60 Songs That Explain the '90s
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- Create Date：2023-11-15 14:21:42
- Update Date：2025-09-07
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- Author：Rob Harvilla
- ISBN：1538759462
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Summary
The 1990s were a chaotic and gritty and utterly magical time for music， a confounding barrage of genres and lifestyles and superstars， from grunge to hip-hop， from sumptuous R&B to rambunctious ska-punk， from Axl to Kurt to Missy to Santana to Tupac to Britney。 In SONGS THAT EXPLAIN THE '90s， Ringer music critic Rob Harvilla reimagines all the earwormy， iconic hits Gen Xers pine for with vivid historical storytelling， sharp critical analysis， rampant loopiness， and wryly personal ruminations on the most bizarre， joyous， and inescapable songs from a decade we both regret entirely and miss desperately。
Reviews
Catherine
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Makes me want to listen to the podcast knowing the podcast is probably better than this book which makes him sound really stiff talking about a clear passion topic。Also was legit expecting a list of 60 songs
Daenel
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Admittedly， my favorite musical genre is 80's R&B， but I do have a fondness for 90's music。 My kids were born and raised in the 90's， so there are a lot of memories attached to some of the songs， so this was a fun and nostalgic trip down memory lane for me。 The analysis of The Dixie Chicks' "Goodbye， Earl" was insightful and touched on points I hadn't thought of before {even though I rocked out to the song every time it played on the radio}， namely， that the song is less about the unaliving of E Admittedly， my favorite musical genre is 80's R&B， but I do have a fondness for 90's music。 My kids were born and raised in the 90's， so there are a lot of memories attached to some of the songs， so this was a fun and nostalgic trip down memory lane for me。 The analysis of The Dixie Chicks' "Goodbye， Earl" was insightful and touched on points I hadn't thought of before {even though I rocked out to the song every time it played on the radio}， namely， that the song is less about the unaliving of Earl and more about the drop everything and be there for a friend in need kind of support offered by Mary Anne。 The narrator's voice was appropriately sarcastic and wistful when needed。 There were also hints of embarrassment when he rattled off NSFW song titles。 I'd recommend this audiobook （and this book definitely works better as an audiobook） to anyone with an appreciation for music history and pop culture。 Side note， while most of the songs talked about were recorded in the 90s， there are some call backs to past musical icons and hits。 。。。more
Chantal
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What a fun read/listen！ The author/narrator kept me engaged the entire time。 He taught me about 90s songs I hadn’t heard about， and those I had forgotten about。 Such great song choices， too。 My Millennial heart is full。 One of my top 10 reads this year。 Way to go！Recommend for all Gen-Xers， Millennials， and lovers of 90s music。 （I received this audiobook ALC via NetGalley in return for an honest review。 Thank you to @HachetteAudio as well！）
Chantal
，
What a fun read/listen！ The author/narrator kept me engaged the entire time。 He taught me about 90s songs I hadn’t heard about， and those I had forgotten about。 Such great song choices， too。 My Millennial heart is full。 One of my top 10 reads this year。 Way to go！Recommend for all Gen-Xers， Millennials， and lovers of 90s music。 （I received this audiobook ALC via NetGalley in return for an honest review。 Thank you！）
Maria
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This one is tough。 I thought I would really enjoy this because this is the music I l grew up with and love but it’s just an endless stream of consciousness opinion about music with other pop culture references thrown in。 It reminded me so much of the movie High Fidelity （that I didn’t like） and how they are so obsessed with music that they can’t talk about anything else， which is fine; it’s just not for me。 There’s no organization， rhyme or reason to the whole thing; it’s just a big puddle of mu This one is tough。 I thought I would really enjoy this because this is the music I l grew up with and love but it’s just an endless stream of consciousness opinion about music with other pop culture references thrown in。 It reminded me so much of the movie High Fidelity （that I didn’t like） and how they are so obsessed with music that they can’t talk about anything else， which is fine; it’s just not for me。 There’s no organization， rhyme or reason to the whole thing; it’s just a big puddle of music references and random anecdotes。 Not what I was hoping for。I received a copy from #NetGalley and #HachetteAudio for an honest review。 。。。more
FictionalFlings
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Join Rob for a trip downMemory Lane。 Every song sparks a memory。 Rob recounts his initial reaction to Kurt Cobain/ Nirvana， the poetic rhymes of Tupac， and the countless mixed tapes he made for girls。 If you love 90s Pop Culture or grew up in this era you will enjoy this book。We gained legends and lost them just as quickly。I would have loved to hear the coordinating music played along with the book。
Jennyfer
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（REVIEW OF AUDIOBOOK VERSION）60 Songs that Explain the 90s is an expansion of the podcast by the same name （and presenter） - covering a great deal more than 60 songs and the experiences around those songs that framed the author's experiences of the time。 I should put in a caveat here that I have not listened to the author's podcast previously， so had little frame of reference to theThe narrative running through is a combination of anecdotes， analysis， press articles， album reviews， commentary on （REVIEW OF AUDIOBOOK VERSION）60 Songs that Explain the 90s is an expansion of the podcast by the same name （and presenter） - covering a great deal more than 60 songs and the experiences around those songs that framed the author's experiences of the time。 I should put in a caveat here that I have not listened to the author's podcast previously， so had little frame of reference to theThe narrative running through is a combination of anecdotes， analysis， press articles， album reviews， commentary on the artists， and author's reminiscences。I really wanted to like this - the 90s were a formative time of my life， and the music I listened to at the time is inextricably linked to those core memories。 90s music is incredible， from the mainstream to the indie/alternative and （of course） my beloved britpop。 BUT - listening to the audiobook alone， I found it to be a rather jumbled stream-of consciousness about the media of the time。To me， this book would be better in print （and there is a print version available）， accompanied by a playlist filled with the songs addressed here。 As an audiobook， however， I felt it lacked structure， and I had difficulty linking the artists as the narrative jumped from one to another。I will revisit this when I am able to review a print/text version。~ Many thanks to NetGalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review~ 。。。more
Jennyfer
，
60 Songs that Explain the 90s is an expansion of the podcast by the same name （and presenter） - covering a great deal more than 60 songs and the experiences around those songs that framed the author's experiences of the time。 I should put in a caveat here that I have not listened to the author's podcast previously， so had little frame of reference to the The narrative running through is a combination of anecdotes， analysis， press articles， album reviews， commentary on the artists， and author's r 60 Songs that Explain the 90s is an expansion of the podcast by the same name （and presenter） - covering a great deal more than 60 songs and the experiences around those songs that framed the author's experiences of the time。 I should put in a caveat here that I have not listened to the author's podcast previously， so had little frame of reference to the The narrative running through is a combination of anecdotes， analysis， press articles， album reviews， commentary on the artists， and author's reminiscences。I really wanted to like this - the 90s were a formative time of my life， and the music I listened to at the time is inextricably linked to those core memories。 90s music is incredible， from the mainstream to the indie/alternative and （of course） my beloved britpop。 BUT - listening to the audiobook alone， I found it to be a rather jumbled stream-of consciousness about the media of the time。 To me， this book would be better in print （and there is a print version available）， accompanied by a playlist filled with the songs addressed here。 As an audiobook， however， I felt it lacked structure， and I had difficulty linking the artists as the narrative jumped from one to another。I will revisit this when I am able to review a print/text version。~ Many thanks to NetGalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review~ 。。。more
Kay H
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My favorite documentaries are the ones that focus on a specific decade of time。 They discuss politics， pop culture， technology， music， and more - and discuss how they all intertwine and show the progression of culture and events。 This book reminds me of those documentaries but with a heavy helping of nostalgia。 The audiobook has a touch of slam poetry vibes。 It also made me feel like I was back at a college house party。 Talking to the cool music guy in the kitchen - I'm cool enough to know the m My favorite documentaries are the ones that focus on a specific decade of time。 They discuss politics， pop culture， technology， music， and more - and discuss how they all intertwine and show the progression of culture and events。 This book reminds me of those documentaries but with a heavy helping of nostalgia。 The audiobook has a touch of slam poetry vibes。 It also made me feel like I was back at a college house party。 Talking to the cool music guy in the kitchen - I'm cool enough to know the music， but not cool enough to really *get it*。Overall， a good listening experience。 I'm rating this 3。5 stars， but rounded up to 4。0。 And I'm looking forward to listening to the companion playlist on repeat！I am grateful to have received an advance listener copy of the audiobook for free from NetGalley and Hachette Audio， and I am leaving this review voluntarily。 。。。more
Lee Hall
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What a neat book！ If you love 90s music， you'll LOVE this。 All of these songs brought back so many memories （even though I still listen to 90s music all the time）， and it was an interesting way to look at them。 Perfect for a fan of this decade！ What a neat book！ If you love 90s music， you'll LOVE this。 All of these songs brought back so many memories （even though I still listen to 90s music all the time）， and it was an interesting way to look at them。 Perfect for a fan of this decade！ 。。。more
Marietere T
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It was interesting to learn new fact of a lot of songs I listened to while growing up。 I loved a lot of the songs chosen in this。 Thank you NetGalley for the audio-arc version of this book。 All thoughts and opinions are my own。
Tabitha -
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This audiobook is read by Rob， himself， who has a podcast about this topic。 And therefore， it sounds like and reads like listening to a podcast。 It is funny and informative， but overall didn't feel well combined？ Maybe in phsycial book form it works better to look at？ But as an audiobook it was pretty chaotic。 Thank you to Netgalley for an advance copy！ This audiobook is read by Rob， himself， who has a podcast about this topic。 And therefore， it sounds like and reads like listening to a podcast。 It is funny and informative， but overall didn't feel well combined？ Maybe in phsycial book form it works better to look at？ But as an audiobook it was pretty chaotic。 Thank you to Netgalley for an advance copy！ 。。。more
Madison ✨ （mad。lyreading）
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I saw a one-star review of this say "this is why I don't listen to podcasts" and I think that is an important disclaimer to this book。 This is a book form of the author's podcast， and I left the book feeling like it would be better in podcast form。 This was a great route down nostalgia lane， with some pretty great music commentary。 The author does not discriminate based on genre， which was refreshing。 This book groups music to talk about based on some form of theme， and it is not in chronologica I saw a one-star review of this say "this is why I don't listen to podcasts" and I think that is an important disclaimer to this book。 This is a book form of the author's podcast， and I left the book feeling like it would be better in podcast form。 This was a great route down nostalgia lane， with some pretty great music commentary。 The author does not discriminate based on genre， which was refreshing。 This book groups music to talk about based on some form of theme， and it is not in chronological order。 Neither is there truly a thesis about the 90s - its just an exploration of the songs of the decade。This book is meant for a lover of 90s music， and not someone who wants a deep dive into the history or culture of the 90s。 I very much enjoyed it， but I don't know that everyone will。Thank you to Hachette Audio and NetGalley for an audio ARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Rachelle LeBlanc
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60 Songs That Explain the 90s was not what I was expecting at all。 I thought the book would focus more on the songs and artist。 Rob Harvilla uses popular songs from the 90s to show how he felt things were during that time。 Some of his examples I could see and others I didn't agree with。 I was born in the 80s and grew up in the 90s。 His narration of the audiobook was nice because he really brought the book to life。 I am not sure I could have physically read this book but I was able to enjoy parts 60 Songs That Explain the 90s was not what I was expecting at all。 I thought the book would focus more on the songs and artist。 Rob Harvilla uses popular songs from the 90s to show how he felt things were during that time。 Some of his examples I could see and others I didn't agree with。 I was born in the 80s and grew up in the 90s。 His narration of the audiobook was nice because he really brought the book to life。 I am not sure I could have physically read this book but I was able to enjoy parts of the audiobook。I received a copy of the audiobook through NetGalley。 。。。more
Faith Hurst-Bilinski
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I love the 90s。 I was just out of high school， just out of my parent's house， and just figuring out which me was me。 The music of the 90s really helped me figure that out。 I don't think it would have if I had listened to a lot of the songs that are discussed here。 So many songs， so you can't get them all。 The author was not really successful in convincing me that these songs in any way explained the 90s。 They happened in the 90s。 Some happened in spite of the 90s。 And so many hugely influential I love the 90s。 I was just out of high school， just out of my parent's house， and just figuring out which me was me。 The music of the 90s really helped me figure that out。 I don't think it would have if I had listened to a lot of the songs that are discussed here。 So many songs， so you can't get them all。 The author was not really successful in convincing me that these songs in any way explained the 90s。 They happened in the 90s。 Some happened in spite of the 90s。 And so many hugely influential bands and songs were completely ignored。 The author's delivery didn't add anything。 。。。more
Karen Vasey
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Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me an ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review。As someone who loves music and my formative years of music consumption were the 80s and 90s， I was stoked to read this book。 The sad news though is that I only got about through 15% of it and decided to sideline it。I think I was surprised by the construction of the book。 Instead of it being segmented by the songs covered， it went a more thematic route to cover the songs。 After one chapter th Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me an ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review。As someone who loves music and my formative years of music consumption were the 80s and 90s， I was stoked to read this book。 The sad news though is that I only got about through 15% of it and decided to sideline it。I think I was surprised by the construction of the book。 Instead of it being segmented by the songs covered， it went a more thematic route to cover the songs。 After one chapter though， I had to put it down。 While going the theme route is totally doable， to me it made the chapters very rambling and stream of consciousness instead of cohesive and taut。 Using what I read as an example， the chapter starts of discussing Celine Dion veers to a discussion on Beck swerves to mentioning Madonna and then cuts over to some discussion on Nirvana and then Prodigy with some wrap up about The Dixies Chicks。 The author did a podcast on the same topic with the same title， so I may give that a listen to see if it's done in the same vein， but as much as I want to be excited to keep reading this， I need to move on。 。。。more
Mark
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This book is both hilarious and superinformative。 I hadn't heard of this podcast before but loved the opportunity to geek out on music with both artist backstories and the clearly passionate listener experiences that are very relatable and often so similar to my own。The categories make for great juxtapositions across many genres to see how the 90s were so informed by interesting parallels as the cultural zeitgeist influenced differently brilliant artists in different ways。Rob's delivery is hilar This book is both hilarious and superinformative。 I hadn't heard of this podcast before but loved the opportunity to geek out on music with both artist backstories and the clearly passionate listener experiences that are very relatable and often so similar to my own。The categories make for great juxtapositions across many genres to see how the 90s were so informed by interesting parallels as the cultural zeitgeist influenced differently brilliant artists in different ways。Rob's delivery is hilarious going through things like artist feuds， ridiculous lyrics， and so many more quirks as deeply imperfect people get vaulted to the microscope and influential power of fame and handle that in often extreme ways。 。。。more
Book Club of One
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From the podcast to print， Rob Harvilla’s 60 Songs that Explain the ‘90s is filled with essays that either contextual well known ‘90s songs or detail Harvilla’s relationships with them。 It explores the ways we find meanings in songs and how someone can have a deeply personal relationship with something made by a person they’ve never met。 It covers a lot of the hits and popular music moments， but doesn’t limit itself to genre。 For each section of the book， the reader is presented with a section n From the podcast to print， Rob Harvilla’s 60 Songs that Explain the ‘90s is filled with essays that either contextual well known ‘90s songs or detail Harvilla’s relationships with them。 It explores the ways we find meanings in songs and how someone can have a deeply personal relationship with something made by a person they’ve never met。 It covers a lot of the hits and popular music moments， but doesn’t limit itself to genre。 For each section of the book， the reader is presented with a section name （exs。 “Women vs。 ‘women in rock，’” “Big Feelings” etc）， a graphic to match the theme and a playlist of the songs featured in the essays。 Harvilla is a very honest narrator， constantly reflecting that he knows he’s obsessed with music to a degree that others are not。 In the introduction he freely admits the choices are arbitrary and even in the podcast he was well passed reflecting on just 60 songs。 Each of the book sections flow from one song to the next， that Harvilla either details the creation of the song， it’s place in the artists oeuvre， what it has meant to him， or perhaps its effect on popular music。 Sometimes he deliberately avoids the context， trying instead to focus on the positive， for example the vocal prowess of Whitney Houston， not how her life ended。 A particular amusing section details Harvilla first hearing ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ and that he might actually still be trapped in that moment。 Both personal and conversational， those who like reading tangentially unfolding narratives centered on music or the works of Chuck Klosterman will find the book enjoyable。 Those too， nostalgic for the ‘90s。 I received a free digital version of this book via NetGalley thanks to the publisher。 。。。more
Lindsay Nixon
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This is just some dudes opinions in a stream of conscious form。 Awful！ I was hoping for music history or something that’s actually non fiction （eg similar to the various 90s documentaries that are streaming） or that talked anout the importance of music or it’s influence and that isn’t what I got。 Not even a little。 This book is exactly why I don’t listen to podcasts。 He’s just blabbing about songs from the 90s。 It isn’t cohesive or interesting。 Huge let down！ As I was born in 1981， the music of This is just some dudes opinions in a stream of conscious form。 Awful！ I was hoping for music history or something that’s actually non fiction （eg similar to the various 90s documentaries that are streaming） or that talked anout the importance of music or it’s influence and that isn’t what I got。 Not even a little。 This book is exactly why I don’t listen to podcasts。 He’s just blabbing about songs from the 90s。 It isn’t cohesive or interesting。 Huge let down！ As I was born in 1981， the music of the 90s was the backbone to my most formative years。 I should have loved this book and would have if it wasn’t just endless blubber。Thanks netgalley for my ARC/ALC。 。。。more
Kayla is trying to finish her backlog of books
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Thank you to Twelve Books and NetGalley for an eARC copy of 60 Songs That Explain the '90s by Rob Harvilla。 This is one of the exceptions where a podcast turned into a book doesn't really work out all that well。 I also believe there should have been no mention of the podcast until the end， as it screwed with my mindset a bit of how I went about reading this。 Mainly because I knew I could go listen to the podcast and ignore the book altogether。 Along with that， the way he brings up the songs goin Thank you to Twelve Books and NetGalley for an eARC copy of 60 Songs That Explain the '90s by Rob Harvilla。 This is one of the exceptions where a podcast turned into a book doesn't really work out all that well。 I also believe there should have been no mention of the podcast until the end， as it screwed with my mindset a bit of how I went about reading this。 Mainly because I knew I could go listen to the podcast and ignore the book altogether。 Along with that， the way he brings up the songs going one to another was pretty trippy。 Rob Harvilla would start with one artist and song， then move quickly to another or spend a lot of time on one artist or song and less on others。 To put it bluntly， this book is a mess。 。。。more
Sam Hughes
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AHHHH！ I am so thankful to Hachette Books/Audio and Twelve Books， and also our lovely author for granting me and advanced audiobook of 60 Songs that Explain the 90s， so that I could relieve my childhood in audio format。 This baby hits shelves on November 14， 2023， and you don't want to miss out on this one， because alllllllll of the greats are covered from Nirvana to Mary J Blige to even The Chicks and Sheryl Crow， and let's not forget about the sellouts of the nineties as well。 Rob Harvilla wal AHHHH！ I am so thankful to Hachette Books/Audio and Twelve Books， and also our lovely author for granting me and advanced audiobook of 60 Songs that Explain the 90s， so that I could relieve my childhood in audio format。 This baby hits shelves on November 14， 2023， and you don't want to miss out on this one， because alllllllll of the greats are covered from Nirvana to Mary J Blige to even The Chicks and Sheryl Crow， and let's not forget about the sellouts of the nineties as well。 Rob Harvilla walks us through the successes， the failures， and the brainstorming that goes into these stunners of songs that helped to define a decade and a whole generation of teenagers。 。。。more
Rebecca
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Thanks to the publisher， via Netgalley， for an advance e-galley for honest review。3。5ish， rounded up。 This book definitely pushes the nostalgia button， and had me wanting to relisten to many of the songs in the book。 I do think that this works as a nice companion or intro to the podcast， not as a replacement- I've only listened to a couple of episodes， but I definitely am looking forward to deeper discussion than what's in the pages。 This would make a nice gift for readers who also have nostalgi Thanks to the publisher， via Netgalley， for an advance e-galley for honest review。3。5ish， rounded up。 This book definitely pushes the nostalgia button， and had me wanting to relisten to many of the songs in the book。 I do think that this works as a nice companion or intro to the podcast， not as a replacement- I've only listened to a couple of episodes， but I definitely am looking forward to deeper discussion than what's in the pages。 This would make a nice gift for readers who also have nostalgia for 90s music （assuming that the printed copy has better flow/transitions than the digital galley）。 。。。more
Isa aka the "anintrovertrambles"
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Apparently Rob has a podcast？ Which I will definitely be listening to now because Holy hell， this was one interesting to listening experience。 As a 90's baby， got to say， I loved the recap of these songs。 I also love how Rob narrates the book and this was truly a fun experience。 Thank you netgalley for this audiobook arc Apparently Rob has a podcast？ Which I will definitely be listening to now because Holy hell， this was one interesting to listening experience。 As a 90's baby， got to say， I loved the recap of these songs。 I also love how Rob narrates the book and this was truly a fun experience。 Thank you netgalley for this audiobook arc 。。。more
Jessica Gentile
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A charming blend of cultural criticism， gawky adolescent memoir and heady nostalgia， the kind which simultaneously celebrates and challenges the music landscape of an entire decade。 If you've listened to the podcast， you've heard most of these monologues before， yet this time， they're mashed up in an entirely new context， much like the kind of mixtape these songs originally appeared on。 As sparkling and effervescent as a glass of Crystal Pepsi。 A charming blend of cultural criticism， gawky adolescent memoir and heady nostalgia， the kind which simultaneously celebrates and challenges the music landscape of an entire decade。 If you've listened to the podcast， you've heard most of these monologues before， yet this time， they're mashed up in an entirely new context， much like the kind of mixtape these songs originally appeared on。 As sparkling and effervescent as a glass of Crystal Pepsi。 。。。more
Brendan Dowd （History Nerds United）
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Listen， big disclaimer up front。 I was born in 1982， so my formative music years were the 1990s。 Or， if you want to be mean， the late 1900s。 Rob Harvilla's 60 Songs That Explain the '90s is the type of book in which I cannot be trusted to be impartial。 I'd like to say I'm mature and professional enough to not get completely overwhelmed by reading about the Gin Blossoms or Metallica。 I am not。 I am okay with it。 So， let's do this review。Harvilla is a liar。 He admits this。 He talks about way more Listen， big disclaimer up front。 I was born in 1982， so my formative music years were the 1990s。 Or， if you want to be mean， the late 1900s。 Rob Harvilla's 60 Songs That Explain the '90s is the type of book in which I cannot be trusted to be impartial。 I'd like to say I'm mature and professional enough to not get completely overwhelmed by reading about the Gin Blossoms or Metallica。 I am not。 I am okay with it。 So， let's do this review。Harvilla is a liar。 He admits this。 He talks about way more than 60 songs and clearly I was here for it。 Harvilla writes very informally but I honestly believe it works for this book。 He is， in essence， trying to teleport you back to your childhood bedroom with your best friend as you discuss just how deep Alice in Chains is and how no one else gets it。 Harvilla has an extremely wide taste in music so you also get write-ups on rap， country， and most genres under the sun。 No， this is not a scholarly book。 Yes， I loved it。 If you were a 90s kid， I guarantee there is something here for you。 He even covers ska。 （This book was provided as an advance copy by Netgalley and Twelve Books。） 。。。more
Martin Maenza
，
60 Songs That Explain the '90s by Rob Harvilla hits shelves November 14， 2023。 Twelve Books provided an early galley for review。By the time the '90s started， I was well into my first career， engaged to be married， and looking to move into our first house。 No longer hitting the clubs， new music mostly came to me via the FM radio during my work commutes or through the monthly CD samplers I got from subscribing to CMJ New Music magazine。 Still， as someone who embraces nearly three-quarters of a cen 60 Songs That Explain the '90s by Rob Harvilla hits shelves November 14， 2023。 Twelve Books provided an early galley for review。By the time the '90s started， I was well into my first career， engaged to be married， and looking to move into our first house。 No longer hitting the clubs， new music mostly came to me via the FM radio during my work commutes or through the monthly CD samplers I got from subscribing to CMJ New Music magazine。 Still， as someone who embraces nearly three-quarters of a century of popular music， I was interested to see what this author had to offer about the closing years of the 20th century。Harvilla's book is a reflection of his podcast which shares the title of the book。 He picks a variety of songs， then groups them together with others in a similar thematic category for presentation。 Many are fairly popular tracks which should be familiar to most readers。I wanted to give a shout-out to the artwork that preceeds each chapter。 I like the style and the renditions of various musicians in them。 I could not find a name in the credits within the galley though， so I can't name the artist outright。 Still， I really liked this touch。So， if you're looking for a nostalgic trip through the 90's that will have you revisiting your music library （CDs or digital downloads）， check this one out。 。。。more
Jessica
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I love 90s music so I am the target demographic for this book since as the author stated and research shows， the music you listen to in your teen years is the BEST MUSIC EVER！！I liked how the chapters were formatted around overall themes rather than a genre specific or chronological review。 My favorite chapters were "Flukes+Comebacks+Spectacular Weirdos" and "Myths vs。 Mortals" and I enjoyed some of the historical and modern details， like how given the way music is released now， it has been show I love 90s music so I am the target demographic for this book since as the author stated and research shows， the music you listen to in your teen years is the BEST MUSIC EVER！！I liked how the chapters were formatted around overall themes rather than a genre specific or chronological review。 My favorite chapters were "Flukes+Comebacks+Spectacular Weirdos" and "Myths vs。 Mortals" and I enjoyed some of the historical and modern details， like how given the way music is released now， it has been shown to make less space for 'one hit wonders' to happen in the same way they used to。 At times， I wanted a little less of Harvilla's personal musings and more insights into what was happening that may have lead that song to be a hit， or how the song came about， but overall， it was a fun read and helped inform my playlists for the week :-）。 I also loved how Harvilla talked about the personal nature of flipping through someone's Case Logic CD case and that there is no modern equivalent - truth！Thank you netgalley for providing me a free， advance copy of the book in exchange for a review。 。。。more
JoAnn Cohen Vaida 📖
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Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review。I believe I am within the target audience for this book; a big fan of books about music and the exact age for these songs to have been enormously impressionable for me - I was age eight through 18 in the 90s。 I should connect easily with this material。 And yet， I felt this book lacking in many ways。 First， it was just a little too stream of consciousness for me， some of the transitions bet Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review。I believe I am within the target audience for this book; a big fan of books about music and the exact age for these songs to have been enormously impressionable for me - I was age eight through 18 in the 90s。 I should connect easily with this material。 And yet， I felt this book lacking in many ways。 First， it was just a little too stream of consciousness for me， some of the transitions between songs are so loose that they can feel like too big a swing to try and make them relevant。 It doesn't all need to fit neatly in a category/chapter。 The transitions could be distracting in that way， made more difficult by much more feelings and opinions from the author than fact and information about the songs。 This is very much his 90s， and I wonder if fans of the author's podcast will find the book more engaging。 There may just be too many songs in a relatively short number of pages。 It often reads like someone taking a deep breath and then talking as fast as possible to get it all in。 Transitions are often very loose or even non existent， like jumping from Stephen Jenkins to Liam Gallagher and it just goes straight into an off color quote about sex acts with women。 Ew。 And the footnotes。 I tried to read them， but they make up their own rambling， personal book。 The most cohesive and consistently informative section is the final chapter， Big Feelings。 There was still a huge amount of personal experiences， but at least there was also solid information I didn't already know about the music。 Anatomy of a Song， Music is History， and How Music Works are a few books that are able to touch on many songs， personal feelings about them， and are informative at the same time。 It's absolutely possible to do it， it just doesn't happen in this book for me。 。。。more
Jessica Anne ❤️🔥
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This book felt like a nostalgic conversation with the 90s。 I had a constant playing going if the songs talked about in this book， songs I haven’t thought about in years。 It was fun， not full of information but a good time。 It lost a star for me for feeling a bit disorganized and the thoughts were a little jumpy。 Overall I’m glad I read it and if you want to take a trip back to the 90s this is a great book for you！
Heidi
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60 Songs That Explain the 90's was a trip down memory lane for me。 Even the songs I wasn't a fan of were covered in an entertaining manner。 The author is funny and sarcastic。 I was not familiar with Rob Harvilla or his podcast。 I enjoyed the book from a fresh perspective and would recommend you give it a shot if you like reading about music and pop culture。 Thank you to NetGalley and Twelve for the ARC！ 60 Songs That Explain the 90's was a trip down memory lane for me。 Even the songs I wasn't a fan of were covered in an entertaining manner。 The author is funny and sarcastic。 I was not familiar with Rob Harvilla or his podcast。 I enjoyed the book from a fresh perspective and would recommend you give it a shot if you like reading about music and pop culture。 Thank you to NetGalley and Twelve for the ARC！ 。。。more
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