I was listening to Dr. Dre today and thought this would make a good topic. I suspect that the evolution of a person's musical tastes and the "golden age" of a person's music listening life occurs in their teenage years (13 to 20). With that in mind - What songs did you listen to repeatedly for extended periods of time when you were a teenager? Songs that you listened to constantly and you memorized as a result.
Some observations on my own list:
I was a teenager from 1992 to 1999. Lots of great rap music here, some alternative, a surprising amount of R&B. Not much grunge or metal mostly because I would listen to entire albums rather than specific songs over and over again. Additionally, there is a clear delineation where I stopped listening to pop music (1995) which happened to coincide with when I started driving and listening to grunge and metal CDs in my car rather than the radio. So there are virtually no songs from 1996 through 1999 that I listened to regularly without also listening to an entire album.
It also goes without saying that the 1990s had the best music. Grunge was in its heyday and alternative was becoming more populer. Rap music (hell, Wu Tang isn't even on this list) was at its height (it's gone WAY downhill), and there was amazing pop music.
Boyz II Men - "End of the Road" (1992) - This is still one of my favorite songs.
Ministry - NWO (1992) - This might be the first metal song I listened to regularly.
PM Dawn - "Set Adrift" (1991/1992) - I haven't listened to this song in a long time, but loved it back in the early 1990s.
Nirvana - "Where Did you Sleep Last Night" (from the MTV Unplugged album) (1993). I'm not a big Nirvana fan, but their unplugged album is ridiculous.
Clutch - "A Shogun Named Marcus" (1993) - Still on my regular playlist (doesn't sound anything like Clutch sounds now).
Dr. Dre - "Nothing but a G Thang" (1993) It was really difficult to get this tape at The Wall when you're 14 years old. This is on my regular playlist.
Proclaimers - "500 Miles" (1993) - Until today, I don't think I've listened to this song in 10+ years. And seriously... haver?
Cypress Hill - "Insane in the Brain" (1993) Still on my regular playlist along with a lot of Cypress Hill.
Korn - "Shoots and Ladders" (1994) Korn's first album is still amazing. The entire album is on my regular playlist.
Warren G - "Regulate" (1994) Still on my regular playlist.
Crash Test Dummies - "The Psychic" (1994) This is such a weird band. This is the only Crash Test Dummies song I still listen to.
Us3 - Cantaloop (1994) Another song I hadn't heard in years, but I remember every word.
Dave Matthews Band - Warehouse (1994) This started a DMB kick for me (it didn't help that half of the girls in high school liked DMB). I was close to turning down that path rather than the path I ended up choosing. Nevertheless, this song is still in my regular playlist.
Live - I Alone (1995) The entire Throwing Copper album is on my regular playlist.
The Prodigy - Poison (1995) Such a ridiculously great song.
Seal - Kiss from a Rose (1995) If you were a teenager in 1995, this was a song you had to know.
Montell Jordan - This is How We Do It (1995) I hate this song now. It's so poppy.
Filter - Hey Man Nice Shot (1995) I have no idea what happened to these guys. Still in my regular playlist.
Dave Matthews Band - Lie in our Graves (1996) This is a really good song when you're a senior in high school.
Sublime - April 29 1992 (1996) I'm not as big a fan of this song now than I was in 1996. Go figure.
The Verve Pipe - The Freshman (1996) I still listen to this song.
Creed - My Own Prison (1997) Yeah, I know it's Creed but I really love this song.
Jay-Z - Big Pimpin (1999) In 1999 I didn't really listen to any new rap, but I worked at a gym in west Philadelphia and one of the guys I worked with was from west Philly and introduced me to Jay-Z. I couldn't find a good youtube with the regular version.
