What was the best year of the 90's?

The 90’s were awesome, but when would you go if you had a time machine?  What was the all around “Best” year of the 90’s?  I’ll attempt to give you the answer as I rank each year of the 90’s based on music, sports and movies.  Each sub category will be ranked from 1 – 10 (1 being the best) and the year with the best overall score will be crowned the  “Best” year of the 90’s…    

1990

Wow, 1990 was a great time to be a kid; you could watch Saved by the Bell before school and come home to the Disney Afternoon featuring Gummi Bears, Duck Tales, Rescue Rangers, and TaleSpin.  On Saturdays, you had a great lineup too; with The Real Ghosbusters, Pee Wee’s Playhouse and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.  If you weren’t digging TV, you could rock any of the great NES games that came out that year, including everyone’s favorite - Super Mario Bros 3.  Kids movies were sweet too; with Kindergarten Cop, TMNT, Home Alone, Back to the Future III and Duck Tales: Treasure of the Lost Lamp all dominating the 1990 box office.  But we also got some great adult flicks including Goodfellas, Total Recall, Die Hard 2, Predator 2, and Ghost.  Sports were somewhat forgettable with the 49ers routing the Broncos in the Super Bowl 55-10, the Reds winning the World Series and the Pistons winning the NBA title.  Music, unfortunately, was awful; Vanilla Ice and M.C. Hammer were at the top of the charts - making 1990 the decade’s worst year in music.    

Music:  10th

Sports:  6th

TV/Movies: 2nd

Overall:  7^th Best Year of the 90’s

1991

It seems like forever ago, but in 1991 the Twins beat the Atlanta Braves in what many consider to be the greatest World Series of all time.  Puckett had his miracle catch and home run to send the Series to a game seven - where Jack Morris pitched a ten inning shutout.  Basketball suffered a great loss, as Magic Johnson was diagnosed with HIV and retired prematurely.  But we saw the dawning of a new era, as Michael Jordan won his first title.  Grunge arrived on the music scene, as Nirvana’s Nevermind was released and went on to dethrone Michael Jackson’s Bad as the #1 album.  Tons of other great albums came out this year, including Pearl Jam’s Ten, the Chili Pepper’s BloodSugarSexMagic, Guns N’ Roses ‘Use Your Illusion I and II and Metallica’s Black Album.  There were a few great movies including Terminator 2: Judgement Day, Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure and Silence of the Lambs – but overall it was a subpar year at the box office. 

Music:  3rd

Sports:  1^st

TV/Movies:  7th

Overall:  2^nd Best Year of the 90’s

1992

The Simpsons entertained us throughout the 90’s, but their third season was really their breakout year.  It also had my favorite episode, Homer at the Bat, where Mr. Burns hires MLB stars Ken Griffey Jr., Wade Boggs, Don Mattingly, Roger Clemons and others to play in the company softball game.  Movies were average this year; Aladdin, Wayne’s World and A Few Good Men were the best flicks.  Music was pretty bad, Dr. Dre’s The Chronic and Beastie Boy’s Check Your Head, are among the few albums to stand the test of time.  Michael Jordan got his second title with the Bulls, then went on to lead the U.S. “Dream Team” to a gold medal  The Blue Jays won the World Series against the Braves and the Redskins won the Super Bowl.  In November, Clinton defeated George H. W. Bush and Ross Perot to become the 42^nd President. 

Music:  6^th

Sports:  5^th

TV/Movies:  6^th

Overall:  5^th Best Year of the 90’s

1993

Music was great in ’93!  Aerosmith released their Get a Grip album which featured a hot Liv Tyler in videos for Cryin, Crazy, and Amazing and went on to sell over 20 million copies.  Pearl Jam solidified themselves with a great sophomore effort in Vs, Nirvana followed Nevermind with In Utero, and the Smashing Pumpkins released Siamese Dream.  Rap was awesome too, with Snoop’s debut Doggystyle and Wu-Tang ’s 36 Chambers setting the stage for the next decade in hip hop.  In television, former bad boy Tim Allen helped make Home Improvement the top rated show.  Movies were all right in ‘93, with Jurassic Park, The Fugutive, and Demolition Man being the top flicks.  We also got a great World Series where the Blue Jays (Joe Carter, Paul Molitor, Roberto Alomar) beat the gritty Phillies (John Kruk, Curt Schilling, Lenny Dykstra) in six games after a Joe Cater walk-off home run.  The Cowboys routed the Bills in the Super Bowl and Jordan won his third straight title with the Bulls – only to retire a few months later.     

Music: 5th

Sports: 4th

TV/Movies: 5th

Overall:  3rd Best Year of the 90’s

1994

Nirvana was at the forefront of the alternative/grunge scene in ’94.  Not long after recording their Unplugged in New York album, Kurt Cobain killed himself on April 5th.  It was a very sad time, but despite Cobain’s death – 1994 was a still a great year in music overall.  Look at all of the classic albums that came out in ’94; Green Day’s Dookie, Bush’s Sixteen Stone, Soundgarden’s Superunknown, Notorious B.I.G.’s Ready to Die, Pearl Jam’s Vitalogy, Stone Temple Pilots’ Purple, TLC’s CrazySexyCool, Nine Inch Nails’ Downward Spiral, Weezer’s Blue Album, Live’s Throwing Copper, Offspring’s Smash, Nas’ Illimatic, and Beastie Boys’ Ill Communication (to name just a few). Movies were allright, with Pulp Fiction, Lion King and Shawshank Redemption being the most memorable films.  Saturday Night Live gets “best show” honors, peaking around ’94 with a stacked cast that included Phil Hartman, Dana Carvey, Chris Rock, Adam Sandler, David Spade, Chris Farley and Mike Myers.  Unfortunately, we had a the decade’s worst year in sports.  August 12^th was the darkest day in baseball history, as the strike began that lead to the cancellation of the World Series.  The Cowboys beat the Bills in an okay Super Bowl and the Rockets won the NBA title in Jordan’s absence.     

Music: 2nd

Sports: 10th

TV/Movies: 4th

Overall: 4^th Best Year of the 90’s

1995

’95 was a great year in alternative music; we got awesome debut/breakthrough albums from Foo Fighters, Garbage, Silverchair, Everclear, 311, Spacehog, Filter and No Doubt.  The Chili Peppers released their funky One Hot Minute (w/ Dave Navarro) and the Smashing Pumpkins released Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness – which ruled MTV with videos for Bullet with Butterfly Wings, 1979, Zero, Tonight, Tonight, and Thirty-Three.   Hip hop had a down year, but there were some catchy singles like Montell Jordan’s This is How We Do It and Naughty by Nature’s Feel Me Flow.  Unfortunately, the mainstream was dominated by crap like Ace of Base, Hootie and the Blowfish, and Coolio.  Either way, we could rely on Beavis and Butthead to make fun of it all.  Movies were pretty weak this year; with Die Hard 3, Batman Forever, Toy Story, Ace Ventura II and Waterworld being the top draws at the box office.  In sports, the 49ers crushed the Chargers 48-26 in a rout that saw six Steve Young touchdowns.  Hakeem Olajuwon got his second straight title with the Houston Rockets and the Atlanta Braves won the World Series.  Baseball also saw Cal Ripken break Lou Gehrig’s consecutive games played streak with his 2,131^st on  Sept 6^th.  The stock market had an amazing year, with the Dow rising 34% - the best one year return in our lifetime.    

Music:  4^th

Sports:  9th

TV/Movies: 9th

Overall:  10^th Best Year of the 90’s

 

1996

After being released from jail in October of ‘95, 2Pac signed with Death Row Records and put out two of the biggest rap albums of all time in 1996.  The classic double album, All Eyez on Me came out in February and was followed by the Makaveli album in September.  Pac was tragically shot in Las Vegas and died shortly afterward on September 13^th.  In the year between his release from jail and his tragic death, he recorded material that would fill ten albums, nine of which went platinum.  Aside from Pac, many of the 90’s best artists put out great albums in ‘96.  Stone Temple Pilot’s Tiny Music, Rage Against the Machine’s Evil Empire, Beck’s Odelay, Weezer’s Pinkerton, Bush’s Razorblade Suitcase, Marilyn Manson’s Antichrist Superstar, Cake’s Fashion Nugget, Metallica’s Load, Jay Z’s Reasonable Doubt, Busta Rhymes’ The Coming, Sublime’s Sublime, Pearl Jam’s No Code, Tool’s Aenima, Redman’s Muddy Waters, Soundgarden’s Down on the Upside, Fugees’ The Score, Garbage’s Version 2.0 and Oasis’ What’s the Story Morning Glory were all released in ’96.  Wow!  We also had an awesome year in one-hit wonders with memorable songs from Butthole Surfers, The Verve, Goldfinger, Porno for Pyros, Blind Melon, and Veruca Salt.  In sports, Hulk Hogan shocked the wrestling world by turning heel and forming the nWo.  The Yankees won their first of many titles, Jordan returned to the NBA and won the title after a two year absence, and the Cowboys cemented their legacy by winning a third Super Bowl in four years.  Seinfeld ruled television, with its (arguably) best season giving us great episodes like The Soup Nazi, The Sponge, The Seven, and The Rye.  Lots of fun movies came out in ‘96 including Independence Day, Happy Gilmore, Kingpin, Twister, Mission Impossible, Beavis and Butthead Do America, Trainspotting, and Twelve Monkeys.  Since it was just awesome all around, ’96 gets my vote as the best year of the 90’s.    

Music:  1st

Sports:  3rd

TV/Movies:  3rd 

Overall:  #1 Year of the 90’s

1997

This was a arguably the 90’s best year in rap, but it began with a tragic loss.  On March 9th, the Notorious B.I.G. was murdered just 16 days before the release of his double album, Life After Death.  The album cemented B.I.G.’s legacy as an all time great – and also gave us two of the best rap videos of all time, Hypnotize and Mo Money Mo Problems.  Bad Boy Records also released Puff Daddy’s No Way Out (I’ll Be Missing You, All About the Benjamins, Can’t Nobody Hold Me Down) and Mase’s Harlem World (Feels So Good).  Bad Boy dominated MTV, with Puff Daddy appearing in 43% of all 1997 rap videos.  But the rest of hip hop was great too; Wu Tang released their classic, Wu Tang Forever, and there were solid albums from up and comers like Missy Elliot, Jay-Z, Busta Rhymes, Master P, and Eminem.  While it was a banner year in hip hop, rock/alternative was terrible.  Good bands (Aerosmith, Green Day, Oasis, 311, Offspring, and Bush) were putting out bad albums (Nine Lives, Nimrod, Be Here Now, Transistor, Ixnay On the Hombre, and Deconstructed, respectively).  Pop music was even worse; Spice Girls, Chumbawamba and Hanson had annoying songs that you’d hear everyday – while trying you’re best to avoid them.  Sports were great in ’97; Tiger Woods won his first Master’s – by a record 12 strokes.  Mike Tyson’s downward spiral began as he bit off a chunk of Evander Holyfield’s ear.  Jordan got his fifth NBA title, Brett Favre led the Packers to a Super Bowl victory, and the underdog Marlins won the World Series.  Video games were more popular than ever; Goldeneye 64 revolutionized multi-player games, allowing us to kill our friends in real time. 

 A crude new show called South Park debuted, and had us laughing our ass off.  Unfortunately, movies were terrible in ’97 - Men in Black, Titanic, Face Off, and Batman and Robin were the most successful flicks. 

Music:  7th

Sports:  7th

TV/Movies:  10th

Overall: 9^th Best Year of the 90’s

1998

For sports fans, ’98 was about as good as it gets.  Randy Moss exploded during his rookie year, caught 17 touchdowns and helped the Vikes go 15-1 during the regular season.  Major League Baseball had its huge comeback year, with Sammy Sosa and Mark McGuire chasing Roger Maris’ single season home run record.  McGuire went on to finish with a record 70 home runs, hitting #70 off current Twins meatballer, Carl Pavano.  Jordan got his sixth and final title with the Bulls, the Broncos won the Super Bowl, and the Yankees won their third World Series in four years.  The U.S. also hosted the World Cup and Stone Cold Steve Austin dominated pro wrestling.  Unfortunately, movies sucked with crap like Blues Brothers 2000, X Files, Godzilla, Armageddon, Deep Impact, and Dr. Doolittle all having huge success.  There’s Something About Mary and The Big Lebowski were about the only good flicks.  Music was beginning to decline, and the Beastie Boys’ Hello Nasty was the only good album.  I feel like this was the “beginning of the end” of the great alternative era; bands were either being as loud as possible (Limp Bizkit, Linkin Park, Korn) or being total pussies (see Marcy Playground’s Sex and Candy, Semisonic’s Closing Time, or Barenaked Ladies’ One Week).  Still, the economy was great, we weren’t at war with anyone, gas was 99 cents, and our biggest worry was whether Bill Clinton lied about cheating on Hillary – times were pretty damn good. 

Music:  9th

Sports:  2nd

TV/Movies:  8^th

Overall: 8^th Best Year of the 90’s

 

1999

Music was shitty in 1999, maybe because of the whole Y2K thing.  Watching MTV was certainly depressing enough to make you not care about the world ending.  Crappy “artists” like Ricky Martin, Backstreet Boys, Radiohead, Britney Spears and Coldplay dominated the charts with whiny and annoying music.  Seriously, the Chili Pepper’s Californication was about the only good album to come out this year.  On the other hand, movies were great in 1999; it was arguably the best year the box office has ever seen.  Fight Club, The Matrix, Sixth Sense, Austin Powers, American Beauty, Dogma, Any Given Sunday, Eyes Wide Shut, Go, Magnolia, Man on the Moon, Office Space, South Park, and Analyze This all come out in ’99.  We also had the debut of one of the following decade’s best shows, The Sopranos.  Sports were okay this year; the Spurs won the NBA title (meh), the Yankees won the World Series, the Broncos won their second straight Super Bowl, and the Rock won his first WWE Championship.     

Music: 8th

Sports: 8th

TV/Movies: 1st

Overall Ranking:  6^th Best Year of the 90’s

Quick Recap

1.)  1996 – best overall year

2.)  1991 – best year mn sports

3.)  1993 – great music all genres

4.)  1994 – peak of alternative rock

5.)  1992 – good all around year

6.)  1999 – best year in movies

7.)  1990 – best year to be a kid

8.)  1998 – best sports all around

9.)  1997 – hip hop’s best year

10.) 1995 – not much sticks out