Ahhh 1995. Those were the days. First year of university was in the books, and midway through the second year. This was the year that I moved in with three guys who became best friends to this day. This was also the year I was with my first serious girlfriend from the beginning to the end, from mid-94 through towards the end of ’96. She and I were both really into music and there were a lot of car trips/commutes when we listened to the radio.
I remember buying Alanis Morissette’s CD and being surprised at just how amazing it was. This was also the year when I decided Collective Soul was one of my favorite bands, period. The World I Know really struck a chord. The Smashing Pumpkins double CD will always remind me of those times with my girlfriend, and Wonderwall (Oasis) and Alanis will always remind me of New Years ’96 into ’97…which means they were with me for more than a full year.
Longer term, Radiohead and The Tea Party grew on me. I liked them and these songs in ’95, but loved them even more over time. The two 311 songs will remind me of visits to my sister in London, Ontario…notably when my car broke down on the way past London to visit another friend!
Unlike most rankings, I haven’t been simply tossing these up in a numerical order. Because we can all agree that on some days, some songs kick more ass than other songs. A song that is ranked 14th today could very well rank 1st tomorrow – if it suddenly comes on the radio during the perfect moment and I start singing along. So I group them instead of presenting a hard-and-fast order:
Awesome
Great
Solid
Not Bad
…with some inter-group splitting.
Here my favorites from 1995, just the ones ranked in the top two categories (“Awesome” and “Great”). The full list of songs – all categories – is at the bottom.
28 Great Songs from 1995
This Is A Call – Foo Fighters
Unsound – Headstones
This band is so underrated that when I first went through the 90s, year by year, using the two sources for songs that were released (one of them a Canadian source and this is a Canadian band!), this band was never mentioned. And when I went through the 90s again, year by year, using three additional sources – still no mention. Ridiculous. I mean – the lead singer, Hugh Dillon, is also an actor (Flashpoint, The Killing). And the music is very strongly played in Canada. Ironically, the songs I hear a lot are Tweeter and the Monkey Man and Smile and Wave – neither of which I like. But I love Unsound, and my favorites are Blonde and Blue (2000) and the other song you’ll find here below…
They Don’t Care About Us – Michael Jackson
MJ actually released two videos for this song. One in the prison, and one based on Brazil. Here is the prison version.
Boombastic – Shaggy
Hand In My Pocket – Alanis Morissette
Big Me – Foo Fighters
Brat – Green Day
Walking Contradiction – Green Day
Truth Untold – The Odds
The Bazaar – The Tea Party
Sister Awake – The Tea Party
Down – 311
All Mixed Up – 311
Ironic – Alanis Morissette
You Learn – Alanis Morissette
All I Really Want – Alanis Morissette
Breakfast at Tiffany’s – Deep Blue Something
You Were Meant For Me – Jewel
Champagne Supernova – Oasis
Cumbersome – Seven Mary Three
We Only Come Out At Night – Smashing Pumpkins
Misery – Soul Asylum
Promises Broken – Soul Asylum
Name – The Goo Goo Dolls
Eat My Brain – The Odds
Peaches – The Presidents of the United States of America
Dear Mr. Fantasy – Big Sugar
Hearts, Love and Honour – Headstones
Underrated tune from a clearly underrated Canadian band…
20 Truly Awesome Songs from 1995
Sick Of Myself – Matthew Sweet
I Got Id – Pearl Jam
My Friends – Red Hot Chili Peppers
Head Over Feet – Alanis Morissette
Don’t Speak – No Doubt
High And Dry – Radiohead
Just – Radiohead
Time Bomb – Rancid
Ruby Soho – Rancid
Zero – Smashing Pumpkins
Lump – The Presidents of the United States of America
You Oughta Know – Alanis Morissette
The World I Know – Collective Soul
Brain Stew/Jaded – Green Day
Geek Stink Breath – Green Day
Wonderwall – Oasis
Fake Plastic Trees – Radiohead
Bullet With Butterfly Wings – Smashing Pumpkins
Muzzle – Smashing Pumpkins
Fire In the Head – The Tea Party
The above great songs from 1995 are on a playlist on YouTube right here
Here is the entire list:
| Awesome – 1 | You Oughta Know | – | Alanis Morissette |
| Awesome – 1 | The World I Know | – | Collective Soul |
| Awesome – 1 | Brain Stew/Jaded | – | Green Day |
| Awesome – 1 | Geek Stink Breath | – | Green Day |
| Awesome – 1 | Wonderwall | – | Oasis |
| Awesome – 1 | Fake Plastic Trees | – | Radiohead |
| Awesome – 1 | Bullet With Butterfly Wings | – | Smashing Pumpkins |
| Awesome – 1 | Muzzle | – | Smashing Pumpkins |
| Awesome – 1 | Fire In the Head | – | The Tea Party |
| Awesome – 1 | My Friends | – | Red Hot Chili Peppers |
| Awesome – 1 | Sick Of Myself | – | Matthew Sweet |
| Awesome – 11 | Head Over Feet | – | Alanis Morissette |
| Awesome – 11 | Don’t Speak | – | No Doubt |
| Awesome – 11 | High And Dry | – | Radiohead |
| Awesome – 11 | Just | – | Radiohead |
| Awesome – 11 | Time Bomb | – | Rancid |
| Awesome – 11 | Ruby Soho | – | Rancid |
| Awesome – 11 | Zero | – | Smashing Pumpkins |
| Awesome – 11 | Lump | – | The Presidents of the United States of America |
| Awesome – 11 | I Got Id | – | Pearl Jam |
| Great – 21 | Hearts, Love & Honour | – | Headstones |
| Great – 21 | Hand In My Pocket | – | Alanis Morissette |
| Great – 21 | Big Me | – | Foo Fighters |
| Great – 21 | Brat | – | Green Day |
| Great – 21 | Walking Contradiction | – | Green Day |
| Great – 21 | Truth Untold | – | The Odds |
| Great – 21 | The Bazaar | – | The Tea Party |
| Great – 21 | Sister Awake | – | The Tea Party |
| Great – 21 | Down | – | 311 |
| Great – 21 | All Mixed Up | – | 311 |
| Great – 21 | Ironic | – | Alanis Morissette |
| Great – 21 | You Learn | – | Alanis Morissette |
| Great – 33 | All I Really Want | – | Alanis Morissette |
| Great – 33 | Breakfast at Tiffany’s | – | Deep Blue Something |
| Great – 33 | You Were Meant For Me | – | Jewel |
| Great – 33 | Champagne Supernova | – | Oasis |
| Great – 33 | Cumbersome | – | Seven Mary Three |
| Great – 33 | We Only Come Out At Night | – | Smashing Pumpkins |
| Great – 33 | Misery | – | Soul Asylum |
| Great – 33 | Promises Broken | – | Soul Asylum |
| Great – 33 | Name | – | The Goo Goo Dolls |
| Great – 33 | Eat My Brain | – | The Odds |
| Great – 33 | Peaches | – | The Presidents of the United States of America |
| Great – 33 | This Is A Call | – | Foo Fighters |
| Great – 33 | They Don’t Care About Us | – | Michael Jackson |
| Great – 33 | Boombastic | – | Shaggy |
| Great – 33 | Unsound | – | Headstones |
| Solid – 48 | Good | – | Better Than Ezra |
| Solid – 48 | Country House | – | Blur |
| Solid – 48 | December | – | Collective Soul |
| Solid – 48 | Gel | – | Collective Soul |
| Solid – 48 | Stupid Girl | – | Garbage |
| Solid – 48 | Who Will Save Your Soul | – | Jewel |
| Solid – 48 | Foolish Games | – | Jewel |
| Solid – 48 | Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This) | – | Marilyn Manson |
| Solid – 48 | Spiderwebs | – | No Doubt |
| Solid – 48 | River Of Deceit | – | Mad Season |
| Solid – 48 | Can’t Get You Off My Mind | – | Lenny Kravitz |
| Solid – 59 | Burn One Down | – | Ben Harper |
| Solid – 59 | Gangsta’s Paradise | – | Coolio |
| Solid – 59 | Hey Man Nice Shot | – | Filter |
| Solid – 59 | Only Happy When It Rains | – | Garbage |
| Solid – 59 | Just A Girl | – | No Doubt |
| Solid – 59 | 1979 | – | Smashing Pumpkins |
| Solid – 59 | Forgiven | – | Alanis Morissette |
| Solid – 59 | Let It Rain | – | Amanda Marshall |
| Solid – 59 | On and On | – | Crash Vegas |
| Solid – 59 | I’ll Stick Around | – | Foo Fighters |
| Solid – 59 | You Are Not Alone | – | Michael Jackson |
| Solid – 59 | Don’t Look Back In Anger | – | Oasis |
| Solid – 59 | Common People | – | Pulp |
| Solid – 59 | Thirty-Three | – | Smashing Pumpkins |
| Solid – 59 | Dancing Days | – | Stone Temple Pilots |
| Not Bad – 74 | Pure Massacre | – | Silverchair |
| Not Bad – 74 | Natural One | – | The Folk Implosion |
| Not Bad – 74 | Can’t Stop Loving You | – | Van Halen |
| Not Bad – 74 | And Fools Shine On | – | Brother Cane |
| Not Bad – 74 | One Sweet Day | – | Mariah Carey |
| Not Bad – 74 | Beautiful Life | – | Ace of Base |
| Not Bad – 74 | Mary Jane | – | Alanis Morissette |
| Not Bad – 74 | Smashing Young Man | – | Collective Soul |
| Not Bad – 74 | Where the River Flows | – | Collective Soul |
| Not Bad – 74 | She Gathers Rain | – | Collective Soul |
| Not Bad – 74 | Counting Blue Cars | – | Dishwalla |
| Not Bad – 74 | Alone & Easy Target | – | Foo Fighters |
| Not Bad – 74 | Morning Glory | – | Oasis |
| Not Bad – 74 | Disco 2000 | – | Pulp |
| Not Bad – 74 | Curious | – | Sandbox |
| Not Bad – 74 | Any Man Of Mine | – | Shania Twain |
| Not Bad – 74 | Tonight, Tonight | – | Smashing Pumpkins |
| Not Bad – 74 | Just Like Anyone | – | Soul Asylum |
| Not Bad – 74 | I’ll Be There For You | – | The Rembrandts |
| Not Bad – 74 | Perfect | – | Alanis Morissette |
| Not Bad – 74 | Not the Doctor | – | Alanis Morissette |
| Not Bad – 74 | Roll To Me | – | Del Amitri |
| Not Bad – 74 | Stuck With Me | – | Green Day |
| Not Bad – 74 | Doin’ It | – | LL Cool J |
| Not Bad – 74 | Believe Me | – | Moist |
| Not Bad – 74 | Aeroplane | – | Red Hot Chili Peppers |
| Not Bad – 74 | More Human Than Human | – | White Zombie |
| Not Bad – 101 | I Gotta Girl | – | Tripping Daisy |
| Not Bad – 101 | Dear Mama | – | 2Pac |
| Not Bad – 101 | The Chanukah Song | – | Adam Sandler |
| Not Bad – 101 | Wake Up | – | Alanis Morissette |
| Not Bad – 101 | Right Through You | – | Alanis Morissette |
| Not Bad – 101 | No More I Love You’s | – | Annie Lennox |
| Not Bad – 101 | Do Ya | – | Barney Bentall |
| Not Bad – 101 | The Universal | – | Blur |
| Not Bad – 101 | The Ballad of Peter Pumpkinhead | – | Crash Test Dummies |
| Not Bad – 101 | Queer | – | Garbage |
| Not Bad – 101 | Flood | – | Jars of Clay |
| Not Bad – 101 | Rock and Roll Is Dead | – | Lenny Kravitz |
| Not Bad – 101 | Your Little Secret | – | Melissa Etheridge |
| Not Bad – 101 | Scream | – | Michael and Janet Jackson |
| Not Bad – 101 | Acquiesce | – | Oasis |
| Not Bad – 101 | She Forgot to Laugh | – | Rhymes with Orange |
| Not Bad – 101 | I Will Remember You | – | Sarah McLachlan |
| Not Bad – 101 | Whose Bed Have Your Boots Been Under? | – | Shania Twain |
| Not Bad – 101 | Here Is No Why | – | Smashing Pumpkins |
| Not Bad – 101 | Hard As A Rock | – | AC/DC |
| Not Bad – 101 | Murder Incorporated | – | Bruce Springsteen |
| Not Bad – 101 | I Know | – | Dionne Farris |
| Not Bad – 101 | Here In Your Bedroom | – | Goldfinger |
| Not Bad – 101 | 86 | – | Green Day |
| Not Bad – 101 | Tightwad Hill | – | Green Day |
| Not Bad – 101 | Bab’s Uvula Who? | – | Green Day |
| Not Bad – 101 | Here Comes The Hotstepper | – | Ini Kamoze |
| Not Bad – 101 | No More Walking Away | – | Kim Mitchell |
| Not Bad – 101 | Zamboni | – | Martin Zellar |
| Not Bad – 101 | This Is How We Do It | – | Montell Jordan |
| Not Bad – 101 | Downtown | – | Neil Young |
| Not Bad – 101 | Angry Johnny | – | Poe |
| Not Bad – 101 | You’ve Got A Friend In Me | – | Randy Newman |
| Not Bad – 101 | All Uncovered | – | The Watchmen |
| Not Bad – 101 | Born Slippy | – | Underworld |
| Not Bad – 101 | Earth Song | – | Michael Jackson |
| Not Bad – 101 | Back For Good | – | Take That |
Dobber's Take 
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