Chris DeLine

Yesterday’s glance back at “Big Me” from the Foo Fighters triggered a thought about another music video that was released right around the same time as it; that being the clip for “Peaches” by the Presidents of the United States of America. Actually, after scouring the the web for some information I was able to find a site that is in the process of archiving a number of old lists from Much Music’s weekly Countdown show, and not only were these two videos released around the same time but there were a number of other standout clips that were current during the spring of 1996. The Countdown list from April 12 includes a variety of examples which continue to serve as some of the best representations of music videos from the era: everything from “1979” from the Smashing Pumpkins to “High and Dry” by Radiohead to 2Pac & Dre’s “California Love” to Oasis’ “Champagne Supernova.” Perhaps it wasn’t The Golden Age of Music Videos, but there was a glut of great clips at the time that have aged remarkably well. I think I’m going to have some (more) fun looking back through these old lists and reintroducing myself to some forgotten classics. In the meantime (which was also a high charting video that week) check out one of the videos that set an early precedent for the cheeky humor which has run throughout PUSA’s entire career (a career which, after a two-year hiatus, surprisingly continues to this very day).

[This article first appeared on Tsururadio.]