Destination Jam: Our Top 5 Britpop songs of the '90s will take you on a bright nostalgic journey
Our Destination Jam playlist for today is sharing some love for our UK brothers and sisters. A genre that was made famous in the mid-1990s, the UK-based music and culture movement now known as Britpop, produced brighter, catchier alternative rock to the US-led grunge sounds that came out of that era. Britpop brought British alternative rock into the mainstream and formed the backbone of a larger British popular cultural movement, Cool Britannia, which evoked the Swinging Sixties and the British guitar pop of that decade.
Oasis - 'Wonderwall'
Truly becoming a wonder in its own right, this classic track by Oasis, had many aspiring musicians taking up their guitars and learning how to play it. According to co-lead vocalist Noel Gallagher, 'Wonderwall' describes "an imaginary friend who's gonna come and save you from yourself." While landing on a multitude of charts, the song has topped the charts in Australia and New Zealand. 'Wonderwall' reached the top ten on another ten charts, including Canada at No. 5 and the United States at No. 8, as well as No. 2 on both the UK Singles Chart and Irish Singles Chart.
Blur - 'Song 2'
Anyone acquainted with this English alt-rock band can attest to the fact that 'Song 2' has remained one of their timeless classics. Distorted bass, explosive guitar, splashy drums, and frontman Damon Albarn belting out the vocals are just a few components that make up this epic track. 'Song 2' is the second song on their eponymous fifth studio album, released in 1997, and we couldn't help but slot it in at number 2 on our list either.
The Verve - 'Bitter Sweet Symphony'
You just need to ask someone, "What's that '90s rock song with that sweet strings groove?" and you will probably get an answer real quick. Since its release in 1997, 'Bitter Sweet Symphony' is one of those tracks you can't put down and are likely to return to. The lead track on their third studio album, 'Urban Hymns', this song is based on a sample it uses from the Andrew Loog Oldham orchestral cover of the Rolling Stones' song 'The Last Time'.
While it's a widely popular track, a lot of people aren't aware that the usage of the sample involved some legal controversy surrounding a plagiarism charge. Mick Jagger and Keith Richards were then added to the songwriting credits, and all royalties from the song went to former Rolling Stones manager Allen Klein. Nevertheless, The Verve's 'Bitter Sweet Symphony' is still a stunning track.
Pulp - 'Disco 2000'
The turn of the new millennium may not have been as big of an event as predicted (and quite frankly, 2020 is a lot more notable), but Pulp deemed the year 2000 as disco-worthy. The lyrics of the song tell the story of the narrator falling for a childhood friend 'Deborah' who has since grown apart, reminiscing about how they were born so close together and how the narrator struggled with his feelings towards her especially when she hit puberty. The overarching theme is about wondering what would happen if the two met up again "in the Year 2000".
Elastica - 'Connection'
With similar cocky resonances to the aforementioned 'Song 2', Elastica's 'Connection' fits right in this list as the perfect sister track. 'Connection' carries several guitar layers and licks with crunchy distortion, a hard-driving midtempo beat and lead vocalist Justine Elinor Frischmann singing "Riding on any wave. That is the luck you crave. They don't believe it now. They just think it's stupid. So got anything? Anyone could have done. Who would've cared at all, not you."
Destination Jam is a daily list of songs that will keep you entertained and grooving up top in lieu of feeling drained and losing the plot. Look out for a fresh selection of great tunes from MEAWW to refresh your mood every day!