Fifty years ago, I made my first appeared on the Earth. In celebration, we are going to take a look at the year-end Billboard Hot 100 singles chart for each year of my life and see what songs resonated with me at the time and if they continue to do so to this day.
We continue our look back at the music of my lifetime with 1994, the year I settled on a major, finished my second year of college, started my third year, and turned 20. Only 57 songs on the Hot 100 remain familiar to me today, with 42 of them appearing in my collection in one way or another.
#97: Haddaway – What Is Love
iTunes stats: N/A
The debut single from the singer managed to make the year-end charts two years running despite peaking at #11 in the fall of 1993.
#95: General Public – I’ll Take You There
iTunes stats: N/A
Featured in the film Threesome, this cover of the classic by The Staple Singers reached #22 on the Hot 100.
#92: Melissa Etheridge – I’m the Only One
iTunes stats: 20 plays
The lead single from Etheridge’s fourth studio album, it was re-released following the success of Come to My Window and managed to surpass it, hitting #8.
#91: Bon Jovi – Always
iTunes stats: 2 plays
The requisite new song added to the greatest hits album, it became the band’s eleventh, and final, top ten hit, topping out at #4.
#89: The Four Seasons – December, 1963 (Oh What a Night)
iTunes stats: 27 plays
This remix spent 27 weeks on the chart, matching its original run across 1975 and 1976, and peaked at #14.
#85: Ini Kamoze – Here Comes the Hotstepper
iTunes stats: N/A
Spending two weeks at #1 in December of 1994, it was the only single from the Jamaican artist to break into the Top 40.
#82: Queen Latifah – U.N.I.T.Y.
iTunes stats: 21 plays
Confronting the disrespect of women in society and slurs against women in hip-hop culture, the song remains Latifah’s biggest pop hit, reaching #23.
#77: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers – Mary Jane’s Last Dance
iTunes stats: 32 plays
Petty’s first Top 20 hit since 1989, it topped out at #13 on the Hot 100 and topped the Album Rock Tracks chart for two weeks.
#76: Culture Beat – Mr. Vain
iTunes stats: 13 plays
The German group’s only single to chart in the US, it went to #17.
#72: Aerosmith – Amazing
iTunes stats: 17 plays
Featuring backing vocals from Don Henley, the track peaked at #3 on the Album Rock Tracks chart and #24 on the Hot 100.
#68: Aerosmith – Crazy
iTunes stats: 28 plays
Accompanied by a video featuring Alicia Silverstone and Liv Tyler, this last single from Get a Grip reached #17.
#65: 69 Boyz – Tootsee Roll
iTunes stats: 19 plays
The group’s debut single, it became the only one to crack the Top 30, topping out at #8.
#63: Real McCoy – Another Night
iTunes stats: 20 plays
The German group’s first single to chart in the US, it went all the way to #3, where it spent a record-setting eleven non-consecutive weeks.
#62: Snoop Doggy Dogg – What’s My Name?
iTunes stats: 57 plays
The first solo outing from the west coast rapper, it peaked at #8
#61: 2Pac – Keep Ya Head Up
iTunes stats: 19 plays
Focusing on black womanhood, the rap track reached #12.
#60: Jodeci – Cry for You
iTunes stats: 19 plays
Topping out at #15 on the Hot 100, the lead single from the group’s sophomore album sat atop both the R&B/Hip-Hop songs chart and the Billboard Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop airplay chart.
#59: Warren G – This D.J.
iTunes stats: 15 plays
The second single from the rapper’s debut album, it was his second straight top ten hit, going to #9.
#55: Domino – Getto Jam
iTunes stats: 15 plays
The rapper’s debut single became his one and only top ten hit, peaking at #7.
#54: Bruce Springsteen – Streets of Philadelphia
iTunes stats: N/A
Recorded for the soundtrack to Philadelphia, it reached #9, becoming Springsteen’s twelfth and final top ten hit.
#52: Snoop Doggy Dogg – Gin and Juice
iTunes stats: 49 plays
Nominated for a Grammy, the second solo single from Snoop went to #8.
#51: Gin Blossoms – Found Out About You
iTunes stats: 23 plays
Originally written in the mid-80s by the band’s former guitarist, it peaked at #25.
#50: Beck – Loser
iTunes stats: 16 plays
Beck’s first single to chart on any major chart, it reached #10 in April and was named one of the 500 best pop songs of all time by Billboard magazine.
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Music. It is a powerful thing that brings people together, creates memories, and evokes emotions. It is the universal language that speaks to the soul. It forms the soundtrack of our lives.
3 years ago, we first counted down the then Top 100 songs in my iTunes library. Since that time, I’ve successfully managed to migrate my music collection to a new PC with the stats intact. So, I figured it was time to take another look, expanding out the field to the top 200 songs, based on number of plays as of January 1, 2016.