June 1, 1999 Ja Rule releases his debut album, Venni Vetti Vecci, featuring the hit single "Holla Holla."More
June 1, 1999 Blink-182 spin immaturity into gold (or should we say, Platinum) with their third album, Enema Of The State, which catapults the pop-punk trio to stardom with hit singles like "What's My Age Again?" and "All The Small Things."More
May 19, 1999 Moby releases Play, a downtempo collection of electronic tunes built on samples of field recordings and old blues numbers. Thanks to music licensing, the songs reach lots of ears and the album becomes a global hit.More
April 27, 1999 Songs From Dawson's Creek is released after the teen drama airs its first season on The WB. The soundtrack peaks at #7 on the US albums chart.More
January 30, 1999 America is abuzz with Britney Spears, whose debut single "...Baby One More Time" goes to #1 as her album also reaches the top.More
December 5, 1998 Billboard changes the way they calculate the Hot 100, finally accounting for airplay. Previously, if a song wasn't available for purchase as a single, it couldn't chart. As labels withheld singles to goose album sales, popular songs like "Don't Speak" and "One Headlight" were conspicuously absent from the chart, prompting the change.
May 30, 1998 Former 2 Live Crew leader Luther "Luke" Campbell's "Raise The Roof" peaks at #26 on the Hot 100. Also a #1 rap hit, it spawns a dance craze.More
February 24, 1998 Elton John is knighted by Queen Elizabeth II during a ceremony at Buckingham Palace.More
February 17, 1998 Ani DiFranco fascination peaks as the singer ships 250,000 copies of her latest album on her own label, Righteous Babe Records. DiFranco's DIY business model has earned her a great deal of media coverage, as it proves that an artist doesn't need a major label to succeed.
August 2, 1997 Sweden's teenage electropop sensation Robyn notches her first hit on the Billboard Hot 100 when "Do You Know (What It Takes)" peaks at #7 on the chart, nearly two years after it was released on her 1995 debut album, Robyn Is Here.
June 16, 1997 In the UK, The Verve release "Bitter Sweet Symphony," which lives up to it's title: the song is a huge hit, but Mick Jagger and Keith Richards end up getting credits and royalties.More
May 23, 1997 Country singers LeAnn Rimes and Trisha Yearwood release separate versions of the Diane Warren-penned ballad "How Do I Live" on the same day.More
January 3, 1997 Researchers at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm publish an article called "Nitric Oxide And Inflammation: The Answer Is Blowing In The Wind" in the journal Nature Medicine. The article deals with the detection of mucosal inflammation, and while we can't speak to its medical efficacy, it does reveal a trend of biomedical researchers using Bob Dylan song titles and lyrics in their articles. The Swedish scientists had a friendly bet going to see how many Dylan references they could inject into their published work; a later study reveals hundreds of medical articles that had borrowed from Dylan, with the most popular song being "The Times They Are A-Changin'."
October 4, 1996 That Thing You Do!, a musical film starring its writer/director Tom Hanks, who plays the manager of fictional '60s band The Wonders, is released to US cinemas. The title track to the film was written by Adam Schlesinger, bass player for Fountains of Wayne.More
September 24, 1996 "That Thing You Do," the title track to That Thing You Do!, a musical film directed by and starring Tom Hanks, is released. The track is written by Adam Schlesinger, bass player for Fountains of Wayne, and performed by fictional band The Wonders. The song goes on to peak at #41 in America and is nominated for Best Original Song at the Academy Awards and Golden Globes. It loses out on both occasions to Madonna's "You Must Love Me," from Evita.
September 7, 1996 Rap star Tupac Shakur is shot five times in a drive-by following a boxing match in Las Vegas. He dies six days later at age 25.More
July 23, 1996 Fiona Apple, 18, releases her debut album, Tidal, featuring "Shadowboxer" and "Criminal." It sells over 3 million copies in America.More
July 9, 1996 Thirteen-year-old LeAnn Rimes releases her debut album, Blue, and wows critics with the hits "Blue" and "One Way Ticket (Because I Can)."More
April 1, 1996 After blowing through more than $30 million, MC Hammer files for bankruptcy protection.More
October 10, 1995 No Doubt release their breakthrough album Tragic Kingdom, with the hits "Just a Girl" and "Don't Speak." It sells an amazing 10 million copies in America and catapults lead singer Gwen Stefani to stardom.
July 19, 1995 Clueless debuts in theaters, reviving the teen movie genre and boosting the film career of Alicia Silverstone, who appeared in the music video for Aerosmith's "Cryin'." The accompanying soundtrack gives retro hits a modern makeover, with the pop-punk act The Muffs covering Kim Wilde's "Kids In America."More
March 14, 1995 The Goo Goo Dolls release their breakthrough fifth studio album, A Boy Named Goo, featuring their first major hit, "Name."More
December 3, 1994 Adam Sandler performs "The Chanukah Song" on the Weekend Update segment of Saturday Night Live, enlightening us to the fact that Harrison Ford, Paul Newman and David Lee Roth (among many others) are, in fact, Jewish. Released as a single the following year, the song reaches #10 US and becomes a seasonal favorite.More
September 22, 1994 Friends debuts on NBC, accompanied by a catchy theme song by The Rembrandts that becomes an unexpected hit.More
September 8, 1994 At the MTV Video Music Awards, Beastie Boy Adam Yauch (MCA), in character as "Nathanial Hornblower," rushes the stage when R.E.M.'s "Everybody Hurts" beats "Sabotage" for Best Direction. It's the first such intrusion at the VMAs.More
July 6, 1994 The light-hearted drama Forrest Gump hits theaters. Aside from becoming the top-grossing film of the year in North America and winning multiple Academy Awards, the movie spawns a hit soundtrack with songs from Elvis Presley, Three Dog Night, The Doors, The Byrds, The Mamas & the Papas, Buffalo Springfield, and more.More
June 21, 1994 A judge rules against George Michael in his lawsuit against his record label, Sony, derailing his music career for two years.More
November 9, 1993 R. Kelly releases his debut album, 12 Play. It peaks at #2 in America and holds the top spot on the R&B albums chart for nine weeks.
November 2, 1993 British singer-songwriter Kate Bush releases her seventh studio album, The Red Shoes. Inspired by the 1948 ballet film of the same name, the album features a number of famous guests, including Eric Clapton, Gary Brooker of Procol Harum, Prince, and comedian Lenny Henry. It's also Bush's last release before a 12-year hiatus.More
June 22, 1993 The Flaming Lips release their sixth studio album, Transmissions From The Satellite Heart, featuring their breakthrough hit, "She Don't Use Jelly."More
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