These Days is the sixth studio album by American rock band Bon Jovi, released on June 27, 1995, by Mercury Records. This was the first album Bon Jovi released after the dismissal of original bass guitarist Alec John Such. It is also the first album to feature the bass guitar work of Hugh McDonald, who replaced Such as a session/touring member. The album, produced by Peter Collins, Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora, is praised by many critics and fans as their best album. These Days is overall a darker album in contrast to the band's usual brand of feel-good, inspiring rock songs and love ballads.
"Without You" is a song written by Pete Ham and Tom Evans of British rock group Badfinger, and first released on their 1970 album No Dice. The power ballad has been recorded by over 180 artists, and versions released as singles by Harry Nilsson (1971), T. G. Sheppard (1983) and Mariah Carey (1994) became international best-sellers. The Nilsson version was included in 2021's Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. Paul McCartney once described the ballad as "the killer song of all time".
"I'll Be There for You" is a song by American pop rock duo the Rembrandts. The song was written by David Crane, Marta Kauffman, Michael Skloff, and Allee Willis as the main theme song to the NBC sitcom Friends, which was broadcast from 1994 to 2004. American rock band R.E.M. was originally asked to allow one of their songs to be used for the Friends theme, but they turned the opportunity down. "I'll Be There for You" was subsequently written and Warner Bros. Television selected the only available band on Warner Bros. Records to record it: the Rembrandts. In 1995, after a Nashville radio station brought the song to mainstream popularity, Rembrandts members Danny Wilde and Phil Sōlem expanded the theme song with two new verses and included this version on their third studio album, L.P. (1995).
Euro-Dance is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in the late 1980's in Europe and became popular up until the early 2000's. It combines many elements of hip hop, techno, Hi-NRG, house music, and Euro-Disco. This genre of music is heavily influenced by the use of rich vocals, sometimes with rapped verses. This, combined with cutting-edge synthesizers, strong bass rhythm and melodic hooks, establishes the core foundation of Euro-Dance music.
The Colour of My Love is the third English-language and twelfth studio album by Canadian singer Celine Dion. It was released by Columbia Records/550 Music on 9 November 1993. The songs were produced mainly by David Foster, Ric Wake, Guy Roche, Walter Afanasieff and Christopher Neil, and four of them were written by Diane Warren. The album features cover versions of "The Power of Love" and "When I Fall in Love".
"Gangsta's Paradise" is a single by American rapper Coolio. Interpolating Stevie Wonder's 1976 song "Pastime Paradise", and featuring American singer L.V., the single was released on August 1, 1995. Certified Platinum in October, the song was included on Coolio's second album Gangsta's Paradise in November 1995.
"No Limit" is a song recorded by Belgian/Dutch Eurodance group 2 Unlimited in 1993. It was their fifth single in total and the first to be released from their second album, No Limits! (1993). The song is 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 Ray Slijngaard, leaving just Anita 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 received heavy rotation on MTV Europe.
"I Will Always Love You" is a song written and originally recorded in 1973 by American singer-songwriter Dolly Parton. Written as a farewell to her business partner and mentor Porter Wagoner, expressing Parton's decision to pursue a solo career, the country single was released in 1974. The song was a commercial success for Parton, twice reaching the top spot of Billboard Hot Country Songs: first in June 1974, then again in October 1982, with a re-recording for The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas soundtrack.
"End of the Road" is a song by American R&B group Boyz II Men for the Boomerang soundtrack. It was released in 1992 and was written by Babyface, Antonio L.A. Reid and Daryl Simmons. "End of the Road" achieved domestic and international success. In the United States, "End of the Road" spent a then record breaking 13 weeks at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100, a record broken later in the year by Whitney Houston's 14-week number one hit "I Will Always Love You"; Boyz II Men would later match Houston's record with "I'll Make Love to You", which spent 14 weeks at number one in 1994, and then reclaim the record with "One Sweet Day", which spent 16 weeks at number one from 1995 to 1996.
Music Box is the third studio album by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey. It was released by Columbia Records on August 31, 1993. The album comprises ballads primarily written by Carey and Walter Afanasieff, with whom she had previously worked on Emotions (1991), and a few urban dance tracks. During the course of the album's development, Carey wanted to broaden her audience, choosing a more pop/R&B oriented sound. During this time frame, she experimented with different musical instruments, leading the album's sound away from her more contemporary previous two efforts.
"Stayin' Alive" is a song written and performed by the Bee Gees from the Saturday Night Fever motion picture soundtrack. The song was released in 1977 as the second single from the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack. The band co-produced the song with Albhy Galuten and Karl Richardson. It is one of the Bee Gees' signature songs. In 2004, "Stayin' Alive" was placed at No. 189 on the list of Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. The 2021 updated Rolling Stone list of 500 Greatest Songs placed "Stayin' Alive" at No. 99. In 2004, it ranked No. 9 on AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs survey of top tunes in American cinema. In a UK television poll on ITV in December 2011 it was voted fifth in "The Nation's Favourite Bee Gees Song".
"Earth Song" is a song written and performed by American singer and songwriter Michael Jackson for his ninth studio album, HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I (1995). It was released on November 27, 1995, by Epic Records as the third single from the album. It is a ballad that incorporates elements of blues, gospel and opera. Though Jackson had a long history of releasing socially conscious songs such as "We Are the World", "Man in the Mirror" and "Heal the World", "Earth Song" was his first to overtly discuss the environment and animal welfare. "Earth Song" was originally made for the Bad and Dangerous albums but it failed to make the final cut.
"Kiss from a Rose" is a song from Seal's second eponymous album. The song was first released as a single in July 1994 and included in the film The NeverEnding Story III that year. It was re-released a year later in 1995 as part of the Batman Forever film soundtrack, helping it top the charts in the United States and Australia. It also reached the top 10 in several other countries, including Canada, France, Iceland and Norway. At the 1996 Grammy Awards, it won awards for Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Male Pop Vocal Performance.
"Another Night" is a song by German Eurodance and pop music project Real McCoy. The single is featured on their hit album, Another Night (1995), which was the American release of the project's second album, Space Invaders. The song was written and produced in Germany by Juergen Wind and Frank Hassas (Quickmix) in 1993 under the producer team name Freshline.
"Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me" is a song by Irish rock band U2. It was released as a single from the Batman Forever soundtrack album on 5 June 1995. A number-one single in their home country of Ireland, as well as in seven other countries, it reached number two on the UK Singles Chart, number sixteen on the US Billboard Hot 100, and number one on the Billboard Album Rock Tracks and Modern Rock Tracks charts. The song received Grammy Award nominations for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal and Best Rock Song. The song is included on the compilation album The Best of 1990–2000 and the live album From the Ground Up: Edge's Picks from U2360°.
"The Power of Love" is a song co-written and originally recorded by American singer-songwriter Jennifer Rush in 1984. It was released as the fifth single from her debut album, Jennifer Rush (1984), and has since been covered by Air Supply, Laura Branigan and Celine Dion.
"Think Twice" is a song recorded by Canadian singer Celine Dion, released as the third single from her third English-language album, The Colour of My Love (1993) in North America in July 1994, in the United Kingdom, Australia and Japan in October 1994, and in other European countries in 1995. It was written by Andy Hill and Peter Sinfield, and produced by Christopher Neil and Aldo Nova. In this rock-influenced song with a guitar solo, the protagonist is telling her lover to "think twice" before leaving her. The song became one of Dion's most successful hits in Europe and Australia, topping multiple charts, including those of Flemish Belgium, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. Remaining at the top of the UK Singles Chart for seven weeks, it eventually became the fourth single by a female artist to sell in excess of one million copies in the UK.
"Pour que tu m'aimes encore" is a French-language song by Canadian singer Celine Dion, recorded for her French studio album, D'eux (1995). It was released as the lead single on 13 March 1995 in Francophone countries and in September 1995 in other European countries. In Canada it was a radio only release. The song was also released in Japan in October 1996. According to Dion, it is the biggest song of her French career. She also recorded it in English as "If That's What it Takes" and included it on her 1996 album, Falling into You.
"Surrender" is a #1 song recorded by Elvis Presley and published by Elvis Presley Music in 1961. It is an adaptation by Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman of the music of a 1902 Neapolitan ballad by Giambattista and Ernesto de Curtis entitled "Torna a Surriento". It hit number one in the US and UK in 1961 and eventually became one of his best-selling singles. Presley held the record for most consecutive number one singles on the Billboard Hot 100 before 1966 when The Beatles beat the record with six consecutive number ones released between 1965-1966. That record eventually was broken in 1988 by Whitney Houston, who continues to hold the record with seven. It would hold the record for most consecutive number ones by a solo artist until Houston broke that record with "So Emotional". This was one of 25 songs Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman wrote for Presley. It has been recorded by many other artists, including Michael Bublé, The Residents, and Il Volo.
"A Deeper Love" is a song written by Robert Clivillés and David Cole and performed by Clivillés & Cole, featuring vocals by Deborah Cooper and Paul Pesco. The song was the duo's fifth number-one on the US dance chart. On other US charts, "A Deeper Love" peaked at number 83 on the soul singles chart and number 44 on the pop chart. Overseas, especially in Europe the single charted higher, going to number 15 in the UK and number eight on the Dutch Top 40.
