Find it hard to get up on Mondays? We feel you. The prospect of a long week at work or school can get you down, but there's nothing like the hits from yesteryear to get you started on the right foot. Float away on breezy indie-pop from local bands like Serenaide, or indulge in alternative rock from icons such as Concave Scream. These familiar bops and chart-toppers from the 90s and 2000s hail from Singapore's shores and beyond – and will remind you of the bittersweet, yet carefree days of teenage angst and few responsibilities.
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By Serenaide (2005)
Indie pop group Serenaide delivers sepia-tinted tunes on the album The Other End of the Receiver (2005). The Girl From Katong evokes the naive 70s, depicting a meet-cute with "magical Marine Parade" as the backdrop. Featured in Boo Jun Feng's movie Sandcastle (2010), it has been performed by the likes of .gif and Shak as part of The Great Singapore Replay by the National Arts Council in 2017.
Listen on Spotify.
By The Oddfellows (1991)
Formed in 1998, The Oddfellows blazed the trail for the local alternative music scene with their debut EP Teenage Dreams in 1991. Having enjoyed underground success with various demos, the first single from Teenage Dreams, the track So Happy propelled the band to commercial success. It shot to the top of the Perfect 10 98.7FM chart, a first for a Singaporean indie band. This classic stands up to the test of time – it has a raw and unpolished charm, and a rousing harmonica section from two-thirds of the way in takes the song to the next level.
Listen on YouTube.
By Oasis (1995)
Released on Oasis's 1995 album What's The Story (Morning Glory)?, Wonderwall is perhaps the band's most iconic track of all time (if not considered overplayed by hardcore fans). It features Liam Gallagher's vocals at its prime – his gritty delivery elevates the track from sappy love song to something more. Throw in simple chords, an appealing progression, and iconic music video (those cool shades, anyone?) and you've got a perennial karaoke and cover artist favourite on your hands.
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By Fools Garden (1995)
There's an urban legend that Lemon Tree was written by vocalist Peter Freudenthaler about his French girlfriend, who died when her car crashed into a lemon tree. That would be a rather tragic backstory to a song that put Fools Garden on the map. Whatever inspired it, Lemon Tree reached number one on multiple music charts around the world – it remained at the top for fours weeks in the band's home country Germany – and was widely played on local radios too.
Listen on Spotify.
By Humpback Oak (1994)
Humpback Oak's sadcore tunes have tinged many an emo teen's days. Made up of four buddies from St. Joseph Institution, including the well-known lead singer and guitarist Leslie Low, the band gained national attention with their debut album Pain-Stained Mornings. It won Humpback Oak both Favourite Local Act and Critic's Choice awards at the Singapore's Perfect 10 Music Awards in 1995. It includes standout tracks like painfully sincere Circling Square, as well as Fear. Leslie Low's laidback crooning is punctuated by sparkly acoustic guitar riffs over a punchy drumline and bass – giving it a bright and uplifting sound that belies its moodier subject matter.
Listen on YouTube.
By The Padres (1997)
The Padres is another pioneer of the local indie music scene in the 90s. Formed in 1991 by 'the godfather of Singapore alternative music' Joe Ng, the band was a supergroup of sorts – pulling in big names from the local music scene over the years, including Patrick Chng and Vincent Lee (The Oddfellows), Ben Harrison (Electric Penguin ETC) and Abdul Nizam and Jong Aik (The Nonames). November 91 is an excellent soft rock track – let it sweep you away on dark, rainy nights with its evocative lyrics, melodic guitar lines and breathy, intimate vocals that swell with fierce emotion as the song progresses.
Listen on YouTube.
By Natalie Imbruglia (1997)
This cover of an Ednaswap song kickstarted Natalie Imbruglia's singing career. And what a start it was. Torn was number one on radio charts around the world, sitting at the top of the Billboard Airplay chart for 14 weeks and even earning the singer a nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance at the 1999 Grammys. Its lyrics, about an idealised relationship that's not all it appears to be, continues to speak to all the broken hearts out there.
By Sugarflies (1998)
Local female duos were few and far between in the 90s, but June Koh and Stella Tan defied the odds with Sugarflies. Just teenagers and schoolgirls when they burst onto the underground music scene, the two vocalists and guitarists sing with a maturity beyond their years, but still tinged with youthful idealism. Their 1998 album And That's Why is breezy and nostalgic, and the song What About will make you miss the carefree and innocent days of yore.
Listen on YouTube.
By Kit Chan (1998)
Home by Kit Chan is the ultimate National Day Song. It's bound to bring tears to your eyes, especially if you've been working or studying abroad for a significant amount of time. Composed by Dick Lee and performed by Kit Chan for the 1998 National Day Parade, it has spawned many a cover, spin-off and parody including this laugh-out-loud version released in 2012.
Listen on Spotify.
By Backstreet Boys (1998)
Another song that everyone has belted once or twice during karaoke. I Want It That Way by the Backstreet Boys topped the charts in 25 countries and earned the group three Grammys nominations – not bad for a song that almost didn't make it as the lead single. It's a catchy, mid-tempo tune that will pull at your heartstrings even after more than 20 years since its debut.
Listen on Spotify.
By Lou Bega (1999)
This irresistible song will get your feet tapping in no time, which explains why it's a staple for mambo nights at local clubs. Mambo No. 5 is actually a cover of a song originally composed and recorded by a Cuban musician Dámaso Pérez Prado in 1949, but only became a hit when released by Lou Bega in 1999 – taking Europe and the US by storm for much of that year.
Listen on Spotify.
By Britney Spears (1999)
It would be a crime not to have the princess of pop herself on this list. ...Baby One More Time by Britney Spears needs no introduction – it's instantly recognisable, from the opening three-note piano motif and Spears' "oh baby baby". From there it dives into an angst-ridden pop jam that went on to become one of the best-selling singles of all time.
Listen on Spotify.
By Concave Scream (2006)
Concave Scream stands alongside The Oddfellows and Humpback Oak as vanguards of Singapore's developing indie music scene. Formed in 1994, it took them seven years after their last album Three (1999) to come back with Horizons (2006). While the album meditates on the fleetingness of time, the song Distance is empowering, exhorting the listener to "go the distance... we all know we can do anything".
By Taufik Batisah (2006)
The darling of Singapore Idol Taufik Batisah followed up his first English album Blessings with a collection of English-Malay songs on All Because of You in 2006. Alongside Sesuatu Janji and Sambong, the third Malay track Usah Lepaskan became wildly popular in the Malay music industry. This touching ballad, whose title means "don't let it go" in English, has Batisah singing mournfully about a love that's fading.
Listen on Spotify.
By Jesse McCartney (2008)
Years after courting a young fanbase with boy-next-door looks and lyrics, Jesse McCartney finally shed his youthful image with his third album Departure. The lead single Leavin' shows crunk and electro influences, serving as a catchy backdrop to McCartney's smooth and beguiling vocals, as he tries to convince his love interest to drop her current partner to be with him. No more Mr. Nice Guy.
Listen on Spotify.
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