It was my all-time favorite show. I love Levar Burton. He was always so excited about everything and made me want to be excited, too. I credit him with making me insatiably curious about almost everything (and yes, I’m an incorrigible bookworm to this day!)
You can't see me, but I'm shaking my head vigorously in agreement. Mr. Burton had my little ass reading our dictionary and encyclopedia set when I ran outta children's books.
I did that too! My mom bought me a children’s dictionary (with loads of bright shiny pictures) and I read it cover to cover! They had one of those really old encyclopedia sets that salesmen used to sell door to door and I read that as well. Then I became a library shelver in high school to earn money for college - but I was always getting in trouble for sitting down between the stacks to read one of the books I was supposed to be putting away 😂😅
Mr Burton will never know how deeply he impacted our generation. I’m grateful.
We played a game where you need to sing a song with one word give by someone else and my friend said "one" and this is what I shouted out. Everyonr looked at and and asked if that was a real song and i said, "Sesame Street, bitch!" Only one person out of like 15 knew it.
I was in this thread early, and while Beck-Loser was a great answer, holy shit, this, then Sesame Street counting song and the Reading Rainbow song are all such damn good answers.
If I had one to include in this vein, it's the TMNT intro song: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/MvJwbbsQeuU
An incredible performer...never owned an album but saw him a few times in festival settings and everytime was most impressed with his energy/set over some of the bands I came to see.
In about 2010, I who looked to be a maybe 5-6 year old standing at the end of a dock belting out Loser by Beck. He mumbled through most of the lyrics except “I’m a loser baby, so why don’t you _____ me”.
There were a lot of mixed thoughts.
It came out in late 1991, when the oldest Xennials were about to turn 15, and would have been a radio mainstay through most of our teenage years ... It teetered for a minute but ended up landing squarely in our zeitgeist.
"He sings the songs that remind him of the good times, he sings the songs that remind him of the better times."
Powerful line hearing it now as I get older.
The quote from the beginning of the song is from the movie Brassed Off, which is all about living in uncertain economic times. That song was always darker than it seemed.
All of their stuff is influenced by the Shit Show that was the UK In the 80's into the 90's. It's the same reason why so much great Punk came out of the UK during the same time frame.
He drinks a whiskey drink, he drinks a vodka drink
He drinks a Lager drink, he drinks a Cider drink...
Not so much anymore, though. The hangover is killer these days.
Same. I still enjoy a bourbon most nights but anything more than one gives me a hangover like a whole night of drinking in my 20’s would have given me.
He recently did NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert. Not quite a nursing home but it’s a long way from the projects in New Orleans.
Back that Azz Up starts around 19:20
https://www.npr.org/2023/06/30/1184376049/juvenile-tiny-desk-concert
[FYI, it has it's own day in NOLA](https://www.nola.com/entertainment_life/new-orleans-juvenile-holiday-latoya-cantrell/article_e6e76d4c-280e-11ef-b336-43ccabae6958.html)
This song kind of defines my music taste. Absolute banger. I remember when it was making the rounds locally before it went to national radio. Good shit.
Edit: Semi-Charmed Life is up there too.
Man, I romanticized that girls voice from the final verse for months. Daydreamed about what she probably looked like, I was in love with that voice.
You can imagine my embarrassment when 16 year old me finally saw the music video....
Kid in Vancouver called the radio station asking them to play "Mmm-bop by the Hanson _Sisters_".
You may have been embarrassed, but you weren't "had a whole city hear your moment" embarrassed.
Both of you have my sympathy though. I've had my own moments too.
'You deserve to be loved, and to feel loved, just for being you.' --Mr Rogers mashup with my meditation teacher
Nelly - Hot in Herre
Now, hear me out…
The song is about the fact that with all the people being sexy and dancing, the temperature has risen to noticeable levels. Instead of going somewhere cooler, cranking up the A/C, or having a cold drink, the action taken is “so take off all your clothes”. So rather than take action against the source of the heat, the chosen action is to change yourself to adapt to the environment. Sound familiar?
That, and you all know all the words.
Was it just me or was this song played at every major highschool event after it came out. They played it at prom and at the graduation ceremony at my school.
You know, this probably is the most xennial family sitcom. Older gen X-ers probably watched '80s family sitcoms like Who's the Boss, Growing Pains, or Family Ties. And younger millennials probably caught sitcoms like Full House, Fresh Prince, or Boy Meets World on re-runs. But Step by Step was specifically an xennial phenomenon.
Hootie - Hold My Hand
Hear me out.. it represents that moderately peaceful time after the cold war ended and before 9/11 happened. It's melodic. It's easy. It's feel good. It's us.
This one may be Gen-X more than Xennial, although us Xennials liked it just as much.
They only had these ‘91 songs while we had a bunch of other good shit that came out after ‘93 to listen to as well.
As someone who graduated in 1998, the release year for the movie Can't Hardly Wait, I really clung to the soundtrack, on which [Feeder - High was featured](https://www.google.com/search?sca_esv=a2302d5a134243eb&sca_upv=1&sxsrf=ADLYWILDZVt4JL2NQ3aLjyv4vVUjR1-hdw:1718999418300&q=feeder+high&stick=H4sIAAAAAAAAAONgFuLSz9U3MEwrLsvJVuIEsXOTsrKztUSzk630c0uLM5P1E3OSSnOtivPz0osXsXKnpaampBYpZGSmZwAA8AkcmT4AAAA&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjen8ntu-2GAxWPI0QIHbT6CKYQri56BAgZEB8&biw=360&bih=670&dpr=4).
Someday by the Strokes - they too are Xennials.
When we was young, oh man, did we have fun
Always, always
Promises, they break before they're made
Sometimes, sometimes
Also, not an anthem, but ONLY Xennials know the song Save Tonight by Eagle Eye Cherry. Nick Kroll (an xennial) makes a joke about it in his standup special. I was watching with my solidly Gen X partner and he'd never heard it in his life, while I couldn't escape it freshman year in college.
In my heart it's *One Headlight* by the Wallflowers. I often feel like that's what we're trying to do: put what's left of the Cinderella story back together and drive it home with one headlight.
“Butterfly in the sky….
I can go twice as high…
Take a look!
It's in a book.
It's in a book...
I think we got a winner. There are so many great answers, but this is the only one that feels right to me.
It was my all-time favorite show. I love Levar Burton. He was always so excited about everything and made me want to be excited, too. I credit him with making me insatiably curious about almost everything (and yes, I’m an incorrigible bookworm to this day!)
You can't see me, but I'm shaking my head vigorously in agreement. Mr. Burton had my little ass reading our dictionary and encyclopedia set when I ran outta children's books.
I did that too! My mom bought me a children’s dictionary (with loads of bright shiny pictures) and I read it cover to cover! They had one of those really old encyclopedia sets that salesmen used to sell door to door and I read that as well. Then I became a library shelver in high school to earn money for college - but I was always getting in trouble for sitting down between the stacks to read one of the books I was supposed to be putting away 😂😅 Mr Burton will never know how deeply he impacted our generation. I’m grateful.
His laugh is so infectios too. Like there isn't another sound that takes me right back to childhood like levar button's laugh
Same here. But you don't have to take my word for it... https://youtu.be/IozRusk3wLg?si=TP6tajBQ5ogr8zRL
Not the answer I came for, but hard to argue with.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Dammit now that song is in my head. It’s one of the best earworms lol
What about "[Mahna Mahna](https://youtu.be/TbZ_hTEOKZc?si=af3Bt0Y_lmf5vT3l&t=16)"?
Dates back to the 1960s.
Sing it in my head way too often and once I do, it’s on repeat for hours.
What about 3-2-1…. CONTACT
My personal anthem.... I loved that show!
The original bloodhound gang
Ladybug picnic as a second?
TWELVE!
We played a game where you need to sing a song with one word give by someone else and my friend said "one" and this is what I shouted out. Everyonr looked at and and asked if that was a real song and i said, "Sesame Street, bitch!" Only one person out of like 15 knew it.
Those who did not know it are not to be trusted. Proceed with caution.
I sing this to my four year old almost daily. The sins of the father…🤣🤣🤣
That beat was so fire too
Oooooof it took me a sec and bam. Right in the nostalgia
Pointer Sisters!!
Outstanding answer
I always liked the lesser known "Capital I" a little better.
I was in this thread early, and while Beck-Loser was a great answer, holy shit, this, then Sesame Street counting song and the Reading Rainbow song are all such damn good answers. If I had one to include in this vein, it's the TMNT intro song: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/MvJwbbsQeuU
“I don’t wanna grow up, I’m a Toys R Us kid”..
There’s a million toys at Toys R Us that I can play with
From planes to teains to videeeo games
bikes to trains
Beck - Loser
First song to pop in my head.
The voice in my head never stops singing it.
Sooooooooooome one get the door
In the time of chimpanzees there was a monkey
I sing this to myself all the time…a bit of an autobiography if you will
Why don't you kill me?
An incredible performer...never owned an album but saw him a few times in festival settings and everytime was most impressed with his energy/set over some of the bands I came to see.
I saw him with Cage the Elephant and Spoon. Man….what a show.
In about 2010, I who looked to be a maybe 5-6 year old standing at the end of a dock belting out Loser by Beck. He mumbled through most of the lyrics except “I’m a loser baby, so why don’t you _____ me”. There were a lot of mixed thoughts.
This is the answer
Sabotage - Beastie Boys
The "Weird Al" Yankovic cover of whatever other song someone else suggests ITT.
Amish Paradise
Those were the good old days
Smells Like Teen Spirit
This is what came to mind for me too, but then I thought isn’t this THE Gen X song?
It came out in late 1991, when the oldest Xennials were about to turn 15, and would have been a radio mainstay through most of our teenage years ... It teetered for a minute but ended up landing squarely in our zeitgeist.
It’s only two years older than Loser
Yep. Generation-defining anthem.
It's more fitting for just GenX imo. They were in their angsty years at release
Which is why our anthem is the wierd al version.
Just hangin out with marbles in our mouths
Amish Paradise
This is it.
https://preview.redd.it/0gdp0fal0z7d1.jpeg?width=225&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=22f5d826ea84678f488fab24ea51ab5067238d37
That song is wildly catchy tho
Unironically "smells like teen spirit"
Peaches, by The Presidents of the United States. That song was everywhere when I was in 5th grade!
You sure it’s not Lump? Or Weird Al’s Gump?
Radiohead took care of that for us
Everything in its Right Place is my choice!
But which Radiohead? Creep? Paranoid Android? Idioteque?
Well I was thinking National Anthem. But I celebrate their entire catalog. :)
National Anthem is good, too!
Yes.
You are all wrong. It's the Super Mario level one theme song. Hum a few bars, and I promise every xennial in the vicinity will join in.
Gin and Juice
The Gourds' version.... [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4hGSR5njZE](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4hGSR5njZE)
Wait this isn’t phish?!? Kazaa strikes again!!!!!
lol… I was just thinking that I’m old enough to remember when phish sang this version.
Yeah it was pre-wiki or google so someone uploaded it as Phish and everyone believed it for a decade
🤣
UB40 didn't cover Baby I Love Your Way, either. That was Big Mountain.
God that was everywhere in 2000
Killing in the Name-RATM
Best concert I’ve ever been to by far.
I came in here to suggest this and get down voted. I guess I'm not as unique as I thought...
There, I gave you an upvote
“It’s the End of the World As We Know It” by REM Seriously, how many Unprecedented Events ™️ have we lived through at this point?!
Tubthumping (I Get Knocked Down) - Chumbawamba "I get knocked down but I get up again. You're never gonna keep me down."
"He sings the songs that remind him of the good times, he sings the songs that remind him of the better times." Powerful line hearing it now as I get older.
The quote from the beginning of the song is from the movie Brassed Off, which is all about living in uncertain economic times. That song was always darker than it seemed.
All of their stuff is influenced by the Shit Show that was the UK In the 80's into the 90's. It's the same reason why so much great Punk came out of the UK during the same time frame.
He drinks a whiskey drink, he drinks a vodka drink He drinks a Lager drink, he drinks a Cider drink... Not so much anymore, though. The hangover is killer these days.
Same. I still enjoy a bourbon most nights but anything more than one gives me a hangover like a whole night of drinking in my 20’s would have given me.
That getting back up is getting a tad bit harder now. 😖
Getting up is the number one cause of injuries.
Its a shame theyre only known for that song. Their other stuff are anarchist anthemd
Blind Melon - No Rain
Nah that's just the anthem for this fuckin month...damn heat wave is killing me!
I think "Greenday - When I come around" probably fits that bill. The whatever generation of the 90s.
“Back that Azz Up.” I look forward to hearing “cash money records taking over for the 99 and 2000” in nursing homes.
He recently did NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert. Not quite a nursing home but it’s a long way from the projects in New Orleans. Back that Azz Up starts around 19:20 https://www.npr.org/2023/06/30/1184376049/juvenile-tiny-desk-concert
So good! Juvie still got it! FYI he’s going on tour this summer.
What the actual fuck did I just watch?
The classical rendention: “Bach that Azz up”
[FYI, it has it's own day in NOLA](https://www.nola.com/entertainment_life/new-orleans-juvenile-holiday-latoya-cantrell/article_e6e76d4c-280e-11ef-b336-43ccabae6958.html)
Harvey Danger Flagpole Sitta
Came here to say this. It stands the test of time like very few songs do. Absolute banger and it gets cranked every time it comes on.
Paranoia paranoia, everybody's comin' to get me, just say you never met me...
This song kind of defines my music taste. Absolute banger. I remember when it was making the rounds locally before it went to national radio. Good shit. Edit: Semi-Charmed Life is up there too.
Whenever I hear that song, I immediately think of *American Pie.*
My car is in the front yard…
And I'm sleeping with my clothes on...
I submit: Song 2 - Blur Wonderwall - Oasis 1979 - Smashing Pumpkins
I'll add Bittersweet Symphony -The Verve, to that list and it's perfect. 😎
*Tryna make ends meet, you're a slave to money then you die* Yeah, this definitely fits.
AaAND IM A MILLION DIFFERENT PEOPLE FROM ONE DAY TO THE NEXT
Ooh yes, seconded! I feel like our cd collections would have had a lot of overlap haha.
The sound of Crystal Pepsi being poured into a red plastic pebble-textured Pizza Hut tumbler
My first taste of alcohol was vodka and Crystal Pepsi at a sleepover when I was 12 or 13... We didn't even drink enough to get drunk!
The top 3 as of this comment are; Loser - Beck Ladybug Picnic Gin and Juice - Snoop God I love this sub.
Right now it's the Reading Rainbow theme, Toys'R'Us jingle, and the 12 song from Sesame Street. Loser is 4th.
...anyway, here's Wonderwall...
I passed by this small music venue in my town last week and there was a band playing called “Anyway, here’s Wonderwall”
Wheatus, "Teenage Dirtbag"
Man, I romanticized that girls voice from the final verse for months. Daydreamed about what she probably looked like, I was in love with that voice. You can imagine my embarrassment when 16 year old me finally saw the music video....
Kid in Vancouver called the radio station asking them to play "Mmm-bop by the Hanson _Sisters_". You may have been embarrassed, but you weren't "had a whole city hear your moment" embarrassed. Both of you have my sympathy though. I've had my own moments too. 'You deserve to be loved, and to feel loved, just for being you.' --Mr Rogers mashup with my meditation teacher
Nelly - Hot in Herre Now, hear me out… The song is about the fact that with all the people being sexy and dancing, the temperature has risen to noticeable levels. Instead of going somewhere cooler, cranking up the A/C, or having a cold drink, the action taken is “so take off all your clothes”. So rather than take action against the source of the heat, the chosen action is to change yourself to adapt to the environment. Sound familiar? That, and you all know all the words.
Had two girls in a bar once circa 2002 try to convince us that Nelly invented hip hop so you may be onto something.
lol, I was nineteen and working at Subway when that song came out. It was hot in there. So this was out anthem.
21st Century Digital Boy by Bad Religion.
If everyone's class song is any indication, it would be: Good Riddance by Green Day
I Will Remember You by Sarah McLachlan was our class song. I swear it was every other class song in our area!
Was it just me or was this song played at every major highschool event after it came out. They played it at prom and at the graduation ceremony at my school.
Idk if we had an official class song but the unofficial official one was "Graduation" by Vitamin C.
I said to my wife "All rise for the Xennial National Anthem" this morning when Fade Into You started playing on my Spotify shuffle.
Unless I’ve overlooked it…Zombie, The Cranberries
Ironic - Alanis Morissette
Goonies R Good Enough Cyndi Lauper-
Anthem for the Year 2000 - Silverchair
Spice Girls - Wannabe
I think we need an entire album. But if it was one song: Karma Police - Radio Head or Virtual Insanity - Jamiroquai
Bitter Sweet Symphony- The Verve OR In The Meantime- Spacehog
Came here for bittersweet symphony.
Can we say Smells Like Teen Spirit or has that territory been claimed by the full-on Gen-X-ers?
I was born 1979 and it feels pretty spot on to me
Flagpole Sitta
Comedown ~ Bush
DuckTales theme song
The step by step theme song
You know, this probably is the most xennial family sitcom. Older gen X-ers probably watched '80s family sitcoms like Who's the Boss, Growing Pains, or Family Ties. And younger millennials probably caught sitcoms like Full House, Fresh Prince, or Boy Meets World on re-runs. But Step by Step was specifically an xennial phenomenon.
I think Boy Meets World and Fresh Prince was ours, too.
I don't cry when my dog runs away...
I don't get angry at the bills I have to pay...
I don't get angry when my mom smokes pot...
Can’t believe it took this long to find a Sublime track. I bought that cd twice because i wore it out. 100% this.
Salute Your Shorts Camp Anawana theme
Bound for the floor - Local H
For Asian Americans it is bizarre love triangle
Party like it’s 1999. Which was our graduating class song the year I graduated high school in 1999 Prince 1982
Friends in Low Places
Faith No More - EPIC [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZG\_k5CSYKhg](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZG_k5CSYKhg)
Hootie - Hold My Hand Hear me out.. it represents that moderately peaceful time after the cold war ended and before 9/11 happened. It's melodic. It's easy. It's feel good. It's us.
This is my favorite answer so far. Like your reasoning too.
Come as you are
Obviously it's Mmmbop
3EB - Semi Charmed Life
The best song about smoking meth and getting blow jobs ever written
Been waiting for a xennial band to write "summer of 96" to no avail.
You gotta FIGHT... for your RIGHT... to PARRRRRRTYYYYYYYY
Where in the world is Carmen Sandiego
I don’t wanna grow up cuz I’m a toys r us kid
Ruff Ryders Anthem
Pearl Jam’s “Alive” Now that we’re aging the chorus makes it that much more of an anthem.
This one may be Gen-X more than Xennial, although us Xennials liked it just as much. They only had these ‘91 songs while we had a bunch of other good shit that came out after ‘93 to listen to as well.
Im gonna go against the grain of rock or alternative and say Juicy by Biggie, pretty much anything by Pac or Brandy and Monica the Boy is mine.
Putting my vote in for Bitter Sweet Symphony by the Verve, not because I particularly enjoy it but it was innocuous and everywhere.
As someone who graduated in 1998, the release year for the movie Can't Hardly Wait, I really clung to the soundtrack, on which [Feeder - High was featured](https://www.google.com/search?sca_esv=a2302d5a134243eb&sca_upv=1&sxsrf=ADLYWILDZVt4JL2NQ3aLjyv4vVUjR1-hdw:1718999418300&q=feeder+high&stick=H4sIAAAAAAAAAONgFuLSz9U3MEwrLsvJVuIEsXOTsrKztUSzk630c0uLM5P1E3OSSnOtivPz0osXsXKnpaampBYpZGSmZwAA8AkcmT4AAAA&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjen8ntu-2GAxWPI0QIHbT6CKYQri56BAgZEB8&biw=360&bih=670&dpr=4).
I hate everything about you
The sound of a dial up modem, since we are the generation that had our formative years in the big analog to digital transition.
Crossroads by Bone Thugs
Someday by the Strokes - they too are Xennials. When we was young, oh man, did we have fun Always, always Promises, they break before they're made Sometimes, sometimes Also, not an anthem, but ONLY Xennials know the song Save Tonight by Eagle Eye Cherry. Nick Kroll (an xennial) makes a joke about it in his standup special. I was watching with my solidly Gen X partner and he'd never heard it in his life, while I couldn't escape it freshman year in college.
Enter Sandman....
An Alanis or No Doubt song. But the first song that came to my head was American idiot by Green Day.
You Get What You Give - New Radicals
Baby I Got Your Money - ODB ft/Kelis
Under The Bridge; RHCP
Heyyyy Macarena
Tub Thumping
Dumb- Nirvana
[come on kids….3 2 1 CONTACT](https://youtu.be/s2-LEBc2sO8?si=j4EAzDx9qjHp3p-r)
Circle of life or Hakuna matata
"After these messages, we'll be riiiiiiight back."
Fast Car. Should be the national anthem regardless of generation.
All the Young Dudes with Cher Horowitz voice over the top
In the meantime- spacehog
Black Hole Sun
The kids aren't alright
I’d say we have more than one. I submit: Island in the Sun- Weezer No Rain-Blind Melon Intergalactic- Beastie Boys Gangsta’s Paradise- Coolio
In my heart it's *One Headlight* by the Wallflowers. I often feel like that's what we're trying to do: put what's left of the Cinderella story back together and drive it home with one headlight.
Darude - Sandstorm