‘Look Ma, No Mike!’ N°7 – Vintage 90s Music Videos

1 . Del Amitri – When You Were Young

“When You Were Young” by Del Amitri emerges as a poignant slice of alternative rock from the early ’90s, laced with the wistful charm that defines much of the band’s catalogue.

Landing as the third single from their 1992 album *Change Everything*, it’s a track that feels both reflective and quietly urgent, mirroring the melancholic introspection hovering over much of the record.

Produced by Gil Norton, the song intertwines clean, jangling guitar lines with Justin Currie’s unmistakable, slightly wearied vocals, crafting an emotional narrative that resonates deeply with anyone prone to mining nostalgia for answers.

Charting at number 20 in the UK, it arrived to a modest commercial reception but adds a worthy chapter to the period’s alternative rock canon—more thoughtful than showy, and just distant enough from mainstream sheen.

The parent album is remembered for its storytelling depth and remains a fan favorite, yet this single feels like a quieter offering tucked amongst bigger hits like “Always the Last to Know.”

B-sides from the single’s release featured live renditions and recordings that offer a looser, rawer counterpoint to the album’s polished edges, a reminder of the band’s ability to tether a live immediacy to their studio precision.

No flashy spectacle, “When You Were Young” reflects a sobering kind of brilliance, the sound of a band capturing the ordinary heartbreak of growing up and growing distant without making it feel mundane.

Featured on the 1992 album “Change Everything”.

Lyrics >> More by the same : Official Site

2 . Belly – Feed The Tree

Released in 1993 as the lead single from Belly’s debut album “Star,” “Feed the Tree” makes an immediate impression with its jangling guitars and Tanya Donelly’s haunting vocals.

The song soars to the top of the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks and sneaks onto the Hot 100 at #95, a modest feat compared to its cult legacy.

Across the Atlantic, it reaches #32 on the UK Singles Chart, offering a respectable foothold for the band on both sides of the pond.

The lyrics tread an intriguing line between cryptic and grounded, using burial grounds on farms as a metaphor for themes of commitment and respect—just enough weight to chew on without veering into melodrama.

The track’s video, all filtered sunlight and wooded backdrops, mirrors the hazy nostalgia of the song itself and earns steady rotation on MTV, cementing it as one of the network’s “Buzz Bin” darlings of the era.

Behind the boards, producer Gil Norton brings clarity to the shimmering chaos, creating a lush, layered sound that sits somewhere between shoegaze’s haze and grunge’s bite.

Yet for all its airplay and accolades—a Grammy nomination for its parent album and nods from VH1 and MTV—the song remains both Belly’s calling card and their creative ceiling.

Its quirks and textures, while compelling, capture the specific mood of the early ’90s alternative scene rather than breaking new ground beyond it.

“Feed the Tree” is that peculiar relic: a one-hit wonder that transcends its hit status while still being trapped by the era that birthed it.

In retrospect, it stands as an honest snapshot of a moment when jangly guitars and abstract poetics found a home on mainstream platforms before the cultural tide shifted once more.

Featured on the 1993 album “Star”.

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

3 . Gary Barlow – Open Road

Gary Barlow’s “Open Road” emerges as a curious snapshot of late ’90s pop sensibility, blending introspection with a glossy production sheen.

Released as part of his solo debut album in 1997, the track carries the weight of an artist attempting to separate himself from the boy band shadow of Take That, underscoring his desire for a mature musical identity.

With production credits shared by Chris Porter and others, the song leans into Pop and Soft Rock, pulling from the DNA of Mr. Mister’s 1985 hit “Kyrie” for a sense of mid-decade nostalgia.

Though not a chart-topping phenomenon, the single managed respectable placements worldwide, peaking at No. 7 in the UK and No. 2 in Lithuania—an unexpected stronghold for Barlow’s melodic yearning.

Thematically, “Open Road” embarks on a well-tilled narrative path of self-discovery and hope, yet avoids taking any risky lyrical detours that might have deepened its emotional resonance.

Critics like *Music Week* praised Barlow’s vocal finesse, but the track’s slightly polished exterior leaves room for debate on its replay value.

The accompanying music video tries hard to match the song’s message with visual metaphors of a personal journey, though it occasionally slides into predictable territory.

As the fourth single from an album that reached No. 1 in the UK, “Open Road” feels like the polite close to an era where Barlow’s solo career was clinking rather than roaring.

This track, though competently performed, serves more as a bookmark than a bold new chapter in his artistic narrative.

Featured on the 1997 album “Open Road”.

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

4 . Kenickie – In Your Car

Kenickie’s “In Your Car” is a pop-punk joyride that channels a bratty, infectious energy, emblematic of the mid-90s Britpop and riot grrrl crossover moment. Pulled from their debut album, *At The Club*, it is as much about communal chaos as it is about capturing the fleeting thrill of reckless youth.

The track’s crunchy guitar riffs and Lauren Laverne’s swaggering vocal delivery evoke a rough-edged charm that’s more garage party than glossy studio polish. John Cornfield’s production keeps the buzz intact without sanding off the edges, allowing the song’s confrontational hooks to take center stage.

The UK music video, directed by Björn Lindgren, paints the band in their unvarnished glory, while the US edition, filmed in a Hollywood car storage facility, amps up the disarray with aesthetic cheek. The latter even includes a mannequin stand-in for Johnny X, whose absence was a bizarre yet on-brand touch.

Notably, the band kicked off 1997 by opening a *Top of the Pops* episode with this track, adding a wry punctuation mark to its UK Singles Chart peak at No. 24. Meanwhile, their live appearances that year, from Glastonbury to supporting the Ramones at their final UK show, reinforce the raw spontaneity that defines an act like Kenickie—a group as unapologetic in their theatrics as they are in their sound.

With “In Your Car,” Kenickie delivers a nod to escapism on four wheels, transforming post-adolescent mischief into a two-minute sprint that refuses to overstay its welcome. It’s messy, loud, and irresistibly to the point—qualities far more enduring than perfection ever could be.

Featured on the 1997 album “At the Club”.

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

5 . Gloria Estefan – Coming Out Of The Dark

Gloria Estefan’s “Coming Out of the Dark” slips into the early ’90s as both a commercial anthem and a deeply personal artifact. Released in January 1991, it occupies a strange duality: an Adult Contemporary number-one hit and a poignant chapter in Estefan’s recovery narrative after the horrifying bus crash that fractured her spine the year prior.

The song kicks off with signature ’90s piano schmaltz, teetering between calculated sentimentality and genuine uplift. By the time the gospel choir rolls in—featuring Jon Secada and Betty Wright—it’s clear this track is engineered to yank at heartstrings with precision. Secada, incidentally, co-writes here, right before his own pop ascension, adding a layer of trivia for completists to chew on.

Chart-wise, it’s a beast, hitting number one on the US *Billboard Hot 100* and Adult Contemporary charts, as well as claiming airtime far beyond North America. Canada? Sure. Japan? Why not. Europe? Moderately, with respectable nods in Ireland and the UK, though hardly invincible. And yet, for all its triumphs abroad, it remains a quintessentially American ballad: big, earnest, almost naive in its emotional sprawl.

Thematically, it wears its intentions on its sleeve—recovery, resilience, that sunny ’90s optimism with just enough edge to feel earned. Adding context is its debut performance at the American Music Awards in 1991, marking Estefan’s symbolic return to the public eye. Pop doesn’t get more dramaturgical than this.

If the music video feels drenched in early MTV-lite aesthetics—think soft lighting, dramatic recovery montages, and tasteful close-ups—it’s because it’s as much about marketing as it is about catharsis. And yet, for all its polish, the track holds up not for being groundbreaking, but for its refusal to sidestep vulnerability.

Featured on the 1991 album “Into the Light “.

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

6 . Garageland – Beelines To Heaven

Garageland’s *“Beelines to Heaven”* whisks us to the no-frills ’90s New Zealand garage rock scene, where battered guitars and unpolished melodies thrive.

Released in 1996 under Flying Nun Records—known for championing the Kiwi underground—it carries the grit of a band toying with imperfection.

There’s a loose, almost reckless charm here, one that beckons format nostalgists with its cassette availability, an antidote to today’s overproduced gloss.

Even without chart-topping accolades or intricate production lore, the album feels anchored in its time, wobbling between local cult movement and broader aspirations.

Its grungy demeanor pairs well with the echoes of *“Last Exit to Garageland,”* another 1996 release that pushed the band slightly beyond their local haunts.

This is the sound of young musicians tearing through suburban boredom with defiant energy, where fuzzed-out riffs and raw vocals capture a fleeting moment in New Zealand’s cultural landscape.

Featured on the 1996 album “Last Exit to Garageland”.

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

7 . Bryan Adams – Star

“Star” by Bryan Adams occupies a quirky niche in the rocker’s extensive discography, as much a product of its cinematic tie-in as its mid-’90s production sheen.

Released in late 1996 from the album *18 til I Die*, it was drafted as the theme song for *Jack*, a Robin Williams film as uneven in tone as this track’s chart performance.

The song stumbled to middling positions in Germany and Eurochart Hot 100 but clicked better in Scotland and narrowly missed the UK Top 10, landing at 13.

It’s a rock tune polished with a slick radio-ready finish, co-produced by Adams and the omnipresent Robert John “Mutt” Lange alongside Michael Kamen, whose fingerprints often signal an orchestral flourish or a touch of sentimentality.

It’s undeniably competent yet lacks the visceral punch of Adams’ earlier anthems; this is “Summer of ’69” gone lightweight, perhaps befitting a family film soundtrack but stripped of raw edge.

Still, the broader success of *18 til I Die*—a chart-topping, multi-platinum affair in the UK—anchors “Star” in a moment when Adams could do little wrong commercially, even if the song itself isn’t hurtling towards classic status.

Featured on the 1996 album “18 til I Die”.

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

8 . East 17 – Hey Child

“Hey Child” by East 17 arrives as a pop-R&B cocktail, standing out in the late 1990s, arguably at the twilight of the group’s original lineup.

Positioned within their greatest hits compilation, “Around the World Hit Singles: The Journey So Far,” it sneaks into history as a single that charted at No. 3 on the UK Singles Chart, fueling fleeting nostalgia before the group took its bow the same year.

Written by Tony Mortimer, the song blends the edge of the group’s earlier hip-hop-influenced hits with a more polished, mature soundscape.

The accompanying music video takes the minimalist route, laying the band members against clean, stylized backdrops while less attention is given to narrative or ambitious direction.

Commercially, “Hey Child” brushed up against the higher ranks of charts in the UK but faced more muted reception elsewhere, a sign of the band’s waning grip on global audiences compared to their mid-’90s heyday.

Thematically, the track leans into somber reflection, signaling the members’ evolution from their youthful brashness.

While not considered groundbreaking, its inclusion in the band’s compilation underscores its role as a checkpoint in East 17’s catalog, tethering die-hard fans to the group’s fleeting moments of clarity amidst an otherwise chaotic final stretch.

Featured on the 1996 album “Around the World Hit Singles: The Journey So Far “.

Lyrics >> More by the same : Official Site

9 . Oasis – Whatever

“Whatever” by Oasis finds itself parked in a curious spot in the band’s history—a rare standalone single from the twilight years of Britpop’s ascent, wedged between “Definitely Maybe” and “(What’s The Story) Morning Glory?”.

The track flirts with orchestral rock, its strings arranged by the London Session Orchestra, adding a theatrical layer to what might otherwise be a deceptively straightforward Britpop anthem.

Lyrically, it’s a flag-waving ode to autonomy, yapping about freedom with a swagger that feels both aspirational and slightly naïve.

Noel Gallagher’s writing leans into a simplicity that begs to be sung aloud, though legal dustups over its melodic kinship with Neil Innes’ “How Sweet to Be an Idiot” mean both Noel and Innes now share the credit—a tidbit rivaling the song itself in notoriety.

Structurally, it’s got enough meat to stave off monotony—simple AB phrasing, a sharp key change, and a gravy-thick outro of swelling strings that overstays its welcome but still gets applause.

The video, a near-chaotic stew of the band loafing around a children-filled house, reflects the song’s youthful posturing while Mark Szaszy’s direction leans on visual clutter rather than clarity.

In a band rife with iconic moments, “Whatever” is neither the zenith nor a footnote—it slots somewhere between earnest experimentation and a time filler, with Liam’s sneering vocals keeping it just grounded enough to belong in Oasis’s golden-era setlist.

Featured on the 1994 album “Definitely Maybe “.

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

10 . 3 Colours Red – Nuclear Holiday

“Nuclear Holiday” by 3 Colours Red bursts out of the gates with unrelenting punk rock energy, a hallmark of their 1997 debut album *Pure*, crafted under the watchful eye of producer Terry Thomas and released via Creation Records.

The song leans heavily into brash garage punk territory, carried by frenetic guitar riffs and a rhythm section that seems to teeter on the edge of chaos—controlled chaos, if you will.

Lyrically, it’s the sonic equivalent of a clenched fist, channeling dissonance and rebellion into a rallying cry fit for disaffected youth of the Britrock era.

With Pete Vuckovic’s gravelly vocals out front and Chris McCormack and Ben Harding’s dual-guitar assault, the track feels like a nod to punk stalwarts The Clash, albeit redressed for the late ’90s.

Keith Baxter’s pounding drums deliver a pulse that never lets the listener relax, while the production stays raw enough to evoke an almost live experience.

A staple of the band’s live shows, “Nuclear Holiday” gained momentum with its accompanying music video, which amplifies the band’s gritty, no-frills aesthetic and reminds viewers of punk’s penchant for rebellion over polish.

The track may not have carved out a standalone chart success, but its place in the *Pure* album marks it as both a product of its time and a restless challenge to the mainstream rock polish surrounding it.

By the time the Reading Festival came knocking in 1997, 3 Colours Red had already cemented its fleeting but visceral space within the Britrock vortex—a scene as combustible as the song’s title suggests.

Featured on the 1997 album “Pure”.

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

11 . Moodswings – Spiritual High (w/ Chrissie Hynde)

“Spiritual High (State of Independence)” by Moodswings featuring Chrissie Hynde shakes up the ’90s music scene with its eclectic genre blend and ambitious thematic scope.

Borrowing heavily from Jon and Vangelis’ “State of Independence,” this track transforms the original into a sprawling three-part composition on the *Moodfood* album, released in 1992 under the Arista label.

Chrissie Hynde’s vocals anchor the piece with a resonant clarity that offsets the swirling layers of tribal ambient, house, and downtempo influences.

Meanwhile, the inclusion of Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech adds a weighty historical dimension that feels both bold and slightly opportunistic, depending on one’s perspective.

The track indulges in a certain grandiosity with its intricate production, thanks to J.F.T. Hood and Grant Showbiz, while managing to remain grounded through contributions from a star-studded lineup, including Jeff Beck and Johnny Marr.

Part II, with Hynde’s voice taking center stage, was even featured in the film *Single White Female*, a pop-culture nod that doesn’t go unnoticed.

At its best, the track captures the collective yearning for spiritual autonomy, though its ambition occasionally teeters on the edge of indulgence.

For fans of electronic fusion and ambient experimentation, it remains emblematic of its time, offering both a nostalgic journey and a reminder of the ’90s penchant for mixing the experimental with the mainstream.

Featured on the 1992 album “Moodfood”.

Lyrics >> More by the same : Wikipedia

12 . Maria Mckee – Breathe

Maria McKee’s “Breathe” stands as a potent artifact of an artist pivoting away from familiar terrain to chart new creative waters.

Hailing from her early ’90s output, the song carved its own niche within the rock genre, jettisoning McKee’s Americana roots in favor of a more introspective and atmospheric tone.

Produced by a team including George Drakoulias and Benmont Tench, the track hinted at her ongoing transformation, straddling commercial appeal and an esoteric allure.

Despite reaching a modest peak of 59 on the UK Singles Chart, “Breathe” feels less like a concession to pop radio and more like a personal manifesto wrapped in shimmering, layered production.

Thematically, it offers a kind of emotional expanse, veiled yet impactful, mirroring McKee’s propensity for navigating life’s murkier corners with poise.

Its accompanying music video, overseen by UMG Recordings, Inc., underscored the song’s ethereal temperament without overindulging in visual excess.

McKee’s performance style in “Breathe” resonates as both intimate and commanding, a balancing act that signals her restless ambition and refusal to stagnate artistically.

The track’s place in her catalog feels like a bridge—grounded yet reaching toward a horizon where folk-tinged melodies meld with grander, more experimental aspirations.

Featured on the 1989 album “Maria McKee”.

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