Elena chewed her lip. "That’s the fight, isn't it? Critics argue about this constantly. Is it the biggest seller? The most culturally significant? In this collection... they went with the pulse."

: Mariah Carey was the most dominant artist of the 1990s, amassing 14 number-one hits and spending 60 total weeks at the top of the charts [4].

"Alright," Leo said, standing up and stretching. "We've done the angst. We've done the crying. What was number one? If this is a definitive list, what sits on the throne?"

"The 90s gets remembered for being cynical," Elena shouted over the pop perfection. "But look at the top 100. It was the last time the whole world listened to the same radio station. Before the internet split us all into niches, we all knew these songs. We all knew the moves to 'Macarena' even if we hated it. We all felt the chill of 'Zombie' by The Cranberries."

And as they walked out into the fading sunlight, the 1990s didn't feel like history anymore. It felt like now.

"It wasn't all grunge and gloom," Leo noted, tapping his foot. "It was attitude. It was saying you didn't care, but screaming it so everyone could hear."