5 Songs that were Popular in the 90's that you never hear on the Radio Anymore (PART II)

5 Songs that were popular in the 90’s that you never hear on the Radio Anymore (Part II)

By: Brian Cotnoir

5.)  How Bizarre by OMC

     There was hardly an episode of the Rosie O’Donnell Show that went by where she didn’t burst into this song.  This song by New Zealander group OMC (short for Otara Millionaires Club) found success in 1997, and had the whole word saying “How Bizarre/How Bizarre/How Bizarre”.

4.)  I Swear by All-4-One

All-4-One was a Fantastic R&B group from Glendale, California.  They were at their most popular when the airwaves were being dominated by groups and artists such as Boyz II Men and Mariah Carey.  The groups most popular hit was “I Swear” a powerful and soulful love ballad.  The song was so popular that it earned the group a Grammy Award in 1995.  A little known fact is that this is actually a cover song.  The song “I swear” was originally covered by Country Musician John Michael Montgomery.  Montgomery’s version of “I Swear” reached #1 on the Country charts in the U.S. and Canada.  However, I still prefer All-4-One’s cover, it’s a shame this track is played more on Hip-Hop and R&B stations.

3.)  Smooth by Carlos Santana ft. Rob Thomas

     Guitar legend Carlos Santana teamed up with Matchbox 20 front man Rob Thomas in 1999 on his album Supernatural.  This song was everywhere in 1999, it was almost impossible to turn to a radio station and not hear “Smooth” playing.  The songs popularity helped earn Carlos Santana 2-of-his-8 Grammys in 2000.

2.)  Tubthumping by Chumbawamba

All though I am not surprised that the band Chumbawamba failed miserably as a commercial act:  They were an Anarcho-Punk act from England, and their mission was not to be a commercial success.  This track—somehow—just became a massive success for the band.  With the easy to remember and repetitive lyrics “I get knocked down/but I get up again and you’re never going to keep me down!”.  Well when you write a song with lyrics that simple, it’s d@mn catchy and almost impossible to not sing-a-long too.  Not only am I surprised that you don’t here “Tubthumping” on the radio anymore, but seriously when is the last time you’ve heard this song played in a pub or a karaoke bar?  This song seems like it should be a staple in both of those establishments

1.)  One of Us by Joan Osborne

Now, I’m not a religious person—by any stretch of the imagination—but there’s no denying this is a great song.  A song that asks many great questions like: “What if God was one of us?”  This song was popular in the 90’s—it earned 3 Grammy Nominations—but it also received many complaints and criticisms from people who claimed the lyrics were “Anti-Christian” and “Offensive to the Church”.  I personally, don’t hear any of those kinds of messages in songwriter/guitarist Eric Bazillian’s lyrics.  I also don’t believe that anyone other than Joan Osborne could sing this song as well or better.  She really does take the song to the next level. It baffles me to no end that this song is not played on the radio anymore.  When you consider that you can still hear similar sounding and equally as great songs like Edwin McCain’s “I’ll Be” still being played then it begs the question, why not Joan Osborne’s “One of Us”?

5 Songs that were Popular in the 90's that you never hear on the Radio Anymore (Part I)