friday random ten, 1997 edition

1. Usher, "You Make Me Wanna." Not sure what this means, but when Usher comes on the TV, even my prefers-oldies wife recognizes him.

2. Third Eye Blind, "Semi-Charmed Life." If they were a flat-out pop band, this would be a classic, if perhaps of the guilty pleasure variety. Since they are nominally an "alternative" band, critics never liked them … not cool enough for the alt-crowd, or something.

3. Missy Elliott, "The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)." For those of you who have slept through the last couple of decades, Missy is in the Top 100 Artists of All Time at Acclaimed Music.

4. Marcia Ball, "Let Me Play With Your Poodle." Marcia Ball is not.

5. Meredith Brooks, "Bitch." Nor is Brooks. Trivia note: Brooks was 39 years old when this "breakout" song was released.

6. Buena Vista Social Club, "El Cuarto de Tula." You don't get it from the video, where Barbarito Torres impresses the crowd by playing behind his back, but Torres' laúd solo on the record is one of the most amazing things you'll ever hear … it puts the typical hot-shit rock gee-tar solo to shame. I admit that before this came along, I had never heard of the laúd.

7. P. Diddy & Faith Evans, "I'll Be Missing You." Given that "Hit 'Em Up" appeared on the previous Random Ten, it's perhaps only right to have this as a followup.

8. Hanson, "MMMBop." See #2 above. Hanson weren't supposed to be cool, so they were forgiven for the cheesiness of this track, which is only one of the great singles of its time.

9. Chumbawamba, "Tubthumping." I know it gets annoying over time, but back in the day, I thought we'd be hearing this one at sporting events for the next 50 years. It's been so long since I heard it in those environs, I can't remember when it was.

10. Sleater-Kinney, "One More Hour." From their greatest album (not coincidentally, their first with Janet Weiss on drums), this is the last song they ever played together, as can be seen in the video. I don't know any S-K fans who can avoid tears watching them all hug at the end. I know, I know, I know, it's so hard for you to let it go.