Top Party Songs from the 90's

By: Nanette Pawelek

With holiday, New Year, and post New Year parties in full swing, flavorful music, especially from decades past, often weasel their way into the playlist.

Imagine, you're socializing with friends, having a drink, enjoying some delightful party snacks, and suddenly, the relatively composed guests lift their arms and catapult their bodies into the air to Kris Kross's epic 90's song, "Jump." People that you would not imagine just "bust a move," as the rapper "Young MC" coined a year before the epic 90's began, and showcase their lyrical lip syncing talents they forgot they had. Heads bobble, and bodies crash up and down on the dance floor as the words, "Jump, jump/ The Mac Dad will make ya Jump Jump / The Daddy Mac will make ya Jump Jump / Kris Kross will make ya Jump Jump" seamlessly slide off the tips of their tongues into the equally enthusiastic crowd.

The song comes to an unfortunate end, and you and your friends look at each other, smile, slightly proud and maybe even a little shocked, and think, "Those were the days." You laugh a little, and then return to the contemporary moment.

While Kross's unforgettable "Jump" may prompt current audiences to lose themselves in a decade past, it's hard to forget how often 90's music inspired collective dancing and even uncanny fashion selections such as the illustrious "Hammer pants." These inventive, yet ironic re- appropriation of "harem" pants, were more than just fashion. They were a way of life and possessed a distinct attitude: carefree, agile, and truly "funky." MC Hammer lit up the stage with these carefully tapered at the ankle "parachute pants," as he relayed, "You can't touch this/ Yo, let me bust the funky lyrics/ You can't touch this/ Fresh new kicks, advance / You gotta like that, now, you know you wanna dance." Everyone was on board and wanted to dance. In fact, they still do. It's quite the dare, really: try listening to "U can't Touch This" without either dancing, singing, or wishing you could resurrect part of your former wardrobe.

Hammer's fashion and catchy lyrics were not the only epidemic to sweep audiences off their feet. Boy bands and girl groups rocked stages everywhere. Many teens wept as Jonathan Knight and the rest of the "" disbanded in the early 90's, but they weren't lonely for long. The , N'Sync, and 98 degrees dominated the boy band world while The Spice Girls, Destiny's Child, and TLC commanded the girl group front.

Girls swooned as , A.J. McLean, , Kevin Richardson, and promised, "I'll never break your heart/ I'll never make you cry/ I'd rather die than live without you/ I'll give you all of me/ Honey, that's no lie." As if that were not enough, teenagers and many more across the globe partied in rhythm and in step to the Spice Girls' infectious, "Yo I'll tell you what I want, what I really really want/ So tell me what you want, what you really really want/ I wanna, I wanna, I wanna, I wanna, I wanna really/ really really wanna zigazig ha/ If you wanna be my lover, you gotta get with my friends/ Make it last forever friendship never ends/ If you wanna be my lover, you have got to give/ Taking is too easy, but that's the way it is."

Indeed, taking is too easy, and TLC illustrated that point with taking bangs, midriff tops, baggy pants, and football "war paint" to another dimension as they chimed, "Don't go chasing waterfalls/ Please stick to the rivers and the lakes that you're used to/ I know that you're gonna have it your way or nothing at all/ But I think you're moving too fast."

Whether group endeavors, feature albums, certain singles, or one-hit wonders, the 90's went too fast and took some of our greatest moves, irreconcilable fashion choices, and parties to an entirely new level. It's difficult to leave some of our most loved and detested tunes behind like Wilson Phillips' "Hold On," Bryan Adams's "(Everything I do) I do it for you," Sir Mix-a-Lot's "Baby Got Back," Chumbawamba's "Tubthumping," Hanson's "MMM Bop," Sugar Ray's "Every Morning," and Smashmouth's "All Star." Arguably, if someone were to ask you to categorize the top 90's party hits utilizing one phrase, you may simply shrug, recycle Right Said Fred's irreplaceable, "I'm too sexy for ... [fill in your own blank], and quickly add his original song to your next party playlist.

Image Sources:

MC Hammer image http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otCpCn0l4Wo

Spcie Girls image http://www.virgin.com/music/virgin-records-disruptors-spice-girls