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The Ultimate Music Year

THE 1990s

The decade that saw the emergence of Grunge, Britpop, the rise of the boy band, and Girl Power hits the charts.


Vanilla Ice
1990

Vanilla Ice becomes the first successful solo white rapper while MC Hammer's U Can't Touch This becomes a major worldwide hit, the truth emerges about Milli Vanilli, Madonna's Vogue video wins every award going.

Michael Stipe
1991

R.E.M. make it big with their Out Of Time album, Bryan Adams releases (Everything I Do) I do It For You which stays at the top of the charts for a record-breaking 16-weeks,Garth Brooks leads the New Country surge, Freddie Mercury dies.

Bobby Gillespie
1992

Primal Scream win the first Mercury Music prize award for Screamadelica, Clapton records his Unplugged album, Madonna releases her provocative Sex album, the Bob Dylan 30th anniversary Concert features an all-star line up in Manhattan , Take That inaugurate a new generation of boy bands.

Bjork
1993

Bjork releases Debut, Prince becomes the Artists Formerly Known as Prince, Frank Zappa dies, Mr Blobby enjoys two No. 1s.

Liam Gallagher
1994

Oasis release their seminal album Definitely Maybe, Kurt Cobain commits suicide, Wet Wet Wet's Love Is All Around stays at the top for 15 weeks, the Beatles Live At The BBC is released.

Damon Albarn
1995

Blur and Oasis go head-to-head in the singles chart, Blur win the battle, Oasis win the war, Portishead spearhead the Bristol sound, Alanis Morrisette releases Jagged Little Pill, Richey Edwards of the Manic Street Preachers goes missing, Robson Green and Jerome Flynn dominate the singles chart, Robbie Williams leaves Take That and The Beatles release Anthology.

Jarvis Cocker
1996

Jarvis Cocker interrupts Michael Jackson's Brit performance, Boyzone pick up the baton from Take That, The Spice Girls become a phenomenon, The Sex Pistols reform for a 20th anniversary tour, The Fugees album, The Score, is huge, Baddiel and Skinner and The Lightning Seeds take Three Lions to the top, Tupac Shakur is gunned-down, Texas preview White On Blonde, the MOBOs are inaugurated.

Baby Spice
1997

The Spice Girls message of Girl Power goes global, The Verve release Bittersweet Symphony, Ricky Martin lives la vida loca, , The Prodigy's Fat Of The Land debuts at No.1, Elton John re-releases Candle In The Wind after the death of Diana, Radiohead release Ok Computer. Shania Twain releases her crossover country album Come On Over.

Madonna
1998

Madonna goes electronic with Ray Of Light, The Corrs enjoy huge success with their Talk On Corners album, Celine Dion's My heart Will Go On is a massive hit, Frank Sinatra dies, the first MP3 player goes on sale.

Robbie Williams
1999

It's the year of Robbie Williams and Eminem, Britney Spears emerges with Baby One More Time, Blondie reform for No Exit, Dusty Springfield dies, Cher makes a comeback with Believe, Ricky Martin lives la vida loca, Moby releases Play.

Chris Evans
RELATED SHOWS ON RADIO 2

Find out more about the music of this decade with the help of some related Radio shows.

Tell us which you think is the best year in Pop and Rock now.

Have your say!

We'd like to know why the 1990's was your decade of choice. Were you givin' it large? Let us know.

Disclaimer: The BBC will put up as many of your comments as possible but we cannot guarantee that all e-mails will be published. The BBC reserves the right to edit comments that are published.

Read what others have said..

Becki, London
The 1990's for me as it's when Wet Wet Wet were at their peak, having a monster 15 weeks at no1 in 1994 and then doing a mammouth sell out UK tour in 1995 with 10 nights at the SECC.

Amy, Surrey
This was the decade, i spent my teenage years and really started to get into music. I was into grunge/indie. I went to my first concerts in 1996, to see the Smashing Pumpkins, PUSA, Reef, The Prodigy and my first Reading Festival! Seems so long ago now!

Radha, Reading Berks.
1994 was by far the ultimate music year for one reason- Definately Maybe. It's one of the stand out albums of the decade and eleven years on it still sounds as good as it did back then. love or hate Oasis, this is a phenomenal debut album and everyone should own it.

Sean Madrid today.
Stone Roses, Mondays, Oasis, The Verve, Blur, Primal Scream...Bands bands bands and the return of the Guitar. Knebowrth with Oasis, the birth of my first child. The Best decade.

Frances, England
The 1990's as a whole was a great decade and the one I really lived through, both personally and musically. 1996 certainly had the biggest amount of brilliant songs of the decade from the likes of Take That, Simply Red, The Prodigy, Oasis, Jamaroquai to name a few. It definitely deserves to be in the Top 5 at least!

robbie portsmouth
Fantastic times in the navy single euro 96, oasis and the verve

brendon collins. hull
at the start of the decade rave music was becoming mainstream the madchester days were still rocking . in the middle oasis and blur were knockin out great music along with pulp ect.and at the end of the decade eminem took the world by storm what a wonderfull decade

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