by Erik R. Slagle
Flash back 30 years to when The Showcase first started landing in your and your neighbor’s mailboxes. Does it surprise you to remember that the biggest song of that summer was “Macarena”? It was more than a chart-topper – it was, for better or worse, a musical force that ignited a global dance craze that found its way into movies, TV shows, and, likely, thousands upon thousands of wedding videos. (Imagine if TikTok had existed in 1996 – “Macarena” might have crashed the platform!)
The summer of ’96 saw plenty of other great tracks too, enough to build a whole playlist around: "Always Be My Baby" by Mariah Carey, Alanis Morissette’s “You Learn,” Tracy Chapman’s “Give Me One Reason,” and Eric Clapton’s “Change the World” from “Phenomenon” were all chart toppers. (The whole “Phenomenon” soundtrack, incidentally, is worth a listen.) Alanis’s “Jagged Little Pill” had been a best-selling mainstay for over 12 months by the summer of ’96, and “What’s The Story Morning Glory” from Oasis spawned another massive hit: “Champagne Supernova”. The soundtrack from the first Tom Cruise-led “Mission: Impossible” was also a top seller that summer, thanks to U2 members Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr.’s brilliant reimaging of the classic theme song.
As The Showcase was taking off that summer, a debut album called “Pieces of You” by a young Alaskan singer named Jewel was finally gaining traction: "Who Will Save Your Soul" would launch her to stardom following a nationwide tour as the opening act on the 1996 leg of Bob Dylan’s “Neverending Tour.” The Black Crowes’ “Three Snakes and One Charm” and Beck’s “Odelay” were also gaining steam – and so were several alternative offerings:
- Porno For Pyros (“Tahitian Moon” blazed the way for the Perry Farrell (Jane’s Addiction) group’s second album, “Good God’s Urge”)
Butthole Surfers (“Electric Larryland,” fueled by the infectious single “Pepper”)
- Primitive Radio Gods (remember "Standing Outside a Broken Phone Booth with Money in My Hand" from “The Cable Guy”?)
- Sponge (“Wax Ecstatic” and the album of the same name)
- Dishwalla (“Pet Your Friends,” led by "Counting Blue Cars (Tell Me Your Thoughts on God)")
- Jars of Clay (their self-titled debut featured the single “Flood”, which garnered plenty of college-radio airplay that summer)
- Poe (“Angry Johnny” and its accompanying album “Hello”)
- Tracy Bonham (“The Burdens of Being Upright,” featuring her best-known song “Mother Mother”)
Aside from “Macarena,” of course, these don’t necessarily have the same “summer charm” as classics like Bobby Rydell’s “Wildwood Days”, anything from the Beach Boys, or even 1985’s “Big Three” from Tears For Fears – “Shout,” “Everybody Wants to Rule the World,” and “Head Over Heels.” But the Summer of ’96 still gave us plenty of choices for music to turn to when we want to turn back the clock 30 years.
In the next Showcase issue, The Playlist will delve into landmark hip-hop drops that are turning 30 in 2026. Until then, happy reminiscing!
