1996 Electronic Music Hits
Looking for a blast from the past? Check out our list of the 1996 electronic music hits! From eurodance to techno, these songs will take you back to the good old days.
Intro
In 1996, electronic dance music continued to increase in popularity around the world. This was due in part to the rise of techno and house music in Europe, and the growing popularity of trance music in Japan. In the United States, electronic music was still mostly underground, but a few artists did manage to achieve mainstream success. The following is a list of 1996 electronic hits that are still popular today.
– Daft Punk – “Around The World”
– The Prodigy – “Firestarter”
– The Chemical Brothers – “Setting Sun”
– Moby – “Bring Back My Happiness”
– Leftfield – “Release The Pressure”
– Underworld – “Born Slippy .NUXX”
– Fatboy Slim – “The Rockafeller Skank”
The Hits
1996 was a big year in music. A lot of great songs and artists came out with some unforgettable hits. This was also the year that electronic music started to become more popular. Here are some of the best 1996 electronic music hits.
“Don’t Look Back in Anger” – Oasis
“Don’t Look Back in Anger” is a song by the English rock band Oasis, written by the group’s lead guitarist Noel Gallagher. The song was released on 19 February 1996 as the fifth single from their second studio album (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? (1995). It was the first single written by Noel Gallagher to be included on an Oasis album. On 26 June 2013, the song entered the UK Singles Chart at number 60, eighteen years after its release, following Gallagher’s performance of the song at Glastonbury Festival 2013. The song has also been covered by various artists.
The song was Noel Gallagher’s first composition for an Oasis album and according to him, he wrote it “in about half an hour”. It was inspired by John Lennon’s 1971 single “Imagine”, which Gallagher would later cover with his high-school band Influences. The opening line of “Don’t Look Back in Anger”, “So look at me now”, is taken from Lennon’s 1968 single “Julia”. The rest of the lyrics were written shortly thereafter. Noel has stated that he wrote them about his then-wife Meg Mathews, with whom he was having marital difficulties at the time.
“Wonderwall” – Oasis
“Wonderwall” is a song by the English rock band Oasis, written by lead guitarist Noel Gallagher. The song was released as the third single from their second studio album, (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? on 30 October 1995. Although not specifically written about anyone, reference to Gallagher’s estranged wife at the time has been made. Noel Gallagher wrote this after his girlfriend of six years and mother of his daughter, Meg Mathews, left him for another man.
In 2010, Rolling Stone magazine ranked “Wonderwall” at number 384 on their list of “The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time”, and in 2012 NME placed it at number 160 on their list of the “500 Greatest Songs of All Time”.
“Bitter Sweet Symphony” – The Verve
Released in June 1997 as the lead single from The Verve’s Urban Hymns album, “Bitter Sweet Symphony” was an instant hit. The song topped charts in several countries, including the UK and Australia, and was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rock Song.
The song is based on a sample from The Rolling Stones’ 1968 song “The Last Time,” which was used without permission from the band. The Verve eventually had to give up all royalties from the song to the Stones’ Mick Jagger and Keith Richards.
Despite the legal issue, “Bitter Sweet Symphony” remains one of the most popular electronic music tracks of all time.
“Wannabe” – Spice Girls
“Wannabe” is the debut single by English girl group the Spice Girls. Written and composed by member Melanie Brown and the song’s producers Matt Rowe and Richard Stannard during the group’s first professional songwriting session, it was released as the lead single from their debut album, Spice, on July 8, 1996.
“Wannabe” hit number one in more than 30 countries, including the United Kingdom, where it became the country’s best-selling single of all time by a female group, selling 1.8 million copies. In the United States, “Wannabe” peaked at number one on Billboard’s Hot 100 for four weeks in February 1997 and became the country’s best-selling single by a girl group of all time. It was nominated for two Grammy Awards in 1997. The song has been credited with bringing teen pop back to popularity in the 1990s.
“One More Time” – Daft Punk
“One More Time” is a song by French electronic music duo Daft Punk, first released as a single on 30 November 2000 and later included in the album Discovery. The song peaked at number one in several countries, including Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States. In the United Kingdom, “One More Time” became the first ever single by a French act to reach number one.
“Smells Like Teen Spirit” – Nirvana
Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” became the anthem for Generation X and one of the most important songs in the history of rock music. Released in September 1991, the song quickly reached the top of the Billboard charts, where it stayed for six weeks. It remains one of Nirvana’s most popular songs, and its opening riff is one of the most recognizable in rock music.
“Smells Like Teen Spirit” was Nirvana’s breakthrough hit, bringing their unique blend of punk, metal, and pop to a wider audience. The song’s success helped to launch the grunge movement of the 1990s and cemented Nirvana as one of the biggest bands of their generation.
“Enter Sandman” – Metallica
“Enter Sandman” is a song by American heavy metal band Metallica. It was released as the first single from their self-titled fifth album, Metallica in 1991. The music was written by Kirk Hammett, James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich. Vocalist Hetfield wrote the lyrics, which tell the story of a child’s nightmare. “Enter Sandman” was ranked 399th on Rolling Stone’s list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time and was nominated for nine Grammy Awards. It remains one of their most popular songs and is often played live.
“Black Hole Sun” – Soundgarden
“Black Hole Sun” is a song by American rock band Soundgarden. It was released as the third single from their fourth studio album, Superunknown (1994). Written by frontman Chris Cornell, the song was included on the Pitchfork Media and NME lists of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
The music video, which was directed by Peter Christopherson, won the Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance at the 37th Grammy Awards in 1995. It was nominated for two MTV Video Music Awards in 1994 and 1995. In 2004, “Black Hole Sun” was ranked number 422 on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
“Killing in the Name” – Rage Against the Machine
“Killing in the Name” is a song by American rock band Rage Against the Machine, released as the lead single from their self-titled debut album in November 1992. Written by guitarist Tom Morello and priced at 0.69 US dollars, it was the band’s first single. The song’s rap-metal fusion style attracted attention to the group, which was one of several politically charged alternative rock bands to emerge from the early 1990s. The lyrics criticize institutional racism in the United States criminal justice system.
Morello has stated that he wrote the riff in five minutes after being laid off from his job at an ice cream parlor. He wrote the lyrics while driving to band rehearsal. Music journalist Colin Devenish has described it as “the most euphoric example of social protest ever committed to tape.” In 2017, Rolling Stone ranked “Killing in the Name” as the 11th Greatest Hard Rock Song of All Time.
The Aftermath
In the mid-1990s, electronic music began to have a significant impact on pop music. This was partly due to the club culture of the time and the popularity of dance music. The popularity of electronic music continued into the early 2000s with the rise of electronic dance music (EDM). However, by the mid-2000s, electronic music began to fall out of favor with the general public. In this article, we’ll take a look at what happened to electronic music after it fell out of favor.
The legacy of 1996 hits
In 1996, the world was introduced to a new genre of music known as electronic dance music, or EDM. This genre quickly gained popularity and became one of the most popular genres of music in the world. Today, EDM is still one of the most popular genres, with many of the same artists still topping the charts.
However, what many people don’t know is that 1996 was also a pivotal year for another genre of music: Hip Hop. While Hip Hop had been around for a few years at this point, it wasn’t until 1996 that it really blew up and became one of the most popular genres in the world. This was due in large part to the release of several classic albums, such as Dr. Dre’s “The Chronic” and Tupac Shakur’s “All Eyez on Me”.
While 1996 was a big year for both EDM and Hip Hop, it was also a big year for pop music. This was due in large part to the release of several major hits, such as Celine Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On” and Mariah Carey’s “One Sweet Day”.
So, what does all this mean for the legacy of 1996? Well, it means that 1996 was a pretty important year for music overall. It saw the rise of two major genres and the release of several major hits. As such, it’s safe to say that 1996 made a pretty significant impact on the world of music.
The influence on current music
In the 1990s, electronic music began to have a significant impact on popular music, with the adoption of elements primarily from house, techno, and trance. This can be seen in the development of trip hop, big beat, jungle, drum and bass, IDM, and Glitch Hop. More specifically, many artists began to experiment with microhouse and minimal techno genres. The 1996 song “dirty cash (money talks)” by London-based outfit The Adventures of Stevie V was a worldwide hit and is considered a notable example of this trend. In the late 1990s and early 2000s nu-disco also found popularity.
