1997 was the year of Tony Blair’s landslide victory in the UK, the “Cool Britannia” peak (Oasis at Knebworth, the Spice Girls’ “Wannabe”), and the dot-com bubble’s manic rise. The dominant pop mood was optimistic, lad-mag hedonism. “Paranoid Android” (released May 1997, from OK Computer ) was the antidote — a six-and-a-half-minute, three-part suite that felt like a panic attack set to music. It presaged the post-9/11, post-millennial dread.
1997 was the year teen pop reclaimed the airwaves. best song 1997
“Paranoid Android” is the best song of 1997 because it refused to be a product of its moment — instead, it looked into the 21st century’s hollowed-out, surveillance-haunted soul and screamed. That scream still echoes today. The other great songs of 1997 soundtracked the party; Radiohead heard the hangover before the drinks were poured. 1997 was the year of Tony Blair’s landslide
: Another massive hit for Biggie, which held the #1 spot for three weeks. Pop and Indie Highlights It presaged the post-9/11, post-millennial dread