The Best Songs Of 1998

Here's the last of the list I was able to recover. Just some notes: there's an OPM! It's got my favorite All Saints song, I'll just add notes on what else was on the list. I really thought my #1 song in 1998 was from New Radicals, You Get What You Give was #1 in 1999.

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25. Madonna – Ray Of Light
24. Robyn – Do You Really Want Me
23. Hungry Young Poets – Torpe
22. Lisa Loeb – Truthfully
21. INOJ – Time After Time
20. Run DMC vs Jason Nevins – It’s Like That
19. 911 – All I Want Is You
18. Mono – Life In Mono/Silicone
17. Green Day – Time Of Your Life
16. Pras/ODB/Mya – Ghetto Superstar
15. Eagle Eye Cherry – Save Tonight
14. All Saints – If You Wanna Party (I Found Lovin)
13. Texas – Breathless
12. Paula Cole – Me
11. Massive Attack/Tracey Thorn – Protection
10. Orbital – Halcyon & On & On
9. Janet Jackson – Everytime
8. Duncan Sheik – Reasons for Living
7. Alana Davis – 32 Flavors
6. Chantal Kreviazuk – Leaving On A Jet Plane
5. Stars On 54 – If You Could Read My Mind
4. Texas – Put Your Arms Around Me
3.. Aqua – Turn Back Time
2. Mariah Carey – Breakdown
1. Duncan Sheik – Wishful Thinking

Best Music of 1997

So my list of 1996 was pretty lame. Well it sounded good way back then, so no regrets. Now, I’m coming back with the list of the succeeding year, the year I graduated from high school, and the one that marks my entrance to university. Memories, hordes of them!

25. Robyn – Do You Know (What It Takes)
24. Leann Rimes – How Do I Live
23. Sneaker Pimps – 6 Underground
22. Fiona Apple – Criminal
21. Allure – Head Over Heels
20. Janet Jackson – Together Again
19. Sheryl Crow – Hard To Make A Stand
18. Garbage - #1 Crush
17. Spice Girls – Who Do You Think You Are
16. Puff Daddy/Faith Evans/112 – I’ll Be Missing You
15. Robyn – Show Me Love
14. B Real/Method Man/Coolio/Busta Rhymes/ LL Cool J – Hit Em High
13. Boyzone – Isn’t It A Wonder
12. Hanson – Mmmbop
11. Changing Faces – G.H.E.T.T.O.U.T.
10. INOJ – Love You Down
9. Matchbox 20 – Long Day
8. The Braxtons – Only Love
7. Mariah Carey – Honey
6. Whitney Houston – Step By Step
5. Sash! – Encore Une Fois
4. Texas - Say What You Want
3. Bruce Springsteen – Secret Garden
2. Jewel – You Were Meant For Me
1. Third Eye Blind – Semi-Charmed Life

Stuff that are elevated to classics that came from this era were Paula Cole, Mighty Mighty Bosstones, En Vogue, Lightning Seeds, Daft Punk and Meredith Brooks. Do you remember Size 14, White Town and Artificial Joy Club? They sang Claire Danes Poster (an innocent sounding song, but not really), Your Woman and Sick & Beautiful respectively. I’m going to look for these.

I Got Featured In A Newspaper!

I've been CouchSurfing for some of my travels, and a journalist decided to write about it. Of course, my story was the most interesting, and totally deserved opening dibs. Haha. Check it out: Horse, anyone?

The Best Songs Of 1996

I can’t exactly remember what I was looking for, rummaging through old folders and drawers in our garage, but I stumbled upon an old folder from my Humanities class. (While I’m at it, thanks to Mida at http://myalchemy.blogdrive.com/ for being a great lit teacher – there were stories from James Joyce, Maxine Hong Kingston and Kazuo Ishiguro in that wonderful folder) Anyway, a really strange find was this: a yellowed printout of a list of all the songs that I loved, three year’s worth from 1996 to 1998. Imagine that, songs from a decade ago. I had a habit of writing them down so I can pick them up on CDs later, but then again, who had money in high school?

In the previous entry The Best Songs of 2006, I talked about this, and not having a medium for keeping them. Well, well, well. Time to change that – and to have a full nostalgia effect, let’s have them as a series of posts! So let’s start with the oldest of the list, songs from 1996. They’re ranked, and embarrassing the list may be, I hope you find songs that like from it as well, and remember them good old days.

25. Mary J. Blige – Not Gon’ Cry
24. Total – Kissin’ You
23. Everything But The Girl – Two Star
22. Alanis Morissette – Head Over Feet
21. The Bodeans – Closer To Free
20. Mark Morrison – Return Of The Mack
19. Joan Osborne – One Of Us
18. Oasis – Don’t Look Back In Anger
17. Keith Sweat – Twisted
16. Spice Girls – 2 Become 1
15. Babylon Zoo – Spaceman
14. Whigfield – Close To You
13. Monica – Why I Love You So Much
12. Duncan Sheik – Barely Breathing
11. Spice Girls – Wannabe
10. The Corrs – Runaway/Love To Love You
9. The Tony Rich Project – Nobody Knows
8. La Bouche – Be My Lover
7. Boyzone – Father And Son
6. Alanis Morissette – Ironic
5. Mark Snow – X Files
4. Squeeze – Heaven Knows
3. Robert Miles – Children
2. Mariah Carey – Always Be My Baby
1. Gina G – Just A Little Bit

Okay, okay, it’s a pretty embarrassing list, when you look back at it. Hey, it was the first time this countdown was conceived, and I was yet to refine the music I listened to. And did I say that that’s only the Top 25 of a hundred songs? Others floating in the list include Prodigy, Bush, The Beautiful South, Ash, Fugees, The Cardigans, Ocean Colour Scene, and Underworld. You might want to catch up on that. Meanwhile, there are songs in the list that I have to search for, because honestly, I forgot what they sounded like.

US Open 2007: Men's Quarterfinals

Federer vs Roddick
I've seen this one before - way too many times that it's actually embarrassing for the American. All right, it's a rematch of last year's final, but the head-to-head of the two couldn't be any more lopsided. Roddick has been working well through the draw, agressively taking the initiative against his opponent, and King Roger looking vulnerable by losing two sets already. Still, the defending champion knows when to step up his game, and against Roddick, on a night match in Ashe, is the stage to break the hearts of the home crowd. Four sets.

Davydenko vs Haas
This could be a even match, and people should really now pay attention to the quiet Russian. This should go the distance, with last year's semifinalist Davydenko equalling his best New York finish.

Djokovic vs Moya
The draw is really testing the heir apparent of Federer, and I'm just hoping Nole's youthful physique holds up. He's fairly lucky that Nadal was dumped in the previous round, but, taking it one match at a time, should focus on defeating a resurgent Moya. Straights sets win is needed here for the third seed.

Chela vs Ferrer
Injury aside, it's not too surprising that Ferrer defeated Nadal in R16, but what is intriguing about that match, was he made the #2 seed work hard for every point, and eventually winning them. Ferrer is not just a dirtballer, but an established player on hardcourts as well. He has the better pedigree against Chela in winning big matches, and should eventually prevail in four.

Semifinals and Final
The semis should only be a formality, and will only lead up to the matchup we've been waiting for all summer (US summer, at least): Djokovic vs Federer. They split the two Masters Series in the US Open Series, but Nole bagged an extra one in Miami in March. Plus of course, that win over Nadal and Federer in Montreal. This should be a mouth-watering encounter, and will definitely be a treat. I'm betting on Federer (surprised?) to bag Slam #12, and an extra million bucks from the US Open series.

US Open 2007: Women's Quarterfinals

A fairly odd opening week for the women's draw, with most of the second half shaken by teenagers from the eastern European bloc (BLR, UKR, POL, HUN). However, all the big names have come out, on the top half of the draw. Here's a summary of the final rounds for the ladies.

Justine vs Serena
This is the third consecutive slam that they're meeting, yet I haven't seen much of the drama that this matchup promises. Then again, the upper half of the draw is filled with big names, and how appropriate that these two meet again. Ive been betting on Justine on winning their meetings, and so far, I haven't been wrong - both Serena and Justine ravaged through their sections of the draw, and this is the first major test for either. Third time lucky for the Australian Open champ? Nah, but I'm still looking for that tight three setter.

Jelena vs Venus
To semi-quote little sister Serena, how could a six-time Grand Slam champ have so many doubters? She rallied to win her 4th WImbledon, and has been on a rampage since. After shaming Roland Garros finalist Ivanovic in the previous round, she'll do pretty much the same with the other Serbian in straight sets.

Agnes vs Svetlana
In a rematch of last week's Mew Haven final, Agnes leads the EET (Eastern European Teens) brigade, and manages to go beyond 4R. She retired from last week's match, but with the stakes up a notch, there will be a contest right here. Expect her to to fight from the baseline, but inexperience to get the best of her. Two sets to the 2004 champion.

Anna vs Shahar
Ever since the Israeli almost prevent Serena to win Melbourne, I've been a fan of her. She hits the ball solid, tugs at every point, and has that ferocity laced with naivete to charm the hell out of me. She will subdue the quiet Russian in three.


Semifinals and Final
Two straight slams for Venus? That depends on Justine if she learned her lesson well not to falter in the semis. Their SF meet should've been the final at the All England, but this encounter at Flushing Meadows should make amends for that. I'm flipping a coin in favor of Justine, and crossing fingers for Shahar Peer to debut in a Grand Slam final.

US Open 2007 Fantasy League Update

A fairly different result from last Wimbly FL. Maybe it's the new rules. Still, congratulations to the 700 Club, choco4me and *c.s.i.*!