‘L’Amour Toujours’ N°290 – Vintage 90s Music Videos

1 . Bonnie Raitt – I Can’t Make You Love Me

Bonnie Raitt’s “I Can’t Make You Love Me” occupies a peculiar space in the world of heartbreak anthems—a song so achingly vulnerable, it practically dares you not to crumble under its weight.

Written by Mike Reid and Allen Shamblin in 1991, its origins are as gritty as the tears it inspires, inspired by a courtroom moment where a man, post-crime spree, offered a glum epiphany about unreciprocated affection.

Initially conceived as a more upbeat number, the track found its true form in its languid, stripped-down arrangement, thanks in no small part to Bruce Hornsby’s restrained yet devastating piano playing.

The real gut punch? Raitt’s vocal, recorded in a single, searing take—a raw, unvarnished delivery that clings to every syllable like regret itself.

Lyrically, the song formalizes the breakup conversation no one wants to have, with lines that trace the contours of longing and resignation with surgical precision.

No song so thoroughly about failure has ever succeeded on such a scale, making it an unlikely radio staple that peaked respectably on the Billboard charts while simultaneously wrecking anyone who dared listen too closely.

Covers by artists like Adele and George Michael have followed, attempting to scale the same emotional Everest, though none quite matches Raitt’s blend of fragility and grit.

That it’s frequently quoted, covered, and reinterpreted—whether by reverent musicians or in a satirical context like *Saturday Night Live*—speaks less to its versatility and more to its universality; heartbreak, apparently, is its own genre.

The song’s lasting legacy resides in its duality: intimate yet expansive, specific in theme but vast in emotional resonance.

It remains a haunting reminder that no amount of pleading, poetry, or piano can alter the simple, brutal truth of human relationships: you can’t make someone love you.

Featured on the 1991 album “Luck of the Draw”.

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2 . Scorpions – Send Me An Angel

Scorpions’ “Send Me an Angel” operates as a heartfelt plea wrapped in an atmospheric rock ballad, offering a distinct emotional resonance within the *Crazy World* album’s eclectic lineup.

Written by Klaus Meine and Rudolf Schenker, the track pairs Meine’s introspective lyrics with Schenker’s crystalline guitar lines, crafting a melody that balances fragility and grandeur with striking precision.

The song’s commercial trajectory saw mixed results—modest in the U.S., peaking at #44 on the Billboard Hot 100, yet far more impactful across Europe, climbing to #3 in Norway and breaking into the Top 5 in multiple other regions.

Its music video, directed by Meiert Avis, mirrors the song’s ethereal tone, with visuals that emphasize longing and introspection, and its heavy MTV rotation undoubtedly bolstered its reach.

Despite lacking flashy collaborations or overproduced bombast, Keith Olsen’s production complements the band’s craftsmanship, enhancing subtle details without overwhelming the core emotional appeal.

Lyrically, its celestial and contemplative undercurrents tap into universal themes of guidance and faith, inviting listeners to reflect on their own quests for solace, whether through divine means or internal exploration.

Live renditions have further cemented its place in their setlists, with scaled-down acoustic versions, such as those featured in the 2001 *Acoustica* release, breathing new life into its timeless structure.

Framed by the tumultuous backdrop of post-Cold War global shifts, *Crazy World’s* introspective ballads like “Send Me an Angel” served as meditative contrasts to rock’s louder arenas, capturing a collective yearning for meaning in uncertain times.

This track, with its understated execution and enduring relatability, remains a prime example of Scorpions’ knack for threading raw emotion through polished compositional frameworks, a rare feat in the often bombastic tapestry of late 20th-century rock.

Featured on the 1990 album “Crazy World”.

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3 . Righteous Brothers – Unchained Melody

Originally written for a 1955 prison film, *Unchained Melody* sidestepped its origin story to become a sentimental juggernaut, achieving immortality through The Righteous Brothers’ 1965 take.

Bobby Hatfield’s near-operatic delivery remains the pièce de résistance, outvoting Phil Spector’s intent to leave it forgotten as album filler—a decision radio DJs overturned with relish, much to Spector’s reported dismay.

Hatfield’s retooling of the song’s climax, while not in the original score, turned an otherwise tender ballad into a full-blown emotional spectacle.

The track’s afterlife is arguably more fascinating: its 1990 rebirth via *Ghost* reintroduced a generation to pottery scenes and romantic yearning, propelling it to chart dominance on both sides of the Atlantic.

By then, the song was already a cover chameleon, finding voices through artists from Al Hibbler to Gareth Gates, and finds itself snapped up for use in commercials, wedding playlists, and TV drama montages alike.

If ever there were a pop song to trace the chronology of public sentimentality, chart achievements, and producer squabbles, this is it: a ballad that stubbornly refuses obscurity.

Featured on the 1965 album “Just Once in My Life”.

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4 . Madonna – Take A Bow

“Take a Bow” by Madonna resides at the intersection of heartbreak and theatricality, a ballad crafted with lush orchestral strings and a subdued yet poignant R&B influence courtesy of co-producer Babyface.

The collaboration, heralded as a first between the two artists, marries Madonna’s penchant for melancholy storytelling with Babyface’s melodic finesse, yielding a track that simmered on U.S. airwaves for seven weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100, breaking records while quietly refusing to conform to her earlier pop provocations.

The song’s thematic gravitas delves into the façade of love, cloaked in performance and manipulation, echoing the tension between public personas and private despair.

The accompanying music video, a richly cinematic exploration set in Spain, casts Madonna not as the provocateur but as the vulnerable muse in a storybook of unrequited love, mirrored by the stoic presence of real-life matador Emilio Muñoz.

Critically lauded yet commercially subdued in parts of the U.K., the track’s restrained vulnerability marked a departure for Madonna, eclipsing her usual bravado.

Its legacy remains a masterclass in cultural layering—incorporating visual nods to bullfighting traditions, Japanese artistry in its live performances, and universal heartbreak, all while challenging the boundaries she once thrived on pushing.

A calculated shift in tone, “Take a Bow” proves that simplicity can be just as audacious as provocation in redefining perception and reshaping soundscapes.

Featured on the 1994 album “Bedtime Stories“.

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5 . Will To Power – I’m Not In Love

Will To Power’s take on “I’m Not In Love” reimagines the 10cc classic with a glossy, synth-heavy finish and a male-female vocal interplay that became the group’s hallmark.

Released in 1990 as part of *Journey Home*, the cover trades the original’s ethereal, layered vocals for an emotive duet, bringing a pop-accessible edge to the soft rock standard.

While staying largely faithful to the song’s structural heart, this version shifts the emphasis from the introspective melancholy of 10cc’s arrangement to a more direct emotional delivery, shaped by Suzi Carr’s warm vocals and Bob Rosenberg’s more subdued phrasing.

Its peak at No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1991 suggested that simplicity and nostalgia can rule commercial airwaves.

Yet, the song’s softer impact outside the U.S. uncovers the limits of regional appeal, even for an otherwise radio-friendly cover.

Stripped of novelty, it relies on wistful nostalgia and contemporary production rather than innovation, a move that neither alienates nor astounds.

In contrast, 10cc’s original remains a study in contradiction—lush and calculated, vulnerable yet cleverly aloof.

What began as an abandoned bossa nova evolved into a swirling masterpiece of multitracked vocals, tethered to a narrative that denies love while reveling in its complexity.

The juxtaposition between airy harmonics and the spoken deadpan “Be quiet, big boys don’t cry” elevates the song into a theater of emotional performativity.

Eric Stewart’s understated storytelling, sparked by a real-life marital exchange, flips traditional love balladry into a maze of ambiguity where denial and sincerity intertwine.

Its 1975 chart dominance, spanning from the UK to Canada and beyond, underscores an experimental triumph that reshaped the boundaries of popular music production.

Unlike Will To Power’s homage, the 10cc version probes the fragility and contradictions of human affection, layering haunting vocal lines over minimal instrumentation.

Between the two renditions, the dialogue is clear: one polishes, the other puzzles.

Which resonates more depends less on preference for melody and more on whether one seeks clarity or tension in the confession of love withheld.

Featured on the 1990 album “Journey Home”.

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6 . Robert Palmer – You Blow Me Away

Robert Palmer’s “You Blow Me Away” stands as an evocative piece from his 1994 album “Honey,” a record that glimmers with traces of mid-90s pop-rock sophistication.

The production, marked by Stephen Hague’s intricate yet expansive approach, leans heavily on lush orchestrations and layered arrangements that still couldn’t quite shake off the dated feel of its era.

Dominic Miller’s guitar work and Pino Palladino’s bass contributions add musical depth, yet Palmer’s heartfelt croon struggles to break past the slick, overly polished veneer.

Critically, it splits the room: some hail it as a “soaring ballad” capturing the pangs of romantic awe, while others dismiss it as a production-heavy attempt to craft drama where simplicity might have sufficed.

Its chart performance in the UK—peaking at No. 38—hardly turned heads, and its absence from US charts underscores its limited reach.

The promotional cycle saw live performances, including a notable one at the German RSH-Gold ceremony, and an ambitious double-run of music videos—an unusual move stemming from Palmer’s dissatisfaction with the first shoot.

Yet history hasn’t been entirely generous to this track; what sounded ambitious and emotionally raw in 1994 now risks feeling out of sync with modern leanings for pared-back authenticity.

That said, “You Blow Me Away” remains a curious artifact in Palmer’s discography, reflecting both the height and challenge of maintaining relevance in an era where musical trends shift like sand underfoot.

Featured on the 1994 album “Honey”.

Lyrics >> Review >> More by the same : Official Site

7 . New Kids On The Block – If You Go Away

“If You Go Away” by New Kids on the Block lands just shy of both heartbreak and hope, leaning heavily into the fertile territory of ’90s pop balladry while testing the waters of a changing musical landscape.

Co-written by Walter Afanasieff and John Bettis, the track layers tender, wistful lyrics over a smooth arrangement, bringing together the group’s signature harmonies with a polished production style that feels familiar yet restrained.

Jordan Knight and Joey McIntyre’s lead vocals provide the emotional anchor, their performances marked by an understated ache that highlights the song’s themes of loss and longing.

Though released during their transitional phase, it managed to carve out modest success, peaking in the lower rungs of the US Billboard Hot 100 while charting higher across the UK—a reflection of the group’s international appeal navigating an evolving pop market.

The accompanying music video emphasized visual nostalgia, with its earnest focus on the group attempting to maintain relevancy as boybands began to wane in favor of grittier, alternative acts dotting the era’s soundscape.

What makes “If You Go Away” stick, albeit faintly, is its unpretentious ambition: a plea for connection that feels small-scale yet genuine, unburdened by the neon flash of the group’s earlier bubblegum hits.

For listeners, it sits in that liminal space between eras—at once a farewell to their glossy beginnings and a tentative step toward a more mature sound, fleeting but worth revisiting for its earnestness.

Featured on the 1991 album “H.I.T.S.”.

Lyrics >> Review >> More by the same : Official Site

8 . Erasure – You Surround Me

“You Surround Me” by Erasure doesn’t rush to the dancefloor like much of their earlier catalog but rather glides into a more introspective terrain.

Released as the second single from their fourth album “Wild!” in late 1989, the track diverges from their trademark energy, opting instead for a thoughtful, slow-burn melody that captures a cinematic yearning.

Vince Clarke channels his synthesizers into lush, sweeping arrangements, while Andy Bell’s voice soars with fragility and a hint of melodrama—arguably his most theatrical outing to date.

The song’s James Bond-esque flair wasn’t incidental; Clarke claimed it aimed to emulate the bombastic gravitas of series themes, though filtered through their electronic sensibilities.

Despite a respectable peak at #15 on the UK charts and a better showing in Ireland, it didn’t quite land the emotional knockout Clarke and Bell likely envisioned. Critics were divided, with some commending its ambitious tone, while others dismissed its “thin” rhythm as compared to prevailing house music trends.

The B-sides offered experimental tangents, especially “91 Steps,” which had just enough strange time signatures to make listeners think their cassette player might be defective. Another, “Supernature,” took Cerrone’s disco anthem into a weirdly apocalyptic realm, enhanced further by a collaboration with cult icon Lene Lovich.

Visually, the promotional video was a chroma-chic affair, situating the duo in surreal cityscapes that oscillate between kitsch and artistic pretense—it’s enjoyable, but hardly groundbreaking.

Though far from Erasure’s defining moment, “You Surround Me” still carries a peculiar charm, like an ornate bauble found amid their otherwise glittering synth-pop repertoire—a mix of sentimentality and sonic ambition that neither fully captivates nor fully fades from memory.

Featured on the 1989 album “Wild!”.

Lyrics >> Review >> More by the same : Official Site

9 . Louise – One Kiss From Heaven

Louise’s “One Kiss From Heaven” brings a swirl of romantic pop with a tinge of R&B, a mix well-fitted for the polished 90s charts.

Released as the fifth single from her debut solo album *Naked* on November 18, 1996, the track found solid footing, peaking at number 9 on the UK Singles Chart.

Crafted by Simon Climie and Denis Ingoldsby and overseen in production by Climie alongside Oliver Smallman, this song presents itself as a smooth and melodic offering, albeit one that treads carefully within the confines of its era.

Critics gave the song a varied reception, with Music Week doling out a modest three stars, calling it sophistically produced but somewhat less compelling than Louise’s prior material.

Still, there’s a certain charm here, with its swingbeat sensibilities aligning well with romantic balladry, even if it veers towards predictability at times.

The accompanying music video helped bolster its narrative, presenting Louise in dreamy backdrops that complemented the track’s ethereal tone.

For fans of her previous hits, the inclusion of engaging remixes like the Boot ‘N’ Mac mix breathed extra life into the single, offering dancefloor enhancements with none of the original’s sentiment lost.

“One Kiss From Heaven” may not have marked a groundbreaking moment in her discography, but it remains a reflective bookmark of mid-90s pop’s glossy appeal.

Featured on the 1996 album “Naked”.

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10 . Lighthouse Family – High

Lighthouse Family’s “High,” birthed during the late ’90s wave of polished pop-meets-adult-contemporary, is both a time capsule and a testament to the duo’s knack for crafting sentimentally charged earworms.

The song unfolds as a sleek blend of optimism and emotional vulnerability, designed to coax a tear even from the most cynical listener.

Written by Tunde Baiyewu and Paul Tucker alongside Martin Brammer, the track reflects both the personal and professional turbulence of its creators, as Tucker reportedly struggled for months to pin down the lyrics, finally finding his stride mere hours before recording began.

“One day we’re gonna get so high,” the song’s central mantra, encapsulates a bittersweet tension between dreamy aspiration and grounded resilience, distilling a universal longing into just a few words.

The arrangement leans heavily on lush instrumentation and Baiyewu’s velvety vocal delivery, with just enough production sheen to make it chart-friendly without veering into the saccharine.

Commercially, “High” succeeded in hitting all the right notes, literally and figuratively, storming charts across continents and peaking at number one in Australia and New Zealand.

It was also a hit back home in the UK, securing a solid number four spot and cementing its place as one of the late ’90s’ essential radio staples.

Critics, while not unanimously fawning, admired the track’s earnestness and its seamless blending of aspirational themes with light, digestible melodies.

Chuck Taylor of *Billboard* notably praised it as a standout from their sophomore album *Postcards from Heaven*, a project that gleamed with the same polished aesthetic that made the song such a global favorite.

Even outside of the charts, “High” wove itself into the cultural fabric, with its inclusion in an Australian advertising campaign for Optus only expanding its reach.

And yet, for all its acclaim, one could argue its charm lies less in raw originality and more in its smooth execution—classic car design in musical form, expertly crafted for mass appeal but hardly groundbreaking.

The song’s resilience across decades, however, suggests that perhaps “High” owes its success to something of a golden ratio between sincerity and accessibility, landing just at the threshold of emotional manipulation without tipping over.

If nothing else, “High” remains a buoyant pop anthem for those moments when life feels just grounded enough to contemplate the possibility of soaring.

Featured on the 1997 album “Postcards from Heaven”.

Lyrics >> Review >> More by the same : Official Site

11 . Simply Red – Angel

Simply Red’s “Angel,” plucked from the 1996 album *Blue*, is a carefully constructed reimagining of Bob Marley’s serene 1971 reggae piece of the same name.

By shuffling the track into their signature velvety soundscapes, the band marries its polished soul motifs with faint echoes of reggae’s roots, demonstrating an interesting, if not fully transformative, homage.

Co-produced with Gota Yashiki, the effort retains respect for the original but wears a slick, studio-produced coat that distances it from its sparse, earthy progenitor.

Paired in its 1999 release as a double A-side with a Gregory Isaacs cover (“Night Nurse”), the single briefly flirted with chart success in the UK, landing at No. 4, a respectable nod suggesting lingering affection for late ’90s nostalgia-tinged tracks.

The music video, much like the song, leans into aesthetic quaintness without veering into experimental territory, more a visual supplement than a reinvention.

While “Angel” operates comfortably within the band’s established oeuvre, it never steps fully beyond the shadows of its origin, existing as a pleasant, if safe, artifact of Simply Red’s evolving 1990s output.

Featured on the 1996 album “Set It Off”.

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12 . Dannii Minogue – I Don’t Wanna Take This Pain

“I Don’t Wanna Take This Pain” by Dannii Minogue presents itself as a snapshot of early ‘90s dance-pop dynamics, marked by its polished production and rhythmic allure.

Released as the fifth single from Minogue’s debut album *Love and Kisses*, the track underwent a notable transformation between its Australian and UK releases, with a re-recorded version spawning its highest chart success in the UK, peaking at number 40.

While it failed to achieve blockbuster status, it served as an experiment in bridging slick pop with remix culture, thanks to notable contributions from Les Adams and the L.A. Mix duo.

The lyrics tread familiar territory, grappling with themes of love’s emotional toll, while Minogue’s vocals convey sincerity, if not complexity, leaving critics divided on its memorability.

Its accompanying video leaned heavily on choreography, reinforcing Minogue’s image as a performer carving out her space in a crowded pop landscape.

As a product of its time, it encapsulates the quirks and trends of early ‘90s pop, a solid—if not groundbreaking—addition to Dannii Minogue’s career trajectory.

Featured on the 1990 album “Dannii”.

Lyrics >> Review >> More by the same : Official Site