More Songs of the Century

"Block Rockin' Beats"
Written by Tom Rowlands, Ed Simons and Jesse B. Weaver Jr.
Seldom has a trend been as blatantly manufactured as was electronica. But while the music industry didn't succeed in producing a raft of new techno stars, it managed by accident to focus attention on a legitimately compelling style. With "Block Rockin' Beats" (featuring a sample by Weaver, aka Schooly D), the Chemical Brothers accelerated this process by showing that it was possible to package modern dance music in tasty, bite-sized nuggets.

"Doo Wop (That Thing)"
Written by Lauryn Hill
"Doo Wop," the first solo hit by Lauryn Hill, who made her name with the Fugees, is a diverting tune. But the song is noteworthy because it was one of the first in hip-hop's considerable span to maintain high quality while appealing to a demographic that had previously seemed immune to the style's charms. It's not a sellout, but a canny hybrid whose Grammy win represents a broader victory.

"Livin' la Vida Loca"
Written by Desmond Child and R. Rosa
There's no question that "Livin' la Vida Loca," an exercise in lusty Spanglish belted out with goofy brio by former Menudo hunk Ricky Martin, is a watered-down version of Latin pop. After all, it was co-written by Desmond Child, who once fronted a late-Seventies white-soul act called Desmond Child and Rouge. But this rather silly song has the potential to open doors for far more interesting Spanish-language performers. What, if anything, that will mean for the music of the next millennium won't be known for a while yet. But it should be worth our time to find out.