pitchfork is dumb (#34985859340293849494 in a series.)

on that note, maybe Fantasy works like Gold Soundz did, because the 90s feels like a fantasy now, especially to the young people I see in Montreal wearing amusingly anachronistic combinations of the full span of 90s fashion

Oh hey I completely missed What's Up? first time around

man that song sucks

karaoke ruins people's minds

I can vouch for that

I can vouch for that

Oh boy.

if pressed i would have to admit that i am also sick of many of these songs and find it kind of boring as a list, but its definitely an interesting window into how those kids are are thinking about the 90s right now and building a fresh canon. which i guess is the point, obviously.

(I haven’t clicked the link, but glimpsed the headline, and thought “heads must be exploding all over the internet.”)

oh not this holy horse shit again

really have come to hate these lists

great convo starters tho

The DJ Miko cover of What's Up? is pretty alright - though not as much as Jam Tronik's Another Day in Paradise or A.D.A.M. feat Amy's Zombie

lol Austin quite a swerve-y post there, but yeah this is sort of helpful in making me realize I've completely lost interest in the list as a genre. I'm not sure what I even think a good or bad list of the top 250 songs of the 90s would look like (if it was 250 songs I'd somehow never heard of maybe?)

Oh, I know this Pearl Jam song well ("Corduroy")... wonder how, don't think I've listed to that album.

I still prefer "Dissident" or "Daughter," but whatevs

i cant complain too much about a list where ctrl+F "Neutral Milk Hotel" returns 0 results

yeah sorry kind of "lol this sucks" gut reaction post there. but all told-

-i have many gripes that i will yell and swear about a lot if anyone cares to listen (the big one: not enough digable planets; but also who cares). goes with the territory.

-actually many great picks! some rankings seem trollzy. have to admit the #1 pick is very amusing to me in that respect. really pleased to see odb get that amount of love.

anyway.

Surprising lack of post rock. No Slint or Tortoise. Stereolab missing as well.

i'm sure they'll make the albums list

I don't want to evoke the p word, but I'm not sure how to articulate the (personal) weirdness of, e.g., seeing "Paranoid Android" next to "Believe". I guess lists like this are good for reminding me I don't own the decade just because I grew up during it—or rather this list doesn't need to reflect the 90s zeitgeist itself. That said, there are a few entries (not many) where I am depressed to see dire crap being canonized in a way that seems almost meme-y (What's Up? being a good ex).

Might as well beat the dead horse of "does pitchfork know they make music in countries outside the US/UK?" while I'm here (yeah I know there are some exceptions)

"fantasy" as number 1 is a great choice but the original > the remix

Predictably, all the big beat's gone. Sad!

They had to make room for Wilson Phillips and “Semi-Charmed Life”.

Can someone post the list so I don’t have to trawl through the endless crap of the Pfork website?

Tbh, this is my main complaint about these lists— as much as I love some of your writing about music, I want the list first, and then to investigate further. Not an endless scroll and clicking to next page bullshit about some bullshit songs I don’t care about now and didn’t care about then.

No "next page" this time, just a very slowly loading endless scroll that freezes now and then.

I recommend using a "reading mode" browser extension like Tranquility or Distill.

This is why the internet is absolute bullshit in 2022– I need to download a new browser just to mostly hate-read a listicle that shouldn’t have been published in the first place

Thanks, table!

This is why the internet is absolute bullshit in 2022– I need to download a new browser just to mostly hate-read a listicle that shouldn’t have been published in the first place

^^New Borad Description?

It's kinda interesting to me which vestiges of US indie rock are present (besides the obligatory two Pavement tracks) – a Helium song, a Jawbox song, a Galaxie 500 song (none of which do much for me personally); some warhorses like "Fuck and Run," "Slack Motherfucker," "I See a Darkness," and "Autumn Sweater"; a few tracks by Bikini Kill and Le Tigre; and one song each from Cat Power, Silver Jews, GBV, and Sleater-Kinney (plus three Elliott Smith tracks, if you count him, and a major-label Built to Spill track).

It feels somewhat idiosyncratic, as if it reflects the reviewers' "personal favorites" (which is actually cool & fitting) – even if it doesn't track too closely with my own taste, and misses a few arguably important ones. I'm sure the omissions were well-covered in the site's previous Best of the '90s lists...

Three tracks off OK Computer, two off Goo, two off Fanmail. Weird list.

i like elliott smith but him getting three tracks is bizarre

btw a text list is here (although it's backwards)

Can someone post the list so I don’t have to trawl through the endless crap of the Pfork website?

250. Len: "Steal My Sunshine" (1999)
249. Wu-Tang Clan: "Triumph" (1997)
248. Ani DiFranco: "Both Hands" (1990)
247. Fugazi: "Smallpox Champion" (1993)
246. Wilson Phillips: "Hold On" (1990)
245. Refused: "New Noise" (1998)
244. Deborah Cox: "Nobody's Supposed to Be Here" (1998)
243. Dismemberment Plan: "You Are Invited" (1999)
242. Naughty by Nature: "Feel Me Flow" (1995)
241. Robyn: "Show Me Love" (1995)
240. Pearl Jam: "Corduroy" (1994)
239. JAY-Z: "Dead Presidents II" (1996)
238. Blur: "Song 2" (1997)
237. Gin Blossoms: "Hey Jealousy" (1992)
236. Broadcast: "Echo's Answer" (1999)
235. Tracy Chapman: "Give Me One Reason" (1995)
234. Korn: "Freak on a Leash" (1999)
233. Cypress Hill: "How I Could Just Kill a Man" (1991)
232. Brian Eno / John Cale: "Lay My Love" (1990)
231. Celine Dion: "It's All Coming Back to Me Now" (1996)
230. Cornershop: "Brimful of Asha" (1997)
229. Boyz II Men: "Motownphilly" (1991)
228. Soundgarden: "Black Hole Sun" (1994)
227. Goodie Mob: "Cell Therapy" (1995)
226. Alice in Chains: "Would?" (1992)
225. Jawbox: "Savory" (1994)
224. Luniz: "I Got 5 on It" (1995)
223. The La's: "There She Goes" (1990)
222. RuPaul: "Supermodel (You Better Work)" (1992)
221. Veruca Salt: "Seether" (1994)
220. Blur: "Girls & Boys" (1994)
219. Elvis Crespo: "Suavemente" (1999)
218. Third Eye Blind: "Semi-Charmed Life" (1997)
217. Shanice: "I Love Your Smile" (1991)
216. Blink-182: "Dammit" (1997)
215. Blackstreet: "No Diggity" [ft. Dr. Dre and Queen Pen] (1996)
214. Garbage: "Stupid Girl" (1995)
213. Lil' Kim: "Big Momma Thang" (1996)
212. 4 Non Blondes: "What's Up?" (1990)
211. Whitney Houston: "I'm Every Woman" (1992)
210. Temple of the Dog: "Hunger Strike" (1991)
209. The KLF: "3 a.m. Eternal (Live at the S.S.L.)" (1991)
208. Belly: "Feed the Tree" (1993)
207. Teenage Fanclub: "The Concept" (1991)
206. Mark Morrison: "Return of the Mack" (1996)
205. New Radicals: "You Get What You Give" (1998)
204. Da Brat: "Funkdafied" (1994)
203. Cat Power: "Cross Bones Style" (1998)
202. Mos Def: "Ms. Fat Booty" (1999)
201. Hole: "Doll Parts" (1994)
200. Maxwell: "Ascension (Don't Ever Wonder)" (1996)
199. Helium: "Pat's Trick" (1995)
198. Acen: "Trip II the Moon (Pt. 1 and 2)" (1992)
197. L7: "Pretend We're Dead" (1992)
196. Fiona Apple: "Sleep to Dream" (1996)
195. Björk: "Venus as a Boy" (1993)
194. The Sundays: "Here's Where the Story Ends" (1990)
193. Aimee Mann: "Save Me" (1999)
192. Tony! Toni! Toné!: "Feels Good" (1990)
191. My Bloody Valentine: "When You Sleep" (1991)
190. Gang Starr: "Mass Appeal" (1993)
189. Groove Theory: "Tell Me" (1995)
188. Cocteau Twins: "Cherry-Coloured Funk" (1990)
187. Double 99: "Ripgroove" (1997)
186. Ghostface Killah: "Daytona 500" [ft. Raekwon, Cappadonna, and Force M.D.s] (1996)
185. SWV: "Right Here (Human Nature Remix)" (1992)
184. Wilco: "Via Chicago" (1999)
183. Yo-Yo: "You Can't Play With My Yo-Yo" [ft. Ice Cube] (1991)
182. Spice Girls: "Wannabe" (1996)
181. Dr. Octagon: "Blue Flowers" (1996)
180. Usher: "You Make Me Wanna…" (1997)
179. Metallica: "Enter Sandman" (1991)
178. Raekwon: "Ice Cream" [ft. Method Man, Ghostface Killah, and Cappadonna] (1995)
177. Garth Brooks: "Friends in Low Places" (1990)
176. The Prodigy: "Firestarter" (1997)
175. Galaxie 500: "Fourth of July" (1990)
174. Noreaga: "Superthug" (1998)
173. Elliott Smith: "Waltz #2 (XO)" (1998)
172. En Vogue: "My Lovin' (You're Never Gonna Get It)" (1992)
171. Slowdive: "Alison" (1993)
170. Puff Daddy: "All About the Benjamins" [ft. the Notorious B.I.G., Lil' Kim, Jadakiss, and The Lox] (1997)
169. Ace of Base: "The Sign" (1993)
168. Beenie Man: "Who Am I" (1998)
167. Oasis: "Don't Look Back in Anger" (1995)
166. De La Soul: "Stakes Is High" (1990)
165. Galaxy 2 Galaxy: "Jupiter Jazz" (1993)
164. Smashing Pumpkins: "Mayonaise" (1993)
163. Big Pun: "Still Not a Player" (1998)
162. R.E.M.: "Losing My Religion" (1991)
161. Kelis: "Caught Out There" (1999)
160. Yo La Tengo: "Autumn Sweater" (1997)
159. Public Enemy: "Welcome to the Terrordome" (1990)
158. No Doubt: "Just a Girl" (1995)
157. The Cure: "Friday I'm in Love" (1992)
156. De La Soul: "A Rollerskating Jam Named ‘Saturdays'" (1991)
155. The Verve: "Bitter Sweet Symphony" (1997)
154. UGK: "One Day" (1996)
153. En Vogue: "Free Your Mind" (1992)
152. Superchunk: "Slack Motherfucker" (1990)
151. Origin Unknown: "Valley of the Shadows" (1993)
150. Three 6 Mafia: "Tear Da Club Up" (1997)
149. Elastica: "Connection" (1994)
148. Eminem: "My Name Is..." (1999)
147. Neil Young: "Harvest Moon" (1992)
146. Janet Jackson: "That's the Way Love Goes" (1993)
145. The Notorious B.I.G.: "Hypnotize" (1997)
144. Sheryl Crow: "If It Makes You Happy" (1996)
143. Elliott Smith: "Say Yes" (1997)
142. Beltram: "Energy Flash" (1990)
141. Ice Cube: "It Was a Good Day" (1992)
140. Nirvana: "All Apologies" (1993)
139. Souls of Mischief: "93 'Til Infinity" (1993)
138. Soho: "Hot Music" (1990)
137. OutKast: "Elevators (Me & You)" (1996)
136. Pavement: "Summer Babe" (1992)
135. Craig Mack: "Flava in Ya Ear (Remix)" [ft. The Notorious B.I.G., LL Cool J, Rampage, and Busta Rhymes] (1994)
134. k.d. lang: "Constant Craving" (1992)
133. The Roots: "You Got Me" [ft. Erykah Badu and Eve] (1999)
132. Sonic Youth: "Tunic (Song for Karen)" (1990)
131. Fugees: "Ready or Not" (1996)
130. Jeff Mills: "The Bells" (1997)
129. Green Day: "Basket Case" (1994)
128. MF DOOM: "Rhymes Like Dimes" (1999)
127. Shania Twain: "Man! I Feel Like a Woman!" (1997)
126. 2Pac: "Keep Ya Head Up" (1993)
125. Goldie: "Inner City Life" (1994)
124. Silver Jews: "Wild Kindness" (1998)
123. Bell Biv DeVoe: "Poison" (1990)
122. Method Man: "I'll Be There for You/You're All I Need to Get By" [ft. Mary J. Blige] (1995)
121. Radiohead: "Let Down" (1997)
120. DJ Shadow: "Midnight in a Perfect World" (1996)
119. Salt-N-Pepa: "Shoop" (1993)
118. Rage Against the Machine: "Killing in the Name" (1992)
117. Dawn Penn: "You Don't Love Me (No, No, No)" (1994)
116. The Pharcyde: "Passin' Me By" (1992)
115. Madonna: "Vogue" (1990)
114. Bonnie "Prince" Billy: "I See a Darkness" (1998)
113. R.E.M.: "Nightswimming" (1992)
112. Ol' Dirty Bastard: "Got Your Money" [ft. Kelis] (1999)
111. Isolée: "Beau Mot Plage" (1998)
110. Janet Jackson: "Together Again" (1997)
109. Belle and Sebastian: "The State I Am In" (1996)
108. Crystal Waters: "Gypsy Woman (She's Homeless)" (1991)
107. Fugees: "Killing Me Softly" (1996)
106. Depeche Mode: "Enjoy the Silence" (1990)
105. The Aztec Mystic: "Knights of the Jaguar" (1999)
104. Adina Howard: "Freak Like Me" (1995)
103. Weezer: "Say It Ain't So" (1994)
102. Master P: "Make 'Em Say Uhh!" [ft. Fiend, Silkk the Shocker, Mia X, and Mystikal] (1998)
101. Smashing Pumpkins: "1979" (1995)
100. The Orb: "Little Fluffy Clouds" (1990)
99. Selena: "Bidi Bidi Bom Bom" (1994)
98. The Notorious B.I.G.: "Mo Money Mo Problems" [ft. Puff Daddy and Mase] (1997)
97. Beck: "Loser" (1991)
96. Toni Braxton: "You're Makin' Me High" (1996)
95. Queen Latifah: "U.N.I.T.Y." (1993)
94. Guided by Voices: "Game of Pricks" (1995)
93. Björk: "Human Behaviour" (1993)
92. Chaka Demus / Pliers: "Murder She Wrote" (1992) 
91. Busta Rhymes: "Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See" (1997)
90. Sonic Youth: "Kool Thing" (1990)
89. Camp Lo: "Luchini AKA This Is It" (1997)
88. Massive Attack: "Unfinished Sympathy" (1991)
87. CeCe Peniston: "Finally" (1991) 
86. Sleater-Kinney: "One More Hour" (1997)
85. OutKast: "Rosa Parks" (1998)
84. Erykah Badu: "Tyrone (Live)" (1997)
83. Innerzone Orchestra: "Bug in the Bass Bin" (1996)
82. Radiohead: "Karma Police" (1997)
81. The Chicks: "Wide Open Spaces" (1998)
80. Pépé Bradock: "Deep Burnt" (1999)
79. Dr. Dre: "Still D.R.E." [ft. Snoop Dogg] (1999)
78. My Bloody Valentine: "Only Shallow" (1991)
77. A Tribe Called Quest: "Check the Rhime" (1991)
76. PJ Harvey: "Rid of Me" (1993)
75. Annie Lennox: "Walking on Broken Glass" (1992)
74. Ghost Town DJ's: "My Boo (Hitman's Club Mix)" (1996)
73. Bone Thugs-N-Harmony: "Tha Crossroads" (1996)
72. Natalie Imbruglia: "Torn" (1997)
71. Pete Rock / C.L. Smooth: "They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)" (1992)
70. Everything But the Girl: "Missing (Todd Terry Remix)" (1995)
69. Foo Fighters: "Everlong" (1997)
68. Hole: "Violet" (1994)
67. Robin S.: "Show Me Love" (1993)
66. DMX: "Ruff Ryders' Anthem" (1998)
65. Elliott Smith: "Between the Bars" (1997)
64. The Cardigans: "Lovefool" (1996)
63. Arthur Russell: "This Is How We Walk on the Moon" (1994)
62. Warren G / Nate Dogg: "Regulate" (1994)
61. Built to Spill: "Carry the Zero" (1999)
60. Moodymann: "Shades of Jae" (1999)
59. Whitney Houston: "I Will Always Love You" (1992)
58. A Tribe Called Quest: "Scenario" (1991)
57. Daniel Johnston: "Some Things Last a Long Time" (1990)
56. Erykah Badu: "On & On" (1997)
55. Madonna: "Ray of Light" (1998)
54. TLC: "Creep" (1994)
53. Frankie Knuckles: "The Whistle Song" (1991)
52. Juvenile: "Back That Azz Up" [ft. Mannie Fresh and Lil Wayne] (1999)
51. Le Tigre: "Deceptacon" (1999)
50. Janet Jackson: "If" (1993)
49. Mariah Carey: "Always Be My Baby" (1995)
48. Digable Planets: "Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat)" (1992)
47. Deee-Lite: "Groove Is in the Heart" (1990)
46. Orbital: "Halcyon + On + On" (1993)
45. 2Pac: "California Love" [ft. Dr. Dre and Roger Troutman] (1996)
44. D'Angelo: "Brown Sugar" (1995)
43. The Cranberries: "Dreams" (1992)
42. Sade: "No Ordinary Love" (1992)
41. Geto Boys: "Mind Playing Tricks on Me" (1991)
40. Pavement: "Gold Soundz" (1994)
39. Mary J. Blige: "Real Love" (1992)
38. Fiona Apple: "Paper Bag" (1999)
37. Stardust: "Music Sounds Better With You" (1998)
36. Aaliyah: "One in a Million" (1996)
35. Lauryn Hill: "Ex-Factor" (1998)
34. OutKast: "SpottieOttieDopaliscious" (1998)
33. Alanis Morissette: "You Oughta Know" (1995)
32. TLC: "No Scrubs" (1999)
31. Nine Inch Nails: "Closer" (1994)
30. Brandy / Monica: "The Boy Is Mine" (1998)
29. Massive Attack: "Teardrop" (1998)
28. Britney Spears: "...Baby One More Time" (1998)
27. Dr. Dre: "Nuthin' But a ‘G' Thang" [ft. Snoop Dogg] (1992)
26. Ginuwine: "Pony" (1996)
25. A Tribe Called Quest: "Can I Kick It?" (1990)
24. Radiohead: "Paranoid Android" (1997)
23. Cher: "Believe" (1998)
22. The Breeders: "Cannonball" (1993)
21. Beastie Boys: "Sabotage" (1994)
20. Underworld: "Born Slippy (Nuxx)" (1996)
19. Sinéad O'Connor: "Nothing Compares 2 U" (1990)
18. Pulp: "Common People" (1995)
17. Portishead: "Sour Times" (1994)
16. George Michael: "Freedom! '90" (1990)
15. Mobb Deep: "Shook Ones, Pt. II" (1995)
14. Fiona Apple: "Criminal" (1996)
13. Mazzy Star: "Fade Into You" (1993)
12. Lauryn Hill: "Doo Wop (That Thing)" (1998)
11. Daft Punk: "Around the World" (1997)
10. Bikini Kill: "Rebel Girl" (1992)
9. The Notorious B.I.G.: "Juicy" (1994)
8. Destiny's Child: "Say My Name" (1999)
7. Aphex Twin: "Windowlicker" (1997)
6. Nirvana: "Smells Like Teen Spirit" (1991)
5. Missy Elliott: "The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)" (1997)
4. Liz Phair: "Fuck and Run" (1993)
3. Aaliyah: "Are You That Somebody?" (1998)
2. Björk: "Hyperballad" (1995)
1. Mariah Carey: "Fantasy (Remix)" [ft. Ol' Dirty Bastard] (1995)

It feels somewhat idiosyncratic, as if it reflects the reviewers' "personal favorites" (which is actually cool & fitting)

Yeah whatever it is, it definitely does not feel like a clickbaity "lets reshuffle the canon, sound off about whos underrated & overrated, and toss in a few challopsy inclusions to stir the pot" type of list. Broadly speaking it seems to track with the tastes and interests of the millennial/genZ people i know who are interested in music from the 90s. As weird as they are, most of the picks seem to have been arrived at honestly.

I'd like to see a list of which songs are new to the list, which moved up in the rankings, and which ones dropped off.

It feels somewhat idiosyncratic, as if it reflects the reviewers' "personal favorites" (which is actually cool & fitting)

How does one file a list that isn't a reflection of a reviewer's "personal favorites"? On getting my ballot I thought, "Ah, let me vote for a buncha tunes from thte '90s I still enjoy."

Great! As for what a more "calculated"-feeling list is like, I think One Eye Open nailed it pretty well.

Is "Gold Soundz" at #40 still the highest song from a male-fronted US indie rock act? When it was #1 in 2010, it was joined in the top 10 by Neutral Milk Hotel's "Holland 1945," which now appears to be off the list entirely (unless I missed it). (I'm not complaining or bemoaning this development, just an interesting reflection of the site's shift over time.)

Thanks for posting the list.

I think it’s a good list tbh, and I like most if not all of those songs to some degree.

I just hate the way pitchfork looks and feels so much, there’s a reason I spend more time on ILX than most other places on the internet— too much blinking and rapidly moving ads for me.

Also sorry to offend, Alfred and others— i feel like utter shit at the moment and was projecting my frustration with my face (aka my seasonal allergies) onto the nature of the list in the first place.

I am surprised that “Over the Ocean” by Low didn’t make it, tbh— and also think it makes sense that the two SY are from Goo, as that’s the only songs record SY made in the decade that was really worth a shit, if we’re being honest— there are maybe four songs off of the rest of SY’s discography during the 90s that are truly excellent, even if they work as albums.

Notable omissions off the top of my head:

Chumbawamba - Tubthumping
Semisonic - Closing Time
Marcy Playground - Sex and Candy
Goo Goo Dolls - Iris

Not all of these are great songs. But they are iconically 90s. Guess we all lived through a different decade though huh.

Tho “Youth Against Fascism” would have gotten my vote over “Tunic”

Arguably The Diamond Sea could also have taken Tunic's place, given that it signalled the shift SY would take over the next decade, and is so tied up with Lollapalooza lore.

iconically 90s was "macarena". why isn't macarena #1?

It is meant to be a list of great (not "iconic") songs, lol

macarena taught a nation of 8-year-olds how to dance at a wedding

personally i was 13 at the time and into the cool stuff

Sex and Candy is a great song! But yeah I see your points...

Tho “Youth Against Fascism” would have gotten my vote over “Tunic”

― broccoli rabe thomas (the table is the table), Tuesday, September 27, 2022

Mine too.

Lack of Rednex Cotyon Eye Joe is criminal though.

I was just saying we should take "Protect Ya Neck" out of the canon to make more room for Garth Brooks

xxp's I would have voted for "Sugar Kane," without a second thought...