Hanson, Backstreet Boys, and More—Tracks That Take You Back To Summer of 1997

It was 1997 when we cried over 'Titanic,' went crazy over the first Harry Potter book and enjoyed 'The Simpsons' as the highlight of our day.

We'll breakdown 1997, but you can relive all your summer anthems year by year:   1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013

The year also created a lot of brilliant and memorable music in true ‘90’s style. Here are our favorites.

"MMMBop" - Hanson

Remember Hanson? They were three, long-haired musician brothers, the smallest of whom looked way too tiny to be behind a drum kit. Nevertheless, "MMMBop" was a massive hit and was bound to be on everyone’s summer soundtrack. The music video is a classic: Hanson appears in front of a green screen, which shows them traveling the world and walking on the moon. Ahh, memories.

 

"I'll Be Missing You" - Puff Daddy & Faith Evans feat. 112

Sadly, 1997 was the year Christopher Wallace AKA The Notorious B.I.G. died. The Bad Boy Entertainment founder Puff Daddy assisted Faith Evans (Wallace’s ex-spouse) in creating a tribute for the rapper based on samples from “Every Breath You Take," The Police track. “I’ll Be Missing You” is a moving song that topped the charts that summer.

"Quit Playing Games (With My Heart)" - Backstreet Boys

The Backstreet Boys, with their matching white outfits and typical boyband curtain fringes, released “Quit Playing Games (With My Heart)” in the summer of 1997. It sparked a new era of fangirls who lusted after the heartthrobs. The boyband fully took this on board in the music video, showing off their chests with unbuttoned shirts and dancing in the rain.

"Return Of The Mack" - Mark Morrison

British R&B artist Mark Morrison released “Return Of The Mack” in 1996, but it became really popular in the US in the early summer of the following year. The music video, portraying a club scene in railway arches, was directed by Jake Nava, who later went on to create videos for Beyonce, Usher, and Kanye West. It’s one of those tunes you just have to groove to.

"Mo Money Mo Problems" - The Notorious B.I.G. feat. Puff Daddy & Mase

The Notorious B.I.G topped the charts with “Mo Money Mo Problems” and actually replaced “I’ll Be Missing You,” Puff Daddy’s tribute to the rapper, which was previously at number one. As the Notorious B.I.G had passed away before the video shoot, some early footage of the rapper was shown on a screen during his verse. Puff Daddy and Mase appear in the remainder of the video donning shiny red jackets and trousers in the setting of a futuristic wind tunnel.

This year, much to our disappointment, Woolworths closed its stores after 100 years of trading. Remember walking in as a child and seeing an entire wall of pic’n’mix to choose from? It was one of those stores you could buy literally anything in. We still miss you, Woolworths.