5 things i love: '90s one-hit wonder edition

what are your favorite OHWs from the greatest decade ever?

1. spacehog - "in the meantime"



come on, i'd deserve to be tarred and feathered if i didn't include either this or "possum kingdom" by the toadies, though i think this one has a slight edge in terms of being the most '90s song of all time. as soon as i hear the opening "oooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooooh-ooooh" i'm instantly transported to that glorious era of flannel, scrunchies, and doc martens.

2. citizen king - "better days (and the bottom drops out)"



god bless the music director at 92.9, who apparently loves this song as much as i do. i've heard it on the station approximately 5 times in the past couple weeks and it was what inspired this post. it teeters juuuust on the edge of carefree sublimey/311 fare and jangly alt-rock and trip-hop in the perfect way. but, uhh, have definitely been picturing a mark mcgrath-y bro as the lead singer for the past 17 years. mind = BLOWN. at least i got the frosted tips part right.


3.  tom cochrane - "life is a highway"



damn you, rascal flatts, for ruining this gem. with his swoopy blonde locks and leather jacket, tom captured my six year-old heart from that first harmonica wail. the fact that he's canadian is just a bonus. GIMME GIMME GIMME GIMME YEAH!

4. alana davis - "32 flavors"



usually, when i say, "i haven't thought about that one in forever" in reference to any given song, i'm lying and just trying to pretend that i'm not a huge music geek that regularly thinks about one-hit wonders. BUT, when consulting a list of flash-in-the-pan tunes yesterday, i realized that i really, truly haven't thought about this song since i was 12 years old. i'm so happy i rediscovered it -- and alana davis' entire debut album, which was in heavy rotation for me in 6th grade. this is actually an ani difranco cover, but i much prefer it to the original. so much soul.

5. deadeye dick - "new age girl"



confession: while i do vaguely remember this song from dumb and dumber, it wasn't until last month that i heard it randomly and decided that i loved it. from the weird collective "RUH" noise to the lyrics about this crazy bitch mary moon (who, FYI, is a vegetarian and will outlive all the septuagenarians), it's awesomely bad. but it's also just a great time. LOL @ the line "she don't eat meat, but she sure like the bone." what the hell is going on in this video?!

around town: open newbury street and st. agrippina's feast

though i've lived in the boston area on and off for the better part of the past 10 years, i truly never tire of being a tourist here. this is especially true in the summertime, when every weekend means some sort of festival or feast or other such whimsy.

when i read a couple weeks ago that iconic newbury street was going to be temporarily car-free all day today, i decided to take my "real" camera and re-explore the city on foot.

i began in the south end with a visit to the recently relocated sowa open market. i've gotta say, it was lacking the energy of the old market, possibly because there seemed to be far fewer vendors. meh. i got bored and wandered down some side streets and admired the brownstones instead:

then it was off to open newbury street, which was just such a great sight to see. cafe tables in the street, children on scooters, families playing four square and cornhole, people hula hooping, couples playing ping pong, and instagram husbands maxing and relaxing in lawn chairs. i hope they make this a regular thing.

i passed through the common and faneuil hall...

next was the north end, where the locals were celebrating st. agrippina's feast. fun fact: our girl agrippina is the patron saint of thunderstorms, leprosy, and evil spirits. pretty killer combo, i must say.

anyways,  i'm always nostalgic for this neighborhood, as i lived here for two years in college, and the procession used to pass right under my window every weekend in the summertime. as much as it pains me to see that the powers that be have allowed pinkberry and some other bullshit chains into the neighborhood, it still retains that authenticity and italian charm that made me fall in love with it a decade ago. i mean, a dozen guidos carrying a saint statue covered in dollar bills past a fried dough stand while their fathers yell "nicholas!" or "tony!" and a band of police officers play "when the saints go marching in?" it just doesn't get better than that.