Best Songs of 1995

Ask most people what their favorite musical years were, and almost without fail—and often without realizing the connection—they’ll tell you whatever years they were in high school. Despite my intense and unrelenting love of music, I am much like everyone else in this regard. In my commentary preceding my Best Songs of 1994, I mentioned that it might be my favorite musical year of my lifetime. If it isn’t, that is only because 1995 has assumed the role.

In her excellent memoir, Sleater-Kinney’s Carrie Brownstein perfectly captures the reason this high school-era music (no matter which era was yours) is so potent:

“These songs and albums were the best ones because of how huge adolescence felt then, and how nostalgia recasts it now.”

I might add that at this age, we have accumulated enough life experiences to appreciate music in a new way, but not enough to be nostalgic about our pasts.

For me, too, these high school years were a chance to explore new arenas for discovery. I no longer needed to rely on my Dad, or my sister, or whatever everyone else was listening to. For the first time, I could spend time looking on my own. Twenty years ago, this was a combination of myriad sources: MTV (especially my new favorite, 120 Minutes), the radio (The End and The Mountain), Tower Records listening stations, local musical weekly The Rocket, and yes, a few things my sister liked first.

With rare exceptions (like, say, The Dismemberment Plan’s first record), the vast majority of this 100-song list features songs, albums and artists I knew and loved back then. So many of them now conjure vivid memories, not just of 20 years ago, but also of the 20 years that have passed since. I love them all still. The passage of time and the accumulation of new music into my life has not lessened their impact.

For these year-end lists, I like to undertake the seemingly impossibly task of creating an hours-long mix. The order you see below represents that effort, which you can listen to via Spotify. Sadly all 100 tracks aren't available, but you get the general idea. Track notes to come eventually or maybe never.

Show Grid

Against the ’70s

Mike Watt featuring Eddie Vedder

Ball-Hog or Tugboat?

Columbia

Notes
I’m the Ocean

Neil Young

Mirror Ball

Reprise

Notes
Natural One

Folk Implosion

Kids

London

Notes
Hey Man, Nice Shot

Filter

Short Bus

Reprise

Notes
More Human Than Human

White Zombie

Astro Creep: 2000

Geffen

Notes
Again

Alice in Chains

Alice in Chains

Sony

Notes
Wynona’s Big Brown Beaver

Primus

Tales From the Punchbowl

Interscope

Notes
Bored

Deftones

Adrenaline

Maverick

Notes
Starseed

Our Lady Peace

Naveed

Columbia

1994 Canadian release; 1995 US release.
In the Blood

Better Than Ezra

Deluxe

Elektra

Notes
Someday I Will Treat You Good

Sparklehorse

Vivadixiesubmarinetransmissionplot

Capitol

Notes
Rattled by the Rush

Pavement

Wowee Zowee

Matador

Notes
Country House

Blur

The Great Escape

Food/Virgin

Notes
In the Meantime

Spacehog

Resident Alien

Sire

Notes
Wonderful

Adam Ant

Wonderful

Capitol

Notes
Judy Staring at the Sun

Catherine Wheel

Happy Days

Island

Notes
Bright Yellow Gun

Throwing Muses

University

Reprise

Notes
Superwise

Goodness

Goodness

Y Records

Notes
Dizzy

Green Apple Quick Step

Reloaded

Medicine Label

Notes
Feed Yourself

Sweet Water

Super Friends

Elektra

Notes
Sick of Myself

Matthew Sweet

100% Fun

Zoo Entertainment

Notes
Speed of Silence

Dog’s Eye View

Happy Nowhere

Sony

Notes
Janitor

Toad the Wet Sprocket

In Light Syrup

Columbia

Notes
Don’t Leave Me on My Own

Chris Isaak

Forever Blue

Reprise

Notes
Don’t Speak

No Doubt

Tragic Kingdom

Interscope

Notes
My Friends

Red Hot Chili Peppers

One Hot Minute

Warner Bros.

Notes
All Mixed Up

311

311

Volcano

Notes
Ruby Soho

Rancid

…And Out Come the Wolves

Epitaph

Notes
Name

Goo Goo Dolls

A Boy Named Goo

Metal Blade

Notes
Window

Guster

Parachute

Aware

Notes
Angeline Is Coming Home

The Badless

River Songs

A&M

Notes
Route

Son Volt

Trace

Warner Bros.

Notes
Narcotic Prayer

Chris Whitley

Din of Ecstasy

Sony/Work

Notes
Bad As They Seem

Hayden

Everything I Long For

Outpost

Notes
Should’ve Been in Love

Wilco

A.M.

Reprise

Notes
The Mountains Win Again

Blues Traveler

Four

A&M

Notes
Blue

The Jayhawks

Tomorrow the Green Grass

American

Notes
Goodbye

Steve Earle

Train a Comin’

Warner Bros.

Notes
32 Flavors

Ani DiFranco

Not a Pretty Girl

Righteous Babe

Notes
Ferris Wheel

The Freddy Jones Band

North Avenue Wake Up Call

Capricorn

Notes
Flood

Jars of Clay

Jars of Clay

Essential/Jive

Notes
Who Will Save Your Soul

Jewel

Pieces of You

Atlantic

Notes
Pensacola

Joan Osborne

Relish

Mercury

Notes
Carnival

Natalie Merchant

Tigerlilly

Elektra

Notes
Counting Blue Cars

Dishwalla

Pet Your Friends

A&M

Notes
Tomorrow

Silverchair

Frogstomp

Epic

Notes
Diana

3lb. Thrill

Vulture

550 Records

Notes
Rock and Roll Is Dead

Lenny Kravitz

Circus

Virgin

Notes
Scream

Michael & Janet Jackson

HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book 1

Sony

Notes
Bad Days

The Flaming Lips

Clouds Taste Metallic

Warner Bros.

Notes
Friends of P.

The Rentals

Return of the Rentals

Maverick

Notes
California

Wax

13 Unlucky Numbers

Interscope

Notes
Brain Stew

Green Day

Insomniac

Reprise

Notes
Common People

Pulp

Different Class

Island

Notes
Goldfinger

Ash

1977

Reprise

Notes
Heartspark Dollarsign

Everclear

Sparkle and Fade

Capitol

Notes
Stars

Hum

You’d Prefer an Astronaut

RCA

Notes
Rock Chick

Lotion

Nobody’s Cool

spinART

Notes
Peaches

The Presidents of the United States of America

The Presidents of the United States of America

Pop Llama/Columbia

Notes
I Got Shit

Pearl Jam

Merkinball

Epic

Notes
Wonderwall

Oasis

(What’s the Story) Morning Glory?

Epic

Notes
December

Collective Soul

Collective Soul

Atlantic

Notes
Ironic

Alanis Morissette

Jagged Little Pill

Maverick

Notes
1979

Smashing Pumpkins

Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness

Virgin

Notes
Fanfare

Eric Matthews

It’s Heavy in Here

Sub Pop

Notes
Honey White

Morphine

Yes

Rykodisc

Notes
Girl Like You

Edwyn Collins

Gorgeous George

Bar/None

1994 European release; 1995 U.S. release.
This Is How We Do It

Montell Jordan

This Is How We Do It

Def Jam

Notes
Don’t Take It Personal (Just One of Dem Days)

Monica

Miss Thang

Rowdy

Notes
1st of tha Month

Bone Thugs-N-Harmony

E.Eternal 1999

Ruthless

Notes
World Go Round

Naughty By Nature

Poverty’s Paradise

Tommy Boy

Notes
Get Money

Junior M.A.F.I.A.

Conspiracy

Atlantic

Notes
Loungin’

LL Cool J

Mr. Smith

Def Jam

Notes
Runnin’

The Pharcyde

Labcabincalifornia

Delicious Vinyl/Rhymesayers

Notes
Brown Sugar

D’Angelo

Brown Sugar

EMI

Notes
Dear Mama

2Pac

Me Against the World

Interscope

Notes
Cell Therapy

Goodie Mob

Soul Food

La Face

Notes
I Wish

Skee-Lo

I Wish

Scotti Bros.

Notes
Gangsta’s Paradise

Coolio

Gangsta’s Paradise

Tommy Boy

Notes
Blood Brothers

Bruce Springsteen

Greatest Hits

Columbia

Notes
Margaret

Seven Mary Three

American Standard

Mammoth

Notes
Time

Supergrass

I Should Coco

Capitol

Notes
If I Don’t Write

The Dismemberment Plan

"!"

DeSoto

Notes
I’ll Stick Around

Foo Fighters

Foo Fighters

Roswell/RCA

Notes
Only Happy When It Rains

Garbage

Garbage

Almo Sounds

Notes
Down by the Water

P.J. Harvey

To Bring You My Love

Island

Notes
Stutter

Elastica

Elastica

DGC

Notes
Away With the Pixies

Ben Lee

Grandpaw Would

Grand Royal

Notes
Philosophy

Ben Folds Five

Ben Folds Five

Passenger

Notes
23 Minutes in Brussels

Luna

Penthouse

Elektra

Notes
Needle in the Hay

Elliott Smith

Elliott Smith

Kill Rock Stars

Notes
You’ve Got a Friend in Me

Randy Newman

Toy Story

Walt Disney

Notes
It’s Oh So Quiet

Björk

Post

Elektra

Notes
Sleepy Maggie

Ashley MacIsaac

Hi, How Are You Today?

A&M

Notes
Feeling So Real

Moby

Everything Is Wrong

Elektra

Notes
Aftermath

Tricky

Maxinquaye

Island

Notes
Alive Alone

The Chemical Brothers featuring Beth Orton

Exit Planet Dust

Astralwerks

Notes
Black Star

Radiohead

The Bends

Capitol

Notes
River of Deceit

Mad Season

Above

Columbia

Notes
Diamond Sea

Sonic Youth

Washing Machine

DGC

Notes