The Spice Girls were an essential thread connecting my summer memories. My friends and I built upon each other's initially weak attraction to these dance pop goddesses in the beginning of the summer until we became intensely appreciative by the end. Happily, their songs will always conjure up thoughts of my friends and luckily the radio will never let me forget.

Hanson presents a different kind of story. Most of my friends abhorred the fraternal trio while I couldn't help but appreciate their songs, which are complete with brilliant melodies, pre-adolescent harmonies and an innocent outlook on the world. "MMMBop" makes me want to get up and dance, play around, shake my head-and sometimes I have done even that! And there is that one amazing part in the song where all three kids have different musical lines. See, it's not that hard to listen, invite the likable parts in and acknowledge that the Hanson Brothers (and the Spice Girls, too) can be enjoyed.

Girls, Girls, Girls

1997. A year of female singer/songwriters; a summer for Lilith Fair to prosper in the wake of its participants' success; the post-Morissette calm after the storm: Emotionally-charged solo girl performers have been a recent mainstay on commercial radio and they are welcomed with open arms.

Personally, I think Meredith Brooks arranged the most appealing female offering of the season with "Bitch." Opening with a fragile, babyish voice in every verse, Brooks pleads with her listeners to accept her good and bad sides. Then enter the courageous chorus, "I'm a bitch, I'm a lover..." and the song breaks loose, ready to be subdued by her lilting voice once again. Also, I can't forget to mention my favorite lyric which appears in the bridge-"when you hurt, when you suffer, I'm your angel undercover."

Every time those words grace the radio, summer memories come flooding back.

Brooks' personal battles and consequent cry of self-acceptance parallel the sentiments of other female artists. Sarah McLachlan contemplates "Building a Mystery" in her graceful, soothing voice. Although she was not top on my list, a few close peers were obsessed and I enjoyed by default. Jewel mourns life problems on all her songs-whiny but memorable. Despite not being my favorite genre, the summer wouldn't have been complete without this female musical scene.

Semi-Charmed Summer

Still enjoying regular airplay, Third Eye Blind's "Semi-Charmed Life" was the summer anthem in my suburban circle of friends. It embodied our insouciant attitudes toward life as we spent the summer months together. The song's awesome combination of calculated brilliance, rebellious lyrical themes and the lead singer's solid, warm attack create an unforgettable tune. Emanating from all of this, the song represents the youthful belief that nothing can ever go wrong in life-a sentiment that inherently appeals to adolescent culture.

Key to the musical attraction of "Semi-Charmed Life" is the scat section of the chorus-an easy sing-along that gives permission to even the most tone deaf amateur to join in (believe me, I know!). Along with this bebop blast, the chorus proclaims "I want something else, to get me through this...semi-charmed kind of life." Who better to identify with this mantra than the supposedly characteristic bored youth generation? Well, I have no answer for that, but I can say that a handful of suburban kids working jobs for spending money and wasting time in search of fun would definitely identify with such a thought.

Notes & Afterthoughts

Essential music to the summer of 1997 would not be complete without the mention of a few more songs.

The ska explosion has brought a couple of horn-based groups to the forefront of the popular modern rock movement. Replete with animated lyrics and cheery melodies, Reel Big Fish revels in their own path to fame with "Sellout." The next time you hear this song, picture two cars swerving down a rural, gravel-paved road on a sunny day with hands swaying outside the driver's side windows. I know I will. Then there is the more serious but just as exciting "The Impression That I Get" by the Mighty Mighty Bosstones. Although they are musically superior to Reel Big Fish, they didn't produce a comparable summer effect.

Then there are the Wallflowers with "The Difference" and Sugar Ray with "Fly," offering two of the ultimate feel-good songs from the past few months. If you need a jolt of energy, listening to either tune will definitely work. Both have a groove that'll keep your rump shakin' and head bouncin.'

Of course there are too many songs left unmentioned, but not everything can be covered and not every pop song this summer had an effect on me. But I hope some memories have been stirred up, may be light shed on some previously unchartered musical waters or insight gained into pop rock from the summer which has now sadly faded away.