Loser — Beck
The song of the year by nearly any white man’s account, it pushed the indy envelope to the edge with lyrics that simultaneously confused, surprised and delighted you as you — and everyone else — sang along. In fact, I recall being over at a neighbo(u)rs' house some years after this tune came out, getting plastered on pinot noir, singing along to this on their in-home karaoke. I mean this song is a meme in and of itself, and every line is a meme in and of itself too. So clever, so catchy, so funky and so ridiculous. An unkempt wimp goes hypersonic with a tune that anyone could have recorded in their basement if one were talented enough. But few are, and thus this unlikely genius magically comes up with a Gen X anthem nearly as meaningful as Smells Like Teen Spirit. One of my favo(u)rite 20 songs of all time.