Songs you wouldn't be caught dead listening to in HS that gets air time on the drive home these days.
Posted by BlackEngineEarings@reddit | Xennials | View on Reddit | 305 comments
We've all been there. Back in the day there was total disdain for one type of music or band or song within the friend group. That's just how dumb teenagers were. Seemed like cliques formed around genres of music.
I'll go first. I was a metal head who discovered grunge. Obviously there was absolutely none of my friends listening to Alanis Morissette, among others. Now? The way any song from that era evokes feeling, I'm definitely blasting all kinds of jagged little pills and one hand in my pocket see when it's on the radio.
So, what's yours?
pennylanish@reddit
boybands. Strangely loved Britney, Christina, etc. but avoided boybands like the plague.
ReasonableSal@reddit
I feel like I've kind of gone the other way. I was pretty obsessed with Sarah McLachlan back in the day, but I mostly like stuff that's a little grittier now. Tbf, back then, I was listening to Nirvana and NIN as well. Right now, I'll skip right over a throwback Sarah McLachlan for a throwback Our Lady Peace song. (Sorry, Sarah.)
southernfirm@reddit
I’m going to reveal my shame: The Offspring. I almost always keep the channel on when they pop up on the radio. Gotta Get Away came on today, and I enjoyed it. Profusely.
GuySmiley369@reddit
Not shameful at all. People became idiots about The Offspring because of “pretty fly”. Was the song punk? Hell no. Was it a catchy pop single that would make the band money and allow them to keep making music for the rest of their lives? Hell yes. People said they sold out with that, but when you look back, it was a genius business decision and the rest of that album was definitely punk. It’s been nearly 30 years and they are still wildly successful. They figured out the game and people thought that wasn’t “punk rock” of them.
meli_sybil@reddit
That song is embarrassingly what got me hooked at 12. Then there's a pic of me at 14 at Christmas with their ignition cd. Their old tunes are great, and i still listen to them
acespacegnome@reddit
My band plays a cover of Genocide at our shows recently, always gets a good response.
Later offspring? No thanks
BasvanS@reddit
The Offspring got a bad rap back in the days, but they were legit punks. Just extremely successful.
And that’s from me being a fan back then and not caring as much about it anymore.
imnottheoneipromise@reddit
Isn’t their lead singer now a lawyer? Ima hafta look that up
InfidelZombie@reddit
I knew they were real punks when Dexter did guest vocals on a Dwarves track.
freshcard@reddit
Got a bad rap? Really? Why?
lastcallpaul11@reddit
Songs like Pretty Fly and Hit That. Love the band, but those stores absolute trash.
freshcard@reddit
Don’t remember “hit that” but yeah pretty fly felt like a throw away song
BasvanS@reddit
Charting and gold/platinum albums, mostly.
Punk albums had a hard time selling enough to break even, let alone certify gold. It was considered not cool, because punk was against commerciality. And they were a bit of an odd bunch, even within the odd bunch that was the punk scene.
ShivvyMcFly@reddit
I dunno if I agree. They've been pretty popular since they dropped Smash in 1994. Everyone knows who they are and they have a ton of hit songs
BasvanS@reddit
Popular in general? Sure. But in the punk scene they were considered sell outs, not punks.
freshcard@reddit
Yeah there was definitely calling people and bands “sell outs” regardless of if it was true or not. Comparing Offspring to say Fugazi, you’d get more street cred with the latter
KennOath82@reddit
There is ZERO shame in this.
Offspring fuckin rock.
I_am_Forklift@reddit
Went to an offspring show in Philly. Outdoors and it’s raining sideways. Nobodys coming on stage. Most everyone left. I had a poncho so I stayed. They came out and played in the pouring rain to like 100 people. It was so epic. Sounded incredible. Mad respect to offspring for that
_plays_in_traffic_@reddit
they were pretty good at hfstival too the couple times they were there
yokramer@reddit
Man I miss HFStival they got done dirty
PorkbellyFL0P@reddit
Noodles is fun. They put on a good live show.
Dancinfool830@reddit
Props to you for staying, and props to them for playing! A show is a show!
Muffin-sangria-@reddit
I saw them in Philly in the rain too but everyone stuck around.
Got a shout out from noodles at that show.
NiceGuy60660@reddit
I wanted to buy their album after I heard Come Out & Play. I go to Best Buy and all they had was Ignition, but my smartphoneless ass didnt know the difference. Ended up being my favorite album of theirs (or of any, for a bit).
southernfirm@reddit
I did the same thing. Wanted Ixnay on the Hombre, bought Smash instead.
Delsevier@reddit
Bloodhound Gang... I Hope You Die... The Bad Touch...
machomansavage666@reddit
Mope
Squirrel_Master82@reddit
There's a lot of 80s music I like now that is nowhere close to what I listened to in HS.
greenmky@reddit
Yeah
For me it's 80s pop stuff.
Black Velvet by Alannah Myles Listen to your Heart by Roxette All I Wanna Do is Make Love to You by Heart (I think the Halestorm cover got me appreciating this more)
Stuff like this that 90s grunge me would have never touched.
Szeth_Vallano@reddit
I'm in the same boat. I've been on a Tears For Fears kick. Teenage me would have absolutely sneered at that but holy crap those two are legit musicians.
The Songs From the Big Chair record is a masterwork.
RJRoyalRules@reddit
Same, 80s music was considered extremely lame at the time but now it's in regular rotation
vicviperblastoff@reddit
Sublime. I was nailed to the X in high school but now I'm a stoner dad and it hits right when I pick my child up from elementary school.
likesexonlycheaper@reddit
Love old school sublime. New sublime is MAGA which blows my fucking mind. Brad gotta be rolling in his grave.
flamingknifepenis@reddit
The other day I caught myself walking out of the dispensary and getting into my car and blasting Earth Crisis, and the irony made me giggle for a second.
erraticcompendium@reddit
Love this, haha. Destroy the Machines is still a very influential record to me.
DiaDeLosMuebles@reddit
One that broke through the defenses is “Tubthumping”. It was one of the dumbest songs I’ve ever heard. But they played it at all the bars my freshman year of college. And that was a magical time for me and that song is forever tied to it.
Roguebantha42@reddit
Chumbawamba has a great catalog if you ever get a chance to check it out
rodw@reddit
Chumbawamba is such an extraordinarily long-running and established broadly counter-cultural musical collective to be near universally known as the one-hit wonder behind Tubthumping.
As a small taste of their general weirdness for example, they released an album in 2008 entitled ”The boy bands have won, and all the copyists and the tribute bands and the TV talent show producers have won, if we allow our culture to be shaped by mimicry, whether from lack of ideas or from exaggerated respect. You should never try to freeze culture. What you can do is recycle that culture. Take your older brother's hand-me-down jacket and re-style it, re-fashion it to the point where it becomes your own. But don't just regurgitate creative history, or hold art and music and literature as fixed entities.”
necron@reddit
More punk than the Sex Pistols.
memymomeddit@reddit
Miley Cyrus is more punk than the Sex Pistols.
JohnGatling00@reddit
They are so underrated! I can listen to ABCDEFG for hours just singing along.
Loud_Ad_1403@reddit
I just added it into my rotation earlier this week!
Feisty-Comfort-3967@reddit
So, now you sing this song that reminds you of the good times?
DiaDeLosMuebles@reddit
It reminds me of the better times
FinallyKat@reddit
That was my hs boyfriend's fav song and group... talk about tied to certain things, oof. I'll leave you to it🫡
Trixie1143@reddit
You guys could still get back together!
FinallyKat@reddit
😆 given that I have been with my SO now for 25 years, that is Highly unlikely!
Trixie1143@reddit
You gotta believe in something!
Dancinfool830@reddit
They played it during every Red Wings game, of course, that song ame out the year that broke their playoff streak, but I also have fond memories of Billy Strings playing it during his wrestling themed Halloween show, cuz they were wrestlers and they get knocked down, and get back up again....
No-Eggplant-8576@reddit
Cher
VectorJones@reddit
Yacht Rock.
Ok-Concert-6475@reddit
Um, what is yacht rock?
VectorJones@reddit
Music of a vaguely rock variety from the '70s and early '80s that's kind of a mild, inoffensive, smooth sound compared to contemporary genres like Punk, Progressive, New Wave, or Heavy Metal.
Ok-Concert-6475@reddit
Thanks
SilverSnapDragon@reddit
One of my current great pleasures is spending a calm evening listening through the best of the 70s and 80s and deep diving into forgotten discographies to come up with the best Yacht Rock gems. I don’t care what anyone else thinks today. “Sailing” by Christopher Cross is a gorgeous classic and I will die on that hill.
LineImpossible3958@reddit
The canvas can do miracles
KolKlink2024@reddit
We saw Him, Toto and Men at Work last summer in Chicago. 🔥
SilverSnapDragon@reddit
Just you wait and see, believe me
LineImpossible3958@reddit
⛵️
SilverSnapDragon@reddit
So we will be free
NiceGuy60660@reddit
Hey Laura is corny shit but yeeeaah might make me cry, maybe. Beautiful melody. That dude could sing, play guitar, and write melodies like a beautiful flamingo over a sunset... His interview with Rick Beato (youtube) was pretty interesting.
Also try diving into Seals & Crofts and America, if you havent already!
General_Departure583@reddit
Yes, this is me and my wife’s go to when trying to relax on a drive.
Ted_Fleming@reddit
Rosanna is a masterpiece
quickguileismyhandle@reddit
Absolutely. Wouldn't NEVER have listened as a teen, would have been discredited and dateless. But now..
VectorJones@reddit
Odd how completely those songs became so beloved. Must be the time and distance at work.
anansir@reddit
I CAN go for that.
machomansavage666@reddit
Dude, hall and Oates got such a bad rap in the mid to late 90s but it’s sooooooo good!
MegaRadCoolDad@reddit
Same thing happened to the Bee Gees
machomansavage666@reddit
Or disco in general but they were the poster boys of the genre. I’ve been listening to Chic a lot lately. Bernard is a total beast on the bass. His and Nile’s roles were almost reversed where the guitar was more the rhythmic element and the bass was more melodic. Great and innovative stuff. Also nobody talks about how many funk elements there are in a lot of disco, Bee Gees included.
SilverSnapDragon@reddit
I fell in love with Hall & Oates all over again a few years ago. So, so good! I loved them when I was kid listening to the radio with mom while stuck in traffic. Especially “Because your kiss is in my list of the best things in life!” Why did I hate on them in my teens? I was young and stupid teenager! If you haven’t yet, check out Live At Daryl’s House on YouTube.
I hung out with the metal heads in high school, too, but they were open minded towards grunge and punk. They didn’t fully hate Top 40 but they thought it was too lame to be worth their time. I publicly dissed Phil Collins in front of my friends, and secretly listened to both Genesis and his solo work when I was alone. So good! But I couldn’t admit that in front of them. The major exception was “Land of Confusion”. We all agreed that song rocked!!! Still does!!!
Dancinfool830@reddit
My wife and I danced to "You Make My Dreams Come True" for our first dance at our wedding. I was a metal head in HD too and not opened to anything either, even though I grew up on Elton John, The Beatles, and Pink Floyd
machomansavage666@reddit
Yeah I was the same way. Liking top 40 was a quick way to get bullied so if it wasn’t aggressive or country (I’m a hillbilly) I wouldn’t give it a chance. I’ve come around on Phil Collins too; for me it’s the pain in his voice on “Against All Odds”. You can tell he meant that shit.
VectorJones@reddit
Do you like Piña Coladas?
SilverSnapDragon@reddit
I like getting caught in the rain.
freshleysqueezd@reddit
I fucking LOVE Yacht Rock! Kenny Loggins and Michael Macdonald are the kings of that shit
VectorJones@reddit
My thing is for the slew of bands and solo acts from the '70s and '80s who may have been one hit wonders or consistent chart toppers, yet nonetheless disappeared into obscurity by the '90s. They're at the heart of Yacht Rock. I amass them into playlists with which I drench myself in a sonic nostalgia trip made of endless preadolescent car rides, listening to my mother's favorite easy listening stations.
It's a comforting sojourn from unwelcome reality in stressful times.
WyntersVix@reddit
Absolutely! My partner and I have been putting together a playlist this week affectionately titled “loser bops” that is all yacht rock.
SilverSnapDragon@reddit
I call mine “Relaxing on the Yacht”.
VectorJones@reddit
I've compiled one of those myself. I call it "Boat Trips."
Level_Improvement532@reddit
That Brandi is a fine girl…
MexicanVanilla22@reddit
What a good wife you would be
VectorJones@reddit
But my life, my love, and my lady is the sea. Dooda-dit-dooda, dit-dooda-dit-dooda-dit...
google-eyed-joe@reddit
Neil Diamond (other than sweet Caroline). Blasted some cracklin Rosie the other day as a gag and the joke was on me clearly because his whole catalog is beautiful. I think I might really appreciate Dan Fogelberg next week around Derby day.
_jjkase@reddit
You know how I know it doesn't matter if you're gay?
I was listening to Coldplay today.
Dancinfool830@reddit
Well, I called everything in the word gay back then and would smack someone I don't know's kid for using it flippantly now, damn shit changed. Then again, I tyedyed this for my best friend 16 years ago, asked for it back from his estate after he died last year
UnforgettableBevy@reddit
That’s really rad!
thingsgoingup@reddit
Grace Jones - Pull up to the Bumper.
ThingsOfThatNaychah@reddit
"The Sign" by Ace of Base
Milkweedhugger@reddit
The Old Apartment - Barenaked Ladies
Ok-Concert-6475@reddit
I was only vaguely aware of BNL in high school - but they are on frequent rotation on my Spotify lists.
Axi0madick@reddit
Extremely underrated band, in my opinion, even in Canada.
abbysgultz@reddit
This is one of those bands that was played so much I couldn't listen to them. As an adult its half of my Pandora because all the songs are good.
lost_horizons@reddit
Really actually great songwriters, lyrics can have depth, for a pop rock band.
I’ll be honest I’ve always been a really big fan of them
wrestlegirl@reddit
Broken glass, broke and hungry, broken hearts and broken bones
This is where we used to live
Traditional_Cat_60@reddit
Crooked landing, crooked landlord, narrow lane way filled with crooks
skryb@reddit
How is the neighbor downstairs? How is her temper this year? I turned up the TV and stomped on the floor, just for fun!
BorderlinePaisley@reddit
Oh I blasted that shit in high school unashamed. Those guys are insanely talented, tight musicians.
HTownGuero666@reddit
I used to think Neil Young was pathetic old man rock when they’d dust his ass off in the ‘90s.
Well… then I became an old man. And shit HITS DIFFERENT. Love me some Neil Young!
EchoTango77@reddit
I have the exact same experience but with Steely Dan. Thought it was old man dad music. Now… well
HTownGuero666@reddit
You were right then, and you’re right now!
flamingknifepenis@reddit
I loved that concept album, Greendale, he did in the early ‘00s. I had kind of hated Neil Young prior to that, but my dad was watching a live performance of it on PBS and I remember walking through the room and being like “Ok, this sounds awesome …”
Then I went down the rabbit hole and realized he was a huge influence on the bands I loved like SDRE, Pearl Jam, Nirvana, etc. and actually gave him a listen and have been a casual fan ever since.
Clevergirlphysicist@reddit
I saw him on his last tour with crazy horse and I was surprised how much it rocked.
JanuaryRabbit@reddit
He was the Godfather of Grunge. So many of his tracks are really grunge.
Honorable mentions: "Everybody knows this is Nowhere" "Cowgirl in the Sand" "Vampire Blues"
If you really want proto-grunge, hit up the early Stooges. Yeah; I didn't think about that either.
HTownGuero666@reddit
I have collected both Neil Young and the Stooges on vinyl as an old man. Buying records was another thing I thought was “gay” in the ‘90s! Nice to leave it till my 40s, honestly.
RodneyBarringtonIII@reddit
Anything off the new They Might Be Giants album.
It's full of bangers but I'm in my mid-40s and it'd be pretty embarrassing If I were still in HS.
To_a_Green_Thought@reddit
They Might Be Giants is still the loudest concert I've ever been to. Those guys don't mess around live.
Kinetic_Silverwolf@reddit
No they do not.
I saw them play The Hard Rock at Orlando, with me on the floor 8 feet from the stage. It was a religious experience.
BugEquivalents@reddit
TMBG was my first concert! My mom only let me go bc my older sister was going. It was awesome!
Pumperkin@reddit
I still love Flood and I'm not ashamed
RodneyBarringtonIII@reddit
Not should you be!
Pumperkin@reddit
I've always liked "silly" music. Weird Al, TMBG, Bloodhound Gang, others, et al.
Accadius@reddit
I was a metalhead but now i can listen to bsb, nkotb and other stuff I wouldnt listen to back in hs
LeatherRebel5150@reddit
Pretty much any upbeat lite rock stuff from the 90’s. I was a metal kid through and through Ive mellowed out enough to enjoy a listen to something like The New Radicals -You Get What You Give or Robbie Williams - Millennium
raspberrybee@reddit
I listen to way more pop songs now than I did in HS. Like now, I’m jamming out to the Backstreet Boys. Not so much in high school.
ailish@reddit
I thought Paul Simon's music was for old people when I was a teenager, but I love it now.
BlackEngineEarings@reddit (OP)
ailish@reddit
I'm not old!!!
LonelyHusband69@reddit
Lots of Steely Dan.
Lumpy_Tomorrow8462@reddit
That Third Eye Blind song Semi-charmed kind of life. God how I hated it. Loathed it even. Now I enjoy it. No idea why.
sassyfontaine@reddit
Korn. If 15-35 year old me knew , they’d flip their wig
MsCattatude@reddit
Anything New Kids
DBPanterA@reddit
I too was fiercely a metal head. Did grunge, Kirk died, went to Pantera and Sabbath and Ozzy and Fear Factory (among others). Attended the first 6 Ozzfests.
I blast 90’s top 40 all the time. Will sing to anything released last millennium.
RedCarpetbagger@reddit
More like from Pantera to Panera I’ll see myself out
DBPanterA@reddit
😂😂😂 well played, well played…
On a serious note, I did see the current iteration of Pantera in 2024 and 2025. The sound is still there, but we are all 25 years older, so the energy at the shows is not what it was in 1997….
In 2025 I was eating a PB&J while they were playing “Walk” because I needed energy for the rest of the night. I was 10 feet away from Phil and Zakk. Don’t think 16 yo me would have pulled that move and survived.
Appropriate-Food1757@reddit
Paula Abdul is pretty rad
LineImpossible3958@reddit
I heard Hush Hush at the grocery store a couple of days ago, totally forgot that one
Feisty-Comfort-3967@reddit
🤯 forgot?
InterestingTry5190@reddit
Video is even better with Keanu Reeves
CTMechE@reddit
Straight up.
ridukosennin@reddit
Now tell me
NYCWriterOfAllThings@reddit
Coldcoldcoldcold-hearted…
afakefox@reddit
Who tf is Kirk?? 😆
DBPanterA@reddit
Thanks, I fixed it.
My comment before this in Xennials was the Natalie Portman is pregnant at 44 post. I can understand that because I welcomed a baby at the same age. Sleep is quite limited.
LineImpossible3958@reddit
Van Houten?
CTMechE@reddit
BorderlinePaisley@reddit
Kirk Hammett died?
Inevitable-While-577@reddit
Same!
BlackEngineEarings@reddit (OP)
Yep. Same same
Im_from_the-future@reddit
You have to admit… Backstreet Boys had some bangers back then.
Pheeline@reddit
"Everybody (Backstreet's Back)" has a solid place on several of my playlists these days, but it wouldn't have made it onto any of my mixtapes back then.
Bugs-Ear@reddit
Yes! Teenage me completely rejected Backstreet Boys—and all boy bands, for that matter! Fast forward to 2026…some friends were going to the Backstreet Boys concert at The Sphere in Las Vegas and insisted that I join them (and even bought a ticket for me). I was shocked that I loved the concert and from then on became a fan. I must admit that I really admire the band for keeping it together at our/their ages! Their performance (singing, dancing, stunts) was incredible!
the_silent_one1984@reddit
Backstreet Boys, NSYNC, and Spice Girls.
Now, I don't search for them specifically on Spotify. But if they come up on a playlist or happen upon them on the radio I won't groan like I did when I was younger.
_SmashLampjaw_@reddit
High school me would have despised 40 year old me.
Dancinfool830@reddit
High-school me would have made the conversion from angry metalhead to laid-back hippie way sooner if I met me
cruisethevistas@reddit
My 7-year-old digs the Backstreet Boys
Opposite-Funny-9669@reddit
i finally caved and let one of the girls play backstreet boys in my car one night cruising. i'd honestly never listened to them but once i realized that (1) the girls LOVED THEM and (2) the subwoofers loved them, i just pretended to be doing her a favor by letting her ride around with me a few more nights.
now days that i'm old and only have 1 sub.. i'll just blast it, F them kids lol
BlackieDad@reddit
Those dudes had some tight harmonies that teen me did not appreciate at the time
Im_from_the-future@reddit
Ain't nothin' but a heartache
Fast_Soil1376@reddit
I’ve always enjoyed all of the songs on Aqua’s Aquarium album. It is very upbeat in a fun and cheerful way.
swosei12@reddit
I was wondering something similar the other week. On the drive home, I was like I kinda like this Bstreet Boys song. Then, I was like I’m a backstreet boys fan?!!!
If you are a fan of The Office, my reaction was kind of like Pam’s realization that she was Dwight’s friend.
drowevil2@reddit
I must have grown up a little different than you all. My CD book had it all. Punk, Metallica, grunge, oldies 50-60’s, rap, hip hop, surf rock, pop. I recently gave it to my son and he has by far the most eclectic music taste among his friend group. We share a Spotify and I barely listen to it and our age this last year was 84.
Feisty-Comfort-3967@reddit
The jazz station in general. I truly did not appreciate how good my dad's taste in music was.
heresmytwopence@reddit
Björk
https://i.redd.it/0wscwezkvuvg1.gif
trainwreckhappening@reddit
I can't think of her without thinking of her music video that had dancing glas domed cities that panned out to reveal they were actually her breasts.
SilverSnapDragon@reddit
I always think of Bjork being eaten by the rampaging teddy bear in “Human Nature”. That whole video was a trip. She a creative powerhouse!
Did you ever hear “Motorcrash” by the Sugarcubes? The lyrics are kinda effed up but Bjork’s voice is wildly captivating.
FacePalmTheater@reddit
I always think of Army of Me, her driving that big crazy truck and doctor bigfoot took a diamond out of her mouth. Shit was a trip
Rit_Zien@reddit
Regina by the Sugar Cubes has a whole shouting rant about being forced to eat lobster even though you hate it. It's my fave. I call it the Lobster Song.
SilverSnapDragon@reddit
Oh the irony! I can hear this!
Hatecookie@reddit
I don’t really have one that would’ve embarrassed me, but the radio stations played Alice In Chains every five seconds for years. Years. I hated them.
Now I listen to Alice In Chains a lot. I actually can’t believe how great they are, Layne’s voice was incredible, the lyrics are really moving.
Leilani3317@reddit
Hootie & the Blowfish and subsequently Darius Ruckers country music
MissMushroomBerry@reddit
My HS friend group (mostly boys and I’m a girl) used to laugh at me for liking Radiohead, they preferred Oasis and U2. Jokes on them because Radiohead was able to evolve and create great music decade through decade and I’m not sure I can say the same for the two other bands. No offense.
General-Carob-6087@reddit
I’m still listening to most of the stuff I listened to in high school.
Ded_diode@reddit
Gary Numan. I brushed it off as synthpop BS as a teenager, then sometime in the late 90s he started making really, REALLY good music. Since then his older work has grown on me.
flowbkwrds@reddit
Metal heads are bad about that! Any other genre of music would get you dragged. Prince, especially Raspberry Berret
Traditional_Cat_60@reddit
Who the hell doesn’t like Prince!?!? I find this hard to believe. Probably the same people that don’t like The Princess Bride. Absolute weirdos and/or liars.
Gwilym_Ysgarlad@reddit
What's funny to me is for one, a lot of actual musicians who play in those '80s trash bands like Prince. Also that dude could fucking wail on the guitar.
BlackEngineEarings@reddit (OP)
Duuuude, metalheads really are! I'm glad that as I've gotten older I've shed a lot of that, but it's ingrained pretty deeply. I still feel it lol
72scott72@reddit
I’m 45 and still go to every metal show I can get my paws on. What do I listen to on the ride home? Enya.
NerdDesNordens@reddit
Xennial metal head here. My friends would have never let me live it down if they caught me blasting Seal’s first two records in the car and signing along at the top of my lungs, but here we are. Those records are just amazing from a performance, production, and sing writing perspective. \m/
72scott72@reddit
Also a grunge/punk/metal head here. Also came here to say Seal.
putitontheunderhills@reddit
Whooooa whoooaaaaa whooaaaaa it goooeeesss onnnnn...
toomanyusesforaname@reddit
Seal is a truly gifted songwriter. Crazy is a masterpiece, as are Prayer for the Dying, Don't Cry and Kiss from a Rose. Absolutely no shame in loving his music.
CuriousLands@reddit
Former punk band frontwoman here - Crazy is my favourite song by Seal. I could listen to it 20 times a day lol. And Kissed By A Rose is a karaoke favourite of mine; it's a great song and super fun to sing because of the dramatic rise and fall of the vocals through the song.
BasvanS@reddit
And female Seal: Sade. Absolutely love it now.
Ourobors_Again@reddit
Sheryl Crow’s first 3 albums
Bizzy-99@reddit
Haha nice so ‘Thank U’ by Alanis came on shuffle on my playlist this morning
Jbowen0020@reddit
Ah, one of the joys of being the awkward introverted kid that has no or very few friends. I listened to whatever i felt like listening to and didn't have anyone telling me whether it was cool or not.
donttrustthecorn@reddit
The Beatles suck.
queenofcaffeine76@reddit
Sorry your opinion seems unpopular. Fwiw, I agree.
donttrustthecorn@reddit
Nobody listens to them, the just revere them for social value. Posers
heresmytwopence@reddit
I and millions of others listen to them regularly. Whatever you listen to was probably influenced in some way by them. It's fair if the 5 "greatest hits" songs you heard didn't speak to you, but your attitude about them and their fans is really no more unpredictable or flattering than those who wear a band's t-shirts just to look cool.
proper_specialist88@reddit
Yeah, people are going to have uninformed opinions sometimes I guess. I agree it's fair for anyone to say they don't like listening to a certain band, but to deny the influence The Beatles had to nearly every genre after their rise I just insane. It's also understandable when people think they sound blah or aren't impressed when they don't get the historical context. All that shit they created came out of nowhere within a time span of less than a decade. When my son was born, I introduced him to blues music and the Beatles as a foundation. Everything else came later.
NYCWriterOfAllThings@reddit
Except they’re the most popular band of all time…
Alatariel99@reddit
I do, on vinyl, on streaming, at the symphony...they are my number 1 favorite band. No kidding.
heresmytwopence@reddit
https://i.redd.it/iwywpdl4xuvg1.gif
Antique-Ant5557@reddit
Sterquilinus-616@reddit
IMO, if you werent listening to Alanis Morissette in the 90s you were likely a stupid mother fucker. Kids who would pigeonhole themselves into a genre were always the dimmest peanuts in the turd.
I was into Ministry, NIN, Pantera, Metallica, Megadeth, Scorpion.... and Alanis Morissette. Portishead. TLC. NWA.
Now.. my thing like your thing would be the Back Street Boys. Hated them, made fun of them. But somehow I know all the words, and sing them if I hear them. The songs, even tho I hate them, remind me of the PLUR of the 90s.
BlackEngineEarings@reddit (OP)
Oh dang. The first response I've seen where someone came out just to be a dick.
This is a perfect example of someone using music tastes to be an asshole to another person. Thanks for exemplifying what everyone else seems to have grown out of.
NYCWriterOfAllThings@reddit
Push the button connect the goddamn dots!!!
TwilightTink@reddit
I never expected to hear the backstreet boys still on the radio when I was in my 40s
ryhoyarbie@reddit
Songs by the Spice Girls for me. Girl power all the way….says this 44 year old guy.
SupahRad@reddit
I loved them back in the day but hid it because I was “too punk” for fucking everything. Now I’m an out and proud Spice Girl fan.
CuriousLands@reddit
Heck yes. Spice Girls are still awesome.
External-Praline-451@reddit
Spice Girls and Take That!
Wrong-Jeweler-8034@reddit
I think I’m still embarrassed to be caught listening to them - but I listen
Im_A_Real_Boy1@reddit
My little sister was a HUGE Backstreet Boys fan and so I detested them as a cool teenage brother into punk rock should
But fuck me if there are not some bangers in that catalogue
Born-Agency-3922@reddit
Pink Floyd. My clique was west coast and southern rap from Houston, Texas.
Dancinfool830@reddit
I went to sleep to DSotM, on vinyl. My mom kicked me out of the house when I was 17. My sister said she couldn't fall asleep afterwards cuz she got so used to hearing it through the wall, it I toon that shit with me when I left(it was my mom's original)
Born-Agency-3922@reddit
Read your comment and had to listen to TIME. Sorry you went through that man.
Dancinfool830@reddit
With, without, and in the end, its what the fighting all about.
It's life, we are good now. She still ain't getting that album back. Everything I have been through in my life has made me the person I am. I love me(finally), my wife loves me, my dog loves me, my friends love me. What more could I ask for.
But thank you. And I hope you find yourself as happy as I am
CaulkSlug@reddit
I wasn’t allowed to be friends with kids in high school because I listened to metal and rap… I was at a only hs school friends bbq a couple year back when I was 32 and all the same moms were “bumping and grinding” to snoop dog songs.
ConflictOfEvidence@reddit
1980s disco
Cruisinginaminivan@reddit
Blues Traveler - Hook
CG3_3CG@reddit
Creed and nickelback. It was like a meme to make fun of them but they honestly are good
espressocycle@reddit
I didn't like hip hop back then because I was a rock snob. Now I listen to Biggie and shit all the time.
Ok_Consequence7829@reddit
Korn. I was too sacred of it for whatever reason. Now I’m like. It’s fineD
Phoniceau@reddit
Country. Like, all the country 🤪
OkInspector7470@reddit
I've become a Counting Crows fangirl. I remember hearing Mr Jones & Me at a junior high assembly and everybody poopooed it. But secretly I was like, this is fucking adult cool my dudes
slayingadah@reddit
Counting crows was my first favorite band. I know all the lyrics to all the songs from the first 4 albums.
Jack johnson replaced them when he came onto the scene as my true favorite band/artist, but they're still up there.
Cultivate_a_Rose@reddit
Round Here is up there with some of the greats. A near-perfect song. Anna Begins also is fantastic.
the_ballmer_peak@reddit
I burned out on Mr. Jones decades ago, but Counting Crows is a good answer to OP's prompt for me. I appreciated them a lot more in my 30s. Haven't listened to them in a while now, but there are some great songs. They do my favorite cover of "Blues Run the Game."
shadowlarx@reddit
About a decade ago, they released a pretty awesome song called Pallisades Park.
mac117@reddit
Rush, Neil Diamond, electronic music (mainly jamtronica and synth pop)
I was an obnoxious music snob who only liked straight up rock music. I have an open mind to listen to almost anything now. I love taking in new music especially if it’s a style I’ve never heard before
unknown7383762@reddit
Ben Folds Five. After Rockin the Suburbs came out, I found I liked Ben, and then after meeting my future wife shortly afterwards, I liked Ben Folds Five.
Li-RM35M4419@reddit
Marcy’s Playground- Sex And Candy. I used to despise that song but now I kinda like it
crane1901@reddit
That whole album was good.
slayingadah@reddit
The vampires of new york is one of my faves
HooRooGreenApples@reddit
The whole album was a lovely piece of my adolescence
cawkselderbug@reddit
Marcy's Playground is fucking fantastic, sans this song
besleysfw@reddit
It’s their worst song in my opinion
RockItGuyDC@reddit
I was always a fan. Know nothing else of theirs.
BusinessYou1657@reddit
Give them a listen, they’re actually pretty great.
cruisethevistas@reddit
I remember I bought the album and we were all listening to the cd, passing the headphones around the student center.
ManWhoTalksToHisHand@reddit
I still hate it. Maybe even more now, because my one comforting thought back then was that this song will clearly never last. Grrr!
stilettopanda@reddit
Same. Whyyyy did it have to last?!
southernfirm@reddit
Saint Joe on the Schoolbus for the win
AgarFifthRim@reddit
This was pretty hard not to like for anyone coming of age back then. Sex and also Candy?! Sign me up
CalmDemand5265@reddit
Honestly, Mmmbop. My little sister loved Hanson and I never really gave them a chance, but musically, they are really sound. The Christmas album gets some good mileage in my house too these days, but my badass little pop-punk HS self would NEVER!
misskuntleigh@reddit
Oasis
I hated them in the 90s and was strictly in “dance”. No Britpop for me thank you very much. Now I’ve had a chance to listen to them and they’re pretty good (not shyiyte like I thought 😎).
Happy_Rice_Cooker@reddit
Say You'll Be There - Spice Girls
CottaBird@reddit
Anything Celine Dion. No way would that come from my car speakers in high school. But these days? It’s all coming back to me.
Vivid-Individual5968@reddit
I have been firmly embracing a new love for disco.
Donna Summer, The Bee Gees, Rod Stewart.
I don’t even know who I am anymore.
Subosc@reddit
Disco. I was also a metal head that thought Disco was horrible. Now I love it. Funky, dancy. I’ll blast Bee Gees and Chic now.
Background_Title_922@reddit
Crazy Alanis was only 21 when that album came out. Cliched maybe but it had a big impact on my 15 year old female self in terms of challenging my assumptions about how women “should” behave - I just loved that she was angry and sexual and not apologizing for it. People gave her such shit for her use of the word irony but the chorus on that song totally bangs.
OldManTrainwreck@reddit
I sort of had crossover friend groups between the goth/industrial kids and the nerds. All of my friends from both groups had a proto "don't yuck mu yum" mentally. On any given day my tape player in my car could cycle through Nine Inch Nails, Metallica, They Might Be Giants, Michael Jackson, and The Muppet Treasure Island soundtrack. LOL. Their was plenty of music a lot of us didn't like but we were all extremely tolerant of everyones tastes. It probably helped that half of my friends when I was in Highschool were in College.
the_ballmer_peak@reddit
I feel like I'm the only person who doesn't have intense nostalgia for the music of my teen years.
Most of the music I listen to was recorded in the past ten years or before I was born.
toomanyusesforaname@reddit
I'm kind of with you. I was born in 79 and never got into grunge, like even a tiny bit. I absolutely have affection for the music I did discover during my early teens, much of which was already old by that point (e.g., early REM and the Pretenders) and there's definitely some contemporary stuff from the early 90s that I like (Jane's Addiction), but all the Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden stuff that you couldn't escape circa 1993 does absolutely nothing for me.
toomanyusesforaname@reddit
George Michael. I was born in 1979, and when Faith was released, I was into hard rock / hair metal. By the time Listen without Prejudice was released, I'd moved onto stuff like REM, Jane's Addiction and the Cure, so I wasn't into pop at all. I always just though of him as some ass-shaking, fluff-pop pretty boy. Boy was I wrong. Yes, he had a great voice, but as a songwriter he was incredible. Those first two albums are absolutely stuffed with infectious hooks and perfect arrangement. He was a generational talent and I'll fight any fellow former metalhead who disagrees.
nuggetbailey@reddit
Savage garden 😅
NiceGuy60660@reddit
It's been 10hrs and no one has posted "Semi-Charmed Life"
I guess I'm still just the only ex-metal nerd who blares that song on long drives...
Doot doot doot
Dootdoot doot doo
ForzaFenix@reddit
Was blasting OPP on the way back from lunch today. Yeah, you know me
NiceGuy60660@reddit
Naughty By Nature was my favorite hip hop group from that era, although they kinda were seen as the commercial pop side of hip hop.
ForzaFenix@reddit
Better than the mumble rap we have now.
the_ballmer_peak@reddit
Every time I see this referenced all I can hear is Zach de la Rocha singing, "Ya down with DDT? Yeah you know me."
PinotFerret@reddit
I’ll rock the shit out of Mmmbop these days.
NiceGuy60660@reddit
The only thing embarassing about mmmbop to me is actually trying to hit those notes lol
Either_Investment646@reddit
Hansen, duh
atomicbunny@reddit
This Kiss - Faith Hill
seriouslysocks@reddit
I was a mostly listened to grunge and indi-alternative, with a sprinkle of dark gothic leaning music.
Now those very late 80’s, early 90’s rap songs come on the radio I blast it. Tone Loc, Run DMC, Rob Base, I love fun classics.
Funky Cold Medina came on in the car the other day and my teenager was so embarrassed.
LineImpossible3958@reddit
All the soft rock and Yacht rock from the 70s and 80s. I’ve always enjoyed it but I got a little deeper into the groups.
Dancinfool830@reddit
Most of what I listen to now. I was an angry metal head back in the day. Now I listen to funk/folk/bluegrass/jambands/blues/motown/rap/d&b/house/reggae/.....wait, pretty much everything but new country, including stuff on r/crappymusic, so...yeah
NYCWriterOfAllThings@reddit
Iris by the Goo Goo Dolls. Can’t believe it broke through for me.
the_kid1234@reddit
Sade.
Fakeadmiral_tt@reddit
Mariah Carey - Fantasy. Would have been beaten to a pulp by my mates for liking it in the 90s. I still think it’s a banger.
beachbummeddd@reddit
Mmmbop. It gets insane hate to this day from our gen. But if you listen to any somewhat newer live performance now that they are adults, and listen to the lyrics, you will understand why it’s an actual banger. As children they were clearly ahead of their time.
StevieV61080@reddit
I was the weird kid who unironically loved most music others constantly bashed. I was absolutely into pop music and was in a cappella boy band who did medleys of most boy band songs of the time. Above all, I loved New Jack Swing and was a major fan of New Edition, Bobby Brown, BBD, Boyz II Men, Heavy D, Johnny Gill, etc. I also loved MC Hammer, Vanilla Ice, and stuff like Toad the Wet Sprocket.
What I disliked was grunge, alternative, rock, and country. While I still prefer pop and r&b, I have definitely developed an affinity for some grunge and a lot of stadium rock from that era. I even will admit that I don't completely hate Shania Twain, Faith Hill, and Can't Fight the Moonlight by Leann Times to show I can even tolerate 90s country to a degree.
Glittering-Show-5521@reddit
Well, to be fair (coming from a guy who pretty much only listened to 90s country back then), all 3 of thsoe gals were a bit of crossover artists. If you told me what songs of theirs you didn't hate (other than LeAnn's Can't Fight the Moonlight, cuz she'd gone completely over to pop by then), I could tell you for sure if it was the pop side.
I will say though, Faith Hill is a great vocalist if you've ever heard a live recording.
MetaVulture@reddit
Occasionally Aqua is blasted at full volume...
yamahowzer@reddit
When I was younger I thought all classic rock songs I liked (but didn't know the band) were foreigner and if I didn't like it it was Boston.
Turns out Boston has some bangers.
PhiloLibrarian@reddit
I’ve been going through a grunge revival. Hated it in HS (more into New Age and big band/orchestra revival bands)…
sonsofthedesert@reddit
Hotel California
dreamyduskywing@reddit
The dueling guitars is next level.
TrustAffectionate966@reddit
In my friend group, we listened to Metal (Heavy, Hair, Hard, Thrash, etc.), some Punk, and some Industrial. It was a running gag with us that KMFDM meant "Kill Mother Fucking Depeche Mode."
I've always loved DeMode. "Just Can't Get Enough" came on the radio this afternoon and I put it on blast!
🧉🦄
BlackEngineEarings@reddit (OP)
TIL KMFDM doesn't mean kill mother fucking Depeche mode lol
BusinessYou1657@reddit
Kein Mehrheit Für Die Mitleid
TrustAffectionate966@reddit
I also heard GWAR right before DeMode.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5XR48KLE8I&list=RDI5XR48KLE8I&start_radio=1
🧉🦄
ploomyoctopus@reddit
MmmBop, by Hanson.
CuriousLands@reddit
People started hating them cos they got too popular, I think, even among pop fans. But those guys are some solid musicians. I've got like 4 of their albums lol.
oar335@reddit
Lyrics are actually deep considering it was written by children
SailNW@reddit
I will always stand up for Hanson. At the time the album mmmbop was on, the oldest member of the band was 16, and that album was their THIRD.
the_ballmer_peak@reddit
CuriousLands@reddit
None of them tbh, lol. I just didn't care about gatekeeping my music tastes, or anyone else's, haha.
I went to 4 different high schools and at 3 of them, nobody else cared either. At the one school people got weird about it and I was a bit of an outcast for it - I remember one guy started hanging out with me when he learned I liked a little Slipknot, trend forced me when I said I also like Delerium (a trance band) - I just thought that was stupid tbh.
I've always preferred hard rock and punk music, but I've also had highly varied tastes and basically no shame about anything, lol. I'd openly say I liked Aerosmith and Aqua in the same breath, I mean why not? And nobody cared; most of them were similar anyway.
BeerAandLoathing@reddit
My path from 90s mainstream alternative to metal ended with indie, just like this.
Turbomattk@reddit
🎶. Tell me why Ain't nothin' but a heartache Tell me why Ain't nothin' but a mistake Tell me why I never wanna hear you say I want it that way🎶🎶
_SmashLampjaw_@reddit
Now lets hear the Brooklyn 99 version
shadowlarx@reddit
🎶Now Number Five🎶
Alatariel99@reddit
Never sorry to hear this at the grocery store nowadays, hated it at the time.
Jaumpasama@reddit
Early Shakira
Intelligent-Salt-362@reddit
A Thousand Miles
HighGlutenTolerance@reddit
I have been on a Lawrence Welk kick lately.
Kinetic_Silverwolf@reddit
Not for the drive home, but gets stuck in my head sometimes and refuses to leave and drives me bonkers ...
Anything from the big boy bands produced by the thieving bastard out of Orlando. I didn't like them when they were doing commercials for Bealls, I didn't like them when I walked out of their performance at Sea World Middle Schoole Grad Night, and I didn't like them when their videos were playing on TRL.
But they were inescapable, and sometimes one of those choruses will get caught in a loop in my mental radio and it reminds of how much I hated most of the high school years...
Umberlee168@reddit
I never stopped listening to George Michael, even after he came out of the closet and was publicly struggling with drugs and soliciting risky sex. But I definitely didn't let anyone know either.
StillhasaWiiU@reddit
I feel like an outlier as I don't really listen to anything from the 90s anymore.
Honest_Tutor1451@reddit
Same. Honestly, I listened to 80s pop, classic rock, and old country in the 90s. Didn’t really get into grunge or anything else everybody was listening to. My music tastes are crazy all over the place still. My spotify playlists are mixes of random stuff like Kendrick Lamar, Kate bush, talking heads, Jane siberry, 2 chainz, miles Davis, prince, George Michael, Erykah Badu. And my favorite artists(where I know almost all of their songs) are all very different from each other.
thewalruscandyman@reddit
Oops I did it again. 😅
That's a fuckin jam, man.
oar335@reddit
Mmmbop
BennyOcean@reddit
Not the drive home but at the gym sometimes I hear old 90s and early 2000s pop music like Backstreet Boys, Britney Spears, N'Sync etc. I would really rather not hear it. Some would say it has nostalgia value. I'd say I heard it plenty back when those songs were new.
CHNOHO@reddit
I wrote John Meyer off as just the “run through the halls of my high school” pop guy…. Then I saw him on the Chapelle show!
KBobBears@reddit
I WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOU XTINA
yuckysmurf@reddit
Britney Spears! I was way “too cool” for her in HS but now I enjoy a lot of her songs.
folksongcat@reddit
Same. I didn’t listen to very much pop music in hs but I do now.
Nonametousehere1@reddit
Same for me too.was really anti Brittney and pop music .but once she shaved her head in the tattoo parlor? I became a fan then and there. Bc it showed she was a real person and kinda badass for that.
BasicRabbit4@reddit
Same. I was too cool for pop music in high school. I thought Britney especially sucked, but I like some of her songs now.
MeButSecret@reddit
Same. Oh, silly HS me.
Metzger4Sheriff@reddit
Along with Mambo Number 5.
Knight_thrasher@reddit
I had friends in all the groups so I listened to all the music
Ice_crusher_bucket@reddit
Backstreet boys easy. Or NSync.
Now. Fuxk em. Blast em at a Friday night bonfire. 🔥🥃
CookieNo310@reddit
I went from "Rap sucks" in hs to getting big into underground hip hop in my early 20s. That, and a few may give me the side eye for bumping the some the Supersuckers stuff. I was big into the rock/punk/metal/alternative stuff. Still am but I listen to almost everything. Except most electronic stuff. The deep house era killed that shit for me! Hahaha.
Plumeria9798@reddit
Probably anything by a boy band or in the bubblegum late 90s pop genre. Gave my true millennial sister so much crap for those and yet was secretly enjoying them the whole time.
AshDogBucket@reddit
Pop/ dance/ R&B. I loved it when I was younger, but by the time I got to high school I was all rock all the time and nothing else was acceptable.
Real McCoy, Aqua, ive discovered a group called Toy Box that I love, En Vogue, Mariah, Spice Girls, BSB, Robyn, and of course my jam...No Diggety by Blackstreet.
Adventurous_Pin_344@reddit
Jagged Little Pill is still awesome!!!
I would be mortified if people caught me listening to Blink 182 these days. And I LOVED that shit back in the day.
TheREALBaldRider@reddit
Pretty much any boy band would fit this criteria for me.
usernames_suck_ok@reddit
You seem to mistakenly think this has changed, lol. "Wouldn't be caught dead" confessing honestly to this question or just admitting my general music preferences most of the time on this sub or most of Reddit because it has actually gotten worse.
BlackEngineEarings@reddit (OP)
Haha! The exact feeling I get when those songs are rocking in the car, that's what made me think of this. I definitely am subconsciously looking over the shoulder before I turn the dial up lol
writersontop@reddit
90s Madonna