Good Sport

In the spirit of participating and being a good sport, I'm going to fill out this meme. You, dear reader, may be experienced with this sort of online chain letter, but I am a rookie. I'll do my best to provide insight into how deeply the pop music scene of 1997, the year which I became a man (read: turned 18), affected me. The billboard chart comes from the appropiately titled popculturemadness.com website, which I must thank for keeping track of such intriguing information...like to hear it, here it go:

December 7, 1996 - February 21, 1997: Un-Break My Heart - Toni Braxton
I vaguely remember this song and, if I remember correctly, there was a scantily clad Toni in the video. So basically, like a soon to be 18 year-old boy, I ignored R&B music and focused on the physical attributes of the ladies. Is that so wrong? I was spending my time with A Tribe Called Quest.

February 22 - May 21: Wannabe - Spice Girls
If this is the song that goes: "tell me what you want, what you really, really want" then I have in fact heard it. Thought it wack but heard it nonetheless. Probably listening to 311 instead.

March 22 - May 2: Can't Nobody Hold Me Down - Puff Daddy and Mase
I think this was when Puffy first broke into the scene as a frontman rather than the producer for Craig Mack, whom was known for "kickin' new flava in the ear," at least in my room. If it's the song, it used the same sample that Ice Cube used for "Check Yourself" which was pirated from George Clinton - I might be wrong. Anyway, I liked Ice Cube's The Predator more than this.

May 3 - May 23: Hypnotize The Notorious B.I.G.
Now we're talkin' (as far as rap goes, which seems to be the way that '97 went). At least B.I.G. really was from the streets. My friend Luke already had the first B.I.G. album so I was acquainted. As for rappers with initials, I prefer ODB.

May 24 - June 13: MMMBop - Hanson
Wack. Where's my Dr. Octagon CD?

June 14 - August 30: I'll Be Missing You - Puff Daddy/Faith Evans/112
Is this the Police rip off? If so, I liked the video. It reminded me of that movie "Toys" with Robin Williams. As for the song itself: at least it expressed a little emotion though it's too bad that the good rapper from this crew had to get shot. I was moving away college at this time; first CD I remember listening to on campus was Liquid Swords by the GZA. The first or second weekend of the semester we went to see Rage Against the Machine and The Roots in Austin. ?uest did a drum solo and Tom Morello's mom came out on stage (not during the drum solo).

August 30 - September 12: Mo' Money, Mo' Problems - The Notorious B.I.G. featuring Puff Daddy and Mase
I'm sure I was really tired of Puff Daddy by this point, as I am with his being all over this survey. My roommate loved Metallica and so I was probably hearing a lot of them around this time.

September 13 - October 3: Honey - Mariah Carey
I don't remember the song. I was busy giving country a try; if you're not from Texas you probably don't know Robert Earl Keen.

October 4 - October 10: 4 Seasons of Loneliness - Boyz II Men
I thought these guys fell off in 8th grade (circa '92 for me) with Jodeci, Kriss Kross and Another Bad Creation. But you know what, Technotronic never failed to impress.

October 11 - January 16, 1998: Candle In The Wind 1997 - Elton John
Never cared much for royalty but I do like Elton's song that goes, "From this day on, I own my father's gun..."