I could write a personal essay about 1994 (I won't, because that's not my thing here on Medium or anywhere else for that matter). It straddled the second half of my first year of University and the first half of my second. It was a halcyon time, and in my memory exists in magic hour light. I look back on that year as among the very happiest of my life, prior to meeting my wife.
Leaving aside the fun I had at University (which included one trip to Paris and another to Amsterdam), the friendships, a two week summer romance that left deep but wonderful scars (which occurred concurrently with a fantastic summer holiday in Slovakia/Austria/Hungary), music festivals, and a whole load of other stuff that's too personal to get into here, 1994 was a red letter year for films. Bear in mind in those days the UK would often get films a little later than the US, so the early part of that year in particular was stuffed with gems in the cinema from one of the best Oscar races of all time. Top quality films included: Carlito's Way, In the Name of the Father, Farewell my Concubine, Shadowlands, Short Cuts, Schindler's List, The Remains of the Day, A Bronx Tale, The Age of Innocence... I thought I had died and gone to cinema heaven. Later in the year we got Manhattan Murder Mystery, Four Weddings and a Funeral, The Paper, Clerks, True Lies, The Mask, The Crow, Maverick, Speed, Forrest Gump, The Last Seduction, The Lion King, the Tree Colours trilogy, Pulp Fiction... It was an incredible time. It was agony picking just ten favourites for my end of year list.
However, to the matter at hand: The music. In the UK, our top hits were a damn sight better, frankly, because at the time, pop music was far better in the UK (we had both the Britpop explosion and tons of dance music).
My list of 1994 favourite singles includes:
Blur - Girls and Boys, Parklife, To the End (actually the whole Parklife album is just amazing)
Prodigy - No Good (again, the whole Music for the Jilted Generation is amazing)
Let Loose - Crazy for You
Take That - Everything Changes, Love Ain't Here Anymore
Erasure - Always
Oasis - Live Forever
The Cranberries - Linger
Grid - Swamp Thing
Eternal - Just a Step from Heaven
Pet Shop Boys - Yesterday When I was Mad
MC Sar and the Real McCoy - Another Night
Suede — Stay Together
Kylie Minogue - Put Yourself in My Place
Corona - Rhythm of the Night
Sophie B Hawkins - Right Beside You
Baby D - Let Me Be Your Fantasy
East 17 - Stay Another Day
Just thinking about these songs - and the memories they contain - brings a tear to my eye.