"Gangsta's Paradise" is a single by American rapper Coolio, released on August 1, 1995 by Tommy Boy, Warner Bros. and MCA. Interpolating Stevie Wonder's song "Pastime Paradise" (1976), "Gangsta's Paradise" features vocals from American singer L.V. who served as a co-composer and co-lyricist with Coolio and Doug Rasheed, with Wonder also being credited for the composition and lyrics. Certified Platinum in October, the song was included on Coolio's second album, Gangsta's Paradise, in November 1995. Its music video was directed by Antoine Fuqua and featured Michelle Pfeiffer. The song is taken from Pfeiffer's movie Dangerous Minds, and the music video is also themed around the movie.
"No Limit" is a song recorded by Belgian/Dutch Eurodance group 2 Unlimited, released in January 1993 by Byte, ZYX and PWL. It was their fifth single in total and the first to be released from their second album, No Limits! (1993). Co-written by the group's Ray Slijngaard and Anita Dels, the song became one of their most commercially successful singles, especially in Europe, reaching the number-one spot in 35 countries and the top 10 in several others. Like previous releases, the UK version of the single removed all of the raps from Slijngaard, leaving just Dels' vocals. One word from the rap was kept, the word 'Techno' which was looped and repeated during the middle of the song, turning the line into "Techno! Techno! Techno! Techno!" and giving the song an extra vocal hook. Its accompanying music video was directed by Nick Burgess-Jones and received heavy rotation on MTV Europe.
"Scatman (Ski-Ba-Bop-Ba-Dop-Bop)" is a song by American musician Scatman John. It was released in November 1994 as a single, and was later re-released in July 1995 for his second album, Scatman's World (1995). The song is described as "a blend of jazz scatting, rap, and Techno". It reached number-one on the charts in at least ten countries and also won the March 1996 Echo Award in Germany for the best Rock/Pop single. The music video for the song was directed by Kerstin Mueller and received heavy rotation on music channels.
"Get Ready for This" is a song recorded by Belgian/Dutch music group 2 Unlimited. It was released in 1991 as the lead single from their debut album, Get Ready! (1992). Originally, the single was produced as an instrumental, titled the "Orchestral Mix". It became a hit and conscious of their popularity, Wilde & De Coster wanted a more accessible, formatted formula for their project to grow. Ray was then asked to write lyrics and add a rap to the track. On Ray Slijngaard's suggestion, Anita Doth joined as the female vocalist.
"Sweet Dreams (Ola Ola E)" is a song recorded by German Eurodance duo La Bouche. It was originally released in April 1994 by RCA Records as the lead single from the duo's debut album of the same name (1995). In North America, the song was released in November 1995. It was written by Melanie Thornton with Robert Haynes and Mehmet Sönmez, and produced by Frank Farian, Ulli Brenner and Gerd Amir Saraf.
"Let the Beat Control Your Body" is a song by Belgian/Dutch Eurodance band 2 Unlimited. It was released in January 1994 by Byte, ZYX and PWL as the fifth and final single from the band's second album, No Limits (1993). The album version is largely instrumental and contains just a few spoken words from bandmembers Ray Slijngaard and Anita Doth. The single version contains full verses rapped by Slijngaard and a new chorus sung by Doth, which were co-written by them both. The song enjoyed chart success in many European countries, peaking at number two in the Netherlands and within the top 10 in Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Spain and the United Kingdom. It was nominated in the category for Best Song on MTV Awards. Nigel Simpkiss directed the music video for "Let the Beat Control Your Body", which received heavy rotation on both MTV Europe and VIVA.
"Twilight Zone" is a song by Belgian/Dutch Eurodance act 2 Unlimited, released in January 1992 by Byte Records as the second single from the act's debut studio album, Get Ready! (1992). The UK release of the single was the first 2 Unlimited single to include the vocals of Anita Doth, as they had not been featured on their breakthrough hit "Get Ready for This". However, Ray Slijngaard's rap verses were once again removed. The instrumental "Rave" version of the song sounds different from the original "Not Enough" version, with a more hi-NRG style with more bass and added cowbells. The music video was directed by David Betteridge.
"Faces" is a song by Belgian/Dutch Eurodance band 2 Unlimited, released on 23 August 1993 by Byte, Zyx and PWL as the third single from their second album, No Limits! (1993). The song was co-written by band members Ray Slijngaard and Anita Dels, with Phil Wilde and Jean-Paul De Coster who produced it. "Faces" peaked at number two in the Netherlands, number eight in the United Kingdom and at number six on the Eurochart Hot 100. The accompanying music video was directed by Nick Burgess-Jones and filmed in London.
"The Magic Friend" is a song by Belgian/Dutch Eurodance band 2 Unlimited. It was released in August 1992 as the fourth and final single from their debut album, Get Ready! (1992). The UK release once again omitted Ray Slijngaard's rap, which lasted for 16 bars three times through, but did include some of the vocals from Anita Doth, with the "mocking chorus echoes" being abandoned as only Ray's part remains, thus leaving Anita's sole vocals as "disembodied whispers" during the middle eight. The single experienced chart success in many European countries, including Finland, where it topped the chart. The Dutch leading afternoon radio program on national pop outlet Radio 3 FM/Hilversum renamed itself "The Magic Friend", after the single.
"The Real Thing" is a song recorded by Belgian/Dutch Eurodance band 2 Unlimited, released in May 1994 by Byte, Zyx and PWL as the first single from their third album, Real Things (1994). The song is co-written by band members Ray Slijngaard and Anita Dels, and scored chart success in many European countries. It topped the charts in Finland, Lithuania and the Netherlands, while peaking at number two in Denmark, Sweden, Belgium and Switzerland. The song also was a top-10 hit in Austria, France, Germany, Norway, Scotland, Spain and the UK. It entered the Eurochart Hot 100 on 28 May at 30 and peaked at number-one three weeks later. Outside Europe, it peaked at number two in Israel and number 39 in Australia. The music video was directed by Nigel Simpkiss, and received heavy rotation on music television channels, such as MTV Europe and VIVA.
"No One" is a song recorded by Belgian/Dutch Eurodance band 2 Unlimited, released in September 1994 by Byte, ZYX and PWL as the second single from their third album, Real Things (1994). Co-written by bandmembers Ray Slijngaard and Anita Dels, it was a top 10 hit in at least six countries, as well as on the Eurochart Hot 100, where the song reached number ten. It features a reference to "That's the Way Love Goes" by Janet Jackson and the accompanying music video, directed by La La Land, features the band performing on the beach by Great Barrier Reef in Australia.
"Tribal Dance" is a song by Belgian/Dutch Eurodance band 2 Unlimited. It was released in April 1993 by Byte, Zyx and PWL from the band's second album, No Limits! (1993). The UK release omits the main rap but leaves in more vocals from band member Ray Slijngaard than any of their previous releases. The single experienced chart success in several countries, topping the charts in Finland, Israel, Portugal and Spain. In North America, the song reached number one on the Canadian RPM Dance/Urban chart, while peaking at number seven on the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart. The single's music video was directed by Nick Burgess-Jones and filmed in London, depicting the band performing in a jungle setting.
"Do What's Good for Me" is a song Belgian-Dutch Eurodance band 2 Unlimited, released in October 1995 via Byte and ZYX Records as the first single from the band's first greatest hits compilation album, Hits Unlimited (1995). Co-written by bandmembers Anita Dels and Ray Slijngaard, the song was a hit in Europe, reaching the top 10 in Finland and Spain. Its music video was directed by Nigel Simpkiss.
"Nothing Like the Rain" is a song recorded by Belgian/Dutch Eurodance band 2 Unlimited. It was released on 10 June 1995 by Byte, Zyx and Radikal Records as the fourth and final single from their third album, Real Things (1994). The song was written by co-producers Phil Wilde and Peter Bauwens with Michael Leahy. In the US, it was released as a double a-side single with the European hit single "Here I Go". It peaked within the top 20 in at least four countries, and was also the first single by 2 Unlimited that was a pop-ballad. The single was not released in the UK. Its music video was directed by Nigel Simpkiss, who had previously directed several videos for the band.
"Maximum Overdrive" is a song by Belgian-Dutch Eurodance band 2 Unlimited, released in November 1993 by Byte, ZYX and PWL as the fourth single from their second album, No Limits! (1993). The song was written by band members Ray Slijngaard and Anita Dels with Phil Wilde and Filip Martens, while Wilde produced it with Jean-Paul De Coster. The UK release was the first UK single to maintain all the rap lyrics from Ray used in the European release. "Maximum Overdrive" reached number 15 on the UK Singles Chart, and was also a number-one hit in Finland and on the European Dance Radio Chart by Music & Media. Its accompanying music video was directed by David Betteridge and filmed in London.
"Saturday Night" is a song by Italian Eurodance project Whigfield, fronted by Danish-born Sannie Charlotte Carlson. It was first released in 1992 in Italy and 1993 in Spain through Prodisc. Throughout 1994, it was released across the rest of Europe and experienced worldwide success. The song was written by Italian producers Larry Pignagnoli and Davide Riva and produced by Pignagnoli. In 1995, the song was included on Whigfield's debut album, Whigfield.
"Boombastic" or "Mr. Boombastic" is a song by Jamaican musical artist Shaggy, released in May 1995 by Virgin Records as the second single from his third studio album, Boombastic (1995). The song was both produced and co-written by Shaggy. After being used in an ad for Levi's, it achieved commercial success in many countries, including Ireland, UK, Sweden, New Zealand, and Australia, where it topped the singles charts. It spent a week at number one on both the US Billboard R&B chart and the UK Singles Chart. It also reached number three on the Billboard Hot 100. The track contains a sample from King Floyd song "Baby Let Me Kiss You". A remix featuring Sting International, which features a sample of Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get It On", was released in January 1996. The latter is featured on some versions of the Boombastic album as a bonus track.
"Get-A-Way" is a song by German Eurodance project Maxx, released in October 1993 as the debut single from the project's first album, To the Maxximum (1994). In Germany, the song reached Gold status for selling over 250,000 units. It peaked within the top 10 in at least 13 countries; Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, Scotland, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. By mid-1994, it sold over 1.1 million singles in Europe. Its music video was directed by Jonathan Bate.
"Don't Give Me Your Life" is a song by Italian dance music group Alex Party. It is produced by Italian producer brothers Paolo and Gianni Visnadi with DJ Alex Natale, and was released in February 1995 by UMM and Systematic as the first single from the group's first and only album, Alex Party (1996). The vocals are performed by British singer Robin 'Shanie' Campbell, who also wrote the lyrics and melody. The song peaked at number two in the UK and number five on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart in the US. It also topped the Club Record category at Music Week's 1995 Awards. Today, it is widely regarded as one of the biggest dance anthems of the 1990s. Idolator ranked it number 21 in their list of "The 50 Best Pop Singles of 1995" in 2015.
"Here We Go" is a song by Swedish artist and film/music video director Stakka Bo, released in 1993 by Stockholm Records as the first single from Bo's debut album, Supermarket (1993). The song features vocals by Bo himself, alongside Swedish singers Nana Hedin, Monica Hultén, Katarina Wilczewski and Oscar Franzén, with flute by David Wilczewski. It was written by Stakka Bo and Jonas von der Burg, and produced by von der Burg. "Here We Go" was very successful in Europe, charting in several countries and peaking at number four in Sweden. The artist and song was compared by many music critics to English hip hop/electronic dance group Stereo MC's, and the accompanying music video was played frequently on music channels such as MTV Europe.
