“La femme d’argent” is a seven-minute pleasure cruise through the cosmos, so immaculate on the ears that there’s no need to turn on – just tune in and chill out. Glassy and downtempo, it felt like a throwback to space-age pop or the “sounds of the future” of the past. In contrast with their fellow countrymen Daft Punk, Air made electronic music that was designed for lounging as opposed to clubbing.

And then there’s the fact that it appeared on the soundtracks to creepy teen films like The Curve and Cruel Intentions. Is Aimee Mann’s 1995 single “You Could Make a Killing” about making a lot of money, or is it about a literal act of murder? It’s probably the former, but there’s something unsettling about the ambient sound effects in the song’s opening seconds – which bring to mind screeching tires and police sirens – as well as lyrics that seem to hint at something unspeakable. Aimee Mann – You Could Make a Killing (1995) If only everyone who attempted this song at karaoke night could muster the same sense of world-weariness.

When Linda Perry sings, “Twenty-five years and my life is still / Tryin’ to get up that great big hill of hope / For a destination” at the start of 4 Non Blondes’ “What’s Up?,” her voice practically cracks with disappointment, as if she’s been living and searching for even longer. Looking to explore some of our best alternative songs of the 90s? Check out our exclusive playlist on Spotify. You’ll see a lot of grunge and Brit-pop represented below, but alternative was a worldwide phenomenon, and that’s why you’ll also see artists from Mexico, Iceland, France, and more.įrom one-hit wonders to era-defining anthems, here are some of the best 90s alternative songs. We’ve got groups whose work in the 80s laid the groundwork for a 90s breakout, and some that were just getting started when they were catapulted to stardom. There’s no one particular sound to alternative, which is why any attempt to whittle the genre down to just 100 songs is almost a Sisyphean endeavor.

Running in the 90s synthesia