Popular Songs That Turn 30 in 2025

Thanks for coming back a third time this week!  This final installment looks at those songs we all remember that are now in their third decade of life!  Wow!  

Again, this list is probably incomplete, like the others, so if I missed one, please let me know below.

Did you like this series?  Let me know in the comments, and perhaps later this year, I'll do it again with movies or television shows!  If you all really liked it, I'll do it again next year!

So, without further ado, I give you,

Songs That Turn 30 in 2025!

"Good" by Better Than Ezra

February 15, 1995

The alternative rock band Better Than Ezra released "Good" as the first single from their major-label debut album, Deluxe.  It reached number one on the US Billboard Modern Rock chart and 30 on the Billboard Hot 100.   

Band member Kevin Griffin says he wrote the song in early 1991, after having just graduated from LSU and formed the band.  It was part of the band's set list for years before being released nationally by Elektra Records in 1995.  He claims the song was inspired by Bob Dylan, R.E.M., and The Pixies.  Griffin also says the song is about the "reflective happy feelings" when the dust settles after a relationship ends. 

"This Is How We Do It" by Montell Jordan

February 15, 1995

The debut single for Montell Jordan was released as the first R&B release for Def Jam Records.  It has since become Jordan's "signature song." Written as a tribute to the popular South Central Los Angeles hip-hop party culture at the time, the song features Jordan singing over an enhanced drum beat of the sampled Slick Rick's "Children's Story."

The song peaked at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 in April 1995, knocking Madonna's "Take a Bow" out of the top spot.  It remained number one for seven consecutive weeks.  The song earned a nomination for the Grammy Award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance.  It also won Best R&B 12-inch at the International Dance Music Awards.  

 

"Be My Lover" by La Bouche

March 8, 1995

The German "Euro-Dance" group La Bouche released this song through Arista and RCA Records as the second single from their debut album.  Written by group members Melanie Thornton and Lane McCray, it remains their most successful song to date.  In Europe, it was number one in the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Romania, and Sweden but reached number six in the United States and United Kingdom.  

In 2000, when Melanie Thornton left the group to begin a solo career, the band released a new version of the song.  It included vocals by Natascha Wright, erasing Thornton as the female vocals on the track.

"Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman" by Bryan Adams

April 4, 1995

Canadian singer Bryan Adams, along with Michael Jamen and Robert John Lange, wrote and recorded the song for the 1995 film Don Juan DeMarco.  The film starred Marlon Brando, Johnny Depp, and Faye Dunaway.  The melody is used as a musical motif throughout the entire film, and the song is featured three times in the movie: twice in Spanish by other artists and once by Adams during the closing credits.

While many fans loved it, critics did not, calling it "the same old Bryan Adams song." The song stayed at number one for five weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States, making it the third number-one song for the songwriting team.  It was nominated for Best Original Song at the 68th Academy Awards but lost to "Colors of the Wind" from the Disney animated film Pocahontas.

"Mr. Boombastic" by Shaggy

May 1, 1995 

Also known as "Boombastic," this song is by Jamaican artist Shaggy and is from his third album, "Boombastic." After being used in an ad for Levi's jeans, it was successful in many countries worldwide.  It spent a week at number one on the US Billboard R&B chart and the UK Singles chart and peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100.  

The song is still Shaggy's most successful to date.  A year later, it was rereleased as a remix featuring Sting International, which included a sample of Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get It On." This later version is included as a bonus track on most versions of the Boombastic album.  

"I'll Be There For You" by The Rembrandts

May 23, 1995

I dare you to not sing along and clap in the appropriate spots to this one!  "I'll Be There for You" is the iconic theme song to the NBC sitcom "Friends," broadcast from 1994 to 2004.  While I'm not a fan of Friends, I can't help but love this song and be reminded of the 90s.  

The rock band R.E.M. was initially asked to allow their song "Shiny Happy People" to be used as the theme song, but they turned down the opportunity.  "I'll Be There For You" was then written, and Warner Bros. Television selected the only available band signed to Warner Bros. Records to record it:  The Rembrandts.  

In 1995, a Nashville radio station was the first to bring the song to mainstream popularity.  It reached number 17 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States and was at the top of the list on the Billboard Hot 100 Airplay chart for over eight weeks.   

The famous handclaps at the end of the song's first line were a last-minute, almost ad-libbed addition, with the band admitting that it was a wise decision and naming it the best part of the track.

"Breakfast at Tiffany's" by Deep Blue Something

July 11, 1995

This one was first written and released in 1993 on the band's album "11th Song," but was later updated and re-recorded to be released on their 1995 album, "Home."  This song remains the band's only hit in the United States, peaking at number five on the Hot 100 6 months later in January 1996.  Outside of the US, "Breakfast at Tiffany's" topped the UK Singles Chart and was in the Top Ten in several European nations.  All other singles failed to match the success of this song, and the band is classified as a "one-hit wonder."  

The song is sung from the point of view of a man whose girlfriend is about to break up with him because they have nothing in common.  Desperate to stay together, the man brings up Audrey Hepburn's Breakfast at Tiffany's, hoping to remind her of something they both enjoyed together.  The film "Roman Holiday" inspired many of the song's lyrics, but writer Todd Pipes thought one of Hepburn's other films would make for a better title and lyrics.  

"Gangsta's Paradise" by Coolio 

August 1, 1995

Interpolating Stevie Wonder's song "Pastime Paradise" from 1976, Coolio's "Gangsta's Paradise" features vocals from American singer L.V., who also served as co-composer with Coolio and Doug Rasheed, while Stevie Wonder was also partly credited for composition and lyrics.  The song was certified platinum only two months after its release and was included on his second album in November 1995.  

The song was featured and appeared on the soundtrack of the 1995 movie Dangerous Minds, starring Michelle Pfeiffer.  The music video was also themed around the movie.  It was the top-selling single of 1995 on the US Billboard and the first rap single to ever go straight to number one in England.  IT was ranked 38 on VH1's "100 Greatest Hip Hop Songs Ever."  

For many kids of the 90s, however, the song may be best remembered for Weird Al Yankovic's parody, "Amish Paradise."  

"Fantasy" by Mariah Carey

August 23, 1995

"Fantasy" was the lead single off Mariah's fifth album, Daydream.  The lyrics describe a woman in love with a man, and whenever she sees him, she daydreams about an impossible relationship.  The remix, arguably more popular, features rap verses from rapper Ol' Dirty Bastard, something Carey arranged to assist in her attempted crossover into the hip-hop market.  The remix is credited for introducing R&B and hip hop to mainstream pop culture. 

The song became a global success, topping the charts in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United States and reaching the top ten in thirteen countries.  In the US, "Fantasy" became the first song by a female artist and the second song ever to debut at number one on the Billboard Hot 100.  It was Carey's ninth number one and lasted at the top for eight straight weeks. 

"Just a Girl" by No Doubt

September 21, 1995

Off their third studio album "Tragic Kingdom," "Just a Girl" was written by Gwen Stefani and Tom Dumont.  Stefani wrote the song, her first without any assistance from her brother Eric, from the perspective of life as a woman and her struggles with strict parents.  Stefani says it stems from a real-life incident in which she drove, very late at night, to a band member's house alone.  

Critics praised the song, specifically for its feminist lyrics, while many fans criticized the band's change in "sound.  " At the time, Stefani told Rolling Stone that it wasn't because they "sold out " but because her brother wasn't writing the music anymore.  The song became the group's first charting single in the United States, peaking at number 23 on the Hot 100.  It also reached the top ten in several countries, including Australia, Ireland, and the United Kingdom.  

"Wonderwall" by Oasis

October 30, 1995

"Wonderwall" is the fourth single from the band's second album, "What's the Story, Morning Glory?"  Described by songwriter and lead guitarist Noel Gallagher as being about "an imaginary friend who's gonna come and save you from yourself," this song reached the top ten in over 15 countries.  It reached 8 at it's peak in the United States on the Billboard Hot 100.  This was the band's sole entry into the US charts.  

Today, it remains the band's most popular song, winning multiple awards in Australia and the UK.  It took the number 86 spot on Spotify's streaming list for 2024.  It is also Spotify's second most streamed song from the 90s, behind Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" at 2.25 billion streams.

"One Sweet Day" by Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men

November 14, 1995

This collaboration between Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men was the second single from Carey's album, Daydream.  Lyrically, the song speaks about the death of a loved one, how the person took their presence for granted and missed them, and finally, seeing the person in heaven.  The artists wrote the song about specific people in their lives, being inspired by sufferers of the AIDS epidemic, which was prevalent globally at the time.

The song spent 16 weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States, becoming the longest-running number-one song in the chart's history, a record held for 23 years.  In 2019, it was defeated by "Old Town Road" by Lil Nas, featuring Billy Ray Cyrus.  Carey performed "One Sweet Day" live alongside Boyz II Men at the 38th Grammy Awards ceremony in February 1996.  Additionally, the song was performed at Princess Diana's memorial service in September 1997.  

"California Love" by 2Pac featuring Dr. Dre

December 3, 1995

Released in early December, this song marked 2Pac's comeback single after his release from prison.  It was also his first single as the newest artist on Death Row Records.  The music video was based on an idea by Jada Pinkett Smith, who supposedly took inspiration from the movie Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome.   

The song reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks and reached the top of the charts in Italy, New Zealand, and Sweden.  In 1997, it and 2Pac were nominated posthumously for a Grammy for Best Rap Performance by a Group or Duo.