During the bangin’ and swingin’ 1990s, I was working as a mobile disc jockey in San Diego, California, a beautiful coastal city often referred to as the “wedding capital of the West Coast” (at least by the professional wedding DJs that made up my close-knit group of friends and associates in the San Diego Disc Jockey Association). For nearly an entire decade, from the summer of 1991 until the last moments prior to ringing in the new millennium, I hosted hundreds of wedding receptions and played thousands of romantic songs from the 1990s. I helped brides and grooms pick their first dances from song lists and I watched them as newlyweds swaying and swooning to the beat of the most romantic love songs of their lives. Here, then, are my top 10 romantic songs from the 1990s. They go out to all those couples, for all the musical magic they shared with me along the way.
Of all the romantic songs from the 1990s, Celine Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On,” is as close to perfection as it gets. From the juggernaut movie “Titanic,” it reigns without question as the top tune on my list. The song was a media darling and almost everyone, regardless of age, knew it and loved it. It also stayed #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks in 1998. More couples picked “My Heart Will Go On” as their first dance than any other love song from the 90s, and for me that says it all. The song sent shivers down my spine every time I played it.
Number two, and a close second, is Whitney Huston’s “I Will Always Love You.” With Kevin Costner at his peak, and Huston’s star still rising, it stayed #1 for 14 weeks on Billboard in 1992 and stands alone as one of the most classic love songs of all time for its incredibly sweet vocals and melody. Huston’s voice was awe-inspiring. This song nearly wore out my CD player.
Mariah Carey takes the number three spot with “Hero.” What a song. It was one of the most popular ballads of the decade for the traditional father daughter dance, when dads take a sentimental swirl with their little girls just before the first dance. This one brought smiles, and sometimes tears, to the dewy-eyed faces of brides and their fathers everywhere. Four weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in ’93.
Another Costner epic, “Robin Hood,” delivers my next best romantic love song from the 1990s: Brian Adams’ “(Everything I Do) I Do It For You.” Easily #4 on my list, this song is what the 90s wedding scene was all about: theme songs from blockbuster movie soundtracks topping the charts. It stayed #1 for seven weeks in ’91 and I played it so many times I could sing it in my sleep. Adams caught the musical fancy of wedding guests everywhere with his raspy voice and moving lyrics.
Celine Dion takes number five with “Because You Loved Me,” a Billboard #1 for six weeks in ’96, for her second spot in my top 10 romantic songs from the 1990s list. The pop diva deserves it. Her voice was made for weddings, where people of all ages test the true popularity of the hottest hits of the day. This lovable lullaby packed the dance floor every time. It also offers more proof of the fondness for romantic movie soundtracks at the time, this one from the Robert Redford film “Up Close and Personal,” which helped push the chart-topping single to platinum.
The second tier in my list of the 10 best romantic songs from the 1990s begins at number six, and another pop diva wins her second spot with “One Sweet Day,” the romantic duet Mariah Carey sang with Boyz II Men in 1995. This gem stayed at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for 16 solid weeks. Carey is still going strong but belted out more romantic hits in the 90s when her career hit its zenith. She’s still hot, but those were the diva’s best days as an artist.
Coming in at number seven is the classic Aerosmith ballad, “I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing.” With Steven Tyler’s hot-blooded vocals and impassioned lyrics from yet another huge movie soundtrack, “Armageddon,” this one rocked the wedding world and put the band back in business. Four weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Once again, it was another huge hit from Hollywood.
We’re winding down the hits, with three more mushy melodies to go on my list of the top 10 romantic songs from the 1990s. These are the slow tunes I played more than any others during my career as a wedding DJ in one of the most romantic cities in America, San Diego. They are the best of the best. These tracks always got wedding guests off their butts and onto the dance floor and they were the surefire favorites for many wedding lovebirds searching for their flawless first dance.
At number eight welcome back Boyz II Men. These guys kicked ballad butt in the 90s and were a staple in the romance collection of any working DJ, not to mention the hearts and minds of pop music fans everywhere. “I’ll Make Love To You,” topped the Billboard Hot 100 for 14 weeks in 1994. These guys made harmonizing hip-hop fashionable.
The pop group All-4-One gets the ninth nod in my top 10 list of romantic songs from the 1990s. Their version of “I Swear,” a ditty originally sung country western style by John Michael Montgomery, stayed at #1 for 11 weeks in 1994. It played especially well as a father daughter dance and during the traditional but corny money dance, when people pin money on the bride and groom for a little one-on-one time with them on the dance floor. Montgomery’s version was excellent too, but country songs are tricky when it comes to weddings. Pop music is a safer bet as it appeals to a wider audience.
Drum roll please…and the final spot on the best romantic songs from the 1990s is…this one was tough to pick. There are so many songs and so many artists to choose from. But this is the top 10 romantic songs form the 1990s, and that means only 10 songs. So here goes. Once again, drum roll please…and it’s a tie! The winners are Sir Elton John for his masterpiece “Can You Feel The Love Tonight,” from the epic Disney flick “The Lion King,” along with the pop R&B; smash “All My Life” by K-Ci & JoJo. These two songs may be at opposite ends of the musical spectrum but they each pack a passionate punch in the ballad category. Both songs contain the magic of dreamy melodies combined with amorous lyrics that make them love songs for the ages. And again, repeat, the title songs to acclaimed movies were all the rage at wedding back then.
During my halcyon days as a wedding DJ in “America’s Finest City”, my favorite romantic songs packed the hardwood dance floors of more reception halls and banquet rooms than I can remember. They filled the lives of so many people with hope and joy and happiness, with the special kind of magic only music can make. Music was the magic that gave them all the gift of love. Thanks to these songs, my DJ days were solid gold.
Thanks to Alaska Jim’s Music Charts (www.alaskajim.com) and Rock On The Net (www.rockonthenet.com) for their assistance in putting this music gig together, and to Billboard Music Charts (www.billboard.com) for keeping track.
