1997… Best Year Ever?
Last night I went to the Alamo Drafthouse 1997 Sing-Along with several friends (Check out David Wogan’s 1997 post). For the those who haven’t been to an Alamo sing-along it is akin to group themed karaoke with dancing at your seat or on stage. They pick their favorite music videos and subtitle them. This sing-along was especially great because I was in 7th and 8th grade in 1997 and most of the songs remind me of the awkward school dances. I even saw a friend from middle school. It is amazing how many great songs came out that year and that our parents let us listen to them. Alamo is going to have a 1999 sing-along this coming spring. We shall see if 1999 can beat 1997 at having better (more nostalgic) songs. I doubt it!
Alamo Drafthouse is one of the many things that makes Austin great. Some of their other special events include quote-alongs, themed dinners, rouge caroling, master pancake theater (like mystery science theater 3000), heckle vision (text in heckles to bad movies that they show on screen), and Foleyvision (taking old films and creating live dubbing, sound effects, and music instead of the original audio).
Here are the songs that they included in the sing-along in no particular order (I probably forgot a couple):
Bittersweet Symphony – The Verve
Crash Into Me – Dave Matthews Band
Quit Playing Games (with My Heart) – Backstreet Boys
You Make Me Wanna – Usher
I’ll Be Missing You – Puff Daddy & Faith Evans
Wannabe – Spice Girls
MMMBop – Hanson
The Impression I Get – Mighty Mighty Bosstones
Barely Breathing – Duncan Shiek
Karma Police – Radiohead
I Love You Always Forever – Donna Lewis*
Criminal – Fiona Apple
One Headlight – Wallflowers
I Believe I Can Fly – R Kelly
My Heart Will Go On – Celine Dion
Torn – Natalie Imbruglia
Walking on the Sun – Smash Mouth
The Freshmen – The Verve Pipe*
Semi-charmed Life – Third Eye Blind
What I Got – Sublime
Mo’ Money Mo’ Problems – The Notorious B.I.G., Ma$e, and Puff DaddyEverlong
Song 2 – Blur
Don’t Speak – No Doubt
Push – Matchbox 20
Tubthumping – Chumbawamba
Plus Smash Mouth – Walking on the Sun.
[…] I went to the Alamo Drafthouse’s “1997 Sing-A-Long” with friends (old and new) for what turned out to be an onslaught of emotions and memories from an influential, yet undeniably awkward, year of my life. Almost all of the hits were played: The Verve, The Verve Pipe, Dave Matthews Band, Spice Girls, Puff Daddy, Third Eye Blind, and Natalie Imbruglia. Chumbawumba, The Wallflowers, and Will Smith. You name it, we sang to it. […]