1994 Top Thirteen

1. Bryan Adams, Rod Stewart & Sting - All For Love 01-1994
2. Seal - Kiss From A Rose 08-1994
3. Bon Jovi - Always 09-1994
4. Garth Brooks - The Red Strokes / Ain't Going Down 01-1994
5. Aerosmith - Crazy / Blind Man 11-1994
6. Sheryl Crow - All I Wanna Do 11-1994
7. The Cranberries - Zombie 10-1994
8. Guns 'N' Roses - Since I Don't Have You 06-1994
9. Rednex - Cotton Eye Joe 12-1994
10. Sting - When We Dance 10-1994
11. Jimmy Nail - Crocodile Shoes 11-1994
12. Luther Vandross & Mariah Carey - Endless Love 09-1994
13. Elton John - Can You Feel The Love Tonight? 08-1994

And the bubbling unders:
Ace Of Base - The Sign 02-1994
The Beautiful South - Everybody's Talkin' 06-1994
Big Mountain - Baby I Love Your Way 05-1994
Mariah Carey - All I Want For Christmas Is You 12-1994
The Cranberries - Linger 02-1994
Crash Test Dummies - Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm 04-1994
East 17 - Stay Another Day 12-1994
Gloria Estefan - Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me 12-1994
Janet Jackson - Any Time, Any Place 06-1994
Jamiroquai - Space Cowboy 10-1994
Jazzy Jeff & Fresh Prince - Summertime 08-1994
Elton John - Circle Of Life 10-1994
Meat Loaf - Rock And Roll Dreams Come True 02-1994
Richard Marx - Now And Forever 02-1994
Kylie Minogue - Put Yourself In My Place 11-1994
Alison Moyet - Whispering Your Name 03-1994
Robert Palmer - Know By Now 09-1994
Pearl Jam - Spin The Black Circle 11-1994
Prince - The Most Beautiful Girl In The World 04-1994
Eddi Reader - Patience Of Angels 06-1994
Cliff Richard With Phil Everly - All I Have To Do Is Dream / Miss You Nights 12-1994
Roxette - Sleeping In My Car 04-1994
Bruce Springsteen - Streets Of Philadelphia 03-1994
Wet Wet Wet - Love Is All Around 05-1994

And these are some most people would expect to see in a round up of '94 - me, not so much.
Blur - Parklife 09-1994
GUN - Word Up 07-1994
Oasis - Live Forever 08-1994
PJ & Duncan - Let's Get Ready To Rhumble 07-1994
The Prodigy - Voodoo People 09-1994
Pulp - The Sisters EP 06-1994
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Give It Away 02-1994
Whigfield - Saturday Night 09-1994

1990s Sports

The decade was dominated by Pete Sampras and Steffi Graf at Wimbledon, Stephen Hendry versus Jimmy White in snooker and Manchester United in the FA cup.

1990
Wimbledon singles winners were Stefan Edberg (SWE) and Martina Navratilova (USA).
Paul Gascoigne (Football) won BBC Sports Personality of the Year award, beating Stephen Hendry (Snooker).
World Snooker champion was Stephen Hendry (SCO) and World Darts Champion was Phil Taylor (ENG).
FA Cup – Manchester United won 3-3/1–0 over Crystal Palace.
Tour de France – Greg LeMond of the United States

1991
Wimbledon singles winners were Michael Stich (GDR) and Steffi Graf (GDR).
Liz McColgan (Athletics) was voted Sports Personality of the Year, beating Will Carling (Rugby Union).
World Snooker champion was Steve Davis (ENG) and World Darts Champion was Dennis Priestley (ENG).
FA Cup – Tottenham Hotspur won 2-1 over Nottingham Forest.
Tour de France – Miguel Indurian of Spain.

1992
Wimbledon singles winners were Andre Agassi (USA) and Steffi Graf (GDR).
Nigel Mansell (Formula One) was voted Sports Personality of the Year, beating Linford Christie (Athletics).
World Snooker champion was Stephen Hendry (SCO) and World Darts Champion was Phil Taylor (ENG).
FA Cup – Liverpool won 2–0 over Sunderland.
Tour de France – Miguel Indurian of Spain
The 1992 Summer Olympics, branded as Barcelona ’92, marked the first year South Africa was re-invited to the Olympic Games by the International Olympic Committee, after a 32-year ban due to apartheid. The Unified Team (made up by the former Soviet republics without the Baltic states) topped the medal table, winning 45 gold and 112 overall medals.
The 1992 Winter Olympics, commonly known as Albertville '92, saw he addition of 11 new events, including freestyle skiing and short track speed skating. They were the last Winter Olympics to include demonstration sports, consisting of curling, aerials and ski ballet.
1992 was the last time the Summer and Winter Olympics were staged in the same year.

1993
Wimbledon singles winners were Pete Sampras (USA) and Steffi Graf (GDR).
Linford Christie (Athletics) was voted Sports Personality of the Year, beating Sally Gunnell (Athletics).
World Snooker champion was Stephen Hendry (SCO) and World Darts Champion was John Lowe (ENG).
FA Cup – Arsenal won 1-1/2–1 over Sheffield Wednesday.
Tour de France – Miguel Indurian of Spain

1994
Wimbledon singles winners were Pete Sampras (USA) and Conchita Martinez (ESP).
Damon Hill (Formula One) was voted Sports Personalities of the Year, beating Sally Gunnell (Athletics).
World Snooker champion was Stephen Hendry (SCO) and World Darts Champion was John Parl (CAN).
FA Cup – Manchester United won 4–0 over Chelsea.
Tour de France – Miguel Indurian of Spain

1995
Wimbledon singles winners were Pete Sampras (USA) and Steffi Graf (GDR).
Jonathan Edwards (Athletics) was voted Sports Personality of the Year, beating Frank Bruno (Boxing).
World Snooker champion was Stephen Hendry (SCO) and World Darts Champion was Richie Burnett (WAL).
FA Cup – Everton won 1–0 over Manchester United.
Tour de France – Miguel Indurian of Spain

1996
Wimbledon singles winners were Richard Krajicek (NLD) and Steffi Graf (GDR).
Damon Hill (Formula One) was voted Sports Personality of the Year, beating Steve Redgrave (Rowing).
World Snooker champion was Stephen Hendry (SCO) and World Darts Champion was Steve Beaton (ENG).
FA Cup – Manchester United won 1–0 over Liverpool.
Tour de France – Bjarne Riis of the Denmark
The 1996 Summer Olympics, held in Atlanta, Georgia marked the 100th anniversary of the modern Olympics held in Athens 1896. With a total of 101 medals, the United States topped the medal table for the first time since 1984 also winning the most gold (44) and silver (32) medals out of all the participating nations. The Games were marred by violence on July 27, 1996, when a pipe bomb was detonated at Centennial Olympic Park (which had been built to serve as a public focal point for the festivities), killing two and injuring 111.

1997
Wimbledon singles winners were Pete Sampras (USA) and Martina Hingis (CHE).
Greg Rusedski (Tennis) was voted Sports Personality of the Year, beating Tim Henman (Tennis).
World Snooker champion was Ken Doherty (IRL) and World Darts Champion was Les Wallace (SCO).
FA Cup – Chelsea won 2–0 over Middlesborough.
Tour de France – Jan Ullrich of Germany

1998
Wimbledon singles winners were Pete Sampras (USA) and Jana Novotná (CZE).
Michael Owen (Football) was voted Sports Personality of the Year, beating Denise Lewis (Athletics).
World Snooker champion was John Higgins (SCO) and World Darts Champion was Raymond van Barneveld (NLD).
FA Cup – Arsenal won 2–0 over Newcastle United.
Tour de France – winner disallowed due to doping.

1999
Wimbledon singles winners were Pete Sampras (USA) and Lindsay Davenport (USA).
Lennox Lewis (Boxing) was voted Sports Personality of the Year, beating David Beckham (Football).
World Snooker champion was Stephen Hendry (SCO) and World Darts Champion was Raymond van Barneveld (NLD).
FA Cup – Manchester United won 2–0 over Newcastle United.
Tour de France – winner disallowed due to doping

My Top Thirteen 1993

Most of the 90s passed me by musically, and when I look back now, I'm struggling to find 13 songs I truly remember from 1993, however, most of these have grown on me through the decades.

1. R.E.M. - Everybody Hurts 04-1993
2. Aerosmith - Cryin' 11-1993
3. Whitney Houston - Queen Of The Night 11-1993
4. Gabrielle - Dreams 06-1993
5. Ace Of Base - All That She Wants 05-1993
6. Billy Joel - The River Of Dreams 08-1993
7. Guns 'N' Roses - The Civil War EP 05-1993
8. Lenny Kravitz - Are You Gonna Go My Way 02-1993
9. kd lang - Constant Craving 03-1993
10. M People - Moving On Up 09-1993
11. Sting - Fields Of Gold 06-1993
12. Ugly Kid Joe - Cats In The Cradle 03-1993
13. Meat Loaf - I'd Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That) 10-1993

And the also rans:
Bon Jovi - In These Arms 05-1993
Peabo Bryson & Regina Belle - A Whole New World (Aladdin's Theme) 12-1993
Mariah Carey - Hero 11-1993
Def Leppard - Heaven Is 01-1993
Haddaway - What Is Love 06-1993
Whitney Houston - I'm Every Woman 01-1993
INXS - The Gift 10-1993
Iron Maiden - Hallowed Be Thy Name 10-1993
Elton John & Kiki Dee -True Love 11-1993
Lenny Kravitz - Heaven Help 09-1993
Madonna - Fever 04-1993
Freddie Mercury - Living On My Own 08-1993
Metallica - Sad But True 02-1993
George Michael & Queen With Lisa Stansfield - Five Live (EP) 04-1993
Dannii Minogue - This Is It 07-1993
New Order - Regret 04-1993
Pet Shop Boys - Go West 09-1993
R.E.M. - The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite 02-1993
Roxette - Almost Unreal 07-1993
Sade - No Ordinary Love 06-1993
Take That - Pray 07-1993
Take That feat Lulu - ReLight My Fire 10-1993
Thunder - A Better Man
Tina Turner - I Don't Wanna Fight 05-1993
UB40 - (I Can't Help) Falling In Love With You 05-1993
Paul Weller - Wild Wood 09-1993

1990s Women’s fashions

Top 90s brands included Calvin Klein, Guess Jeans, Tommy Hilfiger, and Polo. Some of the sculpted, fitted looks of the 80s were replaced by natural shoulders and fluidly draped jackets, blouses and dresses. Oversized, loose-fitting sweaters and vests topped gathered skirts of varying lengths. Trousers were multi-pleated or gathered and cut with wide legs - harking back to 70s flares.

Aside from the "preppy" look, long dresses were teamed with wide belts, and splatter and sponge paint clothes with neon colours were popular among teens/young adults. Bright yellow, blue, teal, and hot pink knit tops, shirts, sweatshirts, pants, shorts, and dresses were simple pairings, usually with white or black bottoms/leggings.

Jeans - especially acid-washed - had pleated or paper bag waistband high rise / high waisted with a tapered leg. Gradually slim fit skinny jean (still with a high waist) and boot cut jeans came into 90s fashion in the middle to late years. The high waist dropped to hip hugger status too. These were often paired with crop tops.

Overalls were an effortless and casual style, considered a wardrobe staple in the decade, worn in a variety of ways and frequently paired with a classic white tee-shirt. They became popular after members of TLC wore them, and other artists added their flair to urban styles for women. A more edgy look pairs black linen overalls with a matching turtleneck and Doc Marten combat boots, accessorized with a mini leather backpack.

Hip hop had a strong influence on ‘90s fashion, and popular street style brands like FUBU emerged, making hip hop fashion even more mainstream. An iconic look inspired by Aaliyah’s sporty hip hop style included a bandana, athletic windbreaker, Calvin Klein sports bra, black joggers, and white Adidas. A Destiny’s Child-inspired outfit consisted of a Tommy Hilfiger logo top, low-rise jeans, and white sneakers.

Grunge fashion was inspired by icons like Courtney Love, Gwen Stefani and Kim Gordon. Foreshadowed by Madonna's "Desperately Seeking Susan" look from the 80s, it featured layers and had lots of attitude: feisty, edgy, and authentic. Flannel shirts and distressed jeans are one look, alternatives are mini slip dress with fishnets and leather boots; ribbed tops with patterned cargo pants and platform boots or for extra sass a crop tank top, low-rise jeans and suede creepers with hair styled in space buns.

My Top Thirteen 1992

1. Richard Marx - Hazard - 05-1992
2. Manic Street Preachers - Motorcycle Emptiness - 06-1992
3. Jimmy Nail - Ain't No Doubt - 07-1992
4. Sophie B. Hawkins - Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover - 07-1992
5. Guns N' Roses - November Rain - 02-1992
6. Freddie Mercury & Montserrat Caballe - Barcelona - 08-1992
7. Mr. Big - To Be With You - 03-1992
8. Bon Jovi - Keep The Faith - 10-1992
9. Def Leppard - Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad - 09-1992
10. Kiss - God Gave Rock And Roll To You II - 01-1992
11. Right Said Fred - Deeply Dippy - 03-1992
12. Shakespeare's Sister - Stay - 01-1992
13. R.E.M. - Man On The Moon - 12-1992


Bryan Adams - All I Want Is You - 07-1992
Michael Ball - One Step Out Of Time - 05-1992
Nick Berry - Heartbeat - 06-1992
Michael Bolton - To Love Somebody - 11-1992
Mariah Carey - I'll Be There - 06-1992
Cher - Oh No Not My Baby - 11-1992
Joe Cocker - All I Know (Feels Like Forever) - 03-1992
Crowded House - Weather With You - 03-1992
The Cure - Friday I'm In Love - 02-1992
Billy Ray Cyrus - Achy Breaky Heart - 08-1992
Deacon Blue - Your Town - 11-1992
Def Leppard - Let's Get Rocked - 03-1992
Del Amitri - Always The Last To Know - 05-1992
Celine Dion & Peabo Bryson - Beauty And The Beast - 05-1992
Genesis - I Can't Dance - 01-1992
Annie Lennox - Walking On Broken Glass - 08-1992
Brian May - Too Much Love Will Kill You - 09-1992
Metallica - Nothing Else Matters - 05-1992
Roy Orbison - I Drove All Night - 08-1992
Roy Orbison With kd lang - Crying - 08-1992
Pearl Jam - Alive - 02-1992
Cliff Richard - I Still Believe In You - 12-1992
Lionel Richie - My Destiny - 08-1992
Diana Ross - One Shining Moment - 06-1992
Bruce Springsteen - Human Touch - 03-1992
Lisa Stansfield - Someday (I'm Coming Back) - 12-1992
Take That - Could It Be Magic - 12-1992
Ugly Kid Joe - Everything About You - 05-1992
Luther Vandross & Janet Jackson - The Best Things In Life Are Free - 08-1992
Wet Wet Wet - Goodnight Girl - 01-1992
Vanessa Williams - Save The Best For Last - 03-1992

1990s Top Thirteen Movies

Following on from last week, here’s a more detailed look at my/our fave movies – all three of our kids have grown up with a glorious appreciation of movies and TV shows – when we got a copy of Scene-it the battles were hard fought, and both Jo and Steph quote lines at each other all the time – perfectly mimicking all the accents and able to remember entire scenes. And don’t get them started on Friends …

1. 10 Things I Hate About You '99
Fave scene/line: When Heath Ledger serenades Julia Stiles to Frankie Valli’s “Can’t Take my Eyes off You,” (you may know it by Andy Williams). Or when Kat (Julia S) gets Patrick out of detention by showing the PE teacher “the distraction plan.”

2. Strictly Ballroom '92
Fave scene/line: When Scott and Fran dance backstage to Doris Day’s “Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps.” Or the Paso Doble scene when the music stops and they dance just to handclaps.
Quote: Fran: “What happened to a life lived in fear and all that stuff? You really are a gutless wonder!”

3. Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves '91
Fave scene/line: “Just taking a lady’s advice,” when Robin (Kevin Costner) is bathing in a pool. Side note – we walked behind that waterfall (at the back of a pub in Yorkshire), and also found the waterfall where Robin challenges Little John (Nick Brimble) and Azim (Morgan Freeman) advises him to “move faster.”

4. Hook '91/Mrs. Doubtfire '93
Bit of a cheat here, but these both show off the fabulous talents of Robin Williams and are proper kid’s movies.
Fave scene/line: Hook – the food fight scene “You lewd, crude, rude, bag of pre-chewed food, dude!”
Mrs Doubtfire - “Stu? It’s more of a thick soup than a name.”

5. Galaxy Quest '99
Fave scene/line: “I see you managed to get your shirt off.” A fabulously cynical Alexander Dane (Alan Rickman) to Tim Allen's scene-stealing hack (Jason Nesmith) after the fight scene with the rock monster.

6. The Mummy '99
Fave scene/line: Where Evie (Rachel Weiss) gets drunk around the campfire: “I may not be an explorer or an adventurer, or a treasure-seeker or a gunfighter, Mr. O'Connell, but I am proud of what I am. I... am a librarian.”

7. The Mask of Zorro '98
Fave scene/line: Where Elena (Catherine Zeta Jones) challenges Zorro (Antonio Banderas) to a sword fight and he cuts all the ribbons so her bodice collapses. Or the Tango scene.
Don Rafael Montero: "Did you recognize Zorro?" Elena: No, but he was young and vigorous. He was very vigorous, father."

8. True Lies '94
Fave scene/line: The one where Helen (Jamie Lee Curtis) rips off the frills from her dress, slicks back her hair and attempts to dance for Arnie (playing her husband). Or the Tango scene. And the quote: "Kids - ten seconds of joy, thirty years of misery."

9. Sister Act '92
Fave scene/line: When the choir first perform in the church, rocking up Hail Holy Queen, and the people walk in off the streets.
Quote: Dolores (Whoopi Goldberg) "How can you say that? I worked my butt off with these women! They've given up their free time to do this, and they're good! I mean, sister, we could, we could Rock this place!"

10. Independence Day '96/Armageddon '98
Another cheat, but I really couldn’t choose between them and they both tick a lot of high-octane boxes. Fave scene/line:Independence Day: “I picked a hell of a day to quit drinkin'.”
Armageddon: “Well, we all gotta die, right? I'm the guy who gets to do it saving the world."

11. Pretty Woman '90
Fave scene/line: I'm torn between the the one when Kit De Luca shows up at the posh hotel and the one when Vivian returns to the snobby shop assistant who snubbed her, showing off the dozens of expensive purchases from Rodeo drive. “You work on commission, right? Big Mistake. Big. Huge.”

12. Con Air '97
Fave scene/line: Poe (Nick Cage) comes across a dead body in the landing gear and tosses it out with a message for Larkin (John Cusack). He interrupts one of the convicts rifling through the cargo and is forced to kill him.
Quote: “Why couldn’t he put the bunny in the box?

13. Die Hard: With a Vengeance '95
Fave scene/line: When John McClane (Bruce Willis) and Zeus, (Samuel L Jackson) try to solve a puzzle involving jugs of water to stop a bomb going off.
Quote: Zeus: “Wait a minute. You mean to tell me I'm in this shit 'cause some white cop threw some white asshole's brother off a roof?”

1990s Movies

We had a tradition for several years when Bri worked shifts, that the kids would stay up until he finished work at 9pm on Friday. We'd have a carpet picnic including hula-hoops, mini cheddars and popcorn, but the star turn had to be the sandwiches with "billy-bear" processed meat. We always watched a movie - more often than not a Disney one, but many of those listed below found their way into our movie night.

1990 – Pretty Woman, Ghost, Home Alone, Kindergarten Cop, Bird on a Wire, Mermaids, Edward Scissorhands, Goodfellas, Dances with Wolves, Misery, Total Recall, Flatliners, Arachnophobia, Days of Thunder, The Hunt for Red October, Tremors, Die Hard 2, Gremlins 2, Godfather 3, Back to the Future 3

1991 – Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, Hook, Hudson Hawk, The Silence of the Lambs, Thelma & Louise, Beauty and the Beast (animated), City Slickers, Point Break, JFK, Cape Fear, The Fisher King, The Commitments, Father of the Bride, Terminator 2: Judgement Day, Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country

1992 – Strictly Ballroom, Sister Act, Aladdin (animated), Scent of a Woman, Batman Returns, A Few Good Men, My Cousin Vinny, Basic Instinct, Wayne’s World, Death Becomes Her, Reservoir Dogs, Under Siege, Patriot Games, Malcolm X, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, Alien 3

1993 – Mrs. Doubtfire, Sleepless in Seattle, Jurassic Park, The Fugitive, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Schindler’s List, Groundhog Day, The Piano, The Firm, The Pelican Brief, The Remains of the Day, Philadelphia, Shadowlands, Cool Runnings, Carlito’s Way

1994 – True Lies, Pulp Fiction, Four Weddings and a Funeral, The Lion King (animated), The Shawshank Redemption, Speed, Natural Born Killers, Leon, Serial Mom, Timecop, The Mask, Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, Forrest Gump, The Madness of King George, Body Snatchers, Clear and Present Danger, Star Trek: Generations

1995 – Die Hard: With a Vengeance, Desperado, Toy Story (animated), The Usual Suspects, Twelve Monkeys, Get Shorty, Braveheart, Leaving Las Vegas, Apollo 13, Babe, Seven, Sense and Sensibility, Dead Man Walking

1996 – Independence Day, The Rock, Mission Impossible, Romeo + Juliet, The Hunchback of Notre Dame (animated), That Thing You Do!, The Birdcage, Secrets & Lies, Stealing Beauty, Michael Collins, Matilda, Trainspotting, Scream, Jerry Maguire, The English Patient, Star Trek: First Contact, Mars Attacks!

1997 – Good Will Hunting, Con Air, As Good as It Gets, Men in Black, The Full Monty, The Fifth Element, Contact, Face/Off, L. A. Confidential, Starship Troopers, Donnie Brasco, What Dreams May Come, Jackie Brown

1998 – Armageddon, The Mask of Zorro, Truman Show, The X Files, The Big Lebowski, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Saving Private Ryan, There's Something About Mary, The Thin Red Line, Pleasantville, The Negotiator, Antz (animated), A Bug’s Life (animated)

1999 – 10 Things I Hate About You, Galaxy Quest, The Mummy, Notting Hill, The Matrix, The Sixth Sense, She’s All That, Sleepy Hollow, Fight Club, The Green Mile, Analyze This, Eyes Wide Shut, Wild, Wild West, The Talented Mr. Ripley, Toy Story 2, Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, The Blair Witch Project, American Pie, Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, Being John Malkovich, American Beauty, The Cider House Rules