The fact of way some songs become hits has strange ways of doing so - they might hit the right nerve of the critics and audiences at one point, for them to change their minds as time passes. At the same time, other songs got panned by both of them but still made it, for some reason or other.
During the 1990s, the formulas for pop were quite firmly defined, and a large number of songs that stuck to any of these did make it big, even if they shouldn’t have.
Since it was a decade that is still relatively clear in our minds, quite a few of these linger on, and you can hear them played over and over - out of fun (and making fun) or in earnest, even though they, like the eight below, still sound often as they did then.
These hit songs from the 1990s sound as bad today as they did then
“How Am I Supposed To Live Without You” - Michael Bolton (1990)
This song Bolton wrote along with Doug James back in the eighties had a double run at the top- first as it was sung by Laura Branigan back in 1983 (bearable) and than by Bolton himself at the turn of the decade in his oh so middle of the road style that is more often than not - quite unbearable to most fans of the more rockier stuff.
"Everything I Do (I Do It for You)" - Bryan Adams (1991)
Another king of the (middle) road Adams (along with Michael Kamen, and Robert John "Mutt" Lange) wrote this one for then big film hit Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves starring Kevin Costner, making the song a big hit then, hopefully not again, as it is as mushy and gooey as it was when it first came out.
“I’m Too Sexy” - Right Said Fred (1992)
While the band themselves came up with this disco-like confection as some sort of tongue-in-cheek thing with its on-surface inane lyrics, some took it in earnest, as they were not too enamored with the genres that dominated at the time, grunge and hip hop. Gets played often these days due to Taylor Swift’s sample in “Look What You Made Me Do” (a song miles above).
“Boombastic” - Shaggy (1995)
Another proof that being featured in a Levi’s commercial can get you far, no matter whether the song deserves it or not, as this watered-down reggae by Shaggy topped the charts in quite a few countries. Back when it was released, some critics quite loved this one, for some reason or other. If it did have in charm, it surely wore off quite quickly.
“Barbie Girl” - Aqua (1997)
No decade runs without novelty songs, and this Danish-Norwegian band was responsible (guilty party) for this one. Sticking as much as it could to the extremely popular Euro-dance, Euro-disco formula, it grates the ears today as it did then, not even getting a revival when the Barbie film came around a few years ago.
“My Heart Will Go On” - Celine Dion (1997)
There should be no dispute that Celine Dion can sing; the problem comes up when she picks (or is given) a song to sing. It is usually overly melodramatic, too much sugar in the coffee-style stuff that becomes unbearable as it goes on. And like Titanic, the film it was featured in, this one goes on too long.
“MMMBop” - Hanson (1997)
Like novelty songs, the nineties have their good share of strictly teenage-oriented bands, and for that decade, Hanson were it. As is usually the case for teen bands, record companies set them up with some dreadful, formulaic stuff, and this one certainly fits that bill perfectly.
“We Like to Party” - Vengaboys (1998)
They loved their Euro-dance stuff in Europe in the 1990s. And while some of that stuff was both interesting and danceable, this diluted ditty by a Dutch group of two girls and two guys certainly doesn’t qualify in that category.