158
With the new Barbie movie hitting cinemas I could not help myself from thinking back to Aqua and their worldwide phenomenon Barbie Girl. And Most people, at least slightly older, have most likely heard that one, or some of their other songs. And while they would definitely fit on this list. I think it is more pressing that you get to know of some of the other gems Denmark produced in the late 90ies. And Aqua will get its own list.
Bubblegum pop
While this name has been around for quite some time, in fact, decades before Aqua. If I am to believe Wikipedia. For me, I will always associate it with this type of music produced there, and nothing else. For me, this music encompasses the name bubblegum pop to its fullest. It is hard to not smile whenever you hear one of these songs. And by the second course, you will probably be humming along. The songs have an upbeat melody to them and most often they are about trivial things. Or just outright fun or quirky things. But I have kept you long enough, let's get to the music.
Toy Box - Tarzan and Jane
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IlDjEd8gAkI
Toy Box pretty much-copied everything that Aqua did. From the funny music videos to their own Aquascope, this is what all Aquas music videos are prevented by. But it is hard to argue with copying something that obviously is working. Tarzan and Jane is probably the song they are most famous for. And they are the band that had the greatest success, well after Aqua that is.
Hit N' Hide - Space invaders
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UK6rZzzjl9c
This is the duo's only single and it is taken from the 1998 album On a Ride. It did well in both Denmark and Norway where it reached the number 1 spot and the number 4 spot respectively. Other than that they put out a second self-titled album in 2000 but they did not have any great chart success with that or the singles from it. But having one great song is far better than what many bands achieve. And I even remember picking it up as a single in my local record shop back in the day. I even think I still have it in a box somewhere.
Me & My - Dub-I-Dub
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTjJ2_P5P4U
This a sister duo. They were previously known by the name SuPer Sisters and put out two albums under that name. But they did not appear to have much success. That would instead come after they switched to the name Me & My. And in 1995 they put out their first album under their new name. And it was a smash hit. The first single Dub-I-Dub reached the number 1 spot in Denmark and the number 2 spot in Sweden as well as several other top 10. They are as far as I know still active, but their latest album was put out in 2007. So it looks like they are not that active.
Honorable mention goes to:
Daze - Together Forever / The Cyber Pet Song
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8VhFor9zYU
This is because the album is pure bubblegum greatness. And one I still can listen to from time to time. And while this song is not the best from the album, it does highlight the quirky nature of the bubble gum pop from back in the day. With the theme being a song about Tamagotchi. The song is from the 1997 album Super Heroes.
I hope that you found these songs to be a happy addition and that perhaps one of them even made it onto one of your playlists. Happy listening!
See you on the interwebs!
Picture provided by: https://unsplash.com/
