3 Pop Hits From the 1990s That Were Weirdly Risky for the Artists

These three pop songs from the 1990s were all risky moves at the time. On paper, these songs should’ve had a hard time becoming successful. In practice, they became one of their artist’s biggest hits.

“Ray Of Light” — Madonna

Madonna is an artist who has endured the changing tastes of the decades. As much as she was a trailblazer in the 1980s, her music wasn’t fixed to a singular time. In the late 90s, Madonna decided to depart from the sound that made her famous and adopt something more attuned to the times: “Ray Of Light”.

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Of course, Madonna has always been a proponent of electronic sounds, as evidenced by her extensive use of synths in the 80s, but the electronic direction of “Ray Of Light” is a departure from that. This song feels more akin to Euro-pop than to mainstream American pop. Madonna took a detour with this song, proving she wasn’t about to settle into what made her famous and wait out her career.

“I Want It That Way” — Backstreet Boys

While most 90s pop groups were focusing on instantly hooky, upbeat anthems, the Backstreet Boys decided to slow things down with “I Want It That Way”. This mid-tempo track takes a second to settle into, which wasn’t the call of the day. Nevertheless, this risk-taking move proved wildly successful.

Sometimes a slow-building song can work, but you need fans who want to sit with it for a while. Backstreet Boys had that kind of fanbase. So when they decided to release such an emotional song as a lead single, it’s really no wonder they were able to pull it off.

“Nothing Compares 2 U” — Sinéad O’Connor

In a similar vein, Sinéad O’Connor completely broke the mold with her version of “Nothing Compares 2 U” in the 1990s. This pop track became her signature. It was a hit despite its vulnerability. While most pop acts were releasing glittering, bubblegum-type songs, she was an unlikely superstar with downtrodden, reflective tracks.

“Nothing Compares 2 U” is indicative of her shocking rise to the top of the pop heap. It isn’t what most people would think of as a pop hit, but it earned success anyway. O’Connor was never one to fret about a risky move, but putting this song out when she did can only be described in that way.

(Photo by Murray/Mirrorpix via Getty Images)

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