1997: The Music

Tuesday, June 23, 2026

1997: The Music

In preparation to get writing this last bit of this bloody novel, between adding closed captions to work videos, I did some digging.

How good was 1997 for music.

I mean, seriously, I can play a heap of these songs, and I'm transported straight back to West Hampstead. We're in the days of the best of Britpop.

The year got off to a great start with Blur going into their experimental phase. I love their 1999 song Tender more, but this one has legs.

Then there's the song that every time I hear it, I remember having a friend stay at the flat. She's been on a Contiki Tour around Europe and was used to getting woken up at all hours to this song. If a Contiki Tour wasn't purgatory enough, being woken to Hansen each morning would have had be jumping off the nearest aqueduct. (Said person is now a very senior Doctor - I wonder if they have memories of sleeping on our couch.)

We can't go past 1997 without a nod to Natalie Imbruglia. This is one friend's favourite song - I think he was a little in love with her from a long distance. I still love the song. It was all over the pubs in 1997. Now, I know her cousin. Two degrees of separation.

My theme song for the second half of 1997 was this banger. I will admit to quite a bit of alcohol was drunk back then.

It's hard to believe that Chumbawumba came up with the theme song of 2026. (This is so worth a listen.)

The Verve had one of the biggest albums of the year. Although they will always remind me of my cousin, who also slept on my couch for a few weeks around this time, who used to drink all the milk (bless her) we shared a love of this album. The songs still stand up.

I remember The Prodigy coming out with this and initially hating it. The downstairs neighbours, a group of Aussies and Kiwis, told me to stick with it. It will grow on you they said. Like warts they said. It did. Admittedly, they were more into clubbing than I was. But they were right.