Take a ’90s break

When it came time to sit down and write this post, I have to admit I was at a loss for words. With the semester coming to a close and everyone hunkering down for the long slog of finishing those last assignments before we all begin studying for our finals tests, I didn't know what I could do or say that could ease this academic pain — a pain I am much aware of myself. I have, however, found an area of respite as of late and it is this which I wish to share with you today. What keeps me going through those long essay sessions until the wee hours of the morning? '90s music videos. I find myself becoming more and more nostalgic these days and perhaps my recent infatuation with this era in music (of which I only spent 10 years in) is purely a reflection of this. Needless to say, there is something comforting in '90s popular music as the tunes from that time just seem so much more "fun" than popular music today (granted, my exposure to today's "popular" music is relatively minimal). It's just less obsessed over branding, image, and style, and more concerned with having a good time to a catchy beat (but this isn't a music culture blog, so I digress...). '90s music offers a nice break to your gloomy studies and for those of you who are too young to even recollect what '90s music sounded like — I'm looking at you First Years — this will be a fun exercise in analyzing popular culture in an era long since passed. (There's the academic hook — this post is now relevant to this U of T blog! Take that, editors!). So please, take a gander at some of my favourite tunes/music videos from the '90s. Most of the songs below are from the late'90s (when I was 8/9 years old and have a more solidified recollection of them) but I threw in a couple earlier songs as well (this is in no way an exhaustive list). If YOU have any '90s-era music recommendations, though, feel free to share in the comments! Enjoy! Len - "Steal My Sunshine" (1999) New Radicals - "You Get What You Give" (1998) Fatboy Slim - "Praise You" (1999) No Doubt - "Just A Girl" (1995) Barenaked Ladies - "One Week" (1998) Jay Z - "Hard Knock Life" (1998) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zxtn6-XQupM S Club 7 - "S Club Party" (1999) Janet Jackson - "Together Again" (1997) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qvb5prOsZ4Y Crazy Town - "Butterfly" (1999) The Cranberries - "Linger" (1993) Blink-182 - "What's My Age Again" (1999) Spice Girls - "Stop" (1997) Sixpence None the Richer - "Kiss Me" (1997) Nirvana - "Smells Like Teen Spirit" (1991) Smash Mouth - "All Star" (1999) Beastie Boys - "Sabotage" (1994) Bloodhoung Gang - "The Bad Touch" (1999) Cher - "Believe" (1998) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LbXiECmCZ94 Lou Bega - "Mambo No. 5 (A Little Bit Of...)" (1999) Moby - "Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad" (1999) The Offspring - "Pretty Fly (For A White Guy)" (1998) Brandy & Monica - "This Boy Is Mine" (1998) Aaron Carter - "Crush On You" (1997) Green Day - "Longview" (1994) Will Smith - "Gettin' Jiggy Wit' It" (1997) Hanson - "MMMBop" (1997) Sugar Ray - "Someday" (1999) The Verve - "Bitter Sweet Symphony" (1998) --- - Matteo