Because we didn’t want to choose the obvious with this list, it’s a random mix of a few classics and a few others from the 1992 Billboard Weekly charts that you may have forgotten. These are singles released in ’92, even if the album it’s from was released in 1991. On that note, we excluded singles released in ’91 that carried over to the charts in ’92.

“Jump Around” – House of Pain

Anyone from this era who says they don’t get hyped up listening to this jam is a liar. It comes with a wonderful history: DJ Muggs, who produced the beat, first offered it to B-Real of Cypress Hill and then to Ice Cube. Both turned it down. House of Pain would wind up turning it into one of the decade’s most recognizable (and best) bangers. Everlast has a combative flow in the song but he delivers a fine amount of memorable lines, my favorite still being, “Or better yet a Terminator, like Arnold Schwarzenegger/Try to play me out as if my name was Sega.”

Boomerang Soundtrack

Yes, this is absolutely cheating but it’s worth mentioning. The soundtrack featured Boyz II Men’s “End of the Road,” one of the biggest singles of the decade. It also included two jams by early ’90s R&B standout, Toni Braxton, one of which was her solo debut, “Love Shoulda Brought You Home Last Night.” PM Dawn’s slow jam, “I’d Die Without You” is a beautiful addition to the album as well as the final track, one of Tribe Called Quest’s most underrated songs, “Hot Sex.” *I chose this music video because it was a rare find on YouTube and featured a super young TLC and Toni Braxton.

“Killing In The Name” – Rage Against the Machine

While this site hasn’t focused on Rage Against The Machine nearly enough, it would be insulting not to deem this song one of the most impactful of the decade. Rock and rap had been mixed before but not it hadn’t been this hardcore nor this damn good. Rage also managed to get a lot of airplay despite their politically driven songs, staring with this one that came as a response to the 1991 Rodney King beating carried out by four LAPD officers. There is a lot of anger in this jam but that is also what makes it one of the most dynamic songs of the 1992.

“I’ll Be There” – Mariah Carey

Carey is in the discussion for the greatest singer of all time as she owned the ’90s. The marvelous voice whose live debut at the 1990 NBA Finals is one of the best takes on “America The Beautiful” ever does a gorgeous cover of the Jackson 5’s “I’ll Be There” live on MTV Unplugged. It wouldn’t be her last cover but it became her sixth number one single already of a young decade and is arguably better than the original (my condolences to the Jackson 5). The true attraction of this song is its warmth and elegance, most of which is contributed to Carey although her co-singer, Trey Lorenz, does a perfect job as the male voice.

“They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)” – Pete Rock & CL Smooth

One rarely thinks of any hip-hop song as beautiful but this one truly is. CL Smooth’s commanding vocals take us down Memory Lane on a monumental beat made by legendary producer Pete Rock (who produced Nas'”The World Is Yours”). In a 2007 interview with Village Voice, Pete Rock spoke about the origin of the song: I had a friend of mine that passed away, and it was a shock to the community. I was kind of depressed when I made it. And to this day, I can’t believe I made it through, the way I was feeling. I guess it was for my boy.” The friend that the song is dedicated to is named Troy Dixon, a hip-hop dancer with Heavy D and Boyz who died from a tragic fall at the young age of 22.

“Evenflow” – Pearl Jam

People often mention Nirvana when they hear grunge but Pearl Jam deserves just as much credit for the rise of grunge in the nineties. This song, their second single off their record-selling album, Ten, puts lead singer Eddie Vedder’s powerful vocals on full display. The rest of the band creates a killer combination of guitar, bass, and drums that make it difficult to keep yourself from headbanging. As energetic as it can feel, the song is dark, depicting the life of a homeless man. According to Vedder, a Vietnam Vet he met while recording the band’s first album inspired the song.

“Real Love” – Mary J Blige

Mary J Blige’s first hit single may not be sneaking into this list but people often forget this song’s impact on R&B. Early ’90s R&B, also called New Jack Swing, still maintained a strong R&B style with hip-hop undertones. Blige’s “Real Love” had a hip-hop beat with her beautiful vocals over it. The exceptional beat produced by Corey and Mark Morales (otherwise known as Prince Marky Dee from the Fat Boys), made this jam a club favorite as well. It would take R&B into more hip-hop-oriented territory as many acts began to spring up trying to mimic Blige’s sound. Blige remains the best to ever do it, hence, the reason she is called the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul.

“One” – U2

U2 is known for such a large catalog of songs but “One” is often regarded as one of their best for good reasons. While the lyrics center on a fractured relationship, the message U2 tried to convey is that everyone is different but should still be united. It’s one of the band’s slower tracks but its power still resonates, more so today than ever. Influenced by the group’s internal issues at the time, it became a rallying cry for social justice at their concerts. Fun fact: “One” was released as something called a charity single in which most or all of the proceeds go to charity. In the case of “One,” proceeds went to AIDS research.

“My Lovin’ (You’re Never Gonna Get It)” – En Vogue

En Vogue owned the early nineties R&B spotlight for female groups until TLC and Mary J Blige’s popularity turned R&B more hip-hop. They would go on to have a good single for 1996’s Set It Off soundtrack but this song is far more their style. You get the sense that these four ladies don’t take any crap from men in this tune and they deliver it with a sexy attitude that is hard to keep your eyes away from. This track would go on to be their best-selling single as a group, highlighting both their individual vocals as well as their wonderful ability to harmonize together.

“Smells Like Nirvana” – “Weird Al” Yankovic

Despite being a cult classic now, Yankovic’s 1989 movie, UHF bombed horribly and nearly ruined his career. Why would that be relevant here? Weird Al wrote this song during this terrible three-year period of his career and the end result would be a song that would help revitalize his career and came with a kick-ass video parody of Nirvana’s original music video. In fact, Yankovic hired some of the same actors to make it as close to the original as possible. It’s one of Weird Al’s best songs, focusing on what sounded like illegible words from Curt Cobain on “Smells Like Teen Spirit.” It’s as funny as it is parodied.