Best Song of 1994
1994 was a great year for music. In the days right before the inventions of Napster and the iPod, radio, MTV, VH1, record stores, and CD clubs still had an iron grip on what most Americans listened to. It was a diverse mix of genres and artists, with dance hits, grunge bands, rap, r'n'b, alternative rock, adult-contemporary ballads, and even some folk-pop indie darlings piercing through the noise and topping the charts. Now, continuing our series of looking back at songs from 20, 30, and 40 years ago, the Great Pop Culture Debate wants to determine: what WAS the best song of 1994? Songs discussed include “Shoop,” “All I Wanna Do,” “Stay (I Missed You),” “Loser,” “Only Wanna Be With You,” “I’d Do Anything for Love,” “Gin & Juice,” “Linger,” “Basket Case,” “The Sign,” and more.
Join host Eric Rezsnyak and GPCD panelists Gary Jackson, Joelle Boedecker, and Kate Racculia they discuss 16 of the most iconic songs from 1994, narrowing them down until they make their final decision!
Want to play along at home? Click here to download a copy of the listener bracket. Make a copy, fill it out, and see how your choices stack up to ours!
To listen to Round 1, showing how we got to the Sweet 16 down from the Top 32, become a Patreon supporter of the podcast today to access the exclusive Part 1 episode.
Round 2 Match-Ups:
Not a Patreon subscriber? Here’s a recap of all the decisions we made in Round 1:
Match-Up 1: "Shoop" by Salt-N-Pepa (1) vs. "Black Hole Sun" by Soundgarden (4)
Match-Up 2: "All I Wanna Do" by Sheryl Crow (3) vs. "Stay (I Missed You)" by Lisa Loeb (2)
Match-Up 3: "Loser" by Beck (1) vs. "Come to My Window" by Melissa Etheridge (4)
Match-Up 4: "I'd Do Anything for Love" by Meat Loaf (6) vs. "Only Wanna Be With You" by Hootie & the Blowfish (2)
Match-Up 5: "Linger" by Cranberries (1) vs. "Crazy" by Aerosmith (4)
Match-Up 6: "Basket Case" by Green Day (3) vs. "Whatta Man" by Salt-N-Pepa & En Vogue (2)
Match-Up 7: "All That She Wants" by Ace of Base (1) vs. "Interstate Love Song" by Stone Temple Pilots (5)
Match-Up 8: "Gin & Juice" by Snoop Doggy Dogg (3) vs. "The Sign" by Ace of Base (2)
And should you need it, here's a playlist with all Top 32 songs discussed in this episode, as well as a few bonus songs put forward by the panelists:
Want to play along at home?
Download the Listener Bracket and see if your picks match up with ours!
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Episode Credits
Host: Eric Rezsnyak
Panel: Gary Jackson, Joelle Boedecker, Kate Racculia
Producer: Bob Erlenback
Editor: Bob Erlenback
