Just as a few examples:
Consider that the biggest movies of the year were disaster films which were about destruction--Independence Day and Twister. Even the Disney movie released that year, Hunchback of Notre Dame, is possibly the darkest children's film they've ever released. The music too, took a dark twist, with Gangsta Rap taking on a more aggressive sound; Rock becoming a little more aggressive with Nu Metal and the like; The brooding sounds of the last Grunge records; The rebellious, "End of the world" style insanity of Marilyn Manson's debt record. He even has a track called 1996, which starts off with, "Light a candle for the sinners, set the world on fire..." It just seems like, for whatever reason, there was a dark or cynical undertone to the pop culture of 1996--moreso than any other time in the '90s I wonder.

i think the 90s got progressively darker with the millennarian anxiety about the year 2000 and whether the computers were gonna stop working or the second coming was gonna happen or something. consider how 1998 saw two asteroid-hitting-the-earth movies, or how in 1999 the moon was actually knocked out of earth orbit and catapulted into deep space.

well, that last maybe isn't the best example.

I graduated from college in 1996.



Cat

I graduated from High School in 1996. 

I graduated from college in 1996.



Cat


I started at the University in 96

So what Rhett Butler is saying is that it was a dark year because people were graduating school and starting school?

http://www.shlaowai.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/horsetable-how-rude.jpg

lol

So what Rhett Butler is saying is that it was a dark year because people were graduating school and starting school?

http://www.shlaowai.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/horsetable-how-rude.jpg

lol



Not sure what he was saying I didn't finish reading the post..... I just went to the comments  ;D

Not sure what he was saying I didn't finish reading the post..... I just went to the comments  ;D


How did you not read his post?  I mean it was quite a well worded post that had good content.  Granted, I didn't read the whole post either, but that's only because I hate reading things that do not have paragraphs because all the text is lumped together and you sometimes lose where you left off.  Now where was I?  Oh yeah, rainbows and gumdrops and little kittens purring, clouds and snowflakes and dogs running marathons.  With six you get eggroll, but if you want two eggrolls, do you have to order 12?  But I kid, 1996 was a good year, I just do not remember much about it.

oy vey. i got my masters in '96.

How did you not read his post?  I mean it was quite a well worded post that had good content.  Granted, I didn't read the whole post either, but that's only because I hate reading things that do not have paragraphs because all the text is lumped together and you sometimes lose where you left off.  Now where was I?  Oh yeah, rainbows and gumdrops and little kittens purring, clouds and snowflakes and dogs running marathons.  With six you get eggroll, but if you want two eggrolls, do you have to order 12?  But I kid, 1996 was a good year, I just do not remember much about it.


I stopped somewhere when it went from film to music....people hear right about trends and music and the letters shift and become nothing but blah blah blah.....


plus independence day isn't about destruction its about civilization putting aside differences to unite against a common enemy. it's about hope and promise and triumph. 


Twister was more of an action film than a disaster flick.....the whole thing was basically one long car chase...there was some destruction but on a grand scale not that much.... and really that film was about chasing a dream and seeing it come to fruition so actually it too was an uplifting film with a positive message....



btw Jerry Maguire was a hit....it also came out in 96.

I remember thinking the first half of the 90's were darker in vibe/attitude. The second half seemed more laidback.  Lots of fun and cheesy music, too.

1996 is one of my favorite years of the 90's, along with '93 and '94.

I figured out what air smelled like in 1996.

So what Rhett Butler is saying is that it was a dark year because people were graduating school and starting school?

http://www.shlaowai.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/horsetable-how-rude.jpg

lol
If that is the case, my dark year was 1976 not 1996!

1996 was a very good year for me, one of the best years during the 90s.

Just as a few examples:
Consider that the biggest movies of the year were disaster films which were about destruction--Independence Day and Twister. Even the Disney movie released that year, Hunchback of Notre Dame, is possibly the darkest children's film they've ever released. The music too, took a dark twist, with Gangsta Rap taking on a more aggressive sound; Rock becoming a little more aggressive with Nu Metal and the like; The brooding sounds of the last Grunge records; The rebellious, "End of the world" style insanity of Marilyn Manson's debt record. He even has a track called 1996, which starts off with, "Light a candle for the sinners, set the world on fire..." It just seems like, for whatever reason, there was a dark or cynical undertone to the pop culture of 1996--moreso than any other time in the '90s I wonder.


It's what the people in general wanted at that time.  It is the same reason why Lady Gaga is popular today, because people want it.

At the same year, Spice Girls came out with "Wannabe"...is that dark and cynical?  Sounds happy go lucky pop to me

Just as a few examples:
Consider that the biggest movies of the year were disaster films which were about destruction--Independence Day and Twister. Even the Disney movie released that year, Hunchback of Notre Dame, is possibly the darkest children's film they've ever released. The music too, took a dark twist, with Gangsta Rap taking on a more aggressive sound; Rock becoming a little more aggressive with Nu Metal and the like; The brooding sounds of the last Grunge records; The rebellious, "End of the world" style insanity of Marilyn Manson's debt record. He even has a track called 1996, which starts off with, "Light a candle for the sinners, set the world on fire..." It just seems like, for whatever reason, there was a dark or cynical undertone to the pop culture of 1996--moreso than any other time in the '90s I wonder.


  That'll learn ya for taking mass entertainment too seriously...

  1996 was one of my better years.  Had a decent job with fair pay and good bennies (a highlight in itself).  Got my first apartment in 1996 with a storage room off the balcony porch which I promptly converted into a hidden sex slave room complete with chains in the wall and tawsing horse...

  Dark indeed...

   That'll learn ya for taking mass entertainment too seriously...

   1996 was one of my better years.  Had a decent job with fair pay and good bennies (a highlight in itself).  Got my first apartment in 1996 with a storage room off the balcony porch which I promptly converted into a hidden sex slave room complete with chains in the wall and tawsing horse...

   Dark indeed...



WAS THAT YOU!!!!!  :o    I knew we'd met somewhere before!  :D

   1996 was one of my better years.  Had a decent job with fair pay and good bennies (a highlight in itself).  Got my first apartment in 1996 with a storage room off the balcony porch which I promptly converted into a hidden sex slave room complete with chains in the wall and tawsing horse...

   
ahh, the good old days...I still kept that leather glove.  :D ;D

"'Twister' celebrates 20th anniversary; original movie released on May 10th, 1996"

http://www.kjrh.com/news/local-news/twister-celebrates-20th-anniversary-movie-was-first-to-make-its-way-to-dvd

I only barely remember 1996, but my memories of that year seem happy. Matilda, Macarena, Nintendo 64 being released, and Sabrina The Teenage Witch premiered.

"'Twister' celebrates 20th anniversary; original movie released on May 10th, 1996"

http://www.kjrh.com/news/local-news/twister-celebrates-20th-anniversary-movie-was-first-to-make-its-way-to-dvd


I thought Twister seemed cool at the time, but now that many real-world storm chasers are using better technology, such as 4K and HDMI, seeing not just the real thing but with an improvement in production literally blows away the original.

That said, while pop culturally somewhat dark (unless if you were in Europe with the brighter dance music), the overall economic events were fairly optimistic, especially due to the widespread Internet boom in that the true age of Aquarius had arrived once again, and remember that lots of '70s (and lingering '60s nostalgia) helped to make up for the then-current dark culture.

Pop culturally, yes. Energy wise, it was a very happy and sunny year!  :D

1996 wasn't a dark year at all. Economically and politically, Americans had basically nothing to worry about. Culturally, not even. The most popular movies that year weren't "dark" at all. Independence Day, Twister, From Dusk Till Dawn, Happy Gilmore, Transpotting, The Nutty Professor, and Romeo & Juliet weren't exactly what I would call "dark", with the exception of the more self-induced ones such as Scream, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and Fargo.

Musically, 1996 was the year that popular music moved into a lighter direction. A sample of some of the most well-remembered hits of that year: "Follow You Down", "Too Much", "Ironic", "The Distance", "Lovefool", "Big Me", "In the Meantime", "Santa Monica", "Salvation", "Spiderwebs", "What I Got", "Down", "Always Be My Baby", "Falling", "Only You", "Where Do You Go", "This Is Your Night", "Loungin' (Who Do Ya Luv)", "This Is For the Lover in You", "Get Money", and "Mouth" all showcase popular music moving into a more carefree and feel-good direction. This is about as dark as it got that year:

http://www.banquetrecords.com/item.jpg?MOVLP935
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0gAxuvo5rc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVPzWkdhwrw

And these weren't even that band's most aggressive efforts. In my opinion it was 1995 that was the darkest year of the '90s.

Tupac was killed that year: ( Also I had a tick bite. Plus my mom married what would become a monster.

The one thing I loved about 1996 pop culturally was that it was a perfect balance of mid 90's culture and late 90's influences coming in fast from start to finish. The pop culture of TV, movies, music, and video games were amazing that year. The movies weren't as great as other 90's years but the rest of everything was almost perfect. It was one of the greatest years in gaming history, since it was the year the N64 and the PS1 began to come out with big hit games that revolutionized the gaming industry while the SNES was exiting itself with its last titles. Movies like Independence Day, Space Jam, 101 Dalmatians, and The Hunchback of Notre Dame were decent enough. Not only the 100th Olympics was held in our own country, but in ATLANTA, GA my hometown! That's what makes 1996 a special year pop culturally for me, despite only being a baby at the time so sadly I barely missed out on that year  :\'(  So overall with the exception of Tupac's death, I consider 1996 as one of the greatest years ever pop culturally not just in the 90's, but in modern history period, and if you lived in the U.S. especially Atlanta, 1996 was an EPIC time to be alive!

The one thing I loved about 1996 pop culturally was that it was a perfect balance of mid 90's culture and late 90's influences coming in fast from start to finish. The pop culture of TV, movies, music, and video games were amazing that year. The movies weren't as great as other 90's years but the rest of everything was almost perfect. It was one of the greatest years in gaming history, since it was the year the N64 and the PS1 began to come out with big hit games that revolutionized the gaming industry while the SNES was exiting itself with its last titles. Movies like Independence Day, Space Jam, 101 Dalmatians, and The Hunchback of Notre Dame were decent enough. Not only the 100th Olympics was held in our own country, but in ATLANTA, GA my hometown! That's what makes 1996 a special year pop culturally for me, despite only being a baby at the time so sadly I barely missed out on that year  :\'(  So overall with the exception of Tupac's death, I consider 1996 as one of the greatest years ever pop culturally not just in the 90's, but in modern history period, and if you lived in the U.S. especially Atlanta, 1996 was an EPIC time to be alive!


Like any year, the way you view 1996 probably has alot to do with how old you were at the time. If you were a teenager in 1996, going through all the typical trails and tribulations of high school, then I could imagine how you might've seen the pop culture of the year in an overall darker tone. Also, pivotal events like the death of Tupac, or the Olympic Park Bombing, or TWA Flight 800 probably would've seemed more serious to you.

My experience is a totally different story, however, because I was just a kid at the time. When I think of 1996, I picture 4th grade, seeing who could swing the highest at recess, riding bikes with friends around my neighborhood, playing Super Mario World and Sonic the Hedgehog, watching Fox Kids and Nictoons, and all that good stuff.

This video probably best sums up how I remember 1996, and it is decidedly not dark:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QjwuRyAN77w

https://cdn.meme.am/instances/500x/68660585.jpg

The year before, 1995, Disney made their Alien Encounter attraction open to the public. Remember S.I.R. the robot? Yep he was in this revision. I wasn't alive but I know how it went

For the longest time, I viewed 1996 as the major kiddie year, or as cultural square one. Not only was it the first year when my cinematic memory finished fully developing (around summer or autumn so), it felt like no other year produced as many of the educational tools that I grew up with as that year. Learning in Toyland, Fisher Price Pirates, Tonka Construction, Jump Start 2nd Grade, and almost any other computer game whose release date I remember came out in 1996. 1996 was also about when I got my first computer (or at the very least started playing computer games), not to mention Arthur came out on PBS and the Nintendo 64 hit stores. For the longest time, I was never exposed to anything beyond kid and little kid culture from 1996, and so whenever I thought of the year, it always brought to mind images of kiddie things and kiddie thoughts. I had heard "I Believe I Can Fly," "1979," and "I Finally Found Someone" on the radio at a very young age, but didn't know anything about else about them until much later.

All of this changed around the time I entered my adolescence and learned much more about the adolescent culture of 1996. Immediately, I came to associate it with both 2Pac's "California Love," but also the rapper's murder in September of that year; it's odd to think I was just starting preschool when the tragedy struck in Las Vegas. I also picked up on how grassy, silky, bassy, and funky the usual type of music from 1996 was. I think I remember hearing a few samples of 1996 albums on Amazon back in the mid-2000s and noted how different they sounded compared to the music I had grown up with on my Now albums from 1998 and beyond.

Today, I still think of 1996 as a very aesthetically dark year, even though I also strongly believe the last third of the year was the dawn of the greater era that would come to define my childhood, a time of fun, innocence, and creativity. Still, like other mid-90s years, so many film posters or album cover arts had either monochrome or solid black backdrops and color schemes, in stark contrast to the late 90s and beyond:

http://static.djbooth.net/pics-features/alleyezonmelarge.jpg

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/71QBE2hBCVL._SY355_.jpg

http://cdn.pitchfork.com/blog/1027/0418da3c.jpg

http://www.israbox.download/uploads/posts/1186258473_sheryl_crow__sheryl_crow.jpg

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/0d/Set_it_off_poster.jpg

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/e9/Westside_Connection_-_Bow_Down_(Front).jpg

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/413NIgckA8L._SY355_.jpg
(despite the fact that this is arguably the first late 90s r&b album, alongside One in a Million and Another Level)

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/5b/Eye_for_an_Eye_%281996_film%29_poster.jpg

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/05/Everything_Falls_Apart_CD_single_cover.JPG

http://cps-static.rovicorp.com/3/JPG_400/MI0000/105/MI0000105339.jpg?partner=allrovi.com

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/38/Hootie_Blowfish_Old_Man.jpg

I would say 1995 was alot darker than 1996.

I would say 1995 was alot darker than 1996.


I agree with this completely.  In '95, you had the Oklahoma City bombing and I remember music that year being quite depressing, moreso than 1996.

I was born.

Completely agree, there were also quite a lot of world disasters in 1996 too, with the Dunblane primary school shooting in Scotland where 16 children were killed by a gunman, Tupac was gunned down, Manchester, England was attacked by IRA terrorists, and you also had the Jonbenet Ramsey murder mystery. 

Completely agree, there were also quite a lot of world disasters in 1996 too, with the Dunblane primary school shooting in Scotland where 16 children were killed by a gunman, Tupac was gunned down, Manchester, England was attacked by IRA terrorists, and you also had the Jonbenet Ramsey murder mystery.


There was also the Port Arthur shooting in late April of that year, in which then 28/29-year old Martin Bryant killed 35 people.

Completely agree, there were also quite a lot of world disasters in 1996 too, with the Dunblane primary school shooting in Scotland where 16 children were killed by a gunman, Tupac was gunned down, Manchester, England was attacked by IRA terrorists, and you also had the Jonbenet Ramsey murder mystery. 
I always reflect on the point that the future of British tennis was in the fate for that day, for in another classroom, near by and survived, at the Dunblane school was a young Andy Murray.

1996 is a year that I wish I got to experience even with the tragedies in that year.

One tragic event you guys forgot was the explosion of TWA Flight 800 on July 17, 1996.

1996 is a year that I wish I got to experience even with the tragedies in that year.

One tragic event you guys forgot was the explosion of TWA Flight 800 on July 17, 1996.


I actually got to see some of the coverage of that on TV. It was five days after my ninth birthday.

Also, the Olympic Park Bombing was a few weeks after that.

I actually got to see some of the coverage of that on TV. It was five days after my ninth birthday.

Also, the Olympic Park Bombing was a few weeks after that.

Yeah, sad news. I never realized how many tragic events happened in '96.

Yeah, sad news. I never realized how many tragic events happened in '96.


Yeah, looking back you notice all of that, but as a kid while it was going on I couldn't have cared less. We were too busy watching Nick and reading magazine articles about Super Mario 64 to care. That's why the '90s have always seemed so carefree to me compared to the '00s.

Yeah, looking back you notice all of that, but as a kid while it was going on I couldn't have cared less. We were too busy watching Nick and reading magazine articles about Super Mario 64 to care. That's why the '90s have always seemed so carefree to me compared to the '00s.

Yeah, you are oblivious to most of the world's events as a kid.

One reason why 1996 was dark.

The rise of Marilyn Manson.

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRkd6DnLE7heXAEOPAK6TPgvoMUPoct3-qd-KJqMDq90n3h1RS0

One reason why 1996 was dark.

The rise of Marilyn Manson.

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRkd6DnLE7heXAEOPAK6TPgvoMUPoct3-qd-KJqMDq90n3h1RS0


Yep.

1996 wasn't a dark year at all. Economically and politically, Americans had basically nothing to worry about. Culturally, not even. The most popular movies that year weren't "dark" at all. Independence Day, Twister, From Dusk Till Dawn, Happy Gilmore, Transpotting, The Nutty Professor, and Romeo & Juliet weren't exactly what I would call "dark", with the exception of the more self-induced ones such as Scream, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and Fargo.

Musically, 1996 was the year that popular music moved into a lighter direction. A sample of some of the most well-remembered hits of that year: "Follow You Down", "Too Much", "Ironic", "The Distance", "Lovefool", "Big Me", "In the Meantime", "Santa Monica", "Salvation", "Spiderwebs", "What I Got", "Down", "Always Be My Baby", "Falling", "Only You", "Where Do You Go", "This Is Your Night", "Loungin' (Who Do Ya Luv)", "This Is For the Lover in You", "Get Money", and "Mouth" all showcase popular music moving into a more carefree and feel-good direction. This is about as dark as it got that year:

http://www.banquetrecords.com/item.jpg?MOVLP935
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0gAxuvo5rc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVPzWkdhwrw

And these weren't even that band's most aggressive efforts. In my opinion it was 1995 that was the darkest year of the '90s.


I don't agree with either 1995 or 1996. IMO I actually would vouch for 1992 and 1993 as the darkest years. Second half of 1999 was also much darker than the core late 90s.

i think the 90s got progressively darker with the millennarian anxiety about the year 2000 and whether the computers were gonna stop working or the second coming was gonna happen or something. consider how 1998 saw two asteroid-hitting-the-earth movies, or how in 1999 the moon was actually knocked out of earth orbit and catapulted into deep space.

well, that last maybe isn't the best example.


Core late 90s are quite lighthearted but the second half of 1999 was VERY dark instead, with teen pop being replaced by nu metal and dark movies like Fight Club. Somehow it actually got EVEN WORSE after Y2K, with 2000 being one of the bleakest and darkest years in pop culture history (Requiem for a Dream, Hybrid Theory, The Marshall Mathers LP, Kid A, American Psycho, peak nu metal, etc.)

The atmosphere of 1996 felt strange. Very dark unlike other years of the 1990s. If you listen to Alternative Rock and R&B, and even Pop songs from 1996 you'll know what I'm talking about.

1996 was a blast for me.  It's the year I started dating my future husband.  :-*

As I mentioned in other threads, I'd already pretty much "checked out" when it comes to pop culture (starting in '88ish).

1996 was a blast for me.  It's the year I started dating my future husband.  :-*

As I mentioned in other threads, I'd already pretty much "checked out" when it comes to pop culture (starting in '88ish).


1996 was both a great and not so great year. I had turned 16. I was a rebellious teen...but only in school. When I was with my family I was at calm and peaceful, and happy. Completely different person. Anyway, music was my get away so I listened to anything and everything in 1996! There were so many weird R&B songs.

I use to think this song was very unusual almost hypnotic. This was actually the radio version:

Gina Thompson - The things that you do(remix)(1996)
sPNwgQILQAI

https://cdn.meme.am/instances/500x/68660585.jpg
Maybe this used to be a totally different image because I don't even remember the context of this.  ;D

Maybe this used to be a totally different image because I don't even remember the context of this.  ;D


Sorry aja...but you lost me lol! What exactly is that? Is it from 1996? I don't remember it.

Sorry aja...but you lost me lol! What exactly is that? Is it from 1996? I don't remember it.
Yeah, I don't get it either. Sometimes, when a pic gets too old, the link to a pic starts to go to a completely different image, could this be what happened?

Yeah, I don't get it either. Sometimes, when a pic gets too old, the link to a pic starts to go to a completely different image, could this be what happened?


Yes. I think so. Never seen that before in my life. ;D

Yes. I think so. Never seen that before in my life. ;D
Oh wow, now I know. Memegenerator is down now and now redirects to a meme wallpaper website. Now I remember: I posted a Mean Girls meme which went like this: ''So if 1996 was a dark year, why am I pale?''  ;D

The atmosphere of 1996 felt strange. Very dark unlike other years of the 1990s. If you listen to Alternative Rock and R&B, and even Pop songs from 1996 you'll know what I'm talking about.


Also the movies. A lot of the movies from that year had a very strange, somehow dark and surreal tone: James and the Giant Peach, Mathilda, The Frighteners, The Adventures of Pinocchio to name a few. The weird atmosphere even in a light hearted comedy like the Beavis & Butthead movie. There was a very...weird look to these films as well, which underpins the darkness of it. It's hard to explain. There was a very, very, very weird feeling to the atmosphere of 1996, and a lot of turbulence. Scream and slasher movies making a comeback, even if Scream was partially a spoof.

Example: Guns N' Roses break up. The aforementioned rise of Marilyn Manson with his "light a candle for the sinners, set the world on fire" in a song titled 1996. The dark and brooding rock song Humans Being by Van Halen. Hypnotize by Biggie (yes it was released in early 97 but recorded in late 96).

id Software releases Quake but experiences severe internal issues that year and John Romero, one of the founders, is fired. Sierra On-Line and Blizzard Entertainment are acquired by a corrupt company called CUC which turns out to be engaging in massive stock fraud. They release dark, odd games like Diablo, Phantasmagoria 2, and Hunter Hunter this year. Other dark releases include Legacy of Kain: Blood Omen, a dark gothic game which features tons of blood.

Or even check out the seasons of the X-Files that aired that year, which feature some of the most disturbing or weird episodes the show ever aired ("Home" for example; "Grotesque" for another example).

What the hell was in the air?

1996 had some weird music! Anyone remember this one?

Total - When boy meets girl (1996)

vT17qGTSzvQ