New Wave in the 1990s

(They Were Simply Not Paying Attention Or)

by aLfie vera mella

I laugh secretly every time I hear quips from some people that New Wave died in the 1990s. They never learn. The fact is, it was in their very hearts where New Wave died. What about the following songs? Weren't these also on the radio airwaves as well as on MTV back in the 1990s?

"Smiling" by Kitchens of Distinction, from the third album, The Death of Cool (1992)

Obviously those people either were not paying attention or did not know the musical and aesthetic elements that make a song or a band New Wave. For instance,

Aztec Camera - "The Crying Scene" (1990)

The High - "Box Set Go" (1990)
The Lightning Seeds - "Pure" (1990)
The Farm - "All Together Now" (1991)
Northside - "My Rising Star" (1991)
O.M.D. - "Sailing on the Seven Seas" (1991)
The Ocean Blue - "Mercury" (1991)
R.E.M. - "Losing My Religion" (1991)
Simple Minds - "See the Lights" (1991)
Simply Red - "Stars" (1991)
Toad the Wet Sprocket - "All I Want" (1991)
Dillon Fence - "Hey Mockingbird" (1992)
Kingmaker - "Really Scrape the Sky" (1992)

"Really Scrape the Sky" by Kingmaker, from the debut album, Eat Yourself Whole (1991)

Kitchens of Distinction - "Smiling" (1992)
Riverside - "Waterfall" (1992)
a-ha - "Dark Is the Night for All" (1993)
The Cranberries - "Dreams" (1993)
Duran Duran - "Ordinary World" (1993)
James - "Say Something" (1993)
New Order - "Regret" (1993)
The Other Two - "Selfish" (1993)
Pet Shop Boys - "Can You Forgive Her?" (1993)
Tears for Fears - "Break It Down Again" (1993)
Erasure - "Always" (1994)
The Listening Pool - "Oil for the Lamps of China" (1994)
Love Spit Love - "Am I Wrong?" (1994)
Morrissey - "The More You Ignore Me, the Closer I Get" (1994)
Deep Blue Something - "Breakfast at Tiffany's" (1995)
The Human League - "One Man in My Heart" (1995)
Siouxsie & the Banshees - "O Baby" (1995)
The Cure - "Mint Car" (1996)
Electronic - "For You" (1996)
ABC - "Stranger Things" (1997)
Depeche Mode - "It's No Good" (1997)

Monaco - "Shine" (1997)
Midnight Oil - "Redneck Wonderland" (1998)
Culture Club - "Your Kisses Are Charity" (1999)
Echo & the Bunnymen - "Lost on You" (1999)
The Ocean Blue - "Do You Still Remember Me?" (1999)

"Breakfast at Tiffany's" by Deep Blue Something, from the second album, Home (1995)

...and the list goes on and on and on.

And what about New Wave in the 2000s—should I talk about it?

In the heart of a true New Wave enthusiast, New Wave music stays forever.