🎧 MTV Europe’s Most Memorable Hits of 1995 – A Musical Journey From Risin’ High to the Hotstepper 👑
1995 was the kind of year that packed so much musical brilliance, diversity, and attitude into one calendar, we’re still reeling from the impact. From grunge and Britpop to eurodance and reggae fusion, MTV Europe served as the perfect stage for a colorful musical explosion. And as we count from the bottom all the way to the top, get ready to rediscover the songs that defined that electric, eclectic year. Spoiler: it’s worth the wait. ✨
Let’s begin down at #128 with “Risin’ High” by H-Blockx, a punchy start that already hints at how intense this ride is going to be. The list quickly surges through legendary names—Björk brought her ethereal magic with “Isobel”, while Nirvana reminded us of grunge’s raw power with “About A Girl”. The list also welcomes timeless duets like “Endless Love” by Luther Vandross & Mariah Carey, and feel-good tracks like “I Wish” from Skee-Lo, which had all of us dreaming a little bigger.
Midway through the countdown, the pop landscape becomes bolder. Oasis dominated with no fewer than four songs on the chart—“Roll With It,” “Whatever,” “Some Might Say” and, of course, the eternal “Wonderwall.” Britpop royalty, right? We also got our hearts broken and stitched back together thanks to Everything But The Girl’s gorgeous “Missing,” and Boyz II Men returned with the powerful “On Bended Knee.”
Dance anthems flourished too: La Bouche had us hooked with “Be My Lover” and “Fallin’ In Love,” while Whigfield, DJ BoBo, U96, and 2 Unlimited kept the floors packed across Europe. Who could forget the irresistible “Cotton Eye Joe” from Rednex or the quirky brilliance of Snap! with “The First, The Last, Eternity”? And let’s not overlook Dr. Dre keeping it smooth on “Keep Their Heads Ringin’”, or Sheryl Crow’s laid-back “All I Wanna Do.”
Then came the power ballads and emotionally rich tracks—Mariah Carey’s soaring “Fantasy,” Bon Jovi’s “Always,” “Lie To Me,” and “This Ain’t A Love Song,” and Michael Jackson’s moving “Earth Song” and “You Are Not Alone.” Meanwhile, Seal’s haunting “Kiss From A Rose” and Bryan Adams’ romantic “Have You Ever Really Loved A Woman” captured hearts everywhere.
And how could we forget the eccentric and unforgettable? Sin With Sebastian asked us to “Shut Up (And Sleep With Me),” Scatman John brought both fun and social commentary with his two smash hits, and Mark ‘Oh tugged at heartstrings with “Tears Don’t Lie.” Add to that the surprising melancholy of The Connells with “74-‘75”, and the melancholic rock of Edwyn Collins’ “A Girl Like You.”
As we reach the top 10, the anticipation is real. The powerful message of TLC’s “Waterfalls”, the sensual reggae fusion of Diana King’s “Shy Guy,” and Take That’s breathtaking ballad “Back For Good” made 1995 unforgettable. The Offspring gave alternative fans their anthem with “Self Esteem,” while U2 delivered cinematic energy with “Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me,” straight from the Batman Forever soundtrack.
And finally… at #1, we meet the incomparable Ini Kamoze, whose “Here Comes The Hotstepper” conquered airwaves and dance floors alike. With its infectious groove, iconic shout-outs, and timeless swagger, it was the perfect sonic exclamation mark for such a bold and diverse year.
🌍 In a Europe that was culturally reawakening after years of transformation, 1995 showed us that music could bridge borders, mix genres, and bring people together in dance, rebellion, and romance. MTV was the vessel, and the artists? Pure magic.
👇🏼 So which of these songs still lives rent-free in your head? Share this trip down memory lane with your fellow music lovers! Let’s keep the 90s spirit alive—one hit at a time 🎶💖
| N° | SONG | ARTIST |
| 1 | Here Comes The Hotstepper | Ini Kamoze |
| 2 | Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me | U2 |
| 3 | Self Esteem | The Offspring |
| 4 | Back For Good | Take That |
| 5 | Shy Guy | Diana King |
| 6 | 74 – ’75 | The Connells |
| 7 | Scatman’s World | Scatman John |
| 8 | Scatman (Ski-Ba-Bop-Ba-Dop-Bop) | Scatman John |
| 9 | Waterfalls | TLC |
| 10 | A Girl Like You | Edwyn Collins |
| 11 | Tears Don’t Lie | Mark ‘Oh |
| 12 | Have You Ever Really Loved A Woman | Bryan Adams |
| 13 | Stay Another Day | East 17 |
| 14 | Boombastic | Shaggy |
| 15 | Kiss From A Rose | Seal |
| 16 | Shut Up (And Sleep With Me) | Sin With Sebastian |
| 17 | You Are Not Alone | Michael Jackson |
| 18 | Gangsta’s Paradise | Coolio Feat. L.V. |
| 19 | Scream | Michael Jackson & Janet Jackson |
| 20 | This Ain’t A Love Song | Bon Jovi |
| 21 | Zombie | The Cranberries |
| 22 | Gotta Get Away | The Offspring |
| 23 | Army Of Me | Björk |
| 24 | Julia Says | Wet Wet Wet |
| 25 | Fairground | Simply Red |
| 26 | The Bomb! (These Sounds Fall Into My Mind) | The Bucketheads |
| 27 | Push The Feeling On | Nightcrawlers |
| 28 | The First The Last Eternity | Snap! Feat. Summer |
| 29 | Never Forget | Take That |
| 30 | Be My Lover | La Bouche |
| 31 | Flying High | Captain Hollywood Project |
| 32 | Old Pop In An Oak | Rednex |
| 33 | When I Come Around | Green Day |
| 34 | No More “I Love You”‘s | Annie Lennox |
| 35 | When Do I Get To Sing “My Way” | Sparks |
| 36 | Always | Bon Jovi |
| 37 | Let Me Be Your Fantasy | Baby D |
| 38 | Fantasy | Mariah Carey |
| 39 | Fallin’ In Love | La Bouche |
| 40 | Cotton Eye Joe | Rednex |
| 41 | Common People | Pulp |
| 42 | Move Your Ass | Scooter |
| 43 | Another Day | Whigfield |
| 44 | Where The Wild Roses Grow | Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds + Kylie Minogue |
| 45 | Whoops Now | Janet Jackson |
| 46 | Feeling So Real | Moby |
| 47 | Basket Case | Green Day |
| 48 | Love Religion | U96 |
| 49 | Think Of You | Whigfield |
| 50 | Club Bizarre | U96 |
| 51 | Turn On, Tune In, Cop Out | Freak Power |
| 52 | This Is How We Do It | Montell Jordan |
| 53 | Selling The Drama | Live |
| 54 | Heaven For Everyone | Queen |
| 55 | Something For The Pain | Bon Jovi |
| 56 | I’d Lie For You (And That’sThe True) | Meat Loaf Feat. Patti Russo |
| 57 | Got A Little Something For You | MN8 |
| 58 | Runaway | Janet Jackson |
| 59 | Them Girls, Them Girls | Zig & Zag |
| 60 | Move | H-Blockx |
| 61 | Lucky Love | Ace Of Base |
| 62 | Warped | Red Hot Chili Peppers |
| 63 | She’s A River | Simple Minds |
| 64 | Thunder | East 17 |
| 65 | Rock And Roll Is Dead | Lenny Kravitz |
| 66 | Hold My Body Tight | East 17 |
| 67 | Ode To My Family | The Cranberries |
| 68 | Boom Boom Boom | The Outhere Brothers |
| 69 | In The Summertime | Shaggy Feat. Rayvon |
| 70 | You’ll See | Madonna |
| 71 | Secret Garden | Bruce Springsteen |
| 72 | If You Love Me | Brownstone |
| 73 | Ist Es Wichtig? | Selig |
| 74 | Let It Rain | East 17 |
| 75 | Earth Song | Michael Jackson |
| 76 | Take A Bow | Madonna |
| 77 | Inside Out | Culture Beat |
| 78 | Love Is All Around | DJ BoBo |
| 79 | Like A Rolling Stone | The Rolling Stones |
| 80 | Two Can Play That Game [Remix] | Bobby Brown |
| 81 | Goldeneye | Tina Turner |
| 82 | Exhale (Shoop Shoop) | Whitney Houston |
| 83 | Find Another Way | Captain Hollywood Project |
| 84 | Surrender Your Love | Nightcrawlers Feat. john Reid |
| 85 | Fly Away | Haddaway |
| 86 | You Don’t Understand Me | Roxette |
| 87 | We Are Different | Members Of Mayday |
| 88 | White Dove | Scorpions |
| 89 | Love Me For A Reason | Boyzone |
| 90 | Whatever | Oasis |
| 91 | Throw Your Set In The Air | Cypress Hill |
| 92 | Some Might Say | Oasis |
| 93 | All I Wanna Do | Sheryl Crow |
| 94 | Baby Come Back | Pato Banton Feat. Ali & Robin Campbell |
| 95 | Here I Go | 2 Unlimited |
| 96 | Right Type Of Mood | Herbie |
| 97 | Hard As A Rock | AC/DC |
| 98 | Keep Their Heads Ringin’ | Dr. Dre |
| 99 | Angel (Ladadi O-Heyo) | Jam & Spoon Feat. Plavka |
| 100 | Stayin’ Alive | N-Trance Feat. Ricardo Da Force |
| 101 | Wonderwall | Oasis |
| 102 | Digging The Grave | Faith No More |
| 103 | Roll With It | Oasis |
| 104 | Someday I’ll Be Saturday Night | Bon Jovi |
| 105 | I Got 5 On It | Luniz |
| 106 | Missing | Everything But The Girl |
| 107 | I Need Your Loving | Baby D |
| 108 | No Fronts | Dog Eat Dog |
| 109 | Watch What You Say | Guru Feat. Chaka Khan |
| 110 | Miss Sarajevo | Passengers |
| 111 | Living In Danger | Ace Of Base |
| 112 | Free As A Bird | The Beatles |
| 113 | Out Of Tears | The Rolling Stones |
| 114 | On Bended Knee | Boyz II Men |
| 115 | Love & Devotion | Mc Sar & The Real McCoy |
| 116 | Love Spreads | The Stone Roses |
| 117 | Lie To Me | Bon Jovi |
| 118 | About A Girl | Nirvana |
| 119 | Ain’t Nobody | Diana King |
| 120 | Tell Me When | The Human Leage |
| 121 | I’ll Stick Around | Foo Fighters |
| 122 | I Wish | Skee Lo |
| 123 | Welcome To Tomorrow | Snap! Feat. Summer |
| 124 | No One | 2 Unlimited |
| 125 | Raveland | Marusha |
| 126 | Endless Love | Luther Vandros & Mariah Carey |
| 127 | Isobel | Björk |
| 128 | Risin’ High | H-Blockx |
