Finnish #1 Chart Hits: 1994
One of my 2024 projects has been an archeological dig into my own pop culture history, in form of a deep-dive into the Finnish #1 chart singles throughout history all the way from 1955. This currently takes form of a list in Rate Your Music - if I had infinite time, I'd love to expand this into a blog with proper analyses, historical anecdotes, backstories, etc... Maybe when I win those millions. I work on the list every now and then, listening to a set of songs in the background until I finally find the time to sit down and write a little about them.
The latest milestone is the completion of the entries for 1994. This is a fairly significant year for Finnish charts history: the charts finally move onto a weekly format that most of the rest of the world had adopted a long time ago. This means going forward I'll have a whole lot more to listen and to write about, and the fact that it's taken so long just to finish 1994 means I'm going to be advancing on a slightly more glacial pace than I'd want.
>> Go check it out! (scroll down a little lower to get to 1994 directly <<
1994 was a clear tide change year in musical terms as well. Dance music is now properly sweeping the nation and establishing a foothold in the charts as the hottest sound. Or sounds: our native European Eurodance in its bright and effortless charm is a constant presence, but some of their territory is being claimed by the darker and moodier tones that are coming from the UK, as well as the harder-hitting club euphoria developing across the Atlantic and making its way here. There's a lot of dancefloor-ready energy across the 52 weeks of 1994, but it's constantly changing in expression. This has the unintended side effect that Finland itself isn't represented particularly well in 1994's charts, with only two Finnish acts reaching the #1 position - so from that perspective this hasn't been particularly enlightening.
There's also a Sonic the Hedgehog cameo I was not expecting.
On the flipside, thanks to this project and the 1993/1994 charts, I've grown really tired of DJ BoBo: the white stale bread of Eurodance who was a footnote in my mind before I started on this path and who I now find myself so exhausted by. At least we don't have to hear from him again after this year.
Flint's Top 5 Hits of 1994
- Moby - Feeling So Real
- Youssou N'Dour & Neneh Cherry - 7 Seconds
- Madonna - Secret
- Cappella - Move on Baby
- 2 Unlimited - The Real Thing
The Trash Can Award for the Worst #1 of the Year: Bryan Adams, Rod Stewart & Sting - All for Love
Onwards to 1995 now, which basically picks up exactly where we left off in 1994...