Welcome to 1993

Revisiting a year of Bjork, dinosaurs, Bill Clinton, boybands, and more

Greetings, Time Traveller! 👋

Over the course of 2023, we’re going to perform a week-by-week exploration of 1993. Scroll down to find a full list of all articles published so far. If you want to travel further back, you can find all of 1992 over here.

New here? We send a new email every Thursday, with an essay inspired by our featured song, a look at some of the week’s chart hits, and an Album of the Week. It’s free! You can subscribe here:

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Also also! There is a rolling Spotify playlist featuring all of the singles and albums mentioned in 1993. Here it is:

January 1993

The Frank & Walters lead an Irish mini-invasion [Jan 10, 1993]

Paul McCartney vs. pop's biggest conspiracy theory [January 17, 1993]

Should "Mr. Wendal" be cancelled? [January 24, 1993]

"Ordinary World" gets Duran Duran back on Top Of The Pops [January 31, 1993]

February 1993

No Lyrics, No Problem for 2 Unlimited [February 7, 1993]

Annie Lennox's "Love Song for a Vampire" revives an old monster [February 14, 1993]

"Killing In The Name" rages against all the machines [February 21, 1993]

Shaggy's 'Oh Carolina' sparks a Reggae-naissance [February 28, 1993]

March 1993

Suede launch Britpop with 'Animal Nitrate' [March 7, 1993]

'Screamager' is the Therapy we need [March 14, 1993]

'Informer' by Snow gets the white rapper backlash [March 21, 1993]

'Show Me Love' and the Harper Lee of House Music [March 28, 1993]

April 1993

Bowie is reborn again with 'Jump They Say' [April 4, 1993]

'Everybody Hurts' fills a gap in our lives [April 11, 1993]

Sub Sub's miraculous escape from the 90s [April 18, 1993]

'Regret' maintains New Order's good name [April 25, 1993]

May 1993

Eurovision 1993, live from "a cowshed in Ireland" [May 2, 1993]

Janet Jackson crowned Queen with 'That's The Way Love Goes' [May 9, 1993]

Were Ace of Base secretly Nazis? [May 16, 1993]

'Two Princes' is the Gen X trolley problem [May 23, 1993]