Throwback Thursday 23.02.17

TBT is here at last, this week we're going back almost twenty years to 1998...

The umbrella Britney Spears swung at a paparazzo’s vehicle in 2007 is now being auctioned off. After the pop artist shaved her head, she swung an umbrella at Daniel Ramos' Ford Explorer for taking photos of her.

Ten years on from the incident and Britney is still being reminded of this very public episode. It's time we let it go. In the past decade she has recovered and put her career and mental health back on track, so for this week's playlist we'll be celebrating her career with a throwback to her hey-day.

Britney Spears - ...Baby One More Time

The debut track from the Mickey Mouse Club alumna is arguably one of her most memorable. The singer revealed that she "didn’t do well at all the first day in the studio (recording the song), I was just too nervous. So I went out that night and had some fun. The next day I was completely relaxed and nailed it. You gotta be relaxed singing."

The nerves certainly didn't stand in her way as this classic nineties pop anthem topped charts all around the world.

The Goo Goo Dolls - Iris

This tug on your heartstrings ballad spent nearly 12 straight months on the Billboard charts and held the number one position on the Hot 100 Airplay chart for 18 weeks. Needless to say it's well deserving of a slot on the 1998 playlist.

Johnny Rzeznik wrote this song for the movie City Of Angels, where it is sung from the perspective of Nicolas Cage's character. In the film, Cage plays an angel sent to help humans make their transition to the afterlife.

B*Witched - C'est la vie

It might come as a shock for any nineties babies reading this that this hit isn't the innocent track you thought it was. Initially seen as a cheesy nonsensical pop song, the band finally revealed in 2013 that the song was actually about sex.

Band member Keavy Lynch also revealed that director Allison Murray initially wanted Sinéad O'Carroll to look down her own jeans as she sang the line "I'll show you mine if you show me yours", and that this request was stopped rather quickly by the group's management.

The Offspring - Pretty Fly (For a White Guy)

Without a doubt, one of the best tracks to come from 1998. The iconic anthem is guaranteed to make you feel nostalgic. As most of you probably know, the song and video are a mocking portrayal of a wigger, a white man who likes to act like an African-American stereotype.

Green Day - Redundant

Before the Nimrod sessions, Billie Joe Armstrong's marriage had been deteriorating, with the singer arguing with his wife Adrienne Armstrong constantly. Influenced by this conflict, Armstrong reflected on the relationship from two standpoints; the first being his passion for his wife, the second being the repetitious pattern that the relationship had fallen into. The phrase "I love you" had lost its effectiveness and seemed to be said merely out of routine.