The '90s are typically remembered as a pretty fly decade. With good reason, as you could still download songs on Napster without realizing what you were actually doing — plus, there were Beanie Babies as far as the eye could see.
It might have seemed all that and a bag of chips, but let's take off these rose-colored glasses for a second and examine the '90s problems that didn't include your CD player skipping or dial-up internet.
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Many songs from the '90s are, like the decade itself, fun, catchy and well-remembered. However, a lot of the songs you so fondly belt at karaoke actually have a much darker meaning. Although you'd never expect it from their catchy melodies, these lyrics explore dark themes you'd never expect. From drug addiction, to depression, to the Marxist revolution — these songs certainly cover the '90s gamut.
There are no two ways about "Slide" by the Goo Goo Dolls -- it's about a young couple dealing with an unexpected pregnancy. It's debatable what the couple finally chooses to do, but that doesn't make the song any less dark.
"Waterfalls" by TLC was not just a simple pop hit. It tackled issues with a surprising degree of severity, such as the illegal drug trade and the HIV/AIDS epidemic -- dark stuff for such a catchy and popular song.
How dark is this song? Here's a hint: The chorus lyric isn't "My sun-eyed girl, it's actually "My cyanide girl." Yeah.
"Semi-Charmed Life" by Third Eye Blind is about crazy descent into the world of crystal meth addiction, and all the things that come along with it. The bleak picture it paints couldn't be any more miserable.
Ah, everyone's favorite toy-themed '90s single, "Barbie Girl". If only it were about a toy. It's actually depicts the proletariat abuse perpetrated by the bourgeoisie in a capitalist system, using the Barbie doll as a metaphor. That's dark with a dash of Marxism.
If you thought "Come To My Window" by Melissa Ethridge was a love song, you're sorely mistaken. It's actually about the heartache and torture of a relationship that's decaying and slipping away.
"No Rain" by Blind Melon is about depression -- pure, simple, unadulterated depression. It's about not being able to get up the morning and feeling utterly miserable.
Better Than Ezra's "Good" is about coming home to find your partner has left without a trace, and the torture of pining for this person. With that in mind, it's hard not to take the "good" lyric as just a tad sarcastic.
This is easily one of the catchiest songs of the early '90s, but it's nowhere near as innocent as it seems. Listen closely, and you'll hear ravings of a tortured soul who is trapped in a seriously unhealthy, dysfunctional relationship.
I know what you're thinking: How could this song with the most innocuous lyrics in the world be dark? Well, it's not quite as simple as you might think. If you listen to the verses in between the "MMMBops," you'll hear the teens talking about the brevity of friendships and how very few of them actually last. Not the darkest song, but pretty somber stuff for a tween.
"Steal My Sunshine" doesn't have the sunny lyrics its name implies. This is a song about depression, and how another person can "steal your sunshine" and making you feel even worse.
It sounds hopefuly, but "Bittersweet Symphony" is a song about feeling powerless.The lyrics suggest the misery of feeling trapped in your life due to circumstances beyond your control. It's about the absolute misery of everyday struggle.