🌍 Welcome to 1997 — a year of unforgettable songs and unshakable moments. We start this epic countdown at #131 with the gothic energy of The Smashing Pumpkins and “The End Is The Beginning Is The End”, a track drenched in darkness and cinematic flair. As we climb, we rediscover underground dance gems like Space Frog’s pulsing “Follow Me”, the fierce Skunk Anansie with “Hedonism”, and the rave anthem “Born Slippy .NUXX” from Underworld — pure UK electronica that defined club nights. George Michael, the eternal voice of emotion, appears twice, closing chapters and opening hearts with “You Have Been Loved” and “Star People ‘97”.
💃 At #125, Shaggy keeps the reggae vibe alive with his sultry “Piece of My Heart”, while Sting & The Police, with a little Puff Daddy magic, remix “Roxanne ‘97” into a haunting tribute. From the MTV Unplugged stage, Bryan Adams gives us “Back To You”, dripping with raw Canadian soul. The Spice Girls sparkle with “Too Much”, “Say You’ll Be There”, and the fiery “Spice Up Your Life” — solidifying their status as the queens of global pop. These British icons weren’t just a girl group — they were a movement.
🎸 U2 dominate the rock spectrum with four charting hits like “Discothèque”, “Please” and “Last Night on Earth”. Their Irish soul and sonic experimentation still echo through time. On the alt-rock front, Blur’s moody “Beetlebum” and Oasis’s anthemic “D’You Know What I Mean?” and “Stand By Me” show that the Britpop war was in full swing. Radiohead may not be here, but this was still a year where guitars screamed, whispered, and soared.
🎶 We get delicious doses of Eurodance euphoria from Sash! with “Encore Une Fois”, “Stay”, and “Ecuador”, as well as the Brazilian carnival madness of “Samba De Janeiro” by Bellini. Daft Punk, the French gods of electro, hit hard with “Around The World” and “Burnin’”, while The Prodigy explode with the raw and aggressive “Breathe”. These tracks made dance floors sweat from Ibiza to Berlin.
🎤 On the urban side, LL Cool J drops back-to-back bangers with “Phenomenon” and “Ain’t Nobody”. Wyclef Jean brings Latin and Caribbean flavor with “Guantanamera” featuring the legendary Celia Cruz, while Will Smith, always the charming king of clean rap, shines on “Men In Black” and “Just Cruisin’”. Hip hop royalty collide in “Hit ‘Em High” — a Space Jam anthem uniting Coolio, Busta Rhymes, LL, Method Man and B-Real in one explosive track.
👑 The Notorious B.I.G., tragically slain in March, lives on through “Hypnotize” and the iconic “Mo Money Mo Problems”, with Puff Daddy and Mase by his side. In response, Puff Daddy delivered the most emotional #1 of the year — “I’ll Be Missing You”, a beautiful tribute featuring Faith Evans and 112, sampling The Police’s “Every Breath You Take”. A song that touched millions still mourning a king of rap.
🎤 Whitney Houston, the voice of a generation, soars with “Step By Step”. Toni Braxton, the soulful diva, breaks us with “Un-Break My Heart” and “I Don’t Want To”. Meanwhile, Mariah Carey’s “Honey” is pure R&B luxury, and Janet Jackson’s “Got ‘Til It’s Gone” blends hip hop, jazz, and soul in a trailblazing way — complete with Joni Mitchell and Q-Tip. These American legends redefined pop in the ’90s.
👑 Europe’s own divas shine too: Madonna transforms “Don’t Cry For Me Argentina” into a dramatic pop aria, and later joins Elton John in mourning Princess Diana with the re-recorded “Candle In The Wind 1997” — an eternal tribute. En Vogue, the queens of harmony, land at #2 with the passionate “Don’t Let Go (Love)”. Spice Girls rule the top with multiple entries, representing girl power at its global peak.
🧒 Let’s not forget the newcomers: Hanson explode with the bubblegum anthem “MMMBop”, Savage Garden melt hearts with “I Want You”, Backstreet Boys take Europe by storm with “As Long As You Love Me” and “Everybody (Backstreet’s Back)”, and Coolio gets philosophical with “C U When U Get There”. There’s No Doubt that Gwen Stefani was already a rock goddess, and “Don’t Speak” still hits deep.
🌟 Finally, at the very top, we celebrate a year of tears, transformation, and timeless tunes. From dance anthems to R&B heartbreakers, from teen pop to rock giants, 1997 was a soundtrack of memories — joyful, tragic, unforgettable. This video collects all 131 charting songs that shaped the MTV Europe Top 20 throughout the year — a musical mosaic of the era. Whether you lived through it or just discovered these hits, this is your invitation to press play and remember.
| N° | SONG | ARTIST |
| 1 | I’ll Be Missing You | Puff Daddy & Faith Evans Feat. 112 |
| 2 | Don’t Let Go (Love) | En Vogue |
| 3 | Don’t Cry For Me Argentina | Madonna |
| 4 | Barbie Girl | Aqua |
| 5 | Who Do You Think You Are? | Spice Girls |
| 6 | I Believe I Can Fly | R. Kelly |
| 7 | Men In Black | Will Smith |
| 8 | Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Dub | Apollo Four Forty |
| 9 | Remember Me | The Blue Boy |
| 10 | Blood On The Dance Floor | Michael Jackson |
| 11 | Around The World | Daft Punk |
| 12 | Candle In The Wind 1997 | Elton John |
| 13 | (Un, Dos, Tres) María | Ricky Martin |
| 14 | Tubthumping | Chumbawamba |
| 15 | Encore Une Fois | Sash! (Feat. Encore!) |
| 16 | Don’t Speak | No Doubt |
| 17 | Mmm Bop | Hanson |
| 18 | C U When U Get There | Coolio Feat. 40 Thevz |
| 19 | Hit ‘Em High (The Monstars’ Anthem) | B Real, Busta Rhymes, Coolio, LL Cool J & Method Man |
| 20 | Your Woman | White Town |
| 21 | Discothèque | U2 |
| 22 | It’s No Good | Depeche Mode |
| 23 | I Wanna Be The Only One | Eternal Feat. BeBe Winans |
| 24 | One And One | Robert Miles Feat. Maria Nayler |
| 25 | Step By Step | Whitney Houston |
| 26 | Bitch | Meredith Brooks |
| 27 | Got ‘Til It’s Gone | Janet Jackson Feat. Q-Tip & Joni Mitchell |
| 28 | HIStory [Remix] | Michael Jackson |
| 29 | Hypnotize | The Notorious B.I.G. |
| 30 | Samba De Janeiro | Bellini |
| 31 | Un-Break My Heart | Toni Braxton |
| 32 | As Long As You Love Me | Backstreet Boys |
| 33 | Sunchyme | Dario G |
| 34 | Gotham City | R. Kelly |
| 35 | Anybody Seen My Baby? | The Rolling Stones |
| 36 | Lovefool | The Cardigans |
| 37 | Stay | Sash! Feat. La Trec |
| 38 | Mo Money Mo Problems | The Notorious B.I.G. Feat. Puff Daddy & Mase |
| 39 | Everybody (Backstreet’s Back) | Backstreet Boys |
| 40 | Don’t Leave Me Now | Blackstreet |
| 41 | Honey | Mariah Carey |
| 42 | 2 Become 1 | Spice Girls |
| 43 | Ecuador | Sash! Feat. Rodriguez |
| 44 | Midnight In Chelsea | Jon Bon Jovi |
| 45 | Pony | Ginuwine |
| 46 | Spice Up Your Life | Spice Girls |
| 47 | Ready To Go | Republica |
| 48 | Cosmic Girl | Jamiroquai |
| 49 | D’You Know What I Mean | Oasis |
| 50 | Falling In Love (Is Hard On The Knees) | Aerosmith |
| 51 | When Doves Cry | Ginuwine |
| 52 | Please | U2 |
| 53 | Bitter Sweet Symphony | The Verve |
| 54 | How Come, How Long | Babyface Feat. Stevie Wonder |
| 55 | Breathe | The Prodigy |
| 56 | Free | Ultra Naté |
| 57 | Stand By Me | Oasis |
| 58 | The Real Thing | Lisa Stansfield |
| 59 | Barrel Of A Gun | Depeche Mode |
| 60 | Cold Rock A Party [Bad Boy Remix] | MC Lyte |
| 61 | Staring At The Sun | U2 |
| 62 | 4 Seasons Of Loneliness | Boys II Men |
| 63 | Just A Girl | No Doubt |
| 64 | I Shot The Sheriff | Warren G |
| 65 | Quanto Amore Sei | Eros Ramazzotti |
| 66 | No Woman, No Cry | Fugees Feat. Steve Marley |
| 67 | Phenomenon | LL Cool J |
| 68 | Quit Playing Games (With My Heart) | Backstreet Boys |
| 69 | I Want You | Savage Garden |
| 70 | Picture Of You | Boyzone |
| 71 | You’re Not Alone | Olive |
| 72 | No Diggity | Blackstreet Feat. Dr. Dre & Queen Pen |
| 73 | You Might Need Somebody | Shola Ama |
| 74 | Big Bad Mamma | Foxy Brown Feat. Dru Hill |
| 75 | What’s Love Got To Do With It | Warren G Feat. Adina Howard |
| 76 | The Memory Remains | Metallica (Feat. Marianne Faithfull) |
| 77 | Love Won’t Wait | Gary Barlow |
| 78 | Snoop’s Upside Ya Head | Snoop Doggy Dogg Feat. Charlie Wilson |
| 79 | A Different Beat | Boyzone |
| 80 | I Will Come To You | Hanson |
| 81 | Say What You Want | Texas |
| 82 | Child | Mark Owen |
| 83 | Flash | B.B.E. |
| 84 | Alright | Jamiroquai |
| 85 | Block Rockin’ Beats | The Chemical Brothers |
| 86 | Old Before I Die | Robbie Williams |
| 87 | Ain’t Nobody | LL Cool J |
| 88 | Kaleidoscope Skies | Jam & Spoon Feat. Plavka |
| 89 | Prince Igor | The Rapsody Feat. Warren G & Sissel |
| 90 | Bohemian Rhapsody | The Braids |
| 91 | Home | Depeche Mode |
| 92 | Da Ya Think I’m Sexy? | N-Trance Feat. Rod Stewart |
| 93 | Isn’t It A Wonder? | Boyzone |
| 94 | Betcha By Golly Wow! | Prince |
| 95 | Just Cruisin’ | Will Smith |
| 96 | Hey Child | East 17 |
| 97 | Guantanamera | Wyclef Jean Feat. Refugee Camp All Stars & Celia Cruz |
| 98 | Where’s The Love | Hanson |
| 99 | Professional Widow (It’s Got To Be Big) | Tori Amos |
| 100 | Star People ’97 | George Michael |
| 101 | Whatever | En Vogue |
| 102 | Beetlebum | Blur |
| 103 | Burnin’ | Daft Punk |
| 104 | Queen Of New Orleans | Jon Bon Jovi |
| 105 | Words | Boyzone |
| 106 | If You Ever | East 17 Feat. Gabrielle |
| 107 | Rumours | Awesome |
| 108 | Anywhere For You | Backstreet Boys |
| 109 | James Bond Theme | Moby |
| 110 | A Red Letter Day | Pet Shop Boys |
| 111 | I Love You Always Forever | Donna Lewis |
| 112 | Underwater Love | Smoke City |
| 113 | The Drugs Don’t Work | The Verve |
| 114 | Hole In My Soul | Aerosmith |
| 115 | I Don’t Want To | Toni Braxton |
| 116 | I Feel You | Peter Andre |
| 117 | Fire | Scooter |
| 118 | Last Night On Earth | U2 |
| 119 | Tic, Tic, Tac | Chilli Feat. Carrapicho |
| 120 | Alane | Wes |
| 121 | Say You’ll Be There | Spice Girls |
| 122 | Paparazzi | Xzibit |
| 123 | Back To You [MTV Unplugged] | Bryan Adams |
| 124 | Roxanne ’97 [Puff Daddy Remix] | Sting & The Police Feat. Pras |
| 125 | Piece Of My Heart | Shaggy Feat. Marsha |
| 126 | You Have Been Loved | George Michael |
| 127 | Too Much | Spice Girls |
| 128 | Born Slippy .NUXX | Underworld |
| 129 | Hedonism (Just Because You Feel Good) | Skunk Anansie |
| 130 | (X-Ray) Follow Me | Space Frog |
| 131 | The End Is The Beginning Is The End | The Smashing Pumpkins |
