Basically, if you had to do a soundtrack of YOUR life, songs that for you because of your memories define a year, do it here. The songs can have been released before the year in question but not after:

1994:
Loser by Beck
Dance Magic Dance by David Bowie
Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen
Circle of Life - Disney
Beat It - MJ
Juicy by Biggie (I didn't listen to it then, but it sums up the year's feel for me)

1995:
Green Hill Zone - Sonic
Zombie by The Cranberries
Rock N' Roll Hootchie Koo
The Trial by Pink Floyd
Town Theme - King'a Quest 6

The Virginia Company - Disney
Dreaming of You - Selena (I don't remember hearing it then, but it sums up the vibe of the year for me)

1996:
Zombie by The Cranberries
The Macarena
Party Here in Agrabah - Disney
The Bells of Notre Dame (sums up the first half of the year)
It's The End of the World as We Know It - REM (don't remember hearing it, but sums up the second half of the year)

1997:
My Heart Will Go On - Celion Dion
People Who Died - Jim Carroll
Space Quest theme - Space Quest I VGA
Donkey Kong Country soundtrack

1998:
Paint it Black - Rolling Stones
Orion's Belt Bar Theme - Space Quest 6

1999:
Baby One More Time
Amazed - Lonestar
Blue Ba Da Bee

1990
Just another dream by Cathy Dennis
All around the world by Lisa Stansfield
Someday by Mariah Carey

1991
Street of dreams by Nia Peeples
Running back to you by Vanessa Williams
I love your smile by Shaniece

1992
I wish the phone would ring by Exposé
Wishing on a star by The Cover Girls
Love is on the way by Saigon Kick

1993
I have nothing by Whitney Houston
If by Janet Jackson
Don't walk away by Jade

1994
Found out about you by Gin Blossoms
Understanding by Xcape
When can I see you again by Babyface

1995
Sittin' up in my room by Brandy
One of us by Joan Osbourne
Daydream(Interlude) by Mariah Carey

1996
Tell me by Shades
Kissin you by Total
Just because I love you by Lina Santiago

1997
Where's the love by Hanson
Head over heels by Allure
To the moon and back by Savage Garden

1998
I'll never break your heart by The Backstreet Boys
Crush(Dance Mix)by Jennifer Paige
She wants you by Billie

1999
Waiting for tonight by Jennifer Lopez
I knew I loved you by Savage Garden
I still believe by Mariah Carey

1990

MC Hammer - U Can’t Touch This (It seemed like almost everyone had a big ego in ‘90. This was the year of white elastic nylon shorts, Shirt King type shirts, and customized varsity jackets)

Calloway - I Wanna Be Rich (It was the Yuppie 90s! The love, peace, and happiness part went over a lot of people’s heads)

Poison - Unskinny Bop (This song was played at every mall that summer)

1991

Vanilla Ice - Ice Ice Baby (The debate happened in early ‘91)

EMF - Unbelievable (Andrew Dice Clay jokes were still a big deal back then)

Roxette - Joyride (One of my favorite late ‘80s and early ‘90s duos)

1992

Mr. Big - To Be With You (I’m brought back to the start of ‘92 every time I hear this song. Suddenly, Dinosaurs is on ABC’s TGIF, Wayne’s World is in theaters, and MC Hammer dropped the MC from his name to “go hard”)

Vanessa Williams - Save the Best for Last (It was everywhere)

Joe Public - Live and Learn (Another song you could not ignore if you wanted to)

Charles and Eddie - Would I Lie to You (Same as above)

Nirvana - Come As You Are (Grunge was new and exciting in the summer of 1992)

1993

Nirvana - Heart Shaped Box (Grunge officially takes over)

Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg - Nuthin’ But a G Thang (Ben Davis shirts, marijuana leaf caps, and Dickies were all popular after the release of the video in January of 1993)

Michael Jackson - Will You Be There (Worst song off of the Dangerous album, but you could not escape it at the time)

1994

Boys II Men - I’ll Make Love To You (“End of the Road” was better, but this one still gets a lot of play on the radio)

Ace of Base - The Sign (This was the song of that summer)

1995

Blues Traveler - Run-Around (Cool song from the last year of the touchy-feely mid 1990s)

Coolio featuring L.V. - Gangsta’s Paradise (This video had it all at the time - Michelle Pfeiffer , negative space , and a different sound)

Mariah Carey - Fantasy (Mariah jumped back with this song. It was very modern sounding at the time)

1996

Donna Lewis - I Love You Always Forever (Very modern sounding for its time)

Joan Osborne - One of Us (It was re-released)

Alanis Morissette - Ironic (I couldn’t believe this was the Alanis from You Can’t Do That on Television back then)

1997

Jewel - You Were Meant for Me (The ‘90s were dying and giving way to the Y2K era by
this point)

Will Smith - Men In Black (Men in Black was the hit movie of the year as far as I’m concerned)

Hanson - MMMBop (These guys and JTT were on every magazine after this song came out)

Chumbawamba - Tubthumping (Reminds me of South Park and Titanic for some reason)

1998

Savage Garden - Truly Madly Deeply (Core Millennial music)

Semisonic - Closing Time (I can’t tell you how many times MTV showed the video to this song)


That does it for me. The ‘80s were much better for music.  8)