I'll start with Tori Amos. She went from hair metal to confessional singer-songwriter.

Madonna in the Late '90s

Michael Jackson in the Mid '90s

Tori is partly '80s?

Madonna in the Late '90s

Michael Jackson in the Mid '90s


How did MJ do so in the mid-'90s? I know Prince tried to do hip-pop type stuff in the early '90s and failed. Madonna never fully updated until the late '90s, but when she did it was massive. Yeah, she did one late '80s album, Y Kant Tori Read, in the hair-metal style and she tried to make it in L.A. hair metal.

How did MJ do so in the mid-'90s? I know Prince tried to do hip-pop type stuff in the early '90s and failed. Madonna never fully updated until the late '90s, but when she did it was massive. Yeah, she did one late '80s album, Y Kant Tori Read, in the hair-metal style and she tried to make it in L.A. hair metal.


Did you hear his album called "HIStory"?  He completely changed his sound from the 80s

Just take a listen to a song like "A Stranger in Moscow"

"Scream" sounds very '90s. I think Janet Jackson changed slightly from being 1989ish to more '90s as they progressed.

"Scream" sounds very '90s. I think Janet Jackson changed slightly from being 1989ish to more '90s as they progressed.


"Scream" was the only song on that Album that sounded like his Early 90s Days.  All of the other songs were Melodramatic "Coldplay" like songs

The country group Restless Heart went for an Adult Contemporary turn in the 90's with the song "When She Cries"

Before she was known in the states, Alanis Morrissette was a dance-pop singer with several early 90's hits Canada-wide.  In 1994, she switched to alternative rock, and found mainstream success to a world-wide audience.  I still miss her dance days  :\'(

U2 and REM made major changes to their sound in the 90s. With Achtung Baby, Zooropa and Pop, U2 became more experimental and added electronic and hip-hop influences to their sound.

Depeche Mode also changed their sound quite a bit in the 90s. With 1993's Songs of Faith and Devotion, they went from synth-pop to being a harder-edged, guitar-driven band.

Deborah Gibson, to more of an A/C pop/ballad artist like a smoother (and pretty) Celine Dion  :)

U2 and REM made major changes to their sound in the 90s. With Achtung Baby, Zooropa and Pop, U2 became more experimental and added electronic and hip-hop influences to their sound.

Depeche Mode also changed their sound quite a bit in the 90s. With 1993's Songs of Faith and Devotion, they went from synth-pop to being a harder-edged, guitar-driven band.


David Bowie and Billy Idol also put out some electronica-laced music in the 90's.

Other than the ones already mentioned:

-Santana (comeback in '99 with "Smooth", with 2002's "The Game of Love" in the same style)
-Rush (their 1993 hit "Stick it Out" I remember had sort of a distorted grungy sound)
-Phil Collins, sorta ("Both Sides of the Story" is a pretty hard-edged song for him, also lyrically it's more '90s dealing with the gritty reality of street life)
-Aerosmith (it was more subtle, but with the Get a Grip album it was like "90s classic rock")
-Bryan Adams (he turned AC from 1993+, even as far back as the Robin Hood song in '91)

Other than the ones already mentioned:

-Santana (comeback in '99 with "Smooth", with 2002's "The Game of Love" in the same style)
-Rush (their 1993 hit "Stick it Out" I remember had sort of a distorted grungy sound)
-Phil Collins, sorta ("Both Sides of the Story" is a pretty hard-edged song for him, also lyrically it's more '90s dealing with the gritty reality of street life)
-Aerosmith (it was more subtle, but with the Get a Grip album it was like "90s classic rock")
-Bryan Adams (he turned AC from 1993+, even as far back as the Robin Hood song in '91)


Do you think the Aerosmith comeback thing is a hair metal holdover, or a '90s thing? Aerosmith weren't really cool in the '80s.

Do you think the Aerosmith comeback thing is a hair metal holdover, or a '90s thing? Aerosmith weren't really cool in the '80s.


I think it's kinda both.

I will say, it's weird how they actually managed to stay relevant/semi cool in the '90s, since their "comeback" stuff (Dude Looks like a Lady, Janie's Got a Gun, Angel, etc) was totally hair metal. ;)

The last big hit they had was "Jaded", so you could argue their second comeback lasted 1987-2001.

I think it's kinda both.

I will say, it's weird how they actually managed to stay relevant/semi cool in the '90s, since their "comeback" stuff (Dude Looks like a Lady, Janie's Got a Gun, Angel, etc) was totally hair metal. ;)

The last big hit they had was "Jaded", so you could argue their second comeback lasted 1987-2001.


I remember that song. Not a big Aerosmith fan, but "Jaded" was good.

I think it's kinda both.

I will say, it's weird how they actually managed to stay relevant/semi cool in the '90s, since their "comeback" stuff (Dude Looks like a Lady, Janie's Got a Gun, Angel, etc) was totally hair metal. ;)

The last big hit they had was "Jaded", so you could argue their second comeback lasted 1987-2001.


Yeah Jaded was a monster hit in 2001, one of my favorite songs from that year.

I remember that song. Not a big Aerosmith fan, but "Jaded" was good.


I liked it too (for a 2001 song it's pretty good, lol). I actually would consider "Livin' on the Edge" "Cryin" and "I Don't Wanna Miss a Thing" to be like a 90s-ified/toned down version of hair metal.

I liked it too (for a 2001 song it's pretty good, lol). I actually would consider "Livin' on the Edge" "Cryin" and "I Don't Wanna Miss a Thing" to be like a 90s-ified/toned down version of hair metal.


There was a little bit of hair metal in the '90s, even as late as 2000.

I liked it too (for a 2001 song it's pretty good, lol). I actually would consider "Livin' on the Edge" "Cryin" and "I Don't Wanna Miss a Thing" to be like a 90s-ified/toned down version of hair metal.



Yeah, even though there 1987-1993 or so stuff was very hair metalish it still sounded different from most hair metal songs at the time. btw I liked Jaded too 8).

I'll start with Tori Amos. She went from hair metal to confessional singer-songwriter.


Tori as a hair-metaller???  ;D