Episode 8

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Published on:

9th Sep 2025

Gen X 90s Top 20 Countdown: Titanic Hype, Heartbreak Ballads & Shiny Suits – November 22, 1997

November of 1997 was a season heavy with anticipation and emotion. Titanic was about to hit theaters, AOL was dialing us into a new kind of connection, and fashion screamed with chokers, crop tops, and shiny fabrics. On the charts, genres collided in every direction: Sister Hazel’s acoustic devotion, Spice Girls throwing a technicolor party, Third Eye Blind hiding grit inside a pop melody, and Missy Elliott rewriting the rules with beats from another planet. Boyz II Men brought the harmonies, Usher carved out his lane, and Elton John closed the month with one of the most poignant number ones in history.

This countdown isn’t just about the rankings—it’s about a moment when the radio dial mirrored the culture’s chaos and beauty in equal measure. Plug in, lean back, and rewind to the week of November 22, 1997.

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About the Podcast

Gen X 90s Top 20 Countdown
Every week, we rewind to a real Top 20 chart from the decade that raised us and tell the full story behind the songs that defined it. From slow jams to club anthems, alt-rock heartbreaks to pop perfection, this show dives deep into the music that lived in your headphones, your CD sleeves, and your soul.

Brought to you by the team behind the Gen X 80s Top 20 Countdown, this is more than a countdown. It's a memory trip, a mixtape revival, and a celebration of the sound that shaped a generation.

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About your host

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Bret Carbone