Top 20 Timeless Hooks From The 90s

Top 20 Timeless Hooks From The 90s

Often the only part of a song that the masses remember, a catchy chorus is what takes a song from decent single to everlasting hit (or party favorite).  While many of these tracks are laughable mainstream pop, there’s no doubt that you know exactly how their brain-hog of a hook goes.  If you don’t, quit trying to be cool and indie, you liar.  Below are IIB’s Top 20 Timeless Hooks From The 90s:

Bone Thugs N Harmony - Tha Crossroads

Other than missing their Uncle Charles, the hook was the only decipherable part of the song.

TLC - Waterfalls

The ladies of TLC get real deep with these lyrics.  You could fall off of a waterfall, be careful!

Pearl Jam - Jeremy

Everyone knows what Jeremy did today.

Sir Mix A Lot - Baby Got Back

This hook helped give white America a fresher way to talk about booty.

Nirvana - Smells Like Teen Spirit

Helllo (x16).

Whitney Houston - I Will Always Love You

Without the “eeeee iiiiii” this would be on par with any Celine Dion track.

MC Hammer - U Can’t Touch This

Everyone knew the hook’s 4 words followed by a poor beatbox attempt at the bassline.

House Of Pain - Jump Around

Simple + energy are a winning formula.

Vanilla Ice - Ice Ice Baby

The whisper simplicity over a familiar track enamored the world.

Backstreet Boys - I Want It That Way

YOU KNOW IT, ADMIT IT.

Hanson - Mmmbop

Why make it difficult on your audience with real words, when you can make up some easy-to-follow sounds?

Ricky Martin - Livin la vida loca

Everybody’s Spanish lesson in the 90s.


Spice Girls - Wannabe

The Spice Girls dropped some Mariah Carey-like knowledge on the world - if you want to be their lover, you gotta get with their friends first.  GOT IT!

Color Me Badd - I Wanna Sex You Up

Were there any other words to this song?

LL Cool J - Mama Said Knock You Out

LL Cool J has been doing situps ever since his most aggressive song.

Snow - Informer

Informer, aoisraoisdhghdsfljkghldkjfhgopadfophfjlhadslfhsldf, ah licky boom boom downnnn.

Kriss Kross - Jump

The daddy mac will make you!

Los Del Rio - Macarena

The pinnacle of annoying songs that come with a dance, Macarena was so big that people kept trying to set Guinness Records for most people doing it at once. Heyyyyy Macarena!

Naughty By Nature - OPP

You down with OPP?

Chumbawumba - Tubthumping

It’s like a Jock Jams song that grew way too big for its britches.  Between getting knocked down and pissing the night away, this song was a staple on the radio and still is played in stadiums.

had to add a 21st that was just suggested by our friends at jamtopia:

Baha Men - Who Let The Dogs Out

Tracks that almost made the Top 20:

  • Cypress Hill - Insane In The Brain
  • Salt N Peppa - What A Man
  • Red Hot Chili Peppers - Give It Away
  • Sublime - What I Got
  • Counting Crows - Mr. Jones
  • Blue - Eiffel 65
  • En  Vogue - My Lovin
  • Notorious BIG - Mo Money Mo Problems
  • Michael Jackson - Black Or White
  • 2Pac - California Love
  • Snoop Dogg - Who Am I
  • Smashing Pumpkins - Today
  • Billy Ray Cyrus - Achy Breaky Heart
  • Montel Jordan - This Is How We Do It
  • Will  Smith - Gettin Jiggy Wit It

Any list is going to be very subjective, so let us know how wrong/stupid we are in the comments!

18 Comments »

  1. avatar comment-top

    Can’t stand all of the songs mentioned, with the exception of “Teen Spirit.” Where’s “Today” by Smashing Pumpkins?

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  2. avatar comment-top

    I can not beleive you did not mention Semi-Charmed Life by Third Eye Blind……..Really from 97-99 that song was on every rock format and in almost every movie trailer. Great song! Still can not beleive how many people do not know that the song is actualy about oral sex and Crystal Meth addiction.

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  3. avatar comment-top

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  4. avatar comment-top

    [...] Top 20 Timeless Hooks From The 90s [...]

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    [...] 20 Timeless Hooks From The [...]

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  6. avatar comment-top

    [...] ♣ Top 20 Timeless Hooks From The 90s [Ice Ice Babies] [...]

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  7. avatar comment-top

    Really? Really!?!? You collect a butt load of one hit wonders and a couple multi-hit artists together in Youtube clips and call them “timeless” and call it a top 20 list? I’m amazed at what passes for posts online these days…so you got a few of the old 90s compilation albums out of your disc changer and started looking up songs right? Jeez, wake up people, this was pathetic AT BEST.

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  8. avatar
    casey jones Says:
    July 18th, 2009 at 10:40 am
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    thanks for stopping by tenny! see you tomorrow for an even longer comment!

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  9. avatar comment-top

    Wonder how long it’ll take Tenny to realize that “collect[ing] a butt load of one hit wonders and a couple multi-hit artists” was the point of the article.

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  10. avatar
    casey jones Says:
    July 19th, 2009 at 7:31 pm
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    right on amber, right on.

    thanks for visiting!

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  11. avatar comment-top

    I was born in 1989 and I know all of those songs except for Bone Thugs N Harmony - Tha Crossroads, which I’ve never heard before.

    Actually I remember all of the lyrics for 80% of that list too, haha. Including the “almost” list.

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  12. avatar
    savagemouse Says:
    July 20th, 2009 at 2:18 pm
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    How about “Here Comes the Hotstepper” by Ini Kamoze? I still have that on my 90’s playlist, along with about half this list. :)

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  13. avatar comment-top

    Agreed with Lisa, I have never heard of Tha Crossroads!

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  14. avatar
    FlashIsBack Says:
    July 20th, 2009 at 3:40 pm
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    Return of the Mack by Mark Morrison not even on the Honorable Mention list? Sure the chorus is garbled and annoying but people liked it! ARGH!
    Return of the Mack, return of the Mack, return of the Mack, you know that I’ll be back.

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  15. avatar comment-top

    [...] Twenty Timeless Hooks From The 90s (IceIceBabies) [...]

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  16. avatar comment-top

    good stuff here, a lot of songs im embarassed to admit to liking.

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  17. avatar comment-top

    Where’s “Your Woman” by White Town?

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  18. avatar comment-top

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