‘L’Amour Toujours’ N°303 – Vintage 90s Music Videos

1 . Annie Lennox – Something So Right

Annie Lennox’s take on “Something So Right” seizes on the 1973 Paul Simon original with a kind of reverent precision that doesn’t quite feel slavish but never fully escapes its shadow either.

First appearing on her 1995 album *Medusa*—a collection of covers so eclectic it feels like Lennox’s personal playlist put through a production blender—the song’s most intriguing aspect is the duet version with Simon himself, an element that paradoxically brings both gravitas and a faint echo of karaoke awkwardness.

Charting at a modest number 44 in the UK, it’s hardly the track you’d call a showstopper on an album that sold over six million copies globally, propelled more by Lennox’s name than any of its individual entries.

Fast forward nearly two decades, “Something So Right” reappears, reshuffled into her 2014 album *Nostalgia*—a jazz and blues homage that says more about her impulse to interpret than any burning need to reinvent.

Now joined by Herbie Hancock on piano, the track trades its earlier version’s easy-listening veneer for something more brooding, though hardly transformational.

There’s a promotional clip floating around online—a restrained performance by Lennox that leans heavily on her vocal emotiveness, which remains her most undeniable asset even when the material feels lukewarm.

The album itself garnered Grammy nods, but “Something So Right” sat largely unremarked upon, content to haunt the fringes of Lennox’s tracklists and live setlists, including a spot in her *NBC Nostalgia* special.

In both incarnations, the song is competent, tastefully rendered, and entirely too polite—a footnote in the career of an artist capable of much bolder statements.

Featured on the 1995 album “Medusa “.

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

2 . Winger – Miles Away

Released in late 1990, Winger’s power ballad “Miles Away” fits snugly into the glam-metal playbook of the era but manages to stand out with its polished sorrow and melodic slickness.

As the band’s most commercially successful single, it nudges its way into the soft spot of early ’90s rock radio nostalgia, achieving a respectable peak at #12 on the Billboard Hot 100—a common proving ground for hair-metal sentimentality turned digestible heartbreak.

The track sways between melancholy and arena-ready bombast, with Kip Winger’s emotive vocals weaving through themes of love lost and emotional disconnection, the lyrics flitting just shy of sappiness.

Paul Taylor’s initial intent for the song, tied to a personal story, adds a layer of retroactive intrigue, especially as the song was once considered—and declined—by Eric Martin of Mr. Big.

The production by Beau Hill is clean to a fault, polishing the edges off any rough emotion that might have given the track a bit more texture, but it holds up as a quintessential example of glam rock’s softer side attempting earnestness.

The accompanying music video holds a mirror to the era’s visual trademarks: dramatic lighting, big hair, and slow-motion band shots that signal *feel something, please* without making direct eye contact.

Interestingly, its only UK chart appearance—a modest #56—is an anomaly in the band’s catalog, hinting at a fleeting international reach rather than sustained global relevance.

Still, the song’s harmonized choruses and wistful guitar solos hit a sweet spot for fans of the genre’s blend of sentimentality and theatricality, even if it’s not exactly reinventing the wheel.

Though adorned with the tension between its emotional aspirations and its hyper-produced delivery, “Miles Away” remains one of Winger’s best-remembered strokes, for better or worse, in the fading afterglow of glam metal’s dominion.

Featured on the 1990 album “In the Heart of the Young”.

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

3 . Backstreet Boys – I’ll Never Break Your Heart

“I’ll Never Break Your Heart” by Backstreet Boys emerges as a quintessential mid-90s pop ballad, balancing soft R&B elements with smooth, melodramatic harmonies.

Released internationally in 1995 and later introduced to the U.S. audience in 1997, the track exemplifies a formulaic yet effective approach to the boy band era.

The song’s lyrics, penned by Eugene Wilde and Albert Manno, paint a romantic plea promising unwavering loyalty—a theme tailor-made for teenage swoons and radio rotations.

Its chart performance mirrors a steady climb rather than an explosive breakout, peaking at #35 on the Billboard Hot 100 but securing a loftier #1 spot on the Adult Contemporary chart, signaling its dual appeal to younger fans and older listeners alike.

Two music videos accompany the track, with contrasting stylistic choices: the original is a snowy montage filmed in Utah, leveraging soft visuals, while the U.S. version leans glossier, featuring close-ups and subtle nods to the personal lives of the band members, including cameos from Brian Littrell’s girlfriend and dog.

The recording of this seemingly straightforward ballad wasn’t without its quirks, with vocal issues and tedious manual tape rewinding requiring two weeks to complete—making it the band’s lengthiest session to date, a tidbit that both humanizes their process and hints at the meticulous grooming behind ’90s pop perfection.

Despite its relatively tame trajectory on U.S. charts, the song achieved broader recognition overseas, securing top 10 positions in markets like the UK, Australia, and Germany, placing the group firmly on the international stage.

The track’s inclusion of a Spanish version adds a layer of globalization, though some may see it as a calculated nod to untapped markets rather than genuine artistic exploration.

In live performances, the song proves its enduring utility, functioning as a slow-paced emotional anchor amidst upbeat crowd favorites, particularly during their residency in Las Vegas’ “Larger than Life” shows.

While it lacks the iconic punch of later hits, the song continues to resonate as an emblem of mid-90s boy band sincerity, even as its earnest tone occasionally flirts with saccharine overindulgence.

Featured on the 1996 album “Backstreet Boys”.

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

4 . Meat Loaf – Not A Dry Eye In The House

Released in 1995, “Not a Dry Eye in the House” is an emotional breakup ballad that spotlights Meat Loaf’s flair for the theatrical.

Written by songwriter Diane Warren, the track departs from Meat Loaf’s usual collaborator Jim Steinman, leaning into Warren’s polished knack for crafting sentimental, radio-friendly anthems.

It plays out like a soft rock melodrama, with swelling orchestration and a vocal performance that veers between mournful restraint and dramatic, almost cinematic intensity.

The second single from the *Welcome to the Neighborhood* album, the song achieved reasonable commercial momentum, hitting number 7 on the UK Singles Chart and charting in various European countries.

The music video, helmed by Howard Greenhalgh, adds a layer of wistful nostalgia by having Meat Loaf reminisce over a love affair with a screen starlet, blurring the lines between personal agony and old-Hollywood grandeur.

Yet, despite its poignancy, some argue that the song’s emotional pitch might tip too far into overindulgence, appealing more to those fully prepared to immerse themselves in its unabashed drama.

The release is accompanied by live performances and Beatles covers, which feel like extras on a Blu-ray—interesting but not front-and-center.

This track may not stand as Meat Loaf’s most innovative moment, yet it encapsulates his ability to turn heartbreak into operatic spectacle, bordering on absurd but never lacking commitment.

Featured on the 1995 album “Welcome to the Neighbourhood”.

Lyrics >> Review >> More by the same : Wikipedia

5 . Erasure – In My Arms

Erasure’s “In My Arms,” released in 1997 as the lead single from their album *Cowboy*, struts in on shimmering synths, a confident nod to their well-traveled synth-pop roots.

The track finds Vince Clarke and Andy Bell tiptoeing into trip-hop influences, layering introspection with a glossy sheen of melodic optimism.

Chart performance played an uneven game, peaking respectably in the UK at number 13, hitting number 1 in Hungary, but falling flat in Germany at number 76—proof of geography-driven subjectivity in pop tastes.

In the US, the song slid in at number 55 on the Billboard Hot 100 but shone brighter on the dance charts, reaching number 2, as if pre-programmed for the nightclubs over the radio.

Remixed by Love to Infinity into a sparkling disco interpretation, “In My Arms” was retooled while retaining its emotional core, giving the track multiple personas without losing its identity.

The music video, filmed at the New Theatre Oxford and directed by Dick Carruthers, embraces late-’90s minimalism, pairing understated visuals with Andy Bell’s emotive delivery.

Quieter in creative risks yet unfailing in execution, this single shows Erasure locking into their comfort zone with a polished reassurance, if not groundbreaking urgency.

The final US release to include a standard 7-inch and Cassingle format, the track now stands as a timestamp for when physical media’s twilight began casting its shadow over the music industry.

Featured on the 1997 album “Cowboy”.

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

6 . Ultra – Rescue Me

Released in the early days of 1999, “Rescue Me” by Ultra ushers in a contemplative shift for the British boyband known for their typically buoyant fare.

The track, lifted from their debut and eponymous album, took an unapologetically melancholic approach, pairing Pop and Europop sensibilities with lyrical weight revolving around fractured love and what could best be described as a desperate plea for a fix.

Landing at #8 on the UK charts, it found temporary favor, lingering in the top 40 for four weeks—no small feat for a band carving its identity in the crowded pop landscape of the late ’90s.

The timing of its release—after New Year’s revelry rather than holiday froth—may have allowed it to stand apart from more glittery contenders during the crowded festive season.

Ultra, as a band, leaned heavily into their Wham-inspired aspirations, complete with self-played instruments and a bid for authenticity in a field often dismissed as manufactured.

Here lies the paradox of “Rescue Me”—an intensely intimate ballad served up by a boyband chasing ubiquity.

While other tracks on the album, such as “Say You Do” and “The Right Time,” aimed for immediacy, this song marks a tone shift akin to breaking out the slow dance at a party only half over.

Produced by the quartet of Harding, Curnow, Robson, and Kraushaar, the track bears sonic cleanliness typical of late-’90s Pop, but there’s an undercurrent of wistfulness that feels a touch at odds with its polished varnish.

The music video, stylized and capitalizing on cinematic staging, reflects the emotional tenor without veering into overwrought theatrics—it’s all sleek edges and emotive glances.

The release rode on momentum but soon found itself a casualty of fleeting trends, as Ultra’s ascent proved to be more of a single burst than a sustained arc.

While time hasn’t necessarily granted “Rescue Me” the sheen of classic status, its accomplished production coupled with a transient top-10 moment earns it a thoughtful nod amidst the churn of long-past hit cycles.

Featured on the 1999 album “Ultra “.

Lyrics >> Review >> More by the same : Wikipedia

7 . Frank Sinatra & Bono – I’ve Got You Under My Skin

Recorded in 1993 for Frank Sinatra’s “Duets” album, “I’ve Got You Under My Skin” pairs Sinatra with Bono in an unlikely collaboration that blends timeless jazz swing with a vocal performance as distinct as a thumbprint smudge on a champagne glass.

Sinatra’s pre-recorded vocals, etched at Los Angeles’ Capitol Studios, are joined by Bono’s contribution, belted out while precariously perched on a couch in Dublin’s STS Studios, handheld mic in tow.

The song, originally written by Cole Porter in 1936, pivots around unrelenting love, turning obsession into melody with an arrangement that borrows from Nelson Riddle’s 1956 classic but adds a layer of grit from Bono’s rock-inflected tone.

Sinatra, ever the king of charm, holds his ground against Bono’s earnest modernity, creating a curious, if not uneven, interplay between two towering personalities of their eras.

The accompanying video, directed by Kevin Godley, stitches together a collage of mid-century cool, U2’s Zoo TV surrealism, and Bono alone among a field of television screens—a nod, perhaps, to the oblique worlds these two men inhabit.

For all its quirks, the duet carries weight within the “Duets” album, though the partnership is one of shadow and light, Sinatra’s era-defining style casting a long silhouette over Bono’s contemporary sensibilities.

The track was intermittently released as a double A-side with U2’s “Stay (Faraway So Close),” hinting at Capitol Records’ strategy to blend audiences but ultimately failing to lift this rendition into standalone commercial triumph.

The original 1956 version, painstakingly recorded across 22 takes, remains the yardstick against which this duet is measured—a fact that neither time-traveling camera tricks nor ironic juxtaposition can quite sweep away.

For diehard fans of either artist, this duet is a curiosity, but for others, it’s a question mark dressed as an exclamation point, underscoring the precarious alchemy of blending golden-age croon with the electric melancholy of rock.

Featured on the 1993 album “Duets”.

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

8 . The Stone Roses – Love Spreads

Released in 1994, “Love Spreads” by The Stone Roses cuts deep with its gritty blues rock ethos, leading off their sophomore effort *Second Coming*.

The track’s opening lick, marked by John Squire’s soaring slide guitar, immediately signals the shift from the jangly psychedelia of their debut to a weightier, American blues-tinged sound.

The song’s religious imagery, steeped in references to Christ and reinterpretations of biblical motifs, reads like a theological Rubik’s cube—provocative enough to spark debates but elusive enough to evade a single interpretation.

Critics and fans praised its boldness, even dubbing it “the greatest comeback single ever.” Still, the gritty texture of the sound divided audiences who were expecting their earlier melodic shimmer.

Peaking at number 2 on the UK Singles Chart, the song achieved the band’s highest-charting position, boasting a global reach from New Zealand to Sweden, despite being oddly out of sync with mid-‘90s Britpop mania.

The UK music video tap-dances on the border of surreal and cheeky, while the U.S. version went industrial, creating a striking visual dichotomy reflective of its cross-continental reception.

The cover art, featuring a cherub from Newport Bridge, somehow encapsulates the song’s loftier ambitions of mixing high art with pop accessibility.

The band’s confrontational aura and the single’s brooding depth gave a middle finger to fleeting pop trends, placing it firmly in discussions about 90s music monumentalism.

Featured on the 1994 album “Second Coming“.

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

9 . Lita Ford – Shot of Poison

Released in 1991 under RCA Records, Lita Ford’s “Shot of Poison” shows her straddling hard rock and pop rock like a leather-clad tightrope walker balancing glam appeal and gritty rebellion.

Co-written with Myron Grombacher and Jim Vallance, the track serves as a cocktail of sharp guitar riffs and lyrical flirtation with danger, conjuring a world of forbidden attraction that’s too thrilling to resist.

Produced by Tom Werman, known for polishing the chaos of Mötley Crüe and Cheap Trick, the song is a high-octane showcase of Ford’s ability to mix technical ferocity with mainstream hooks.

The track reached modest heights on the US Billboard Hot 100 at No. 76, while also climbing to No. 35 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Chart—a performance signaling that glam’s reign was waning, even as Ford’s guitar still burned bright.

The accompanying music video, dripping with MTV-era excess, features Ford in her signature mix of teased hair and chains—a visual time capsule of early ’90s rock aesthetics, accessible today on YouTube for anyone nostalgic or curious about the era.

“Shot of Poison” earned a Grammy nomination for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance in 1993, an accolade that provided a bittersweet note of recognition just before her recording hiatus began.

Though mainstream attention shifted elsewhere, the song remains a reminder of Ford’s tenacity in a genre dominated by male peers, carving out her own unapologetically brash chapter in rock history.

As the glam-metal flame flickered, “Shot of Poison” stood as one of the genre’s last embers shining with amplified swagger and a touch of venom.

Featured on the 1991 album “Dangerous Curves”.

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

10 . The Lightning Seeds – Sugar Coated Iceberg

The Lightning Seeds’ “Sugar Coated Iceberg” glides into the late ’90s with its brand of polished Britpop, a genre quietly thriving between the boisterous echoes of grunge and the emerging pull of electronica.

Released in December 1996 as part of their fourth studio album, *Dizzy Heights*, the track’s title alone serves as a metaphorical critique of deceptive facades—sweet on the surface but fraught with unseen depths beneath.

Ian Broudie, ever the orchestrator of lush yet unpretentious melodies, co-wrote the song with Stephen Jones of Babybird. The pairing results in lyrics that toe the line between clever and opaque, while the synth-swathed production veers slightly too far into the “cornball” territory for some listeners.

The song did snag considerable UK chart attention, peaking at No. 12 in January 1997—arguably a decent feat for a band navigating an era overrun by larger personalities and louder productions.

Critics at the time were divided, praising Broudie’s knack for songwriting while side-eyeing the overly slick arrangement. Those hypnotic hooks, though, ensured the track’s airplay on TV and radio, even landing it a short stay on *Top of the Pops*.

Still, “Sugar Coated Iceberg” encapsulates a snapshot of The Lightning Seeds’ trajectory—a well-crafted, bittersweet pop nugget that shines brightly but never quite escapes its own polished predictability.

Featured on the 1996 album “Dizzy Heights”.

Lyrics >> Review >> More by the same : Twitter

11 . Gary Clark – We Sail On the Stormy Waters

Gary Clark’s “We Sail On The Stormy Waters” floats somewhere between the emotional turbulence of love and the smooth grooves of 90s alternative-rock production.

Released in 1993 as part of his solo album *Ten Short Songs About Love*, the track channels an understated yet deeply textured sonic palette.

The absence of chart information might suggest it never caught the mainstream’s undivided attention, but it’s not a song made for arenas—it’s introspection wrapped in a pop-rock sheen.

The mixing, reportedly inspired by the Beach Boys, injects a sense of airy ambition while staying rooted in the digital precision of SoundTools editing and DAT mastering.

This isn’t a wall of sound, but a selectively crafted mosaic, with instruments and vocals layered in a way that balances clarity and intimacy.

Thematically, it’s drenched in the fragility and resilience of relationships, with Clark’s vocals carrying a resigned tenderness, as if navigating the inevitable wreckage and triumphs of connection.

Though the music video only surfaced on YouTube in 2022, its late arrival doesn’t undermine the song’s charm, instead adding an air of rediscovery for fans digging through overlooked gems of early 90s pop-rock.

Singles from the album like “Freefloating” and “Make A Family” round out the collection, but few match the haunting simplicity of “We Sail.”

Quirks abound, such as the Beach Boys-inspired mixing technique and the embrace of early digital sampling, making Clark’s work a fascinating intersection of old-school homage and new-school tech experimentation.

While its polish and production may seem to contrast the rawness of its emotional undercurrent, this tension is precisely what makes it compelling.

More by the same : Twitter

12 . OTT – The Story Of Love

OTT’s “The Story of Love” hails from 1998, dropping into the late ’90s pop milieu with all the unassuming charm of a time capsule rediscovered under the rug of Y2K hysteria.

It’s unclear if the band aimed for a sweeping ballad or a sentimental snapshot, but what emerges feels rather like a hallmark of its era—a polished vocal arrangement steeped in earnest intentions.

The title suggests a thematic preoccupation with love, and if the song lives up to its name, it undoubtedly nestles itself in the comforting ambiguity of romantic clichés.

Musically, it seems to owe as much to the polished radio sensibilities of contemporaries like Boyz II Men as it does to the broader field of vocal-driven pop acts that dominated the charts at the time.

Unfortunately, without more data—or a particularly memorable hook—this track drifts into that nebulous space of “could’ve been” rather than commanding a firm place in nostalgia’s spotlight.

Perhaps it wasn’t mechanical enough to be robotic or dynamic enough to soar, but its apparent mediocrity doesn’t leave much room for offense.

If there’s one thing to unpack from its minimalist details, it’s the evident restraint with which it approaches its ambitions.

Regardless, like much of late ’90s pop, its ephemeral appeal might resonate more with those who crave a soundtrack for sepia-toned memories of yesteryear rather than critics hungry for innovation or daring.

Featured on the 1997 album “This One’s for You “.

Lyrics >> More by the same : Wikipedia