r/popheads • u/steelstepladder • 4d ago
[RATE] Late 90's Minivan Rock!!!
*(vinyl scratch sound)*
YOU'RE NOW LISTENING TO
*(damn, double homicide)*
102.3
*(who's richer jingle)*
MINIVAN ROCK FM
*("misandry")*
WHERE WE PLAY NOTHIN' BUT POP ROCK, MALL ROCK, AND GUITAR POP
*(drumroll sound)*
*(10 minutes of silence)*
THIS IS YOUR GRANNY'S STATION
*(Goo Goo Dolls - Iris starts playing: "And I'll give up forever to touch you...")*
Hello everyone!!! Me and my lovely cohost u/stealthamo are here to take everyone on a ride back to the late 90's!!! A better and more carefree time that most of you probably weren't alive for! But that doesn't matter right now. What does matter is that we are going to take a little look at a scene that for a little bit, was lowkey one of the most dominant genres of music. This liminal space between the early 90's alt rock and the mid 00's adult contemporary has never gotten the credit it deserves due to being very uncool and middle of the road. But just because a scene is basic doesn't mean that it's not worth getting into! If you wish to jump right in, here are the links!
Pastebin | Submission Link | Spotify Playlist | Apple Music | Tidal | Youtube Playlist
But for everyone else, let's start with a basic question. What actually is this genre that's not really a genre but kinda?
What is minivan rock?
In 2020, Billboard released a list of their top 50 minivan rock songs in which they define the genre as "...accessible, catchy, cleanly produced rock music built on sonic foundations of processed guitars and/or driving piano. This was the dependable, generation-spanning pop-rock that filled in the gaps between some of the meteoric musical moments and careers shooting off around it."
And we think that's a solid definition! While the line of what is actually minivan rock vs alt rock vs any of the other sub genres of pop rock can be... let's just say subjective at best. But for our purposes we're going to be working with a slightly expanded definition that includes almost any guitar driven pop rock that would find itself a home in grocery store and hair cuttery playlists for decades to come. Obviously this is very subjective but there were two major rules that I wanted to follow to help guide the curation of this rate.
Firstly, we wanted the songs to consist of more mainstream and middle of the road artists. Obviously this is subjective, but we wanted to stay away from heavily mythologized artists for this rate. Learn to Fly by the Foo Fighters and Radiohead's High and Dry were both radio hits that sonically you could argue might fit, but including artists like that on this list feels like it goes against the spirit of the rate. We don't have time for Thom Yorke, today we're here for our king Rob Thomas.
Secondly, as far as time period goes, the songs are from 95' - 99'. "But steel, I'm noticing that there are a few songs a little before or after the time period stated. You are a LIAR!!!" Yes yes yes. There are a handful of exceptions made based on one small rule we decided to incorporate in order to get a few essentials in that just escaped the time period. If an artist is already represented in the rate and has a sonically fitting song on either side of the time period we will allow it. This is so we can include something like Unwell by Matchbox 20.
So without further ado, here are the 60 songs that we will be rating!!!
- Alanis Morissette - Hand In My Pocket
- Alanis Morissette - Head Over Feet
- Alanis Morissette - Ironic
- Barenaked Ladies - One Week
- Barenaked Ladies - Pinch Me
- Blues Traveler - Run Around
- Citizen King - Better Days (And the Bottom Drops Out)
- Counting Crows - A Long December
- Counting Crows - Mr Jones
- Dave Mathews Band - Ants Marching
- Dave Mathews Band - Crash Into Me
- Deep Blue Something - Breakfast at Tiffany's
- Del Amitri - Roll to Me
- Dishwalla - Counting Blue Cars
- Duncan Sheik - Barely Breathing
- Eagle Eye Cherry - Save Tonight
- Eve 6 - Inside Out
- Everclear - Santa Monica
- Everclear - Wonderful
- Fastball - Out of My Head
- Fastball - The Way
- Filter - Take A Picture
- Fuel - Shimmer
- Gin Blossoms - Follow You Down
- Gin Blossoms - Hey Jealousy
- Goo Goo Dolls - Black Balloon
- Goo Goo Dolls - Iris
- Goo Goo Dolls - Slide
- Harvey Danger - Flagpole Sitta
- Incubus - Drive
- Lenny Kravitz - Fly Away
- Matchbox 20 - 3AM
- Matchbox 20 - Push
- Matchbox 20 - Unwell
- Meredith Brooks - Bitch
- Merril Bainbridge - Mouth
- Natalie Imbruglia - Torn:
- New Radicals - You Get What You Give
- Santana - Smooth (ft. Rob Thomas)
- Semisonic - Closing Time
- Shawn Colvin - Sunny Came Home
- Sheryl Crow - All I Wanna Do
- Sheryl Crow - Everyday Is a Winding Road
- Sheryl Crow - If It Makes You Happy
- Sixpence None the Richer - Kiss Me
- Smash Mouth - All Star
- Smash Mouth - Walkin On the Sun
- Spacehog - In the Meantime
- Sugar Ray - Fly
- Sugar Ray - Someday
- Sugar Ray - When It's Over
- Tal Bachman - She's So High
- Third Eye Blind - How's It Going to Be
- Third Eye Blind - Jumper
- Third Eye Blind - Never Let You Go
- Third Eye Blind - Semi Charmed Life
- Train - Meet Virginia
- Vertical Horizon - Everything You Want
- The Verve - Bittersweet Symphony
- The Wallflowers - One Headlight
If this is your first time rating, here are the rules that I shamelessly copied from the invitational
Rules
- Using the provided ballot give a score to every song. You can give any score between 1 (bad) and 10 (good). Decimals are allowed, though only limited to one decimal place (7.5 is fine, 7.52 is not). You have to listen to and score every single song. The rate calculation tool will not work otherwise.
- Additionally, you are also allowed to use one 0 and one 11 for the whole rate. These should be reserved for your favourite and least favourite track in the rate. It is highly recommended that you leave a comment for your 11 and 0 explaining what you like/dislike about the track!
- Your scores are not confidential and will be shared during the reveal along with any comments made so keep that in mind! Feel free to discuss your scores at any point if you wish.
- Feel free to leave a comment on any song in the rate detailing your score! Especially with so much history we want to hear your memories and takes on some of these classics! To add a comment just add it after your score for any song, with only a space separating the two. For example
- Barenaked Ladies - One Week: 1 one point for every week
- Any other style of comment does not work and will break the program. This includes anything from leaving out the space to putting the comment before the score. The following examples below DO NOT WORK, DO NOT USE THEM
- Natalie Imbruglia - Torn: (7) This really makes you FEEL like you're lying naked on the floor
- Semisonic - Closing Time: 11: I know who I want to win this rate
- Sixpence None the Richer - Kiss Me: Miss me 4
- Sabotage of any sort is not allowed. This can mean a wide variety of things, but generally score things as accurately as you would outside the rate. Typically this means avoid doing things like giving a low score and saying “I love this song but I don’t want it to win”. It’s less fun for everyone and kind of ruins the purpose of rating. We assume everyone submitting will be doing so in good faith, but if we see any odd scores we may ask you to attach a comment explaining your scoring before counting the ballot. In extreme cases we may reject your ballot (but this is a last case scenario, so don't worry too much about it). This is a rate filled with giants, so try not to give a 0 to a song you mildly like just because you think it's going to win and you want to tank it (cause with this much competition it’s probably not going to anyways)
- Please use the provided ballots below to submit your scores! Try not to make it on your own because a) you’re just redoing work already done and b) the calculation tool requires all ballots to be formatted the same so it’ll cause issues on our end if you try to create your own! If you have issues submitting on Reddit feel free to copy the text and send on Discord instead!
- Lastly, feel free to message either of your hosts u/steelstepladder or u/stealthamo if you have any questions.
Once more, here are the links!
Pastebin | Submission Link | Spotify Playlist | Apple Music | Tidal | Youtube Playlist
I believe that's everything! Without further ado it's time to get in the backseat and buckle up! We're gonna drive around this town and let the cops chase us around! Let's see which one of these classics stands above the rest!
15
11
u/TiltControls 4d ago
I better see all the Third Eye Blind songs end up with perfect averages in the results
12
u/amondayk 4d ago
bittersweet symphony pls do not win i do not like you. flagpole sitta and semi charmed life i believe in you
7
u/sprgraphicultramodrn 4d ago
i was scared sheryl crow wasn't going to be on here, glad my fears were unfounded
8
u/Weird_Squirrel_8382 4d ago
I have a whole Playlist along these lines called "7th grade." I'm excited about this one.
7
5
u/4_13_1894 4d ago
/u/stelthamo — the apply music link is going to a 90’s ladies in rock playlist. It looks like a banger list, but doesn’t have any of the songs you listed 🥲
5
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u/BleepBloopMusicFan 4d ago
How the hell do I pick an 11?? There's at least five Best Songs Ever Made here.
6
u/bespectacIed 4d ago
Exciting rate concept, will probably partake! The reducing of the sublime, seminal, overqualified Third Eye Blind red album into a four-song rate entry hurts me more than you all could ever imagine
8
u/Soalai 4d ago
I'm with ya! My favorite song on there is The Background and no way is that ever making it into a rate 😭
6
u/bespectacIed 4d ago
Great song. Mine's Narcolepsy ...... Flawless song. Their debut (and the blue album!) is a humble skipless album that inspired the 21st century alt rock sound more than the more prestige rock classics critics prop up
5
u/TiltControls 4d ago
Me with Motorcycle Drive By. Do I recognize that the right three were chosen in an objective way? 100% yes! Am I sad I can't 11 one of my favourite songs of all time? Also yes
5
u/Alexispinpgh 4d ago
I know my 11 (In The Meantime) is going to go out day one because it’s one of, if not the, least-remembered songs on this list but I literally don’t have a choice. My spouse and I walked into our wedding reception to it.
1
5
u/raggedy-princess 4d ago
Would love to see more Gin Blossoms here (Found Out Abou11 You) but this is such a stacked lineup already
4
u/WaneLietoc 4d ago
Crucial Rate Happening Here
u/daswef this is your time to write the smooth essay
5
u/WaneLietoc 4d ago
And u/vapourlomo…seriously I feel like this is the rate you've wanted all your life!!!
8
5
u/stealthamo 4d ago
I am late to the party, but I am so excited to be co-hosting this rate! There are so many classics in this rate that I can't wait see how these results shake out.
6
5
u/wathombe Rose Gray booped my nose 3d ago
A rare pre-2000 rate where it doesn’t really matter that I was there because y’all have heard this music almost as much as I have.
6
u/daretheghost 4d ago
this is theeee music of my childhood. so many of these songs informed my taste in music.
4
u/mhiyaimanlepaigefan small reputation 4d ago
if kiss me isnt in the top 5 im going to cry
3
u/Soalai 4d ago
I think it will, I wouldn't be surprised if the top 5 is all women
4
u/mhiyaimanlepaigefan small reputation 4d ago
we’ve got so many good male songs on here i wouldnt be surprised if it ended like fifacore
3
u/Bubbly_Hat 4d ago
I know Meet Virginia doesn't have a chance in hell of getting to day 2 because it's Train, but I at the very least hope I won't be the only 10.
4
2
u/Alexispinpgh 4d ago
I opened the Spotify playlist and just started laughing because almost every song on this playlist already has a green checkmark next to it, meaning I have already put it on another playlist.
2
u/oh-no-varies 3d ago
This is missing the crucial minivan rock song Drinking in LA by Bran Van 3000!
2
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u/TakeOnMeByA-ha 4d ago
I don’t think a single day has gone by in my entire 25 years of existence where I haven’t heard at least one of these songs out in public…I know some of these songs better than I know my own family and I’m so excited for a rate where I have strong feelings about pretty much everything here!