5 More Songs you’ve probably forgot about until you read this
article
By: Brian Cotnoir
Is there any more
enjoyable feeling than riding in a car listening to a radio, when all of a
sudden they start playing a song that you loved, but haven’t heard or thought
about for 10-15 years? I think not! It’s amazing how quickly a certain song can
bring back so many fond memories of a time not-so-long-ago. Maybe it was a song you remember hearing for
the first time at a school dance or was playing when you had your first kiss,
or maybe you just have fond memories of riding in the car with your friends
singing these song lyrics as loud as you can, for whatever reason, these songs
often get shuffled into the bottom of the CD pile, but are easily remembered
when heard for the first time in a long time, and I am here again to count down
5 more songs that you’ve probably forgotten about until now.
1.) Everywhere by
Michelle Branch
Somewhere between Liz Phair & Alanis Morissette and Taylor
Swift & Adele, there was Michelle Branch.
She was cute girl with an acoustic guitar before that became a genre of
music. In many ways you could consider
her to be an Indie Artist, but she was much more than that. Her debut single “Everywhere” off her album “The
Spirit Room” launched her into the mainstream music scene. Michelle Branch had
some moderate success in the early 2000’s.
She even won a Grammy in 2003 for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals for
her performance of “Game of Love” with Rock N Roll Legend Carlos Santana. However, this was also a time when the most
popular female recording artists were Pop stars like Britney Spears and
Christina Aguilera. And unlike other similar artists—such as Avril Lavigne and
Nelly Furtado— who jumped on the Pop Princess bandwagon, Michelle Branch stayed
true to herself and unfortunately faded into obscurity.
2.) Back Here by BBMak
It should come as a surprise to no one who reads my music Top 5’s,
but I am quite fond of Boy Bands. I just
think they’re really awesome. I’m not
sure if BBMak technically counts as a
Boy Band, but for arguments sake, I’m going to say that they are one. BBMak wasn’t like other Boy Bands at the time;
there were only 3 of them instead of the usual 5, and they were British. Their debut single “Back Here” made swarms of young girl’s hearts melt, and I think this
is one of the most underappreciated songs released by a Boy Band. I’m dead serious when I say this, Boy Bands
are so old they’re retro now, and they’re making a comeback on radio, and I
think it is solemn duty call our local radio stations and request that they
play more BBMak, and hopefully that will lead to a much overdue BBMak reunion
tour. Maybe they can go on tour with
5ive? or Take That? I’d pay money to see
that show.
3.) Hero by Chad Kroeger
ft. Josey Scott
It seems like each time I do one of these music reviews, I’m a
little bit nicer to Chad Kroeger (but somehow get even more cruel to Avril
Lavigne, but enough about her), and I think one of his few positive contributions
to Popular Music is his song “Hero” which appeared on the “Spiderman” movie soundtrack.
“Spiderman” was released in
theaters only a few months after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and since the film
was set in New York City, this film became a must see for many grieving
American’s. I don’t know whether or not “Hero”
was planned to be included on the soundtrack before or after 9/11, but this
song became an Anthem for many Americans (myself included). “Hero” is not only a song for a superhero
like Spiderman, but it also echoed true with America’s admiration for its real
life superheroes, the members of the NYPD & FDNY. This song was the biggest
deal when it was released and it’s ashamed it doesn’t receive as much attention
as it deserves.
4.) C’Mon N’ Ride it (The
Train) by Quad City DJ’s
I’m not really a fan or Rap or Hip-Hop, but if I had to pick a
favorite subgenre, I’d have to say it’s definitely Miami bass. Bands like Tag Team, 2 Live Crew, and Quad
City DJ’s have produced some of my favorite dance tracks. Tracks,
like “C’mon N’ Ride it (the Train)” by Florida’s Quad City DJ’s is one of
those tracks. This is a pure party song,
and I can remember hearing it fondly being played down at my local roller rink,
and everyone skating and having a good time.
We need more DJ’s to play this song not only on the radio, but at
weddings, high school dances, house parties, and everywhere else.
5.) It Happens Every Time (Dream Street) by
Dream Street
The final nail in Boy Band Coffin of the late 90’s and early
2000’s has to Dream Street. They were
one of the last boy bands to have success
radio stations began to shift away from this kind of music in favor of Rap and
Hip-Hop Artists like Eminem, 50-Cent, Ludacris, Outkast, and many others. Unlike, other boy bands at the time that
featured grown men in the early to mid-20’s, Dream Street consisted of actual teenage
boys, the most popular and famous of which was Jesse McCartney, who would later
become Disney’s early 2000’s version of Zac Efron, before a company like Disney
knew what to do with a Zac Efron. Unlike
other Boy Bands who broke up after they became famous, Dream Street broke up
just before they became famous, because the parents claimed that the groups
producers exposed them to things like booze and pornography.
