Real McCoy "Come and Get Your Love"

When the world wasn't focused on the O.J. Simpson trial during the summer of 1995, they sang and danced along to "Come and Get Your Love". Real McCoy put a techno-dance version of Leon Redbone's popular hit. Perhaps the Dancing Ito's got in on the action?

Celine Dion "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman"

Canadian music radio stations have to play at least 35% of Canadian-born artists between the hours of 6am and 6pm. It's true. It might also explain why certain Canadian crooners released songs that might be considered "deep cuts". In the case of Celine Dion, I'd include her 1995 take on Aretha Franklin's "A Natural Woman". Even though the song never matched the success of the the many predecessors who've belted out the R&B standard, Celine was merely warming up for 1997 when the Titanic Soundtrack would make her a household name -- plus it gave Canadian radio stations another song to hit their 35% quota.

Jimmy Cliff "Hakuna Matata"

The original Lion King Soundtrack featured more than just hits from Elton John. The 1994 animated film also gave radio stations the single "Hakuna Matata" from Jimmy Cliff and Lebo M. Meaning "no worries" in Swahili, the song only managed to hit #25 on the Adult Contemporary Chart nearly a year after the movie premiered in theaters.

Dave Matthews Band "Ants Marching"

Dave Matthews Band is arguably is my generation's Jimmy Buffett -- meaning that year after year, fans flock to see DMB play the same set list while they drink (and smoke) too much. Aside from Nickelback, can you name a band as divisive as Dave Matthews Band? People either seem to really love or loathe Dave Matthews. I'm happy to say I'm somewhere right between indifference and who cares?...

John Waite "How Do I Get By Without You?"

After Bad English flamed out, John Waite went back to his solo career. Waite's solo effort Temple Bar produced the minor Adult Contemporary hit "How Do I Get By Without You?" in 1995.

Hootie & the Blowfish "Only Wanna Be With You"

The assistant chef at the banquet hall where I worked in high school was wrong. While "Only Wanna Be With You" played on the grease-covered radio in the kitchen for what had to be the zillionth time that day, my fellow busboy Steve questioned the lyrics: "I'm such a baby cause the Dolphins make me cry."

Without hesitation, Patrick (the assistant chef) told Steve that dolphins are supposed to make people happy and that they didn't make Hootie happy. Therefore Hootie is a baby. In reality, Hootie (Darius Rucker) sings about the Miami Dolphins and their championship drought in their 1995 song. 

Melissa Etheridge "If I Wanted To"

During a heated on-air staff meeting, our Program Director warned us: "If you don't like the way we do things, I will squash you. I will squash you like a termite. I will squash you and you will no longer have to worry about working here." As of today, I still don't know what prompted this diatribe but, at the time, our radio station ranked #20 in Chicago. Clearly, the heat was on him...

Blessid Union of Souls "Let Me Be the One"

Is it possible to miss someone before they're gone? According to the lyrics to "Let Me Be the One", the answer is yes. In the catchy tune, lead singer Eliot Sloan also vows "to be a real good man". 

Jordan Hill "Remember Me This Way"

People always associate me with the television show The Golden Girls. Like many fans my age, I didn't choose to watch the show when it first aired, but rather I watched it secondhand while staying at my grandparents house in the 1980s. My parents separated in 1985 and my brother and I spent every other weekend shuttling between grandparents houses. My grandparents lived for Saturday nights at 8:00 P.M. when they welcomed four geriatric women from Miami into their living room. Sophia (played by Estelle Getty) occasionally farted on the show which caused my grandmother to laugh hysterically.

Into my teens and twenties, the show became a sort of comfort blanket for me. Each character reminded me of someone (except for Blanche) and made them identifiable. When my college roommates first walked in on me watching an episode of The Golden Girls on Lifetime ("Television for Women...and Todd," they used to say), I was forever branded with this show being part of my legacy. This, in turn, leads to my Facebook page getting littered with articles whenever any Golden Girls-related news breaks: Bea Arthur's obituary (a sad day indeed), a Golden Girls-themed restaurant opening in New York City (which has since closed), and the recent Golden Girls cereal (available only at Target).

After trying to ignore this unwanted attention or pretending I don't really like the show, I've learned to embrace it. The show succeeded on television by targeting a forgotten audience (those ages 55 and older) on a forgotten night of television (Saturdays) and providing them with seven seasons of a well-written, well-produced comedy that still holds up today. Betty White is the lone remaining living star from the show that launched the careers of so many folks (Marc Cherry who went on to create Desperate Housewives got his start on The Golden Girls).

Before a recent lengthy plane ride, I loaded my phone with podcasts to pass the miles in the sky. Along with my usual podcasts about the dreadful Chicago White Sox, I added the first episode of Let Them Eat Cheesecake: A Golden Girls podcast. Four fans of the show (including two Chicagoans who also have a Chicago Cubs podcast) discuss and analyze each golden episode of the show. After getting past the gratuitous giggling from some of the hosts in the podcast's first few minutes, I actually found myself enjoying it and learning things about a series in which I've seen every episode at least a dozen times.

I suppose there are worse ways to be remembered, so I'll simple wear this Golden Girls thing and just thank you for being a friend... 

Foreigner "Until the End of Time"

Daytime soap operas helped sell a lot of music. In the case of Foreigner, All My Children tried but couldn't make "Until the End of Time" a big hit. The Foreigner ballad found its way into a 1995 All My Children episode that featured some steamy on-screen heat between Haley Vaughan and Mateo Santos (played by Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos). The duo eventually married in real life whereas "Until the End of Time" was the only hit (albeit a minor one) from Foreigner's disappointing Mr. Moonlight album.

TLC "Waterfalls"

The woman behind TLC's hit "Waterfalls" was band member Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes. Lopes co-wrote the song which went on to become of the biggest songs of 1995. Her professional achievements were overshadowed by her personal life which included setting fire to her boyfriend's shoes--and, ultimately, his home. In 2002, Lopes was the passenger in a car that struck and killed a young boy in her native Honduras. Grief-stricken, Lopes paid for the boy's medical expenses and funeral costs. Two weeks later, Lopes was involved in another car accident and, this time, she died leaving her legacy further marred by tragedy.

Better Than Ezra "Good"

How did you spend the final months of summer vacation before going away for college? In my case, those waning days of carefree young adulthood included many late nights driving around Northwest Indiana with a late-night run to Dunkin Donuts. Chicago's Alternative Station, Q101, accompanied us on most car rides and always seemed to be playing "Good" from Better Than Ezra.

Meat Loaf "Not A Dry Eye in the House"

My college girlfriend looked through my sock drawer one night and curiously asked why I had a handkerchief with the words "Not A Dry Eye in the House" printed on it.

The short answer: I got it from work.

The long answer: I had an internship where I assisted the radio station's midday DJ. This DJ, who became my mentor and helped me start in the business, doubled as the station's Music Director--meaning she was in charge of creating daily music logs, among other things. Record labels constantly contacted her in hopes of getting an "add". An "add" is when a radio station adds a new song to their playlist. Record companies would sometimes attempt to sweeten the pot by sending chotskies to get that elusive add. In the case of Meat Loaf's "Not A Dry Eye in the House", the record company created handkerchiefs with the song's title printed on them. The song never went on to be a US hit, but I held onto that handkerchief for years. I never used it, but was just excited to have something from my unpaid internship.

The Corrs "Runaway"

Whatever didn't happen for The Corrs in 1995 eventually came true in 1999. Their ballad "Runaway" didn't chart upon its original '95 release, but became a minor hit upon re-release in 1999. The sisters later charted the upbeat "Breathless".

Gloria Estefan "Everlasting Love"

Everyone from Carl Carlton to U2 to Gloria Estefan has recorded "Everlasting Love". The song charted on the Billboard Top 40 in the 1960s, '70s, 80's, and '90s. It is only one of two songs to accomplish this feat.

Bruce Hornsby "Walk in the Sun"

I graduated from high school during the summer of 1995 and spent many late nights cruising around Northwest Indiana with my small but solid group of friends who would soon be heading to different colleges than me. I planned to spend my freshman year of college locally at Indiana University Northwest whereas my friends were headed to Ball State, Purdue or Indiana University in Bloomington. Since I didn't have a curfew, I tried to make the most of late nights that year and usually stayed up until the sun started to rise. My older brother worked for United Airlines that year and his alarm would sound around at the ripe time of 3:45am. One particular early morning, I remember him passing me on his walk to the bathroom while muttering, "You're still up and I'm getting up for work...what's wrong with this picture?" That unusually hot summer featured hits from TLC, Hootie & The Blowfish and Green Day on the radio, but I also remember many late nights in the car when I would come across Bruce Hornsby's "Walk in the Sun". The jazzy soft rock tune played on many Adult Contemporary radio stations during that hot summer and, like many of my high school friends, disappeared in the autumn...

Blues Traveler "Run-Around"

BYE FELICIA

"Run-Around" details the feelings Blues Traveler's lead singer John Popper had for the band's original bassist (named Felicia). Popper thought Felicia was somethin' special and had a crush on her, but knew that the two couldn't be anything more than band mates. We all know "Runaround" as the upbeat pop song we've heard on the radio, but Popper wanted the tone and tempo of the song to be much slower and depressing.

Hootie & The Blowfish "Let Her Cry"

Music from Hootie & The Blowfish spun in heavy rotation on Adult Contemporary radio stations during the mid-1990s. In other words, radio stations played the crap out of everything from the band's breakthrough album Cracked Rear View. While interning for WPNT-FM in Chicago in 1996, the radio station received a fax (remember, it was the '90s!) from an office of ladies who threatened to change the station if we didn't stop playing Hootie. As you probably guessed, the station didn't stop the Hootie and those folks likely all have Spotify subscriptions today. If for whatever reason they are longing for a Hootie reunion tour, the band announced they'll reunite for one night only this summer in Atlanta.

k.d. lang "If I Were You"

While not a big hit in the States, "If I Were You" charted well in Lang's home of Canada. Surprisingly, the song became a big hit at the clubs in 1995 and 1996. I know...I couldn't believe it either.

Martin Page "Keeper of the Flame"

"Keeper of the Flame" was the other song from singer Martin Page. Much like Jude Cole, Page's impressive resume contains extensive behind-the-scenes work with Josh Groban, Tom Jones, Robbie Williams, Go West, and even Elton John's writing partner, Bernie Taupin. While "Keeper of the Flame" was a minor hit, "In The House of Stone and Light" remains Page's biggest solo achievement.