1. Underworld - Born Slippy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6iKFn8dlxX8 The end of the story of the decade couldnt have been written better than in the words, tune, beats and iconography that Underworld brought to Born Slippy, and heres why its a marvel .Shouting lager, lager, lager over a song that moves from trance to techno and back in the blink of an eye. This was a song that found itself in exactly the right place at the right time. The song wedded so many landmarks of the 90s, the hip literati that were reading Irvine Welshs Trainspotting fell even more in love with the film, which was an alliance of the emergent British film star of the era in Ewan McGregor with the visionary Danny Boyle as its director. The soundtrack was put together featuring a very 90s blend of indie bands, 70s retro classics and contemporary dance music. So far, so hip. But the defining moment of the film, where the anti-hero Renton abandons his life of heroin addiction - as well as his fellow junkies - is told through music, and the soundtrack for that moment was Born Slippy by Underworld. Even though it wasnt written about drugs - the inspiration is drinking too much alcohol - musically it moves through the stages of an ecstasy rush, the euphoria at the start, then the bass drum comes in halfway through, and it sounds like the rush that heart experiences, befire the final come down. What made this the classic of the decade was that it bucked a trend, it wasnt a pastiche like Pulp, Underworld were artists who waited for their moment, but not in the careerist fashion of the 80s. The moral of the tale is that good things come to those who wait. But the most significant point is that unlike previous decades, the landmark song wasnt released by a landmark band, the common people had finally, and justifiably, found their voice. Are there any you think we missed off, perhaps you agree or not with what we already have here? Let us know in the comments!
Ed Nash
Contributor
What makes music fantastic? Star quality, amazing music, breathtaking lyrics and the ability to bring something new to the table, even if that means a new take on the classics. That's what I love to listen to and write about.
As well as writing for What Culture, I occasionally write a blog http://tedney.blogspot.co.uk and sometimes use Twitter, but sparingly @TedneyNash
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