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"  Whether you first heard it in the car from an all-knowing upperclassman, through a Mike&amp;#039;s Hard Lemonade buzz at the school dance, or tried to catch it on the radio so you could add it to your favorite mixed tape, these 10 songs wedged their way into our impressionable, young hearts. Here&amp;#039;s why they mattered\u2014and how to incorporate them into your current repertoire: 1. Your First Song-Induced Sobfest: &amp;quot;Kissing You&amp;quot; by Des&amp;#039;ree (1996)      It appears as if the soundtrack for the DiCaprio/Danes starrer was crafted by evil scientists with secret access to the XX chromosomal database. From that little kid on the a cappella version of &amp;quot;Everybody&amp;#039;s Free&amp;quot; to The Cardigans&amp;#039; &amp;quot;Lovefool,&amp;quot; Baz Luhrmann and Co. knew how to get us all mixed up. And then they dropped the hammer with &amp;quot;Kissing You&amp;quot;: slowly ascending piano, Des&amp;#039;ree&amp;#039;s full and rich timbre, and an enduring visual of a giant fish tank full of angelfish. Game over. The yearbook-worthy lyrics: &amp;quot;Watching stars without you/ My soul cried.&amp;quot; Then: Listened and re-listened to on audio tape (in between readings of Go Ask Alice) Now: On just the very worst days 2. Your First Rap Genius Moment: &amp;quot;Waterfalls&amp;quot; by TLC (1995)      It wasn&amp;#039;t something we openly admitted, but we weren&amp;#039;t above writing down the lyrics of a song and be rehearsing until we got the cadence just right. The trickiest part of Left Eye&amp;#039;s spitfire rhyme? &amp;quot;You claim the insane/ For this day and time/ For fallin&amp;#039; prey to crime/ I say the system&amp;#039;s got you victim to your own mind.&amp;quot; Then: Out of breath, but super proud of yourself at a 6th grade smooching party Now: Out of breath, but super proud of yourself at an adult smooching party Related: 8 Songs to Help You Remember How Much He Sucked 3. Your First Rockstar Adulation Anthem: &amp;quot;All By Myself&amp;quot; by Green Day (1994)      The fact that it was a hidden track on the rock outfit&amp;#039;s seminal 1994 album, Dookie, made it that much cooler. Being able to rattle off the lyrics like it ain&amp;#039;t no thing? Instant boost from bratty little sister to sufferable pity hang. Then: With your bunkmates at the end-of-summer talent show Now: Stoned with your older brother, who now totally stalks you 4. Your First Glimpse of Adult Angst: &amp;quot;Two Little Girls&amp;quot; by Ani DiFranco (1998)      This one may be a little left of center, but I&amp;#039;ll never forget listening to the anger in DiFranco&amp;#039;s voice as a very-confused teen. This forward-charging song, about the intensity of first love coupled with the tragedy of addiction, was an excellent primer on the worst parts of emotional dependency. Lyrics: &amp;quot;You were fresh off the bus from Virginia/ I had a year of New York City under my belt/ We met on a plane, we were both 19/ I remember where we were standing/ I remember how it felt.&amp;quot; I said hot damn! Then: Alone in your car waving a pilfered Virginia Slims out the window Now: On YouTube, with the beautiful lyrics crassly scrawling across the screen. People can be real turds, huh? Related: 10 Beauty Items That Defined Middle School in the 90s 5. Your First Dancing-in-the-Car Monster Jam: &amp;quot;When the Lights Go Out&amp;quot; by 5ive (1998)      Before 1D, there was 5ive: a little known UK boy band that tragically turned down a little song called &amp;quot;Bye, Bye, Bye.&amp;quot; However, that hellraiser of an intro on &amp;quot;When the Lights Go Out&amp;quot;\u2014when the bass drops, are you kidding me?\u2014almost makes up for it. Almost. Then: Sarah Silverburgensteen&amp;#039;s Bat Mitzvah Now: Sarah Silverburgensteen&amp;#039;s wedding 6. Your First Experience With a Song That Talks About Your Favorite Brand: &amp;quot;Summer Girls&amp;quot; by LFO (1999)      True story: I fell truly, madly, and deeply in love with an upperclassman my freshman year of high school and would pretend it was him, not Rich Cronin, serenading me with these unforgettable lyrics: &amp;quot;When you take a sip, you buzz like a hornet. Billy Shakespeare wrote a whole buncha sonnets.&amp;quot; Then: Wearing LFO-approved Abercrombie &amp;amp;amp; Fitch on the way to your annual family reunion in Omaha Now: It has a place wedged neatly between &amp;quot;Roar&amp;quot; and &amp;quot;Drunk in Love&amp;quot; on your &amp;quot;Is it summer yet?&amp;quot; party mix 7. Your Second (More Embarrassing) Rap Genius Moment: &amp;quot;&amp;#039;Mo Money, &amp;#039;Mo Problems&amp;quot; by the Notorious B.I.G. feat. Mase and the artist formerly known as Puff Daddy (1997)      Did it matter that you had no idea what the DEA was? Of course not! You had a mouth full of metal, tissues in your bra, and a crush on 3-5 different boys. This song was your anthem. Then: Sarah Silverburgensteen&amp;#039;s Bat Mitzvah really was a blast, wasn&amp;#039;t it? Now: Morning commute mix/gym mix/&amp;quot;Songs When I Feel Sorry for Myself&amp;quot; Spotify Related: The Best Couples From the &amp;#039;90s 8. Your First &amp;quot;I Like Country?&amp;quot; Experience: &amp;quot;This Kiss&amp;quot; by Faith Hill (1998)      It was a plucky, feel-good jam that really knew how to get us worked up over a silly little thing called love. But more than love, this tush-wagger is about sex. Need more proof? &amp;quot;It&amp;#039;s not right/ It&amp;#039;s not fair/ What you&amp;#039;re missing over there.&amp;quot; Over where, Faith? Over where? Then: In your friend Amanda&amp;#039;s basement over a rousing round of quarters Now: Getting ready for girls&amp;#039; night only. Seriously, the public use of this song is tenuous at best 9. Your First &amp;quot;I&amp;#039;m Sophisticated Now&amp;quot; Tune: &amp;quot;Spin the Bottle&amp;quot; by Juliana Hatfield from the Reality Bites soundtrack (1994)      You hadn&amp;#039;t seen the movie, but you knew &amp;quot;My Sharona&amp;quot; by heart. Oh, how we delighted in the lyrics: &amp;quot;Everybody&amp;#039;s watching/ Everybody&amp;#039;s looking/ She&amp;#039;s such a sucker/ He don&amp;#039;t wanna f**k her.&amp;quot; Then: In your sister&amp;#039;s room while she was away at college Now: Late night romp sesh. Go on. Give it a whirl 10. Your First Millennial Declaration: &amp;quot;One Hand In My Pocket&amp;quot; by Alanis Morissette (1995)      You didn&amp;#039;t know it at the time, but your favorite artists\u2014be she Fiona Apple, the Dixie Chicks, or Alanis Flipping Morisette\u2014were all about free speech and self-acceptance. (Even if it meant killing the guy who treated you like dirt. Honestly, D. Chicks, what was &amp;quot;Goodbye Earl&amp;quot;?) But seriously, was there ever a song that made you feel more at ease with just being yourself than this one? &amp;quot;I&amp;#039;m sad but I&amp;#039;m laughing/ I&amp;#039;m brave but I&amp;#039;m chicken shit/ I&amp;#039;m sick but I&amp;#039;m pretty, baby.&amp;quot; Then: As LOUD AS IT COULD GO on your mini stereo Now: Literally right now. Just blare it. Go on! Everything is just fine, fine, fine. Photo: (c) 20th Century Fox/courtesy Everett Collection  "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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