And there were plenty of one hit wonders – OMC’s How Bizzare, Gina G’s Ooh Aah... Just a Little Bit and La Bouche’s Be My Lover, just to name a couple.
For me, the year and these songs take me right back to my teenage years.
It was year-10 – and much simpler times – my life revolved around school, friends and netball.
I don’t remember anything huge happening on a personal level, but at the weekend I went back to my home town, which was celebrating a 30th reunion for a senior football premiership, so that was a momentous occasion for our club.
In major sporting events for 1996 – the Atlanta Olympic Games featured Kieran Perkins and Susie O’Neill winning gold in the pool, Michael Diamond and Russell Mark won their shooting events, while the Woodies won the tennis doubles.
But it was a Games for Australian teams, with the women’s hockey team, equestrian three-day event, and the men’s coxless four and women’s coxless pairs in the rowing all walking away with gold medals.
On a serious note, the Port Arthur tragedy occurred in April, killing 35 people in Tasmania.
For those old enough at the time, it is one of those moments you remember where you were when you found out. It was such a significant tragedy in Australia’s history that touched so many people and horrified a nation.
It also resulted in major gun law reform in this country, with then Prime Minister John Howard announcing the National Firearms Agreement, which tightened restrictions on automatic and semi-automatic weapons.
On a lighter note, in cinema and literature, Independence Day dominated the box office, and George R.R. Martin published A Game of Thrones. Other movies of note were Twister, Mission: Impossible and Jerry Maguire.
World news in 1996 was dominated by conflict – The Taliban seized control of Kabul, Afghanistan; there was a spate of terrorist bombings in the Middle East and a US Embassy bombing in Saudi Arabia.
Also in the USA, Bill Clinton was re-elected as president, Unabomber Ted Kaczynski was arrested in Montana, and the Chicago Bulls won their fourth NBA Championship.
1996 was also a landmark year defined by the dawn of the digital age – it saw the launch of Hotmail; the birth of Dolly the sheep – the first mammal to be cloned from an adult somatic cell; and Motorola launched the StarTAC, the first successful clamshell flip phone.
There was also Mad Cow Disease, resulting in the European Union banning the export of British beef and cattle; Princess Diana finally divorced Prince Charles; and the Hubble Space Telescope sent back the first-ever images of Pluto’s surface.
Meanwhile, at the shops, Beanie Babies and Tamagotchis were popular, while the Nintendo 64 was released in North America, revolutionising gaming and launching Super Mario.
But what will go down as my favourite memory of 1996: my first ever concert – Alanis Morissette.
On the back of her super successful Jagged Little Pill album, Morrissette performed at what is now Rod Laver Arena, and wasn’t it an eye-opener for this little teenager from the country.
My big sister took me along to see ‘The Queen of Alt-Rock Angst’, which certainly attracted a crowd from all walks of life, and lyrics to match.
Thirty years later, I still listen to her songs every now and then – and it’s still one of the best concerts I’ve ever been to.
Here’s hoping Alanis gets some air-time on MIXX FM on Friday as it celebrates its 30th birthday.
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