Although I leaned on Mozart for my exams, I still had a chance to continue my chronological exploration of American popular music last week. I’ve made my way through 1996 now, almost through the end of high school for me. Ace of Base, Coolio, Sheryl Crow, Melissa Etheridge, The Cranberries, Snoop and Dre, TLC, Blues Traveler, Hootie and the Blowfish, Alanis Morisette, and the Notorious B.I.G. entered the scene in a big way. Some stuck around and some were gone almost as soon as they had arrived. Then there were some timeless artists who just kept on churning out hits: Madonna, Michael Jackson, Elton John, and Eric Clapton to name a few.
In high school I was still living in my classic-rock-oriented world and was only peripherally aware of most of this music. Actually that’s not entirely true. I was most definitely aware of the #1 song of 1996: Macarena! What a high point for American music and dance.