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St. Cloud State University
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Commentary
The '90s stir up fond memories
By Regina Eckes
Published:
Thursday, October 30, 2003
Regina Eckes -- Staff Essay
From watching the hit show "I Love the '80s" last week on VH1, it can be concluded that the decade was a totally bodacious time period. So, what about the '90s?
The '90s gave our generation plenty of great shows that are now being shown again on TBS in the afternoon. "Saved by the Bell" may have debuted in the late '80s but it wasn't until the '90s that Kelly, Slater and Jessie came along. Another TV show that you know you watched and loved was "Home Improvement." If you deny ever watching the show then why do you know the answer to "Does everybody know what time it is?"
"The Simpsons" came along in the '90s and redefined what cartoons were supposed to be like. Forget the sweetness of "Care Bears" or "Smurfs." "The Simpsons" were sarcastic, troublemakers, witty and they created controversy in the cartoon world. The show usually carried a deeper message that we only now understand because we're older.
Forget "Survivor" and all of the dating shows on now. "The Real World" was the true beginning of reality TV in the '90s. "Seven people picked to live in a house..."
Three films immediately come to mind when I think of the '90s. First, there is "Silence of the Lambs." That movie still freaks me out to this day and I will never think of fava beans and Chianti the same way again. Then we have "Jerry McGuire." Tom Cruise turned his pretty-boy acting career into an Academy Award nomination with this movie. It wasn't the best movie ever, but it gave us the catch phrase "show me the money" and the sappy line "you complete me." Come on guys, you know you've used that line to make up with your girlfriend after a fight.
The '80s may have had "The Breakfast Club," but the '90s was blessed with a new Rat Pack in "American Pie." Jason Biggs has turned into the Molly Ringwald of our generation and none of us will forget what he did to desecrate the American past time of warm apple pie.
"I'll never let go, Jack." Need I say more?
Music is always an interesting topic because it changes from year to year. Crash Test Dummies had the hit song "Mmmm Mmmm Mmmm Mmmm." The lyrics made no sense and Brad Roberts' voice was lower than President Bush's current approval ratings, but we all liked it for some reason. I remember singing that song on the school bus when I was in fifth grade.
The popularity of rap exploded in the '90s. For some reason, Will Smith figured he could sell records after rapping the theme song to his hit TV show. We all got jiggy with his music for a while, but his rapping days are definitely over.
No one can think of the '90s and not remember two of the biggest scandals in history. The name Bill Clinton will never be taken seriously again after he performed "non-sexual relations" with Monica Lewinski and the lone cigar in the Oral, I mean, Oval Office.
And I'm pretty sure that everyone still thinks O.J. Simpson was guilty of murder. You remember what kind of car he tried to escape in, the white Bronco, and you know the leather glove did not fit him in the trial. Both of these incidents created timeless jokes for Leno, Letterman and "Saturday Night Live" skits.
Many more things that happened in the '90s cannot be covered in a short staff essay. The arrival of Derek Jeter as the new Michael Jordan, Beanie Babies taking over the world and with the hilarious beginnings of Adam Sandler and Jim Carrey we had to say a sad goodbye to Chris Farley and Phil Hartman.
Girls will never forget slap bracelets, scrunchies and the Macerena. Guys will never forget Starter jackets and Converse high tops. Ah, the '90s. What will society think of next?
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