#Baegu Music

[tournevole]

Rorogwela - Solomon Islands, Fataleka and Baegu Music, Malaita

[johannesviii]

Top 10 Personal Favorite Hit Songs from 1992

This list was incredibly difficult to make and some cuts were made. Using both the US and the French year-end charts also made this list way more interesting than I anticipated.

Also, you will hate me for all eternity. For various reasons, actually.

Disclaimers:

Keep in mind I’m using both the year-end top 100 lists from the US and from France while making these top 10 things. There’s songs in English that charted in my country way higher than they did in their home countries, or even earlier or later, so that might get surprising at times.

Of course there will be stuff in French. We suck. I know. It’s my list. Deal with it.

My musical tastes have always been terrible and I’m not a critic, just a listener and an idiot.

I have sound to color synesthesia which justifies nothing but might explain why I have trouble describing some songs in other terms than visual ones.

Honorable mentions to Back to the Hotel by N2Deep, Le Chat by Pow Wow, and November Rain by Guns N Roses. That last one is objectively great but was never my thing, for some reason.

The only reason Bohemian Rhapsody isn’t on this list is because it’s a re-release and I decided it wouldn’t count because the list was already VERY difficult to make without even including it.

If the year had been as wretched as 1990 was, I would probably have counted it, though.

10 - Under the Bridge (Red Hot Chili Peppers)

US: #8 / FR: Not on the list

I respect this song more than I enjoy it, and I’ve never been a fan of this band (I know. I know. Keep your rocks to throw them at me later. I swear it’s gonna be worth it), but listen. I have to acknowledge quality when I hear it

9 - Jump Around (House of Pain)

US: #24 / FR: Not on the list

I don’t have anything particularly interesting to say about that one, it’s energetic, it’s fun, it kicks some serious ass. That looped high pitched noise might have been annoying for a lot of people but I thought it was fine.

8 - Baby Got Back (Sir Mix A Lot)

US: #2 / FR: Not on the list

Actual critics have already written long thinkpieces about this song and why it’s so important in the cultural landscape but frankly, I just like it because it’s a lot of fun and because that beat is fantastic.

Yes. I’m putting the ass anthem higher than the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

No, I insist, don’t throw your rocks yet, save them for later.

7 - Beyond My Control (Mylène Farmer)

US: Not on the list / FR: #59

Just imagine what these lists would look like if I was STILL a fan of this singer. That is a terrifying thought.

Anyway. That’s the paroxysm of her goth phase, featuring murder, wolves and possible witchcraft, and yet another not safe for work music video, and she had nowhere else to go in that direction. And she mostly crashed and burnt.

She’ll be back later, unfortunately for all of you and for my poor brain trying and failing to ignore her songs like the multiple calls of a vengeful ex.

6 - Paradoxal Système (Laurent Voulzy)

US: Not on the list / FR: #94

We’ve already reached the songs I genuinely love. In a more mediocre year, this could have easily taken the top spot and it’s only #6 here.

This song’s melody has a weird contrasted watercolor-like gradient as a background and its colors are very, very strange and it would be enough to land it here but the lyrics are also pretty nice, something about a long distance relationship that works better from far away than in person, and the more apart these two are, the more in love they are, which sounds like a receipe for disaster and makes it way more interesting than your standard Voulzy love song. Listened to it quite a lot when I was around 15.

5 - The Show Must Go On (Queen)

US: Not on the list, I REPEAT, NOT ON THE LIST / FR: #10

You can thank the French charts because otherwise this wouldn’t be on this top 10 at all. I actually couldn’t believe it wasn’t on the US year-end chart. Like? Really?? You found a hundred songs better than this one in a single year? How???

I have nothing to say about it. You all know it, you all love it, let’s move on.

4 - Sweet Lullaby (Deep Forest)

US: Not on the list / FR: #92

Aaaaand we’ve now officially entered the “played that song on a loop for hours” category. The album too, actually.

It’s the perfect balance between calm enough to listen to while working and energetic enough to enjoy it while walking. Also I’ll let Wikipedia say the most interesting thing about it:

The song is based around a traditional Baegu lullaby from the Solomon Islands called “Rorogwela”, and uses a vocal sample originally recorded by ethnomusicologist Hugo Zemp in 1970 and later released by UNESCO as part of their Musical Sources collection. The lyrics refer to a young orphan being comforted by his older brother despite the loss of their parents.

Loved it way before I even knew that, but still. Good.

3 - Smells Like Teen Spirit (Nirvana)

US: #32 / FR: #6

You knew this was coming. Remember how enormous the impact of that song was? I mean, look at its placement on the US year-end chart. Wow.

Ok. Now look at its placement on the French year-end chart.

Yepppp.

Why isn’t it higher on MY list, you ask? Overplay from the radio and overexposure from years of being an edgy angsty kid, mostly, but also the fact it’s a mostly meaningless roar of anger. A very powerful and cathartic roar of anger, mind you, but still. Also my ex significant other/best friend (insert here the “It’s Complicated” fb relationship status) when I was 16 absolutely adored Nirvana and there’s some bagage attached to this song for me.

Even taking all that into account, the fact I’m putting two songs above Smells Like Teen Spirit should be enough to permanently revoke my punk card.

Especially when you’ll see what these songs are. Be prepared.

You aren’t.

2 - Rhythm is a Dancer (Snap)

US:  #75 / FR: #2

SEE. I told you my favorite Snap song was yet to come. You can throw the rocks now. I’m ready.

The funniest thing about this is that I don’t have anything to say about this song. Yes the rap bridge is terrible. But this is extremely good 90s dance music and I’m a sucker for that, as the next lists will probably demonstrate.

Now that you’re out of rocks to throw at my face, we can proceed.

Because.

Uh.

Here goes nothing.

1 - Friday I’m in Love (The Cure)

US: #71 / FR: Not on the list

A Real Critic(tm) would tell you that this is the worst Cure single ever and that it is a complete sell-out and that it is cutesy and stupid and OH MY GOD YOU’VE PUT THIS ABOVE NIRVANA WHAT THE F█CK

But you know what makes a cute and silly happy song better? When it’s sung by a band who’s mostly making vaguely angsty, mostly slow music and who’s members look like they slept in a bin and put on their make up at the bus stop. It sounds happier than ever (the music video doesn’t hurt either, it always makes me smile). We need more music like this and I will never get tired of this song. This is the sound of being in the gutter and wanting to die and suddenly seeing a really dumb and cute thing that makes you forget you're sad for about three minutes, and for a moment everything is ok again. Like, look, a bird! OH. A CAT. That song I like is on the radio. Someone gave me a free cookie. Holy shit it's FRIDAY

So... YES. I’m putting the silliest, happiest, cutest Cure hit ever above Nirvana. I know. It’s absolutely outrageous.

Fight me. In. The Pit.

Be careful though, I have a tambourine and I won’t hesitate to use it.

Next up: Another top ten where some painful cuts had to be made to make room for songs nobody is gonna defend in the year of our lord 2019 except the OP

[misslubaluft]

Afunakwa - Rorogwela (Solomon Islands, Fataleka and Baegu Music, Malaita)