A blast from the past: Tied to the 90s

So why were the 1990s so good? Everything was better. Girl power was at an all time high, music was, well, probably not as good as it is now, but without it we wouldn’t have had Nirvana, Sonic Youth, Pixies or everyone’s favorite, Craig David. And who could forget the Spice Girls? But these weren’t the only major bands that have shaped the 1990s, and I would be foolish not to mention the biggest fight of the decade Blur Vs. Oasis!

Apart from this, TV was good too. We had Sabrina the Teenage Witch (I’m a life long Melissa Joan Hart fan!), Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Kenan and Kel, Hang Time, Moesha, The Parkers and Saved By the Bell. But overall things were just better in the 90s. Everyone was happier, and there was no financial crisis. Ear cuffs were in fashion (the first time round) and Kate Moss was the coolest person on the planet.

So lets go a little more in depth as to why TV and music was better in the 1990s! First off:

Sabrina the Teenage Witch, every girl who was young in the 1990s loved this TV show. Sabrina lived the dream, she could get washed, dressed and have hair done in a matter of seconds, all with the point of a finger (no wads in sight) and she had a bit of a cutie for a boyfriend in Harvey!

Buffy the Vampire Slayer is up next, the ultimate hero, simply because she had to deal with all the problems of being a teenager and a girl. She slayed vampires by night and aced classes by day. Her vampire boyfriend, Angel, was my first crush as a youngster and I would be lying if I didn’t say I still carry a torch for him now as a 22-year-old woman. Oh and without Buffy there probably wouldn’t be Twilight, so thanks Joss Whedon!

We were also blessed with the American teen sitcom in the 90s. These were often badly acted out and the jokes weren’t the funniest, but I loved them and eternally will! So, here’s the best of the rest:

Moesha, this was a comedy, but also had it’s heartfelt moments, and dealt with issues that some programs wouldn’t dare to. It also propelled its star, Brandy, into the limelight, and she’s a well-known singer. It also spawned the classic
spin off show, The Parkers, about Kim, Moesha’s friend who moved away to go to college, with her mum. Yes you read correctly, her mum. And what a great program this was, filled with classic catchphrases “HEEEEEEY PROFESSOR OGILVIE” being the most famous.

Saved by the Bell, (new class and college years inclusive), may have started in the 1980s but lived right through until the late 1990s early 2000s. With Skreetch being there the whole way through. This was a staple in everyone’s life. I would even go as far to say it was probably one of the best American sitcoms ever made.

Now on to the music of the 1990s! OK, so it maybe wasn’t a totally amazing time for music, but there were many seminal bands which made the 90s. So, here goes:

Nirvana, where would we be without them? We would have never had grunge and we would never have had the Arctic Monkeys or the Strokes. If Kurt hadn’t decided to kill himself, we would never have had the Foo Fighters because, lets face it, he was the man who discovered Dave Grohl’s amazing talent. If we never had Nirvana, we would have never had the amazing music of the 2000s onwards. They’re kind of like a grunge Beatles, if you will.

Sonic Youth and the Pixies also would not have existed had it not been for the 1990s. We wouldn’t be buying their T-Shirts in Urban Outfitters. And would never have heard them on the soundtrack of (500) Days of Summer. Yes, grunge
was one thing about the 1990s that’s slightly underrated, and that we all seem to be rediscovering now!

Craig David was another chap who was big in the late 90s. He sang about wining and dining a lucky lady for a week, and also asked the crowd to say “BO SALECTA”. He was such a cool guy that Leigh Francis of Celeb Juice fame parodied him on “Bo Selecta”, that’s when you know your big. Sting done a song with him for crying out loud. He’s that good!

The Spice Girls. Everyone who grew up in this decade had a favorite, and would spend their school break times and lunches doing their dance routines and singing. They shaped a generation of women, who now are doing it for themselves, and educated young girls all over the world that they didn’t need a man to do things for them, but they could do it just as easily themselves!

Finally BritPop needs a mention. Blur Vs. Oasis shaped a generation of young men. Fred Perry wasn’t just for skinheads. It was all about who you liked more, Damon or Liam. They shaped British music for the better and are still inspirations for countless bands. Blur have got back together while Oasis have called it a day, but I’m sure they will continually be prominent in music.

So overall, television in the 1990s was a lot better, and music was probably not as good as it is now. However, no matter how you look at it, it’s shaped you life in some way, shape or form.