In my opinion it was.  I was sixteen that year and from what I remember, it was a very forgettable year for popular music.  A horrible end to what was otherwise a great decade for music.  Most of the great alternative rock music had disappeared while the airwaves were saturated with boy bands, teen pop princesses, and cheesy Latin music.  There was almost nothing redeeming about this year as far as music was concerned.  Sure, there have been other years when crappy music dominated mainstream charts.  But at least in the late '70s when disco was everywhere, you could listen to punk as an alternative (That's where the term "alternative" music came from).  Anyone who remembers this year care to share their thoughts?

1999 was pretty weak for 90s standards but still better than a large number of years from the last decade.

Rap and R&B were noticeably different by 1999 compared to earlier in the 90s, and legitimate rock music was fading a bit and morphing into the Creed/Nickelback sound that dominated the early 2000s.

Pop music is always hit & miss though. There were both good and bad pop hits in 1999 just like any other year.

Can you say teen pop? It was everywhere! About 70% of music played on the mainstream at the time was teen pop! 8-P

Hits from 1999 that I think are pretty awesome:


                Bills, Bills, Bills - Destiny's Child
What It's Like - Everclear
Out Of My Head - Fastball
Cowboy - Kid Rock
        My Name Is... Eminem
Changes - 2Pac
Back That Azz Up - Juvenile
Got Your Money - Ol Dirty Bastard and Kelis
Can I Get A... Jay-Z
                Rosa Parks - Outkast
Hard KNock Life (Ghetto Anthem) - Jay-Z
Every Morning - Sugar Ray
She's So High - Tal Bachman
Jump Jive N Wail - Brian Setzer Orchestra
                Better Days (And The Bottom Drops Out) - Citizen King
American Woman - Lenny Kravitz
My Own Worst Enemy - Lit
Pretty Fly ( For A White Guy) - The Offspring
Smooth - Santana Feat. Rob Thomas
What's My Age Again? - Blink 182
Jumper - Third Eye Blind
                Someday - Sugar Ray
Blue Monday - Orgy
Last Kiss - Pearl Jam
Slide- The Goo Goo Dolls
Praise You - Fatboy Slim
Unsent - Alanis Morissette
Guerrilla Radio - Rage Against The Machine.
                Why Don't You Get A Job - The Offspring
Never There - Cake
Scar Tissue - Red Hot Chili Peppers
Malibu - Hole
Fly Away - Lenny Kravitz
The Chemicals Between Us - Bush
Nookie - Limp Bizkit
        Smooth - Santana with Rob Thomas

Hits from 1999 that I think are pretty awesome:


                Bills, Bills, Bills - Destiny's Child
What It's Like - Everclear
Out Of My Head - Fastball
Cowboy - Kid Rock
        My Name Is... Eminem
Changes - 2Pac
Back That Azz Up - Juvenile
Got Your Money - Ol Dirty Bastard and Kelis
Can I Get A... Jay-Z
                Rosa Parks - Outkast
Hard KNock Life (Ghetto Anthem) - Jay-Z
Every Morning - Sugar Ray
She's So High - Tal Bachman
Jump Jive N Wail - Brian Setzer Orchestra
                Better Days (And The Bottom Drops Out) - Citizen King
American Woman - Lenny Kravitz
My Own Worst Enemy - Lit
Pretty Fly ( For A White Guy) - The Offspring
Smooth - Santana Feat. Rob Thomas
What's My Age Again? - Blink 182
Jumper - Third Eye Blind
                Someday - Sugar Ray
Blue Monday - Orgy
Last Kiss - Pearl Jam
Slide- The Goo Goo Dolls
Praise You - Fatboy Slim
Unsent - Alanis Morissette
Guerrilla Radio - Rage Against The Machine.
                Why Don't You Get A Job - The Offspring
Never There - Cake
Scar Tissue - Red Hot Chili Peppers
Malibu - Hole
Fly Away - Lenny Kravitz
The Chemicals Between Us - Bush
Nookie - Limp Bizkit
        Smooth - Santana with Rob Thomas


Yea I don't think 99 was all bad.  Teen pop was obviously the dominant mainstream genre, but there were some pretty memorable (non teen pop) songs that year.  You mentioned a lot of them, but I would also throw in:

Guilty Conscience - Eminem
All Star - Smash Mouth
Bawitaba - Kid Rock
Mambo No. 5 - Lou Bega
Steal My Sunshine - Len (this one is pretty poppy, but I still liked it)
My Own Worst Enemy - Lit
Miserable - Lit
Learn To Fly - Foo Fighters

I'd say the late 90s were definitely more "clean cut" or "toned down" compared to the rest of the decade, but there was still a decent variety and some pretty talented musicians outside of teen pop.  Today is when there seems to be no alternative...

Hits from 1999 that I think are pretty awesome:


                Bills, Bills, Bills - Destiny's Child
What It's Like - Everclear
Out Of My Head - Fastball
Cowboy - Kid Rock
        My Name Is... Eminem
Changes - 2Pac
Back That Azz Up - Juvenile
Got Your Money - Ol Dirty Bastard and Kelis
Can I Get A... Jay-Z
                Rosa Parks - Outkast
Hard KNock Life (Ghetto Anthem) - Jay-Z
Every Morning - Sugar Ray
She's So High - Tal Bachman
Jump Jive N Wail - Brian Setzer Orchestra
                Better Days (And The Bottom Drops Out) - Citizen King
American Woman - Lenny Kravitz
My Own Worst Enemy - Lit
Pretty Fly ( For A White Guy) - The Offspring
Smooth - Santana Feat. Rob Thomas
What's My Age Again? - Blink 182
Jumper - Third Eye Blind
                Someday - Sugar Ray
Blue Monday - Orgy
Last Kiss - Pearl Jam
Slide- The Goo Goo Dolls
Praise You - Fatboy Slim
Unsent - Alanis Morissette
Guerrilla Radio - Rage Against The Machine.
                Why Don't You Get A Job - The Offspring
Never There - Cake
Scar Tissue - Red Hot Chili Peppers
Malibu - Hole
Fly Away - Lenny Kravitz
The Chemicals Between Us - Bush
Nookie - Limp Bizkit
        Smooth - Santana with Rob Thomas


That's a pretty great list ash, personally I loved '99 overall.

I still don't like 1999 but its better than today's music. I can't believe I am saying that now. I just didn't like 1999-md 2000 it seemed like people were care-free then. At least there was still variety then albeit like 80's fan said most of the music was teen-pop which I think got too popular and oversaturated the music market then. Conpare that to the late 80's where teen-pop made up some of the music scene but wasn't the dominant force that it was in the late 90's. I think the economy was very good when late 90's teen-pop came round whereas the economy in the late 80's was hitting its recession stride.

Hits from 1999 that I think are pretty awesome:


                Bills, Bills, Bills - Destiny's Child
What It's Like - Everclear
Out Of My Head - Fastball
Cowboy - Kid Rock
        My Name Is... Eminem
Changes - 2Pac
Back That Azz Up - Juvenile
Got Your Money - Ol Dirty Bastard and Kelis
Can I Get A... Jay-Z
                Rosa Parks - Outkast
Hard KNock Life (Ghetto Anthem) - Jay-Z
Every Morning - Sugar Ray
She's So High - Tal Bachman
Jump Jive N Wail - Brian Setzer Orchestra
                Better Days (And The Bottom Drops Out) - Citizen King
American Woman - Lenny Kravitz
My Own Worst Enemy - Lit
Pretty Fly ( For A White Guy) - The Offspring
Smooth - Santana Feat. Rob Thomas
What's My Age Again? - Blink 182
Jumper - Third Eye Blind
                Someday - Sugar Ray
Blue Monday - Orgy
Last Kiss - Pearl Jam
Slide- The Goo Goo Dolls
Praise You - Fatboy Slim
Unsent - Alanis Morissette
Guerrilla Radio - Rage Against The Machine.
                Why Don't You Get A Job - The Offspring
Never There - Cake
Scar Tissue - Red Hot Chili Peppers
Malibu - Hole
Fly Away - Lenny Kravitz
The Chemicals Between Us - Bush
Nookie - Limp Bizkit
        Smooth - Santana with Rob Thomas


Wow, I only recognize 3 songs from that list. So out of touch with 90s music I am...was...is...

Wow, I only recognize 3 songs from that list. So out of touch with 90s music I am...was...is...


Which 3?

Which 3?


These:

Smooth - Santana with Rob Thomas
American Woman - Lenny Kravitz
She's So High - Tal Bachman

These:

Smooth - Santana with Rob Thomas
American Woman - Lenny Kravitz
She's So High - Tal Bachman


Good songs, even if American Woman was a cover.

I bet you'd know a few more if you heard them.

1999 was actually a great year for music in my opinion. It's very memorable. Even the teen pop, like Britney's first album (technically 98 but yeah) and BSB's Millennium is really good compared to most of the music since the early 2000s.

Songs like Smooth by Santana and She's So High sound nothing like today's music actually. It makes me realize how old 1999 is. I was living in Montana at that time.

Good songs, even if American Woman was a cover.

I bet you'd know a few more if you heard them.


Maybe 1 or 2 at most. I wasn't impressed by any music in the 90s. I like 60s, 70s and most of the 80s music. 90s music just wasn't for me.

Yea I don't think 99 was all bad.  Teen pop was obviously the dominant mainstream genre, but there were some pretty memorable (non teen pop) songs that year.  You mentioned a lot of them, but I would also throw in:

Guilty Conscience - Eminem
All Star - Smash Mouth
Bawitaba - Kid Rock
Mambo No. 5 - Lou Bega
Steal My Sunshine - Len (this one is pretty poppy, but I still liked it)
My Own Worst Enemy - Lit
Miserable - Lit
Learn To Fly - Foo Fighters

I'd say the late 90s were definitely more "clean cut" or "toned down" compared to the rest of the decade, but there was still a decent variety and some pretty talented musicians outside of teen pop.  Today is when there seems to be no alternative...


Great list! I personally loved 1999 for the most part in terms of music. Didn't mind most of the teen pop stuff at the time.

1999 was actually a great year for music in my opinion. It's very memorable. Even the teen pop, like Britney's first album (technically 98 but yeah) and BSB's Millennium is really good compared to most of the music since the early 2000s.

Songs like Smooth by Santana and She's So High sound nothing like today's music actually. It makes me realize how old 1999 is. I was living in Montana at that time.
Yeah there is none of those A/C sounding sounds around anymore I don't think.

I actually liked the music in '99 and think it was one of the best years in recent music history next to '08 and '09.  It wasn't all 'Nsync and Britney.  *Ash* posted several excellent songs from that year above.  Plus, I kind of liked the cheesy Latin music and the swing revival that year.

1999 was bad but in my opinion 2005-2012 is worse. ;)
I don't like 90's music in general. IMO it was less artistic and inferior to 60's, 70's and 80's music. IMO the best era for modern music was from the late 50's up to the mid 80's. During that time music was about fun (in addition to being a business), while in the 90's it shifted to being just a business.

The funny thing is that most of the music trends that came out in 1999 didn't last long. Big band swing was gone by the end of that year. The Latin wave extended to 2000, and that was about it (aside from J-Lo, but her later music doesn't really count). As for boy bands, the peak lasted until 2001 or so. Backstreet Boys and started fading after 2000, briefly resurfaced around 2005, and stayed under the radar after that. N'SYNC's last album was in '01, with Justin Timberlake dropping a solo album the following year. 98 Degrees also didn't last too long past 2000.

The teen queens had a bit more longevity though with Britney and Christina. Some of the other stars faded out though. Mandy Moore focused more on acting, Jessica Simpson did her reality TV thing as well as other side projects like Dukes of Hazzard.

Limp Bizkit, Kid Rock, Creed, and the like might've peaked in 1999-2001, but a lot of their spawn came to make their presence felt throughout the rest of the 2000s.

Hits from 1999 that I think are pretty awesome:


                Bills, Bills, Bills - Destiny's Child
What It's Like - Everclear
Out Of My Head - Fastball
Cowboy - Kid Rock
        My Name Is... Eminem
Changes - 2Pac
Back That Azz Up - Juvenile
Got Your Money - Ol Dirty Bastard and Kelis
Can I Get A... Jay-Z
                Rosa Parks - Outkast
Hard KNock Life (Ghetto Anthem) - Jay-Z
Every Morning - Sugar Ray
She's So High - Tal Bachman
Jump Jive N Wail - Brian Setzer Orchestra
                Better Days (And The Bottom Drops Out) - Citizen King
American Woman - Lenny Kravitz
My Own Worst Enemy - Lit
Pretty Fly ( For A White Guy) - The Offspring
Smooth - Santana Feat. Rob Thomas
What's My Age Again? - Blink 182
Jumper - Third Eye Blind
                Someday - Sugar Ray
Blue Monday - Orgy
Last Kiss - Pearl Jam
Slide- The Goo Goo Dolls
Praise You - Fatboy Slim
Unsent - Alanis Morissette
Guerrilla Radio - Rage Against The Machine.
                Why Don't You Get A Job - The Offspring
Never There - Cake
Scar Tissue - Red Hot Chili Peppers
Malibu - Hole
Fly Away - Lenny Kravitz
The Chemicals Between Us - Bush
Nookie - Limp Bizkit
        Smooth - Santana with Rob Thomas


Funny. I probably could've posted the same list to illustrate the exact opposite (and thus support the OP's point of view). :-\\

FTR: I don't know all of these songs (not all made it across the pond), but I do recognize more than three. ;)

Still, as a whole, I don't think 1999 was such a bad year in music. Every year has its pros and cons.

Most of you were not around at the time, but I was...and I can safely say that the beginning of the end started in 1986... :P

Yes - not everything in the 80s was cool...

Most of you were not around at the time, but I was...and I can safely say that the beginning of the end started in 1986... :P

Yes - not everything in the 80s was cool...


The proof is in the pudding ;)

The funny thing is that most of the music trends that came out in 1999 didn't last long. Big band swing was gone by the end of that year. The Latin wave extended to 2000, and that was about it (aside from J-Lo, but her later music doesn't really count).  As for boy bands, the peak lasted until 2001 or so. Backstreet Boys and started fading after 2000, briefly resurfaced around 2005, and stayed under the radar after that. N'SYNC's last album was in '01, with Justin Timberlake dropping a solo album the following year. 98 Degrees also didn't last too long past 2000.

The teen queens had a bit more longevity though with Britney and Christina. Some of the other stars faded out though. Mandy Moore focused more on acting, Jessica Simpson did her reality TV thing as well as other side projects like Dukes of Hazzard.

Limp Bizkit, Kid Rock, Creed, and the like might've peaked in 1999-2001, but a lot of their spawn came to make their presence felt throughout the rest of the 2000s.
I thought Big Band was around in 1998 not 1999.

The last thing I remember from 98 Degress was the song "Give Me Just One Night(Uno Noche)" and they faded after that.  Nick Lachey did have a hit or two in 2006 for his solo career.

Mandy Moore was sort of the Debbie Gibson of her time I guess you could say.

The proof is in the pudding ;)


I was thinking more along the lines of this...

(Bleh! Must go and wash my ears out!)

Most of you were not around at the time, but I was...and I can safely say that the beginning of the end started in 1986... :P


Wow, I found someone who pretty much agrees with me... :o

I was thinking more along the lines of this...

(Bleh! Must go and wash my ears out!)


Wow I agree with you Paul.

1999 did have some cheesiness, but I still like it since it was good time in my life. I was mainly listening to hip-hop and R&B at the time, so songs like "Back at One" by Brian McKnight and "All My Life" by KC and Jojo were some of my favorites. I also liked Vengaboys, Eiffel 65, and even Mambo #5. Jamiroquai had a good album that year too, with the song "Canned Heat".

I still think 2006 is the worst year in music, at least in my lifetime. There were only like 15 songs on my iPod from that year, which is pretty low (the average is about 30 songs a year). James Blunt's "You're Beautiful" ruined that year since I had to hear it 50,000 times.

Well 1999 saw Nine Inch Nails' The Fragile, so it certainly wasn't all bad.

1999 did have some cheesiness, but I still like it since it was good time in my life. I was mainly listening to hip-hop and R&B at the time, so songs like "Back at One" by Brian McKnight and "All My Life" by KC and Jojo were some of my favorites. I also liked Vengaboys, Eiffel 65, and even Mambo #5. Jamiroquai had a good album that year too, with the song "Canned Heat".

I still think 2006 is the worst year in music, at least in my lifetime. There were only like 15 songs on my iPod from that year, which is pretty low (the average is about 30 songs a year). James Blunt's "You're Beautiful" ruined that year since I had to hear it 50,000 times.


I agree.  I am actually listening to 1999 music right now.  It didn't have the best music but it was a great time to live and that kind of makes the music more nostalgic.

I also agree 2006 had some pretty forgettable music.  It wasn't bad per say just nothing real memorable.  2010 and 2012 are similar in my book.

9pm till I come by ATB on repeat with this...

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/45/A_small_cup_of_coffee.JPG/275px-A_small_cup_of_coffee.JPG

9pm (Till I Come) by ATB would also be great to workout too.

1999 did have some cheesiness, but I still like it since it was good time in my life. I was mainly listening to hip-hop and R&B at the time, so songs like "Back at One" by Brian McKnight and "All My Life" by KC and Jojo were some of my favorites. I also liked Vengaboys, Eiffel 65, and even Mambo #5. Jamiroquai had a good album that year too, with the song "Canned Heat".

I still think 2006 is the worst year in music, at least in my lifetime. There were only like 15 songs on my iPod from that year, which is pretty low (the average is about 30 songs a year). James Blunt's "You're Beautiful" ruined that year since I had to hear it 50,000 times.


God, that song was SO overplayed back then! You just couldn't avoid it. Same goes with "Bad Day" by Daniel Powter. I think it was used often on American Idol or one of those other talent competition shows back then.

That whole 99-2000 era the only music I saw being played on the radio/MTV were divided into 3 camps

Teen pop: Britney, Christina Aguleria, NSYNC, Backstreet Boys, 98 Degrees, etc.
Nu Metal- Limp Bizkit, Korn, Kid Rock, etc.
Hip-Hop Rap- Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, Eminem, Puff Daddy, etc.