George’s Journal’s pick of the flicks and top of the pops ~ 1990-94
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Like me, does it feel to you that, in a blink of an eye, the 1990s have gone from being a heartbeat away to more than two or three eras ago? If so, that’s because it’s now – unbelievably – 30 years since the middle of that very decade.
Yes, 30 years since the emergence of ‘New Europe’ and the Internet, the rise of the home PC and the Premier League, and boomer Bill Clinton in the White House and ‘Call me Tony’ Blair in Number 10.
But not so fast! Just how much of all that took place in the first half of the ’90s, the time period this blog post is all about? Well, more than you might think; for as they raced their way to the Millennium (as they always had a wont to), the ’90s actually hit their stride pretty quickly.
Indeed, in this penultimate post in a very long (and, er, very interrupted) series of posts, my little nook of the ’Net is tasking itself with re-examining the culture of the early to mid-’90s.
A time when the Anglo-American greed of the ’80s gave way to the, well, slightly reduced greed of the 20th Century’s last decade. When high street fashion may have calmed down in the wake of ’80s excess, yet modern art bamboozled everyone, music charts and cinema releases became an utter free-for-all, and The Simpsons and (somehow) Mr Blobby evolved into inescapable small-screen icons.
So, following on from my cinematic and musical picks for 1950-54, 1955-59, 1960-64, 1965-69, 1970-74, 1975-79, 1980-84 and 1985-89, just what are my pick of the flicks and my ‘top of the pops’ for each year of the half-decade that was 1990-94?
Well, let’s find out, shall we, as we ditch those leggings and pick up that bucket hat, call off that D&D night to tackle that latest Gameboy, er, game, and throw out that worn VHS of Working Girl and throw on that shiny, new LaserDisc of Last Of The Mohicans… for the 1990s have arrived and they’re here to stay – well, for the length of this blog post, at least…
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CLICK
on the film and song titles for video clips…
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1990
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Maggie out of No. 10, Major in; Germany reunified; Nelson Mandela walks to freedom;
Gazza’s tears at Italia 90; Saddam seizes Kuwait’s oil; Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles;
Hubble Telescope take-off; Hammertime; Vanilla Ice; McDonald’s opens in Moscow
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Film:
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Directed by: Martin Scorsese/ Starring: Ray Liotta, Robert De Niro,
Joe Pesci, Lorraine Bracco and Paul Sorvino/ Country: USA/
Running time: 145 minutes (Crime-period drama)
What George says: While many say Scorsese’s Raging Bull (1980) is the ’80s’ best film, others claim the same of GoodFellas for the ’90s. Charting the rise and fall of Liotta’s mobster, it updated the Mafia epic for the MTV generation and became a true gamechanger; marrying pinpoint characterisation and violence with inventive plotting, punkish visual verve, profanity, humour, and tip-top rock and pop – everything from And Then He Kissed Me to Layla soundtrack the antics of Liotta and his cronies (De Niro’s gangster ‘gent’ and Pesci’s wild ‘wise guy’), as they navigate New York’s postwar underworld.
What the critics say: “No finer film has ever been made about organized crime – not even The Godfather.” ~ Roger Ebert
Oscar count: 1 (also won the BAFTA awards for Best Film and Best Director)
Oscar’s Best Picture pick this year: Dances With Wolves
The public’s pick this year: Ghost (global box-office #1)
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George’s runners-up: 2. Cyrano de Bergerac;
3. An Angel At My Table; 4. Edward Scissorhands; 5. Longtime Companion
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And the rest: ¡Átame! (Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!); Back To The Future Part III;
Dances With Wolves; Dick Tracy; Die Hard 2; Ghost; The Grifters; The Hunt For Red October;
The Krays; Miller’s Crossing; Pretty Woman; Reversal Of Fortune; Tremors; Wild At Heart;
The Witches
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Song:
There She Goes ~ The La’s
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Writer: Lee Mavers/ Released: October 1990 (re-issue)
What George says: If The Stone Roses wanting to be adored in ’89 was Britpop’s harbinger, then this incredible one-hit wonder courtesy of a Liverpool quartet that split up before grunge had even left Seattle was its (early) opening salvo. Indeed, so utter are this tune’s retro bona fides that, first hearing it in the mid-’90s, I genuinely assumed it came out of the ’60s. What fooled me wasn’t its quality but the nature of its quality; its just-right jangly guitars, how clean its close harmonies were and, most of all, the purity of its melodic simplicity. There She Goes is just a perfect song – whichever decade it hails from.
What the critics say: “[It] defines the perfectly written pop song: an instantaneously recognisable melody and lyric set to simple, economic musical structure. It is such a simple song that it boggles the mind that someone hadn’t already written it.” ~ Ben Gibbard
Chart record: UK #13/ US #49
Recognition: Ranked #2 for 1990, #16 for the 1990s and #188 for ‘all-time’ on acclaimedmusic.net’s cumulatively ranked ‘top songs’ lists
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George’s runners-up:
2. Enjoy The Silence (Depeche Mode)/ 3. A Little Time (The Beautiful South)/
4. The Only One I Know (The Charlatans)/ 5. (We Want) The Same Thing (Belinda Carlisle)
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And the rest: Advice For The Young At Heart (Tears For Fears)/ All I Wanna Do Is Make Love To You (Heart)/ All Together Now; Groovy Train (The Farm)/ And So It Goes (Billy Joel)/ Bad Love; No Alibis (Eric Clapton)/ Better Than A Dream (Mike Batt)/ Better The Devil You Know; Step Back In Time (Kylie Minogue)/ Black Velvet (Alannah Myles)/ Can I Kick It? (A Tribe Called Quest)/ Crying In The Rain (a-ha)/ Cuts Both Ways (Gloria Estefan)/ Doubleback (ZZ Top)/ Downtown Train (Rod Stewart)/ Groove Is In The Heart (Deee-Light)/ Hanky Panky; Justify My Love; More; Sooner Or Later; Vogue (Madonna)/ Heal The Pain (George Michael)/ Here’s Where The Story Ends (The Sundays)/ Hold On (Wilson Phillips)/ How Can We Be Lovers? (Michael Bolton)/ I Wish It Would Rain Down; Something Happened On The Way To Heaven (Phil Collins)/ I’m Free (The Soup Dragons)/ Ice Ice Baby (Vanilla Ice)/ It Must Have Been Love (Roxette)/ John Dunbar Theme (John Barry and London Philharmonic Orchestra)/ Killer (Adamski and Seal)/ King Of Wishful Thinking (Go West)/ Kinky Afro; Step On (Happy Mondays)/ Let Love Speak Up Itself; My Book (The Beautiful South)/ Lily Was Here (David A. Stewart featuring Candy Dulfer)/ Little Fluffy Clouds (The Orb)/ Loaded (Primal Scream)/ Love Theme From Twin Peaks (Angelo Badalamenti)/ Nessun Dorma (Luciano Pavarotti)/ Nothing Compares 2 U (Sinéad O’Connor)/ Nothing Ever Happens (Del Amitri)/ Opposites Attract (Paula Abdul)/ Pictures Of You (The Cure)/ The Power (Snap!)/ Preacher Man (Bananarama)/ Put The Message In The Box (World Party)/ Real Real Real (Jesus Jones)/ Sacrifice (Elton John)/ Sadeness (Part 1) (Enigma)/ Serious (Duran Duran)/ Show Me Heaven (Maria McKee)/ Suicide Blonde (INXS)/ This Is How It Feels (Inspiral Carpets)/ Thunderstruck (AC/DC)/ Tom’s Diner (DNA featuring Suzanne Vega)/ U Can’t Touch This (MC Hammer)/ Unbelieveable (EMF)/ What Can You Lose (Madonna and Mandy Patinkin)/ World In Motion (Englandneworder)
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1991
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USSR collapses, Yeltsin gives Gorbachev a way out; war in the Gulf;
Japan’s economy goes pop; Yugoslavia disintegrates; AIDS claims Freddie;
Arnie in Terminator 2; (Everything I Do) I Do It For You is UK #1 for 16 weeks
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Film:
(Raise The Red Lantern)
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Directed by: Zhang Yimou/ Starring: Gong Li,
He Saifei, Cao Cuifen, Kong Lin, Jin Shuyuan and Ma Jingwu/ Country: China/
British Hong Kong/ Running time: 125 minutes (Period-psychological drama)
What George says: Surely the most beautiful meditation you’ll see on the psychological power that fuels sex slavery (and the horrendous harm it causes), this elegiacal, immersive, lustrously colour-coded costume drama of sparse dialogue plays out as a sort of Chinese take on Cries And Whispers. Indeed, both Bergman and Kurosawa may well have been big influences on helmer Yimou, as he filmed his tragic yet feminist tale that pivots around the naïvete and mental state of its protagonist, a never more luminous, never better Gong Li. Come the end, you’ll be left devastated – but in the best way possible.
What the critics say: “Yimou shot the film so that its rich colours and claustrophobic atmosphere matched the story perfectly, and it can also be viewed as a parable about the patriarchal, semi-feudal society of late 20th-century China … It is perhaps [his] most lavish and stately film … [and] his most resonant. You have only to watch Gong Li being prepared for the marital bed to see how well the film captures the scent of sex, jealousy and impending disaster.” ~ Derek Malcolm
Oscar count: 0 (but won the 1991/ 92 BAFTA, David di Donatello and National Board of Review awards for Best Foreign Language Film)
Oscar’s Best Picture pick this year: The Silence Of The Lambs
The public’s pick this year: Terminator 2: Judgment Day (global box-office #1)
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George’s runners-up: 2. The Silence Of The Lambs;
3. La Double Vie de Véronique (The Double Life Of Veronique);
4. Beauty And The Beast; 5. Hitlerjunge Salomon (Europa Europa)
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And the rest: Barton Fink; La Belle Noiseuse (The Beautiful Troublemaker);
Boyz N The Hood; Cape Fear; Close My Eyes; Delicatessen; Doc Hollywood;
The Fisher King; JFK; Life Is Sweet; Point Break; Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves;
Terminator 2: Judgment Day; Thelma & Louise; Truly, Madly, Deeply
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Song:
The Whole Of The Moon ~ The Waterboys
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Writer: Mike Scott/ Released: March 1991 (re-issue)
What George says: First released in 1985, this barnstorming anthem of delicious musical dexterity, building one piano-pounding verse and one soaring chorus after another, defies easy interpretation. My take on what the masterly Mike Scott, beguiled by Romanticism as a literature-loving teen, delivers here is a mesmerising, trumpet-blaring, synth-soaked paean to the glory of the creative spirit in the face of the mundane (“I saw the rain-dirty valley, you saw Brigadoon / I saw the crescent, you saw the whole of the moon”). Honestly, how could any daydreamer who’s ever dared to dream a little deeper resist it?
What the artist says: “It’s about how amazing it is to live in a world where so much is available, where a human being can grow and learn like that. It’s a dramatic, celebratory song with a real big climax. And that’s because it’s describing something wonderful.” ~
Mike Scott (interviewed in 2024)
Chart record: UK #3
Recognition: Ranked #25 for 1985, #276 for the 1980s and #1,884 for ‘all-time’ on acclaimedmusic.net’s cumulatively ranked ‘top songs’ lists/
won the Ivor Novello Award for ‘Best Song Musically and Lyrically’ (1991)
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George’s runners-up: 2. One (U2)/ 3. Stars (Simply Red)/
4. Fall At Your Feet (Crowded House)/ 5. I Touch Myself (Divinyls)
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And the rest: All This Time (Sting)/ All Woman (Lisa Stansfield)/ Apparently Nothin’ (Young Disciples)/ Auberge; Looking For The Summer (Chris Rea)/ Baby Baby (Amy Grant)/ Back To The Interstate, Ben Stone (Carter Burwell)/ Be Our Guest (Jerry Orbach and Angela Lansbury)/ Beauty And The Beast (Angela Lansbury)/ Black Or White (Michael Jackson)/ Calling Elvis; Heavy Fuel (Dire Straits)/ Can You Dig It? (The Mock Turtles)/ Can’t Stop This Thing We Started; (Everything I Do) I Do It For You (Bryan Adams)/ Come Home; Sit Down; Sound (James)/ Coming Out Of The Dark (Gloria Estefan)/ Countdown; My Legendary Girlfriend (Pulp)/ Crazy (Seal)/ Cream; Diamonds And Pearls (Prince)/ Dizzy (Vic Reeves and The Wonder Stuff)/ Everybody’s Free (To Feel Good) (Rozalla)/ Fields Of Joy; It Ain’t Over ’Til It’s Over (Lenny Kravitz)/ The Fly; Mysterious Ways (U2)/ From A Distance (Bette Midler)/ Get Here (Oleta Adams)/ Get The Message (Electronic)/ Go (Moby)/ Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now); Things That Make You Go Hmmm… (C+C Music Factory)/ Holding On; Promise Me; Woman To Woman (Beverley Craven)/ I Believe (EMF)/ (I Wanna Give You) Devotion (Nomad featuring MC Mikee Freedom)/ International Bright Young Thing; Right Here, Right Now (Jesus Jones)/ Joyride (Roxette)/ Justified And Ancient; Last Train To Trancentral; 3 a.m. Eternal (The KLF)/ Learning To Fly (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers)/ Let’s Talk About Sex (Salt-N-Pepa)/ Live Your Life Be Free (Belinda Carlisle)/ Long Train Running (Bananarama)/ Losing My Religion; Shiny Happy People (R.E.M.)/ Love And Understanding; The Shoop Shoop Song (It’s In His Kiss) (Cher)/ Love… Thy Will Be Done; Martika’s Kitchen (Martika)/ More Than Words (Extreme)/ Move Any Mountain (The Shamen)/ No Son Of Mine (Genesis)/ The One And Only (Chesney Hawkes)/ Overture from Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves (Michael Kamen)/ Radio Wall Of Sound (Slade)/ Rescue Me (Madonna)/ Rocket Man (Kate Bush)/ Sailing On The Seven Seas (Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark)/ Saltwater (Julian Lennon)/ Sheriff Fatman (Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine)/ The Show Must Go On; These Are The Days Of Our Lives (Queen)/ The Size Of A Cow (The Wonder Stuff)/ Smells Like Teen Spirit (Nirvana)/ Something Got Me Started; Wonderland (Simply Red)/ Sunshine On A Rainy Day (Zoë)/ There’s No Other Way (Blur)/ Too Many Walls; Touch Me (All Night Long) (Cathy Dennis)/ Unfinished Sympathy (Massive Attack)/ Walking Down Madison (Kirsty MacColl)/ Walking In Memphis (Marc Cohn)/ Wicked Game (Chris Isaak)/ Wind Of Change (Scorpions)/ World In Union (Kiri Te Kanawa)/ You Got The Love (The Source featuring Candi Staton)
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1992
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‘Baby Boomer’ Bill Clinton elected US President; Tories re-elected in UK;
Queen’s ‘annus horribilis’; Black Wednesday; L.A. riots; Damien Hirst’s shark;
Nirvana; Basic Instinct; ‘The Dream Team’ at the Olympics; Denmark win Euro 92
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Film:
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Directed by: John Musker and Ron Clements/ Starring: (the voices of) Robin Williams,
Scott Weinger, Linda Larkin, Jonathan Freeman and Gilbert Gottfried/
Country: USA/ Running time: 87 minutes
(Animated musical-adventure)
What George says: This, Disney’s stylish, swaggering Arabian Nights adaptation, has to be the high watermark of its second ‘Golden Age’ of animation. It soars like a magic carpet ride because, like Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King, its script and irresistible tunes seem smartly written as if for a hit Broadway musical (much unlike comparable ’90s cartoon fare), while the freewheeling improv of Robin Williams’ ebullient Genie inspires and reinforces a feisty, flip, postmodern tone, with jokes fit for any superior sitcom of the era; perfectly paving the way for all those Pixar classics just around the corner.
What the critics say: “Pixar’s sparkling output may not have come along as soon had Aladdin not primed an adult audience to look at animation as a genre as exciting as any other, and shown that Simpsonian sophistication could work when stretched to feature length.” ~ Olly Richards
Oscar count: 2
Oscar’s Best Picture pick this year: Unforgiven
The public’s pick this year: Aladdin (global box-office #1)
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George’s runners-up: 2. Reservoir Dogs; 3. Glengarry Glen Ross;
4. Malcolm X; 5. Como Agua Para Chocolate (Like Water For Chocolate)
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And the rest: Alien³; A Few Good Men; Bram Stoker’s Dracula;
Chaplin; The Crying Game; Howard’s End; The Last Of The Mohicans;
Memoirs Of An Invisible Man; The Muppet Christmas Carol; The Player;
Scent Of A Woman; Sneakers; Strictly Ballroom; Unforgiven; Wayne’s World
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Song:
Constant Craving ~ k.d. lang
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Writers: k.d. lang and Ben Mink/ Released: March 1992
What George says: The genius move k.d. lang pulled to ensure a big, fat slice of gay longing went wonderfully mainstream back in the early ’90s was to deploy the oldest trick in the book: produce a fine work of art of mass appeal. With a country-tinged sound, lyrics delivered in perfect plaintive tone and a mild-rock radio-friendly smoothness, this instant classic’s instant-replay appeal lies in those driving, melodious hooks, heightened by the Canuck songstress supreme’s studio-honed, yearning harmonies. For a time, you heard Constant Craving everywhere – and its greatness always left you craving more.
What the critics say: “There is no denying the rootsy, down-home quality of this wonderfully produced tune. Lang’s distinctive voice is woven into spiraling multitracked harmonies, wafting over a base of acoustic guitar strumming and subtle accordion and xylophone interludes.” ~ Larry Flick
Chart record: US #38/ UK #15 (1993)
Recognition: Ranked #33 for 1992, #312 for the 1990s and #2,487 for ‘all-time’ on acclaimedmusic.net’s cumulatively ranked ‘top songs’ lists/
won the Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance (1993)
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George’s runners-up: 2. Motorcycle Emptiness (Manic Street Preachers)/
3. Bell Bottomed Tear (The Beautiful South)/ 4. Why (Annie Lennox)/
5. Sense (The Lightning Seeds)
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And the rest: Ain’t No Doubt (Jimmy Nail)/ Am I The Same Girl (Swing Out Sister)/ Arabian Nights (Bruce Adler)/ Barcelona (Freddie Mercury and Montserrat Caballe)/ Book Of Days (Enya)/ Born Of Frustration (James)/ Come As You Are; Lithium (Nirvana)/ Connected; Step It Up (Stereo MCs)/ Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover (Sophie B. Hawkins)/ Deeply Dippy (Right Said Fred)/ Ebeneezer Goode (The Shamen)/ End Of The Road (Boyz II Men)/ Even Better Than The Real Thing; Who’s Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses (U2)/ Finally (CeCe Peniston)/ For Your Babies; Thrill Me; Your Mirror (Simply Red)/ Four Seasons In One Day; It’s Only Natural; Weather With You (Crowded House)/ Friday I’m In Love (The Cure)/ Friend Like Me (Robin Williams)/ Goodnight Girl (Wet Wet Wet)/ Hazard (Richard Marx)/ Hit (The Sugarcubes)/ Human Touch (Bruce Springsteen)/ I Can’t Dance; Jesus He Knows Me (Genesis)/ I Drove All Night (Roy Orbison)/ I Love Your Smile (Shanice)/ I Will Always Love You (Whitney Houston)/ I Wonder Why; You’re All That Matters To Me (Curtis Stigers)/ If You Don’t Love Me; The Sound Of Crying (Prefab Sprout)/ I’m Stronger Now (Ben Chapman and Steve DuBerry)/ It Feels Like Christmas (Jerry Nelson)/ It’s My Life (Dr. Alban)/ Just Another Day (Jon Secada)/ Keep The Faith (Bon Jovi)/ Laid So Low (Tears Roll Down) (Tears For Fears)/ The Life Of Riley (The Lightning Seeds)/ Man On The Moon (R.E.M.)/ Metal Mickey; The Drowners (Suede)/ No Ordinary Love (Sade)/ November Rain (Guns ’N Roses)/ Old Red Eyes Is Back; 36D; We Are Each Other (The Beautiful South)/ The One (Elton John)/ Save The Best For Last (Vanessa Williams)/ Sentinel (Mike Oldfield)/ Sexy MF (Prince and The New Power Generation)/ Sleeping Satellite (Tasmin Archer)/ Stay (Shakespeare’s Sister)/ Tears In Heaven (Eric Clapton)/ This Used To Be My Playground (Madonna)/ Walking On Broken Glass (Annie Lennox)/ Welcome To The Cheap Seats (The Wonder Stuff)/ A Whole New World (Brad Kane and Lea Salonga)/ Would I Lie To You? (Charles and Eddie)/ You Love Us (Manic Street Preachers)
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1993
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EU launched via Maastricht Treaty; Stephen Lawrence and Jamie Bulger murders;
Waco siege; UKIP forms; CGI dinosaurs in Jurassic Park; Grand National no go;
Man Utd win inaugural Premier League; The X-Files; Mr Blobby vs. Take That
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Film:
Trois Couleurs Bleu (Three Colours Blue)
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Directed by: Krzysztof Kieślowski/ Starring: Juliette Binoche, Benoît Régent,
Florence Pernal, Charlotte Véry, Yann Trégouët and Emmanuelle Riva/
Country: France/ Poland/ Switzerland/ Running time: 94 minutes
(Human-psychological drama)
What George says: If what defines a film as great is that it terrifically tells its story as much through moving images as traditional narrative, then Bleu (the opening act in Kieślowski’s ‘New Europe’-themed Three Colours trilogy) is undoubtedly a great film. Ostensibly a character study of a grieving woman (a never-better Binoche), it’s really a precociously smart meditation on the virtue of personal freedom. It’s utterly compelling from its brutally raw opening right through to its emotionally satisfying climax and, yes, the everyday-beautiful imagery it uses to propel you through its rich tale will stay with you forever.
What the critics say: “Kieślowski is the master of the telling detail … what his imitators’ work often seems to lack is the lyrical intensity we see in Blue’s mise-en-scène, and the adroit use of images suggestive of inner life … The film … seems to examine the feminist rallying cry ‘the personal is political’ with greater scope and sensitivity than any other. And its rich ambiguities leave enough room for us to see that the price of freedom depends on what kind of freedom you want.” ~ Nick James
Oscar count: 0 (but did win the Golden Lion, the Volpi Cup – for Juliette Binoche – and the
Golden Osella – for cinematographer Sławomir Idziak – at the 1993 Venice Film Festival)
Oscar’s Best Picture pick this year: Schindler’s List
The public’s pick this year: Jurassic Park (global box-office #1)
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George’s runners-up: 2. Schindler’s List; 3. Dazed And Confused;
4. Groundhog Day; 5. The Remains Of The Day
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And the rest: The Age Of Innocence; 霸王别姬 (Farewell My Concubine); The Firm;
The Fugitive; In The Name Of The Father; Jurassic Park; Much Ado About Nothing;
Naked; The Nightmare Before Christmas; Philadelphia; The Piano; Short Cuts;
Sleepless In Seattle; 喜宴 (The Wedding Banquet); What’s Eating Gilbert Grape
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Song:
Ordinary World ~ Duran Duran
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Writers: Simon Le Bon, John Taylor, Nick Rhodes and Warren Cuccurullo/ Released: January 1993
What George says: Almost 10 years on from their peak, Brum’s Best Ever Band were back with this belter of a ballad. Sure, its lyrics alternate between bombastic and indecipherable but who cares when Le Bon’s voice soars in that chorus and – especially – when we crash into that guitar solo? Yet, what’s truly irresistible here is the air of cool melancholia; one that feels more sophisticated than in Duran Duran’s best ’80s ballads. This is a song us ’90s teens may well have fantasised soundtracking our in-and-out-of-love adult lives. It’s the sound of aspiration and heartbreak, then – a combo far too seductive to resist.
What the critics say: “[This] excellently crafted [song demonstrates Duran Duran are] capable of delivering the goods. And as an added irony for a band that was introduced [to the US] by MTV when radio wouldn’t touch it, this particular song exploded across radio’s many formats before a video was even made.” ~ Tony Fletcher
Chart record: US #3/ UK #6
Recognition: Ranked #36 for 1993, #438 for the 1990s and #3,283 for ‘all-time’ on acclaimedmusic.net’s cumulatively ranked ‘top songs’ lists
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George’s runners-up: 2. Creep (Radiohead)/ 3. Regret (New Order)/
4. Fields Of Gold (Sting)/ 5. Harvest Moon (Neil Young)
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And the rest: Ain’t No Love (Ain’t No Use) (Sub Sub)/ All That She Wants (Ace Of Base)/ Animal Nitrate; So Young (Suede)/ Are You Gonna Go My Way; Believe; Heaven Help (Lenny Kravitz)/ As If We Never Said Goodbye; With One Look (Patti LuPone)/ The Bell (Mike Oldfield featuring Alan Rickman)/ Boom Shak-A-Lak (Apache Indian)/ Boom! Shake The Room (DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince)/ Breathe Again (Toni Braxton)/ Break It Down Again (Tears For Fears)/ Come Undone (Duran Duran)/ Distant Sun (Crowded House)/ Don’t Be A Stranger; The Perfect Year (Dina Carroll)/ Dreamlover; Hero (Mariah Carey)/ Eat The Music; Moments Of Pleasure; The Red Shoes; Rubberband Girl (Kate Bush)/ Eat The Rich (Aerosmith)/ Everybody Hurts; Nightswimming; The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite (R.E.M.)/ For Tomorrow (Blur)/ From Despair To Where (Manic Street Preachers)/ The Heart Asks Pleasure First/ The Promise (Michael Nyman)/ Hey Jealousy (Gin Blossoms)/ I Can See Clearly Now (Jimmy Cliff)/ I Don’t Wanna Fight (Tina Turner)/ I Wouldn’t Normally Do This Kind Of Thing (Pet Shop Boys)/ If I Ever Lose My Faith In You; Seven Days (Sting)/ In All The Right Places; Someday (I’m Coming Back) (Lisa Stansfield)/ Insane In The Brain (Cypress Hill)/ Laid; Sometimes (James)/ Linger (The Cranberries)/ Little Bird (Annie Lennox)/ Love Scenes; Mollie’s Song (Beverly Craven)/ Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel); The River Of Dreams (Billy Joel)/ Main Theme from Jurassic Park; Main Theme from Schindler’s List (John Williams)/ Moving On Up; One Night In Heaven; Renaissance (M People)/ Open Up (Leftfield)/ Play Dead (Björk featuring David Arnold)/ The Return Of Pan (The Waterboys)/ Return to Innocence (Enigma)/ Run To You (Whitney Houston)/ Slide Away (The Verve)/ Somewhere Over The Rainbow/What A Wonderful World (Israel Kamakawiwoʻole)/ Steam (Peter Gabriel)/ Sunflower (Paul Weller)/ Two Princes (Spin Doctors)/ What Is Love? (Haddaway)/ What’s This? (Danny Elfman)/ What’s Up? (4 Non Blondes)/ When I Fall In Love (Celine Dion and Clive Griffin)/ Where I Find My Heaven (Gigolo Aunts)/ You’re In A Bad Way (Saint Etienne)
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1994
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Nelson Mandela elected President of South Africa; genocide in Rwanda; O.J. on the run;
Tony Blair ‘New Labour’ leader; Channel Tunnel opens; Tonya Harding vs. Nancy Kerrigan;
Brazil wins fourth World Cup; Brookside’s lesbian kiss; Liz Hurley’s dress; Tarantino-mania
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Film:
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Directed by: Quentin Tarantino/ Starring: John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson,
Uma Thurman, Bruce Willis, Ving Rhames and Harvey Keitel/ Country: USA/
Running time: 154 minutes (Crime drama-black comedy)
What George says: Arriving to cinemas on a wave of unprecedented hype and controversy, this film was a rare beast of a Royale with cheese – it met or perhaps even exceeded its insane expectations. Just the second effort Tarantino helmed, it’s a hugely confident affair; blending ‘f-bombs’ and unapologetic splatters of violence with an old-new ‘B-movie’-nostalgia, a dynamic narrative structure, killer dialogue and off-kilter characters that will live forever. Like A New Hope, Pulp Fiction was a one-off cinematic experience that seemed to define and spearhead a cultural era; one in which retro-cool reigned supreme.
What the critics say: “It towers over the year’s other movies as majestically and menacingly as a gang lord at a preschool. It dares Hollywood films to be this smart about going this far. If good directors accept Tarantino’s implicit challenge, the movie theater could again be a great place to live in.” ~ Richard Corliss
Oscar count: 1 (also won the Palme d’Or at the 1994 Cannes Film Festival)
Oscar’s Best Picture pick this year: Forrest Gump
The public’s pick this year: The Lion King (global box-office #1)
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George’s runners-up:
2. Four Weddings And A Funeral; 3. Trois Couleurs Rouge (Three Colours Red);
4. The Madness Of King George; 5 Trois Couleurs Blanc (Three Colours White)
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And the rest: The Adventures Of Priscilla, Queen Of The Desert; Backbeat;
饮食男女 (Eat Drink Man Woman); Ed Wood; Forrest Gump; Heavenly Creatures;
Hoop Dreams; The Hudsucker Proxy; The Last Seduction; The Lion King; Maverick;
Quiz Show; The Shawshank Redemption; Speed; 活着 (To Live) .
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Song:
Live Forever ~ Oasis
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Writer: Noel Gallagher/ Released: August 1994
What George says: Despite Britpop’s reputation for repackaging ’60s sounds for the ’90s, Oasis weren’t the ’90s’ Beatles; after all, the two decades were very different. So, while this absolute stonker of an indie anthem eulogises ’60s-ish rebellious freedom with a hooky melody built on fabulous Fabs-eque chord shifts, it’s driven along by a pulverising bassline, which combines with Liam Gallagher’s Manc lout-angel vocals to deliver a tune of unmistakeable masculinity. It’s in-yer-face laddishness bolted to deceptively nuanced musicianship – and, back in ’94, it was nothing short of a musical manifesto.
What the critics say: “This ain’t a song, Mr Gallagher, it’s a meditation, a moan, a mantra – with a grinding, tarmac-digging, mind-cutter of a melody.” ~ Dominic King
Chart record: UK #10
Recognition: Ranked #1 for 1994, #13 for the 1990s and #152 for ‘all-time’ on acclaimedmusic.net’s cumulatively ranked ‘top songs’ lists
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George’s runners-up: 2. To The End (Blur)/ 3. Babies (Pulp)/
4. Stay Together (Suede)/ 5. Lucky You (The Lightning Seeds)
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And the rest: Afternoons & Coffeespoons; The Ballad Of Peter Pumpkinhead; God Shuffled His Feet; Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm; Superman’s Song (Crash Test Dummies)/ All I Wanna Do; I Shall Believe; Leaving Las Vegas; Run Baby Run; Strong Enough (Sheryl Crow)/ All I Want For Christmas Is You; Any Time You Need A Friend (Mariah Carey)/ Black Hole Sun (Soundgarden)/ But Not For Me; Can You Feel The Love Tonight; Chapel Of Love; Circle Of Life (Elton John)/ Change; Marvellous; My Best Day; Open Goals; Perfect; Why Why Why (The Lightning Seeds)/ Cigarettes & Alcohol; Half The World Away; Rock ‘n’ Roll Star; Shakermaker; Slide Away; Supersonic; Whatever (Oasis)/ Come In Out Of The Rain (Wendy Moten)/ Common As Muck (The Other Two)/ Confide In Me (Kylie Minogue)/ Connection (Elastica)/ Cornflake Girl (Tori Amos)/ Crash! Boom! Bang! (Roxette)/ David’s Last Summer; Do You Remember The First Time?; Lipgloss (Pulp)/ Dreams; Zombie (The Cranberries)/ Due South Theme (Jay Semko)/ End Of A Century; Girls & Boys; Parklife; This Is A Low; Tracy Jacks (Blur)/ ER (Main Theme) (James Newton Howard)/ Everybody’s Talkin’; Good as Gold; Prettiest Eyes (The Beautiful South)/ Fade Into You (Mazzy Star)/ Hallelujah (Jeff Buckley)/ Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me (Gloria Estefan)/ I Don’t Wanna Talk About It (Indigo Girls)/ If I Could (Seal and Joni Mitchell)/ I’ll Remember; Take A Bow (Madonna)/ I’ll Stand By You (The Pretenders)/ I’ll Take You There (General Public)/ Kiss From A Rose (Seal)/ La La La (Means I Love You) (Swing Out Sister)/ Love Is All Around (Wet Wet Wet)/ Love Spreads (The Stone Roses)/ The Most Beautiful Girl In The World (Prince)/ Patience Of Angels (Eddi Reader)/ Pineapple Head; Private Universe (Crowded House)/ Right Beside You (Sophie B. Hawkins)/ Rocks (Primal Scream)/ Sabotage (Beastie Boys)/ Saturday Night (Whigfield)/ 7 Seconds (Youssou N’Dour featuring Neneh Cherry)/ Space Cowboy (Jamiroquai)/ Stay Another Day (East 17)/ Stay (I Missed You) (Lisa Loeb and Nine Stories)/ Streets Of Philadelphia (Bruce Springsteen)/ Suite from Forrest Gump (Alan Silvestri)/ Sweetness (Michelle Gayle)/ Things Can Only Get Better (D:Ream)/ When We Dance (Sting)/ The Wild Ones (Suede)/ What’s The Frequency, Kenneth? (R.E.M.)/ You And Me Song (The Wannadies)
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And coming up…
George’s pick of the flicks
and top of the pops ~ 1995-99
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George's Journal 