How To Make a Summer Mixtape
A nostalgic compilation of hidden gems from late 90s and early 2000s music, plus one-hit wonders and a karaoke surprise at the end
Comrades: Summer time, and the living is easy.
For millennials, the greatest jams of all time are from the late 90s and early 2000s. Much as I love 80s music, I wasn’t old enough for those songs to be associated with happy coming of age memories. By contrast, post-2010 music is mostly garbage bordering on ear rape. The sweet spot is turn of the millennium Pax Americana - a simpler, more cheerful time. No demoralization, just wholesome fun. YouTube comments sections for the videos below are full of heartwarming stories people from all over the world reminiscing on good times. The original artists, upbeat tunes, and genuine lyrics of this era are timeless. Anytime I hear any of them, I can’t help but smile.
CDs were the ideal way to discover new songs. Back then, I would hear a song I liked on the radio or TRL (‘member?) and buy the artist’s CD. Then I would listen to the whole CD on a Sony Walkman (‘member?) and discover that oftentimes, my favorite track was not the hit song but one further down the list. To build custom mixtapes, I would burn CDs with the help of Napster (‘member?) and blog about it on Xanga (‘member?). A great post might get you eprops (‘member?) from a crush, which just might lead to an awkward slow dance with arms at full extension. Such innocent times compared to today, when teens can watch each other twerk on TikTok anytime.
Today, I have compiled the hidden gems from this golden age of music. My other posts for classical music can be found here and a more eclectic playlist here. Bookmark this page for anti-demoralization dance parties like the ones we have in the Bezmenov home. Hope this lightens things up before several heavier posts during the demoralization of Current Thing Month.
What are your favorite summer jams?
Matchbox Twenty is known for Push, but 3AM is better:
LFO is known for Summer Girls, but Girl on TV is better. Rest in Power to 3 of the 4 LFO members who are no longer with us:
Sublime is known for Santeria, but What I Got is better. RIP Bradley Nowell:
Dispatch is known for The General, but Bang Bang is better:
Britney Spears is known for Baby One More Time, but Sometimes is better. Leave Britney alone!
Sugar Ray is known for Fly, but Someday is better:
Vanessa Carlton is known for A Thousand Miles, but Ordinary Day is better:
Hoobastank is known for Crawling in the Dark, but The Reason is better:
Savage Garden is known for Truly Madly Deeply, but Santa Monica is better:
Counting Crows is known for Mr. Jones, but Big Yellow Taxi is better:
Red Hot Chili Peppers are known for Californication, but Under the Bridge is better:
The Goo Goo Dolls are known for Iris, but Broadway is better:
Shaggy is known for It Wasn’t Me, but Angel is better:
Smash Mouth is known for All Star, but Walkin on the Sun is better:
Lenny Kravitz is known for American Woman, but Again is better:
TLC is known for No Scrubs, but Waterfalls is better:
The Backstreet Boys are known I Want it That Way, but As Long as You Love Me is better:
Hanson is known for Mmmbop, but This Time Around is better:
NSYNC is known for Bye Bye Bye, but God Must have spent a Little More Time on You is better:
Hilary Duff is known for So Yesterday, but Come Clean is better:
No Doubt is known for Don’t Speak, but Simple Kind of Life is better:
The Smashing Pumpkins are known for 1979, but Tonight Tonight is better:
Creed is known for My Sacrifice, but Higher is better:
Enrique Iglesias is known for Hero and marrying Anna Kournikova (hat tip), but Escape is better:
Nickelback is known for How You Remind Me, but Photograph is better:
Honorable mentions for one hit wonders go to Donna Lewis, KC & JOJO, Brian McKnight, All Saints, Vitamin C, Aqua, Natalie Imburglia, and last but not least Baz Luhrmann:
Aerosmith delivered the smash hit of the most iconic 90s movie, Armageddon:
WAGON WHEEL AGAIN!
Finally, Jewel pulled off the best karaoke surprise of all time:
I was born in 1966, so my musical tastes are the songs from 1978-1988, but I continued to listen to contemporary pop/rock music until well into the 2000s. That playlist above is excellent. I was immediately familiar with most of the songs and liked most of those quite a bit, and the ones I wasn't immediately familiar with came back to me as I listened to them.
And, yeah- music made since about 2010 really, really sucks- hard to find a gem in that pile of crap- there are some, but not a lot.
GenX guy here. Mix tapes were initially on, well, tapes. you’d have a tape in your radio and when a song you liked was played on the radio you’d quickly jump up to press record often catching part of the MC’s introduction.
https://youtu.be/x2X6I4LShac