Top 20 Songs 1997

If you look at the , you won’t find a theme. You’ll find a nervous breakdown. Here is the story of that year, told through five unlikely battles.

The #5 song of 1997 was . A power ballad so dramatic, so soaked in string sections and vocal runs, that it felt like a Broadway death scene. It was the last gasp of the "adult contemporary" diva before Britney Spears and boy bands bulldozed the landscape in 1998.

– HansonAn infectious pop-rock smash that reached #1 in 27 countries, proving that teen stars were back in a big way.

– Spice GirlsThe "Girl Power" anthem that launched a global phenomenon, hitting #1 in 37 different countries.

This is where the chart gets weird. #10: . A feminist anti-cowboy song with a kazoo solo. #14: "Semi-Charmed Life" by Third Eye Blind . A bouncy, doo-doo-doo-doo’d pop hit that was secretly about meth addiction. #16: "Barely Breathing" by Duncan Sheik . A song so quiet you had to turn your car stereo to max to hear it.

– Third Eye BlindThe quintessential 1997 alternative pop-rock track, featuring a catchy "doo-doo-doo" hook that masked its darker lyrical themes.