The best 1997 lists avoid the obvious top 40. They include Fiona Apple’s seething “Criminal,” Missy Elliott’s genre-bending “The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly),” and Björk’s glacial “Jóga.” They recognize the quiet power of Elliott Smith’s “Angeles” and the punk energy of The Offspring’s “Gone Away.” A great playlist balances radio monsters (Elton John’s “Candle in the Wind 1997,” tragically unavoidable) with deeper cuts like Portishead’s “All Mine” or Prodigy’s “Smack My Bitch Up.”
A proper “Top 100 Songs of 1997” is essential listening—not just for nostalgia, but for understanding a moment when rock, rap, electronic, and pop briefly coexisted as equals. When curated with care, it’s a 7+ hour journey through angst, joy, tragedy, and experimentation. When done lazily, it’s a repackaged “Now That’s What I Call Music!”. top 100 songs of 1997
★★★★½ (4.5/5) Flawed but essential – Trim the adult-contemporary filler and add more left-field gems, and you’d have a perfect snapshot. The best 1997 lists avoid the obvious top 40