What were some upbeat songs from the 90s?  I know the 90s was known for angsty music, but I think there some good handfull songs out there in the 90's.

I'll start off with:

New Radicals - You Get What You Give

I thought Jewel Kilchers song 'Hands' was a very positive song. Not a fast beat or anything but lyrically filled with hope and calm...

^ yeah, that one has a rather calming tone to it.


"Upbeat" songs? I could think of several, but I don't know where to start.

How about "Too Many Walls" by Cathy Dennis; I always loved that one.

What were some upbeat songs from the 90s? 


Alternawhatever: Jesus Jones, Right Here, Right Now, 1991, after the fall of the Berlin Wall.  For people who remember the Cold War, an anthem of optimisim in 1991.  "Right here, right now, there is no other place that I'd rather be".  About ten years later, for those same people, it became the saddest song ever written, as 9/11 proved that Francis Fukuyama's thesis about the end of History was wrong.  Dead wrong.  I can't sing it as any other way than "Back there, back then, thinking the world woke up from history."

Alternametal: Sum 41, Rock: It's What We're All About.  I mean, c'mon, who doesn't want to start off the day with a bound of bacon, start off the day with their arteries shakin?

Top40/Pop: You thought I was going to break out the cheeze and play the Spice Girls, but I'm going with Apollo 440: Stop the Rock, OK, so it's verging on techno, but I'll let it slide here on account of they've slipped into more movie and game soundtracks than I can possibly count, and because I can't keep the speedometer under redacted when this track's on.  Ditto for the Lost in Space theme.  There's guitars in that music, it can't really be techno.  Right? :)

Techno: But as long as we're on the subject of techno, I'll play Berri / New Atlantic: Sunshine after the Rain, which inspired DJ Paul Elstak's Rainbow in the Sky, both around the mid-90s.  Harmless fluff, but delightfully optimistic fluff.  If it weren't harmless fluff, it wouldn't have been techno.  Got tons of stuff here, but these are the two tracks that come to mind off the bat as being the most over-the-top-optimistically-loopy.  Berri, Shine like a Star, Herbie, Right Type of Mood, Sotto Voce, Higher and Higher (Subwoofer Jesus 12" Mix), Gina G, Ooh, Aah, Just A Little Bit, BKS, Astroplane, Reel 2 Real, Can You Feel It (I'll recommend the Factory Team Remix), Dreamworld, Movin' Up, Motiv8, Rockin' For Myself... I mean, fer cryin' out loud, N-Trance did a techno/rap version of Guns and Roses' Paradise City. 

Rock:  Whoa.  I couldn't find much of anything that struck me as upbeat.  Everything I found was either in the pre-Grunge era (80s hair metal) or the post-2000s nu-metal era.  Did I really miss something here, or did grunge really have that much of a Debbie Downer impact on the entire decade?  Best I could do was the Eagles, Get Over It, from 1994's Hell Freezes Over, but I was grasping at straws, man.

I give up.  I'm gonna back off a bit - throw down any 20 random eurodance tracks from between 1994 and 1996, and you're going to find a candidate.  The whole damn genre was upbeat in both musical style/key/chord selection and lyrics.

I agree with FooBar and will add:

M People - "Moving On Up" and "One Night In Heaven"

Staxx - "Joy"

Sarah Washington - "Everything"

Ultra Naté - "Free"

Madonna's "Ray Of Light" from 1998

Alanis's "You Learn" has that realistic upbeat life message.

Sixpence None The Richer's "Kiss Me" and Paula Cole's "I Don't Want To Wait".

Those are all kinda mid-late 90's, an early 90's one would pry be Sheryl Crow's "All I Wanna Do"

A few more specifics are coming to mind right now...

"Close To You" by Maxi Priest
"Connected" by Stereo MC's
"I Love Your Smile" by Shanice.

And Foo Bar mentioned Reel 2 Real in his post; the only song of theirs I know is "I Like To Move It."

Agreed, FooBar though the only grunge song that I can think of that was upbeat was Collective Soul "Shine"

Other Alt. Rock songs that I thought where upbeat

Eagle Eye Cherry - Save Tonight
Wallflowers - Heroes(off the Godzilla soundtrack, and is a cover of David Bowie's songs)
Matchbox 20 - Real World

Some pop songs that I like:

Real McCoy - Another Night
Ace of Base - Sign
R Kelly - I believe I can fly
Montell Jordan - This is How We Do It
Aerosmith - Miss a thing(rock song, but imo since it came out in the 90s I would put it closer to pop than to grunge)

Some pop songs that I like:

Real McCoy - Another Night
Ace of Base - Sign
R Kelly - I believe I can fly
Montell Jordan - This is How We Do It
Aerosmith - Miss a thing(rock song, but imo since it came out in the 90s I would put it closer to pop than to grunge)


Yeah those are all good too. Excellent picks. And on that last one, yeah it would be closer to pop due to its softer sound.

Yeah those are all good too. Excellent picks. And on that last one, yeah it would be closer to pop due to its softer sound.


It is so weird, but I would not classify Aerosmith or even Tom Petty as 'Rock' in the 90s, despite the fact that they would be considered rock imo in any other era.

Another song I want to mention:

Jamiroquai - Virtual Insanity

It is so weird, but I would not classify Aerosmith or even Tom Petty as 'Rock' in the 90s, despite the fact that they would be considered rock imo in any other era.

Another song I want to mention:

Jamiroquai - Virtual Insanity

Another excellent choice. I was going to mention it in one of my previous posts but I didn't think of it.

Wasn't Teen Pop known for having upbeat songs? Like Eurodance, you could put in any 20 songs and likely find a few candidates. Just listen to the first three or four NOW That's What I Call Music CDs.

Don't forget almost all of the Hootie & The Blowfish songs.

In Canada, upbeat dance songs were a common thread in our Top 40.  One of my favourites at the time was an Australian-born Canadian named Carol Medina who had a memorable hit in 1994 with the great 'Tell Me You Love Me'.  No dancefloor was without that song back in the day.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-yWPA3M5eqA

Alright by Supergrass

Staying out for the Summer by Dodgy

Parklife and Country House by Blur

So Young by the Corrs

Britpop FTW :P

Jon Secada - Do You Believe In Us

Sugar Ray - Someday

Close to you - Maxi Priest

Paula Abduhl - Promise of a new day

Tom Cochrane - Life is a highway

and Janet Jackson had some good upbeat stuff in the 90s.  Escapade and Runaway.

^ Those are all good ones. Jon Secada had a few other upbeat songs then too, including "Just Another Day" and "If You Go."

ooohh i'm a late 90s kid here!!

i still think these songs were awesome!!!

eiffel 65 - i'm blue (da baa dee)

cher - believe

michael jackson - black or white

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWmkuH1k7uA&NR=1

Of course it would have been better. I love Kurt.

What band from the 90's could possibly be more upbeat than Jackyl?

(I'm going to see them tonight!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4FMNb4Jw2KI&feature=channel

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQk9hbI9OLE&feature=channel

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A52p9jc-gOo&feature=channel

Blink 182 was huge in the 90s and i consider them fairly upbeat and the song "my own worst enemy" by Lit in 1999 is also one of my favorites.

Right Said Fred!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSYxT9GM0fQ

i only heard sandstorm a while ago but i love it!!!

OK,how about: Grove Is In the heart-DeeeeLite,Vogue-Madonna,Black Cat-Janet Jackson,Ice Ice baby-Vanilla Ice,Good Vibrations-Marky Mark,Sir Mix Alot-Heavy and the Boys,Like a Prayer-Madonna,Gypsi Women(La Dedee La Dedow)-Crystal Waters,100%Pure Love-Crystal Waters.Danny

OK,how about: Groove Is In the heart-DeeeeLite,
Vogue-Madonna,
Black Cat-Janet Jackson,
Ice Ice baby-Vanilla Ice,
Good Vibrations-Marky Mark,

100%Pure Love-Crystal Waters.

Those are all good ones there. Nice choices.


Also "Cruising For Bruising" by Basia if that hasn't been mentioned yet.

Upbeat songs from the 90s -- there are many.

Like this one

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-BOTFmimoA

The One & Only - Chesney Hawkes (1991)

For the longest time I never really cared much for Van Halen with Sammy Hagar, but just recently I really started liking this song.

Very positive, uplifting lyrics, plus it's got an awesome piano intro.

Van Halen - Right Now (1992)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vyGzPmgR1QY&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5fRVm3k1aY

;)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uz4eHPD40w4

From 1992,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2i23cwJqt1Y
Live and Learn - Joe Public

From 1992,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2i23cwJqt1Y
Live and Learn - Joe Public



OMG!!!! You are taking me back with this song!!! I was 15 years old when I first jammed to this in 1992.  New Jack Swing at it's FINEST!!!!

How about Every Day is a Winding Road by Sheyrl Crowe? To this day that song reminds me of being 5 years old, cruising through town on sunny summer days in the backseat of my mom's red 1995 Chevy Lumina without a care in the world  :)

I think TLC's song Waterfalls would count as a feel-good, upbeat song.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0NnzChrd0S4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RWfSUWVP2I

Vintage Mariah baby!  8)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xat1GVnl8-k

Here's a New Jack Swing monster jam in 1990....


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pnH0HGhQgyU

"Wanna Get With You", Guy, 1990

Another "upbeat" '90s song,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OUDH6yU4kBk&feature=fvst
Smile - Vitamin C & Lady Saw

And this one too,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cu3jJzdenng
Blessed - Elton John

What were some upbeat songs from the 90s?  I know the 90s was known for angsty music, but I think there some good handfull songs out there in the 90's.

I'll start off with:

New Radicals - You Get What You Give


MY SUPER AWESOME FAVOURITE SONG OF THE 90S!!

Here's a New Jack Swing monster jam in 1990....


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pnH0HGhQgyU

"Wanna Get With You", Guy, 1990


Good stuff!  New Jack Swing was great!!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCQ0vDAbF7s

Good = positive and upbeat.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3TQSaqHBtM
Good - Better Than Ezra

Some other songs:

OMC - How Bizaar
Wallflowers - Only Difference
Luke - Raise the Roof
Sir-Mix-A-Lot - Baby Got Back
Kriss Kross - Jump
Meat Loaf - Everything For Love