Top 10 Best Selling Songs in Austria in 1993
Eurodance and dramatic ballads, often peppered with rock, established themselves even further as the distinctive sound of the decade in 1993, and some of the most iconic songs of the 90s dropped this very year. Most of the songs found on this list are among the first few tracks that will come to an Austrian's mind when they think of the 90s.Much like "Let's Talk About Sex" by Salt-N-Pepa before, another massive number 1 hit is absent from these lists because it has been successful between the end of one year and the beginning of the next: Meat Loaf's epic ballad "I'd Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That)" spent 12 weeks on top of the charts, but is not among the ten best selling singles of 1993 or 1994 (it's at spot number 20 and 14, respectively).
One of my favorite vocal performances of all time. It sounds so rough and expressive, shifts in tone and notes so rapidly, gets loud and soft when needed, and is always natural. Not to mention: the overall composition is a masterful example of the quality of 90s pop rock ballads.
Peak position: 1
Having spent 13 weeks on top of the Austrian charts, the rock ballad was also the biggest number 1 hit of the year.
Ace of Base were on the way of becoming the heirs of ABBA as thr foremost Swedish band when their debut album "Happy Nation", aka "The Sign", dropped to massive success. The single "All That She Wants" became one of the best known songs of the 90s. What I love about this decade is how the pop songs weren't so forced and uber happy. The vocal style at that time was much more serious and apathetic, the compositions were mostly in minor, even for uptempo songs. "All That She Wants" is sometimes called a summer hit due to its dancehall elements, but that's one hell of an understatement. It's good songwriting with a fine performance.
"What is Love" combined the typical eurodance sound with RnB and neo-soul, which is probably why it caught on in both the European and the American markets. The beat was a banger to the likes of Snap!, but the singing and melody was closer to Seal. This combination remains unique to Haddaway, although he had no other big hit.
The peak of eurodance. The song, the album, the group. Their electrifying way of presenting loops and beats, the chemistry between Ray and Anita, the lifestyle of music loving, all accepting rave culture they captured - their three albums are the greatest the genre ever got (I refuse to acknowledge the cash grab that is "II" as a full 2 Unlimited album. Not only does it feature neither Ray's nor Anita's vocals and lyrics, its production sounds a whole lot different. It's not bad, just not the same).
On almost every eurodance list, 90s music show or compilation, "No Limit" is featured as the greatest track, and that's a title it rightfully has.
UB40 performed a great classic with "Kingston Town"... but wow, is this cover of a standard whose definite version was sung by Elvis Presley underwhelming. Especially the vocals, but also the dancehall beat.
Sorry that the audio sample is a much, much weaker remix, but it was the only sample I could find. The original version is closer to traditional soul, and is a fine contribution to the genre, which is pleasant to hear to when it's on the radio, but I never really actively listened to it.
It's Freddie Mercury. He made every song great, even if it otherwise would have been average. It is a remix version that topped the charts posthumously, but may I say that I think the remix is very good, and since it's the best known version of the song, I didn't even know until now that it isn't the original.
Peak position: 2
The original version of the song is already from 1985. After the singer's death, a more modern remix became a hit.
"All cover versions are worse than the original".
Just shut up.
Seriously, Dolly Parton is a born singer-songwriter. But on here, one of several good songs has been transformed into one of the most iconic, dramatic, emotional, climactic, breathtaking songs that were ever recorded. The vocals rank among the best ever recorded, the build up went down in history.
It's nice to listen to. A summery hit song that sure brought a lot of fun to people. Better than UB40's song, but not the quality of Ace of Base's.
Another one of the big eurodance hits that is in everyone's top ten. Fans of the genre get everything they need: an instantly memorable synth motif, a nice pop rap and an even more apathetic than usual chorus. Although this year clearly belonged to "No Limit".