The biggest radio hit the year you graduated high school: ’90s edition
If you graduated high school anywhere between 1990 and 1999, there is a song that was unavoidable that spring. It was on the radio in the car on the way to the ceremony, at the party afterward, and at every gathering that summer.
The songs below are the Billboard year-end number one singles for each year, as compiled by Billboard and Wikipedia’s archives.
Find your year below.
Class of 1990: “Hold on” by Wilson Phillips
Wilson Phillips spent six weeks at number one in the spring of 1990 and finished as the year’s biggest single. The group consisted of the daughters of Brian Wilson and John and Michelle Phillips. The song was recorded in under two hours. Its key change before the final chorus became one of the most recognizable moments in early-1990s pop radio, and the song outsold everything else released that year.
Class of 1991: “(Everything I do) I do it for you” by Bryan Adams
Written for the film Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, it spent at number one in the United Kingdom, setting a record at the time. In the United States, it was the year-end number one single of 1991. Adams wrote it with producer Robert John Lange and lyricist Michael Kamen in roughly two hours. It won the Grammy for Best Song Written for a Motion Picture in 1992.
Class of 1992: “End of the road” by Boyz II Men
Boyz II Men’s “End of the Road” broke a chart record in Billboard Hot 100 history, spending 13 consecutive weeks at the top. Written and produced by Babyface for the Boomerang soundtrack, it displaced the previous record held by Elvis Presley. The harmonies were largely improvised in the studio on the first day of recording.
Class of 1993: “I will always love you” by Whitney Houston
Whitney Houston recorded this in one take. Written by Dolly Parton and originally a country hit in 1974, Houston’s version spent 14 weeks at number one on the Hot 100 and became the best-selling physical single by a female artist in music history at the time. The a cappella opening was added at the last moment during production.
Class of 1994: “The sign” by Ace of Base
The Swedish pop group Ace of Base spent six weeks at number one with “The Sign,” and the album became the best-selling debut album in US history at the time, moving over 10 million copies. The group consisted of three siblings and a friend from Gothenburg. The song had been recorded two years earlier and almost did not make the album.
Class of 1995: “Gangsta’s paradise” by Coolio featuring L.V.
Coolio sampled Stevie Wonder’s “Pastime Paradise” and recorded the song for the Dangerous Minds soundtrack. It spent three weeks at number one and became the year-end No. 1, the first rap song to top the Billboard year-end chart. Coolio later said he had not expected it to be a hit.
Class of 1996: “Macarena (Bayside Boys Mix)” by Los Del Rio
Los Del Rio’s remix spent 14 weeks on the Hot 100, the longest run of the decade. The original Spanish-language song was reworked with an English bridge by the Miami-based Bayside Boys production team. It became inescapable at graduation parties and weddings throughout the summer of 1996 and has never entirely gone away.
Class of 1997: “I’ll be missing you” by Puff Daddy and Faith Evans
Recorded as a tribute to the Notorious B.I.G., “I’ll Be Missing You” built its melody on a sample of the Police’s “Every Breath You Take.” It debuted No. 1 on the Hot 100, the first rap song to debut at the top of the chart, and spent 11 weeks there.
Class of 1998: “Too close” by Next
Next’s “Too Close” spent six weeks at number one and was the year-end top. The Minneapolis R&B group recorded it for their second album. Its subject matter was explicit enough that some stations edited the lyrics, which only amplified its notoriety.
Class of 1999: “Smooth” by Santana featuring Rob Thomas
Carlos Santana had not had a top ten hit in over two decades when “Smooth” spent 12 weeks in 1999. Written by Rob Thomas and Itaal Shur and produced by Matt Serletic, it won eight Grammy Awards, including Record of the Year and Song of the Year, and became one of the most-played songs in radio history.
The bottom line
One song, one year, one graduating class. Ten years of Friday nights, gymnasium floors, borrowed cars, and borrowed confidence. Which one was yours?
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