Top 10 Best Hit Songs of 1995

Top 10 Best Hit Songs of 1995

Hello everyone, and welcome to my list of the Best Hit Songs of 1995. Now, 1995 was an overall good year for music. Not great, but good (much like 2012 in that way). Hip-Hop and R&B were king, Rock was in it’s edgy phase, Pop was nearly nonexistent (although R&B and House filled its role quite nicely) and the Billboard rules prevented Country from charting on the Hot 100 for the most part. Overall, this year scored 317 points out of a possible 450 points for the 90 songs that debuted on the 1995 Year-End list (a 70.4/100), although a few of them were Double A-Sides, so I was going with the ones that were featured on the playlists I listened to. Anyway, I think it’s time we get to the list, so on to the Honorable Mentions!

Honorable Mention: Hold On by Jamie Walters (Peak: #16, Year-End: #52)

Yeah, I know that this song is incredibly cheesy, and it could very easily be seen as insincere, but I don’t care, I like it.

Honorable Mention: I’ll Be There For You/You’re All I Need To Get By by Method Man ft. Mary J. Blige (Peak: #3, Year-End: #42)

A Hip-Hop Soul duet by rapper Method Man and singer Mary J. Blige, IBTFY/YAINTGB samples an old Marvin Gaye/Tammi Terrell duet and updates it for the 90s, with lyrics about sticking by eachother no matter what. The instrumentals have kind of a Halloween vibe to me, and while I’m sure it was unintentional, it’s still an interesting sound.

Honorable Mention: Carnival by Natalie Merchant (Peak: #10, Year-End: #60)

A chill Alt-Rock track about walking the streets of New York City and seeing it as being like a carnival. The lyrics are loaded with detail, and I really like Natalie’s voice on this song. I may not be the biggest fan of the angsty side of Alt-Rock, but this is something I can get behind.

Honorable Mention: Every Little Thing I Do by Soul For Real (Peak: #17, Year-End: #45)

This has got to be one of the most subtly infectious grooves I’ve ever heard. Sure, the lyrics and sentiment are pretty basic, but when you have a beat this strong, that doesn’t really matter.

Honorable Mention: As I Lay Me Down by Sophie B. Hawkins (Peak: #6, Year-End: #39)

Ooh boy, Gabe’s putting another sappy AC ballad on his best list, isn’t he? Well, yes I am. Sure, Sophie B. Hawkins could enunciate a bit more and the lyrics are pretty cheesy, but dang is it adorable!

Honorable Mention: Every Day Of The Week by Jade (Peak: #20, Year-End: #74)

A fun, upbeat R&B jam about wanting to be with your lover, you guessed it, every day of the week. 1995 as a cornucopia of great R&B, and this was just one of the many flavors.

Honorable Mention: Brokenhearted by Brandy ft. Wanya Morris (Peak: #9, Year-End: #77)

Speaking of great R&B from 1995, Brandy brought along Wanya Morris of Boyz II Men (who I may or may not be talking about later on in this post, spoiler alert) for a smooth duet about, well, being brokenhearted. The instrumentals and vocals both capture the melancholic mood of the song incredibly well, and it’s an all around great song (as if that wasn’t implied by it being an Honorable Mention). 

Honorable Mention: Freek’N You by Jodeci (Peak: #14, Year-End: #57)

The last song was nice and all, but right now I want something a bit more… freaky ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°). Yeah, this is a sex song, and a dang good one at that. The 90s were known for having a lot of sultry R&B jams, and this is a prime example of that trend. If I ever make a playlist of baby-making songs, this will be a sure addition.

Honorable Mention: Big Poppa by Notorious B.I.G. (Peak: #6, Year-End: #47)

Hopefully this will make up for putting Biggie on my worst list (albeit as a feature), because yeah, Big Poppa is a 90s Hip-Hop classic for dang good reason. Heavily sampling Between The Sheets by The Isley Brothers (also known as one of the sexiest songs I’ve ever heard) for the beat, Big Poppa adds a classic 90s G-Funk synth line on top of it to make one of the best beats in in Hip-Hop history, with Biggie raps over with ease. As for what he’s rapping about, well, it’s exactly what you’d expect a party-themed Hip-Hop song to be about, but done extremely well. R.I.P. Biggie, 1972-1997.

Honorable Mention: Take A Bow by Madonna (Peak: #1, Year-End: #8)

Yet another slow ballad that Gabingston’s putting on his best list, huh? Sure, it’s quintessential grocery store music (believe me, I’ve worked at a grocery store), but I don’t care, this is a dang good breakup ballad.

Honorable Mention: Sugar Hill by AZ (Peak: #25, Year-End: #84)

So, apparently this song is from the perspective of a retired drug lord who lives a life of luxury while avoiding being captured. I mean, I got the luxury part from just listening to it, but I didn’t get the other part until I looked at the Genius page. Ah, whatever, I still like it.

Honorable Mention: Fantasy by Mariah Carey (Peak: #1, Year-End: #7)

I swear it’s impossible to listen to this song without smiling. This was one of the few straight-ahead Pop songs on the Year-End list, and boy am I glad that this was as big as it was (granted, Mariah Carey basically owned the 90s, so it would’ve been a hit regardless, but still).

Honorable Mention: Feel Me Flow by Naughty By Nature (Peak: #17, Year-End: #73)

This was the final cut from the Top 10, and I can’t say that it wasn’t painful. The song is full of clever wordplay and has a groovy beat, so it ended up being one of my favorite Hip-Hop hits of the year. However, it wasn’t quite enough to end up on the list proper. So, in order to have beaten this and all the other songs below this, my #10 has to have been pretty… Good.

#10: Good by Better Than Ezra (Peak: #30, Year-End: #85)

It may be surprising to some that there wasn’t a whole lot of Rock on the Year-End list for 1995. That’s not because Rock wasn’t popular in the Mid 90s, but because most of it wasn’t released physically, thus meaning that it was ineligible to chart at the time. However, there were songs that crossed over, one of which was the #10 song on this list.

So, why did this, Good by Better Than Ezra, make the list over all those other songs I talked about earlier? Well, it’s right there in the title, it’s Good. The lyrics are about being dumped, finding a letter that said “it was good living with you”, but rather than breaking his heart (as it would for most people), his response is along the lines of “ah well, it was good”. The instrumental is fairly standard for 90s Alt-Rock, but it’s very well done 90s Alt-Rock. Sure, the frontman isn’t the most technically impressive singer, but he still gets the job done, all around producing a great Alt-Rock song. Now, how about something that has had a bit more of a legacy than this?

#9: Dear Mama by 2Pac (Peak: #9, Year-End: #51)

While Biggie may have made it into the Honorable Mentions, it was Tupac who actually got onto this list, landing at #9 with his ode to his mother. Now, I should clarify that I am WAYYY out of my depth talking about this, as I’m a white guy from the suburbs, but I’ll try to get through this as respectfully and tactfully as I can.

In the first verse, Tupac details how he grew up impoverished and often had a strained relationship with his mom, getting into trouble and receiving harsh punishment as a result, but that he nonetheless appreciates her efforts in retrospect. In the second verse, he talks about his search for something to fill the role of a father in his life, which led him to join a gang who filled that void. Even with that, his mom didn’t dessert him, and was there when he needed her the most. Finally, the third verse is him reflecting upon the good times he had as a child, and he thanks his mother for raising him as well as she could, and that he can’t fully pay her back for all her sacrifices. I could’ve quoted some of the lyrics, but I didn’t feel like I could effectively quote any lines out of the context of the rest of the song. I’d highly recommend you check out the Genius page for the full context.

Now, I’m sure we all know what happened to Tupac. He was tragically murdered the following year at the age of 25. As for his mother, she passed away in 2016, so R.I.P. to the both of them. The reason this isn’t higher is because I can’t really relate to it, so I think it’s in my best interest to move on to #8.

#8: Tell Me by Groove Theory (Peak: #5, Year-End: #65)

Yeah, this is gonna be quite a bit easier to talk about than the last entry, so let’s get right into it. The upbeat R&B groove is strong, and the lyrics are simply about the narrator having a crush on a guy and waiting for a sign if he feels the same way.

“Tell me if you want me to give you all my time

Wanna make it good for you 'cause you blow my mind

I promise, boy, that I'll be true, you're the perfect find

So tell me if you want me to”

I mean, those aren’t the most out-of-the-box lyrics I’ve ever heard, but I’d say they work for the simple love song that this is, especially when the singer has a really good voice. Overall, it was a pleasant discovery that easily earned its spot on this list. So, what could follow this at #7? Well, how about one of the biggest hits of the decade?

#7: Gangsta’s Paradise by Coolio ft. L.V. (Peak: #1, Year-End: #1)

Yeah, Dear Mama isn’t the only Hip-Hop hit on this list that is way out of my depth, as Gangsta’s Paradise was also able to make the list, and really, why wouldn’t it? Not only was it one of the biggest hits of the entire decade, but it’s also stood the test of time as one of the most well-remembered hits of the decade (the music video was only uploaded to YouTube in 2017, and yet it already has over 400 Million views, more than a lot of hits from 2017 have).

Heavily sampling the Stevie Wonder song Pastime Paradise, Gangsta’s Paradise is written from the perspective of a gang member who has lost all hope in life, having been dealt a bad hand from the start and resorting to a life of crime, even though he knows it’s self-destructive and will likely end up with his ultimate demise. The instrumentation is just as bleak, being a mix of haunting strings, low bass and choral backings on the chorus courtesy of featured artist L.V.

I have to reiterate that I am severely out of my depth, and I apologize if I came across as ignorant. On another note, I would be remiss without mentioning both Weird Al’s parody “Amish Paradise” and Falling In Reverse’s unintentionally hilarious cover. 

#6: Waterfalls/Red Light Special by TLC (Peak: #1/#2, Year-End: #2/#28)

If there was any one act that defined 1995, it probably would’ve been TLC. While they didn’t have the most songs on the Year-End list (that would be Boyz II Men), their three hits this year were all in the Year-End top 30, including the #2 and #3 songs on the list. Unlike in 1992, where they had two really good songs (Baby X3 and Ain’t Too Proud To Beg) and one that sucked (What About Your Friends), all three of their hits this year were good, two of which were good enough to make the list (sorry, Creep).

First up, Waterfalls, the second biggest hit of the year and arguably the defining TLC song (although No Scrubs is also a contender). As with Gangsta’s Paradise, the song touches on some heavy subjects, which I was not expecting before coming in, considering that I’d only heard the chorus. The first verse is about a boy who gets involved in a gang despite his mother’s wishes, while the second verse is about a man who ends up catching HIV, both of whom end up dead. There’s also a rap verse, which is pretty good. The general theme of the song is that you should play it safe and keep yourself out of trouble, as expressed in the chorus.

“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”

As for the instrumentation, it’s basically smooth vibe music before that was a thing, with a funky bassline and horns. Yeah, I can definitely see why this was such a big hit, because it’s really dang good.

However, it wasn’t the best song TLC put out this year, as their lowest charing song on the Year-End list, Red Light Special, was the real standout. I’m just gonna say it: this is quite possibly the single sexiest song ever made. I’ve heard lots of songs that have tried and failed to be smooth and sensual (Pillowtalk for example), but this one did it exactly right. This is the sex song that all other sex songs aspire to be. The instrumentals are distilled to perfection, with subtle keys, bass and percussion and even a guitar solo that hits the nail on the head. Lyrically, it’s just about the girls inviting their men to get it on if they want it, while not coming across as condescending or taunting (unlike Janet Jackson on You Want This). In retrospect, this probably deserves more than the #6 slot, but I can’t make retroactive edits to my ranks, so #6 it is.

#5: Freak Like Me by Adina Howard (Peak: #2, Year-End: #13)

You know how I just said that Red Light Special was one of the sexiest songs ever made? Well, it wasn’t the only song to fit that description this year, which brings me to our #5 pick, Freak Like Me by Adina Howard. I already knew about this from Todd’s One Hit Wonderland episode on this song where he gave it a glowing review, and upon listening to it in whole while making this list, I’m inclined to agree.

First off, the instrumentation is great. It’s a perfect blend of mid-tempo R&B and G-Funk that is quintessentially Mid-90s in the best way possible. Adina’s voice matches the production perfectly, as while she may not have the sheer vocal range of Mariah or Whitney, she’s perfectly suited for this kind of song. As for the lyrics, well, I’m sure that I don’t need to tell you that it’s about sex. More specifically, it’s her saying that she wants to get it on and is inviting any man that wants to do it with her, and as a red-blooded man myself, I’m not gonna lie and say that I don’t enjoy listening to this. It’s not trying too hard to be sexy or smooth, but rather effortlessly knocks it out of the park, and I for one am happy about that.

#4: Like The Way I Do by Melissa Etheridge (Peak: #16, Year-End: #90)

Now, before I talk about the song itself, I need to explain this song’s interesting history. You see, this wasn’t originally released in 1995, but in 1988 as a single off of her self-titled debut album, where it went pretty much nowhere. However, by 1995, she had blown up in the mainstream and decided to re-release this as the B-Side to If I Wanted To, which is also a really good song. However, the B-Side ended up surpassing the A-Side in many cases, and thus was the song included on the Year-End playlists on YouTube that I listened to, and thus this was the song I included on the list.

So, with that out of the way, what makes this song good enough to land at #4 on this list? Well, let’s start with the instrumentation. In contrast to the over-the-top Hair Metal and Synthpop that dominated 1988, this is a pretty stripped-back tune, purely consisting of electric and acoustic guitar, bass and percussion. It’s no wonder that this was still able to become a hit in the completely different musical landscape of 1995, in no small part because it sounds great. As for the lyrics, well, they’re about Melissa asking her ex whether her (she’s a lesbian) new partner can satisfy her like she did. What really puts it over the top, though, are the vocals. Melissa’s just got such a gritty, raw voice that I can’t help but love. TL;DR: this is a hidden gem. 

#3: Runaway by Janet Jackson (Peak: #3, Year-End: #29)

Yeah, just because I may have bashed Janet Jackson on my worst list doesn’t mean that I can’t praise her on the best list (I mean, Rihanna did top both of my lists in 2012, so it’s not like this is unprecedented), and yeah, she deserves it in this case.

So, what makes Runaway so good? Well, I’ll start with the premise: this is a song about traveling the world. More specifically, it’s about how Janet has traveled the world, and yet there was always one thing missing, that being the listener.

“I've seen the world, been to many places

Made lots of friends, many different races

I've had such fun around the world it's true

African skies with a Nairobi mood, ooh

I fell asleep in Tuscany and dreamed

The one thing missing was you”

One thing I’ve noticed about some of the Janet Jackson songs I’ve heard is that they can be extremely chipper, but Runaway nails that happy atmosphere without being overly sugary. Janet brings her delicate cooing and sound effects like “la la la di da di di do” (I mean, she is a Jackson after all) without crossing the line into pure musical diabetes. I’m sure that much of it can be attributed to Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis’s production, which combines their typical New Jack Swing with elements of various styles of music from around the world. This has become my favorite Janet Jackson song, and one of the best hits of the entire year. So, what two songs could top it?

#2: On Bended Knee/Thank You by Boyz II Men (Peak: #1/#21, Year-End: #5/#94)

If you’ve read my Best of 1992 list, this pick should not surprise you. Boyz II Men had four songs on the 1995 Year-End list, three of which were eligible. Water Runs Dry is a very, very good song, but just barely missed out on the full 5/5 score, while their other two songs both made it in with flying colors.

First up, On Bended Knee, a #1 hit for six nonconsecutive weeks between 1994 and ’95 and the fifth biggest hit of the year. It’s very similar to their previous hit End Of The Road (#3 on the aforementioned Best of 1992 list), being a ballad about the heartbroken aftermath of a breakup and pining for the days of love that have now been lost.

“Can we go back to the days our love was strong?

Can you tell me how a perfect love goes wrong?

Can somebody tell me how to get things back

The way they used to be?

Oh God give me a reason

I'm down on bended knee

I'll never walk again until you come back to me

I'm down on bended knee”

Also like End Of The Road, the guys completely sell their heartbreak, with a spoken-word bridge, multiple key changes and ridiculously long vocal runs. This was a very strong contender for the #1 spot coming in, and while it obviously didn’t get it, I’m not gonna say that it wasn’t pretty dang close.

So, how about Thank You, their lowest charting hit on the Year-End List? Well, I could draw a comparison between this and It’s So Hard To Say Goodbye To Yesterday, as both of them are acapella. However, while ISHTSGTY is a downbeat ballad, Thank You is a lot more upbeat, with the guys thanking their girls from sticking by them through thick and thin.

“Cause even though when times got rough

You never turned away

You were right there

And I thank you (thank you)

When I felt I had enough

You never turned away

You were right there

And I thank you (thank you)”

One of them takes the lead vocals in each verse, while the others beatbox and do backing vocals. I can’t help but bob my head along to the groovy beat, and it’s a real joy of a song. So, with that said, what could’ve beaten these two songs, as well as all the other songs from this year?

Well, this shouldn’t be a big surprise to anyone who read my Best of 1983 list. I praised the heck out of this guy in a four way tie at #3, and in that list I mentioned that he was one of my favorite artists. I considered it an inevitability that he would eventually top one of my best lists, and well, he didn’t have to wait very long. So, congrats MJ, you’re my #1.

#1: You Are Not Alone by Michael Jackson (Peak: #1, Year-End: #21)

Yeah, big shocker, I’m praising the King of Pop again. Once again, he’s one of my favorite artists, so I knew he had a strong shot at topping this list. I’m not gonna waste anymore time, so let’s just jump into why this is the best hit of the year.

First, the composition. You may have noticed that I have a bit of a thing for slower ballads, and you’d be absolutely right. I’d guess that at least half of the songs that have topped my best lists have been ballads, and You Are Not Alone is no exception. It’s been said that the songs that typically top one’s best list are songs that stick with you and make you feel things, and I happened to be a total sucker for those types of songs. You Are Not Alone pulls out all the typical tricks, with a strong melody, memorable chorus and key changes towards the end of the song. It’s basically the same as I Believe I Can Fly, which shouldn’t be a surprise, considering that this song was written by R. Kelly (which does bring up some… uncomfortable implications, but that’s a topic for another day. Also, spoilers for a future Best of 1997 list). 

Speaking of the lyrical content, what is it about? Well, it’s about being separated from one’s lover, while knowing that even though they’ve left, they haven’t gone anywhere (potential Best of 2020 spoilers), because they’re still in one’s heart. 

“You are not alone

I am here with you

Though you're far away

I am here to stay

But you are not alone

I am here with you

Though we're far apart

You're always in my heart

You are not alone”

Is it total cheese? Sure, but I’ve already mentioned that I’m a total sucker, so that can only be a positive to me. How about Michael’s vocal performance? Well, it’s Michael Jackson, of course the vocals are gonna be great, vocal hiccups included. So, in total, this is a cheesy ballad with some possibly uncomfortable implications that nonetheless managed to become The Best Hit Song of 1995. I’ll get to work on 2016, and I should get both lists out this month, and until then, have a great day.