indie)95

Granted I didn’t hear it until about the year 2000, but this is one of the first songs that exposed me to the Indie scene of the 90s. 

2.  Last Chance to Dance Trance (Perhaps) – Medeski, Martin & Wood (Instrumental)95

Though I doubt many people who read my blog will give a listen to an 8 minute song with no words, this is probably MMW at their best.  Whatever it is they do well, they do here. 

1.  Planet Telex – Radiohead (Alternative)95

I love Radiohead but by no means am I a hardcore Radiohead guy.  For instance, I have no clue who their influences are.  It’s easy to say something like Pink Floyd whether it’s factual or not.  At this point in their careers, I hear some Smiths in them, but obviously they expanded their sound a lot after this album.