POO: 1990s AOR Radio Pop

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There was one big question in my mind over Christmas: who is the daddy? "Roll To Me" by Del Amitri (video features the band pretending to be babies in prams) or the uber-awesome "Breakfast At Tiffany's" by Deep Blue Something (video features the band gadding about with an elephant). Then I remembered that "Dance The Night Away" by The Mavericks was the best single of the 90s. The video for that featured the band and assorted members of the public dancing through a supermarket.

Also worthy of note: "Independant Love Song" by Scarlet (the band Tatu wish they could be) and, of course, "Looking Back (Over My Shoulder)" by drivetime kings Mike and the Mechanics. It's hard to believe the same band that produced the excreable "The Living Years" could drop a cut that great into the charts. But they did, and we're all the better for it.

Please note that "Alisha Rules The World" is not an acceptable answer here.

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Monday, 30 December 2002 11:19 (twenty-three years ago)

Tempting as it is to try and rescue Dance The Night Away from its current car-advert-induced hell, Independent Love Song just feels utterly unbeatable somehow. They were from Hull, and one of them turned up on here last time this was brought up. Magic.

I have this thing for Lonestar's "Amazed", too, but I dunno if that was 90's.

― William Bloody Swygart (mrswygart), Monday, 30 December 2002 11:48 (twenty-three years ago)

Sixpence None The Richer's 'Kiss Me' is a contender

i hear they won an award at the Christian Music Awards or something - thats quite worrying somehow

― stevem (blueski), Monday, 30 December 2002 12:41 (twenty-three years ago)

then there's Sophie B Hawkins 'Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover', Joan Osborne's 'One Of Us' (tho I thought that was horrible, or is that the point?!), Filter's 'Take A Picture' (tho that might have been 2000), Imbruglia's 'Torn' (and 'Smoke' which is also passable), Crowded House 'Weather With You' and numerous U2 hits

alas i cant quite pick one only, but there are some more suggestions

― stevem (blueski), Monday, 30 December 2002 12:46 (twenty-three years ago)

it's gotta be 'you gotta be' by des'ree. that deep blue something song is utter rubbish.

― maura (maura), Monday, 30 December 2002 13:46 (twenty-three years ago)

yeh, its so rubbish they dont appear to have bothered writing any other songs...and now they all run a hardware store in Newark, maybe

― stevem (blueski), Monday, 30 December 2002 13:50 (twenty-three years ago)

dont forget Donna Allen's 'I Love You Always Forever' - she was Welsh you know

― stevem (blueski), Monday, 30 December 2002 14:32 (twenty-three years ago)

all my suggestions have been mentioned already! but there's always Martika, if her hits were in the 90s...

― zebedee, Monday, 30 December 2002 14:41 (twenty-three years ago)

'Love Thy Will Be Done' was 90s Martika, as was 'Martika's Kitchen' i'm pretty sure

― stevem (blueski), Monday, 30 December 2002 14:42 (twenty-three years ago)

Heather Nova -- Walk This World

― jm (jtm), Tuesday, 31 December 2002 02:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I think I might have a totally different concept of 90s AOR than is being used here. Smashing Pumpkins would be the kings of the genre as I see it, with "Cherub Rock" probably being their best single. The Offspring's "Gone Away" was a surprising contender. The Chilli Peppers' "Under the Bridge" might emerge victorious though. Or else I'm just swayed because I heard it yesterday and was surprised to like it.

― sundar subramanian (sundar), Tuesday, 31 December 2002 02:09 (twenty-three years ago)

The Gin Blossoms' "Hey Jealousy," without a doubt.

― My name is Kenny (My name is Kenny), Tuesday, 31 December 2002 05:04 (twenty-three years ago)

Liz Phair, "Polyester Bride"

― M Matos (M Matos), Tuesday, 31 December 2002 06:51 (twenty-three years ago)

Duran Duran, "Ordinary World" by far

― Vinnie (vprabhu), Tuesday, 31 December 2002 19:46 (twenty-three years ago)

"Hey Jealousy" and "Kiss Me" both = quite good!

But if anything kings the genre of 90s AOR pop it sort of must, by definition, be Fountains of Wayne's "Radiation Vibe."

― nabisco (nabisco), Tuesday, 31 December 2002 19:50 (twenty-three years ago)

surely Smashing Pumpkins were 90s YOUTH Orientated Rock until the very end of that decade when the majority of their fanbase were late 20s...they had the necessary anger, passion and nonchalance to mark them out from the kind of bands and songs discussed here

― stevem (blueski), Tuesday, 31 December 2002 19:55 (twenty-three years ago)

I went to Pittsburgh / and joined a pro team
Talk about a bad dream! / I broke my knee
But I can still croon / and make the girls swoon
Isn't that the way life's / supposed to be?

(Sorry: I'm having a sudden rush of affection for "Radiation Vibe," actually, bear with me. I rank it right up there with "I Melt With You" in the genre-less idealized pop sweepstakes, smash hits whether anyone heard them or not, songs where the particular stylings are blank and meaningless because they're only templates for the sort of hooks pretty much everyone enjoys.)

― nabisco (nabisco), Tuesday, 31 December 2002 19:59 (twenty-three years ago)

"Counting Blue Cars" by Dishwalla

― Curtis Stephens, Tuesday, 31 December 2002 20:17 (twenty-three years ago)

Does the A in AOR stand for "album" or "adult"?

― sundar subramanian (sundar), Tuesday, 31 December 2002 20:44 (twenty-three years ago)

Yes.

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Tuesday, 31 December 2002 20:45 (twenty-three years ago)

oh wait, if it's album, then I'll go with the Pumpkins

― Curtis Stephens, Wednesday, 1 January 2003 01:09 (twenty-three years ago)

adult.

― Julio Desouza (jdesouza), Wednesday, 1 January 2003 12:07 (twenty-three years ago)

Duran Duran - Come Undone, MSP - Motorcycle Emptiness, Orlando - Nature's Hated, Texas - Halo, Soul Asylum - Somebody To Shove and Runaway Train, Senseless Things - Christine Keeler, all of Dog Man Star, Electronic - Get The Message, Depeche Mode - Enjoy The Silence.

all of these songs are aor.

― Wyndham Earl, Thursday, 2 January 2003 01:43 (twenty-three years ago)

Steve M meant Doona Lewis and is otherwise correct about it, except possibly the Welsh thing.

― Graham (graham), Thursday, 2 January 2003 02:15 (twenty-three years ago)

all of Dog Man Star

Spot on!

I'd like to wave the flag for Charles & Eddie's "Would I Lie To You", if only for the ultra-polite bontempi-rawk riffola punctuating it.

― Charlie (Charlie), Thursday, 2 January 2003 02:24 (twenty-three years ago)

The Refreshments: Banditos

Because the world is full of stupid people...

― jm (jtm), Thursday, 2 January 2003 05:21 (twenty-three years ago)

was it Donna Lewis? my mistake...i'm sure i read something about the oddness of her having a big hit with it in the States based on the fact that she was born in Wales, or England - could be wrong again tho

― stevem (blueski), Thursday, 2 January 2003 10:59 (twenty-three years ago)

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