Q101: 1997

How did we get here?


1997 (Or, the year Sugar Ray inexplicably flew to the top of the countdown)

5. “Crash Into Me” – Dave Matthews Band

Touch your lips just so I know / In your eyes, love, it glows so / I'm bare boned and crazy for you / When you come crash / Into me, baby

So does including this song mean I have to relinquish my man card?  Perhaps only in a year where Sugar Ray’s “Fly” tops Q101’s list could this song have cracked my top 5.  I’ve got a lot of guilty pleasures when it comes to music.  If for no other reason, enjoy this song because it reminds you of this Mastercard parody commercial.

4. “The Impression That I Get” – The Mighty Mighty Bosstones

I've never had to knock on wood / And I'm glad I haven't yet / Because I'm sure it isn't good / That's the impression that I get

Interestingly, this is the 2^nd song from a group with a large ensemble.  Even though this song crossed over in a big way, it’s nice to get a song from a ska punk group in here.  It’s an upbeat song that takes me back to a simpler time roaming the jungle that was the hallways of PHS.

3. “Everlong” – Foo Fighters

And I wonder / When I sing along with you / If everything could ever be this real forever / If anything could ever be this good again

The Foo Fighters are rock royalty.  Anyone who questions this song’s inclusion should be tied up in a burlap sack and beaten with a ball peen hammer.  Fun fact:  This is apparently David Letterman’s favorite song.  I wouldn’t have guessed that but even he must bow before the power of the Foo.

2. “3 A.M.” – Matchbox Twenty

She believes that life is made up of all that you're used to  / And the clock on the wall has been stuck at three for days and days / She thinks that happiness is a mat that sits on her doorway / But outside it's stopped raining

Yourself or Someone Like You became one of my favorite albums to listen to in high school.  Being reminded of the Homerpalooza episode of The Simpsons every time I looked at the album cover didn’t hurt matters.  “Real World” was always my favorite song off the album back then.  Over time, “3 A.M.” gradually took its place.  There is nothing quite like a good sleep during a thunderstorm.  I always believed the song was about a woman with all sorts of little idiosyncrasies.  Maybe she was even a little crazy, but Rob Thomas loved her all the same.  That’s what a true relationship is to me.   It turns out the song is about dealing with his mom fighting cancer.  I think I'll stick with my interpretation.

1. “The Freshmen” – The Verve Pipe

For the life of me I can not remember / What made us think that we were wise and we'd never compromise / For the life of me I can not believe we'd ever die for these sins / We were merely freshmen

The lyrics in this song always spoke to me.  No, I’ve never had to abort a child and deal with the guilt while trying to blame the mother.  But I was a freshman in high school when the song came out so there’s some parallel.  There was always something tragic about the thought of being penalized for the mistakes of your youth.  We didn’t know any better.  I didn’t know any better.  My “rules” about life and women?  I thought I was positioning myself for a big payday.  What made me think I was so wise and would never compromise?  I feel like whatever sins I’ve committed, I’ve paid for them and then some.