1997
The year in music, movies, TV, fads & memories
In 1997, “Something About the Way You Look Tonight” by Elton John, Anne Dudley & Orchestra topped the Billboard year-end Hot 100 and OK Computer by Radiohead and Life After Death by Notorious B.I.G. were on every turntable. Titanic, Men in Black and Good Will Hunting were in theaters, and South Park premieres, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Daria were on TV.
The headlines: Princess Diana dies. New that year: DVD players hit US stores. Fads of the year: Tamagotchi mania and Beanie Babies peak. Gas was about $1.23 a gallon, a stamp was 32¢ and a movie ticket ran ~$4.59. On the shelf: a handful of Gushers, a can of Surge and a Super Soaker, with Recess on Saturday morning.
🎂 What music raised you?
Drop your birthday and we'll rewind to your golden era — the years the songs imprinted for life.
🔙 Backtrack — 1997
The world around the music — what was on screen, and what was on the shelf.
🎬 Set the scene
Somewhere in 1997, Spider-Man was on, a Fruit by the Foot was open, and somebody was about to wait for the modem to finish screaming.
🎬 At the movies
📼 Saturday cartoons
- Doug👕 tee →
- Rugrats👕 tee →
- The Ren & Stimpy Show
- X-Men👕 tee →
- Batman: The Animated Series👕 tee →
- Animaniacs👕 tee →
- Rocko's Modern Life
- Aaahh!!! Real Monsters
- Spider-Man👕 tee →
- Hey Arnold!
📰 Headlines
- Princess Diana dies
- Hong Kong returns to China
- Heaven's Gate suicides
- Mars Pathfinder lands
- Tobacco settlement
💡 Tech & Firsts
- DVD players hit US stores
- Wi-Fi (802.11) standard released
- Tamagotchi US launch
- First weblogs appear
- DVD movie releases begin
🏆 Sports
- Marlins win the World Series
- Bulls win their fifth title
- Packers win Super Bowl XXXI
- Red Wings win the Stanley Cup
- Tiger Woods wins the Masters
🤪 Crazes & fads
- Tamagotchi mania
- Beanie Babies peak
- Hanson 'MMMBop'
- Austin Powers
- Titanic fever begins
👖 Clothes
- JNCO wide-leg jeans
- Frosted tips
- Spaghetti-strap dresses
- Bucket hats
- Adidas track pants
💵 What it cost
- Stamp: 32¢
- Gas: ~$1.23/gal
- Movie ticket: ~$4.59
- Median new home: ~$146,000
- New car avg: ~$19,000
🧸 Toy chest
🍬 On the shelf
- Fruit by the Foot🛒 grab some →
- Shark Bites🛒 grab some →
- String Thing
- Butterfinger BB's
- Wonder Ball
- Sour Punch Straws🛒 grab some →
- Airheads Xtremes🛒 grab some →
- 3D Doritos
- Cheetos Paws
- Planters P.B. Crisps
🥤 In the fridge
- Clearly Canadian🛒 grab some →
- Snapple🛒 grab some →
- Fruitopia
- Orbitz
- Arizona Iced Tea🛒 grab some →
- Mistic
- All Sport
- Gatorade Frost🛒 grab some →
- SunnyD🛒 grab some →
- Squeezit
Billboard Year-End Hot 100
📊 Full chart →- 1
Something About the Way You Look TonightElton John, Anne Dudley & Orchestra - 3
I'll Be Missing You (feat. Faith Evans, 112)Puff Daddy & Faith Evans - 4
Un-Break My HeartToni Braxton - 5
Can't Nobody Hold Me Down (feat. Mase)Puff Daddy - 7
Don't Let Go (Love)En Vogue - 8
Return of the MackMark Morrison - 9
How Do I LiveLeAnn Rimes - 10
WannabeSpice Girls - 11
Quit Playing Games (With My Heart)Backstreet Boys - 12
MMMBopHanson - 13
For You I WillMonica - 14
You Make Me Wanna...USHER - 15
BitchMeredith Brooks - 16
Nobody (feat. Athena Cage)Keith Sweat - 17
Semi-Charmed LifeThird Eye Blind - 18
Barely BreathingDuncan Sheik - 19
Hard to Say I'm Sorry (feat. Peter Cetera)Az Yet - 20
Mo Money Mo Problems (feat. Puff Daddy & Mase)The Notorious B.I.G. - 21
The FreshmenThe Verve Pipe - 22
I Want YouSavage Garden - 23
No Diggity (feat. Dr. Dre & Queen Pen)Blackstreet - 24
I Belong to You (Every Time I See Your Face)Rome - 25HypnotizeThe Notorious B.I.G.
- 26
Every Time I Close My EyesBabyface, Mariah Carey, Kenny G & Sheila E. - 27
In My BedDru Hill
More from 1997
🎤 Big in 1997
🎚️ 1997 genres
🎛️ Behind the boards & the pen — 1997
The hands behind 1997 — the producers and songwriters who actually shaped that year's records. Gil Norton was on 3 of them.
🎬 Movies of 1997
All soundtracks →The soundtracks that scored 1997 — every song and where it played.
▶Men in Black
1997 · 6 tracks
♪ Men in Black
▶Titanic
1997 · 2 tracks
♪ My Heart Will Go On
▶My Best Friend's Wedding
1997 · 5 tracks
♪ I Say a Little Prayer
▶Boogie Nights
1997 · 5 tracks
♪ Best of My Love
Grosse Pointe Blank
1997 · 4 tracks
♪ Blister In The Sun
▶Con Air
1997 · 2 tracks
♪ How Do I Live
Romy and Michele's High School Reunion
1997 · 13 tracks
♪ Time After Time
🎚️ Related vibes
All themes →Themed rooms that lean on the sound of 1997.
🌀 Things 1997 remembers wrong
All Glitch Files →Mandela-effect cases that were on the shelf, the screen or the radio in 1997. Which do you remember?
What does 1997 remind you of?
The drive, the dance, the heartbreak, the summer. Add a memory of 1997.
Community Memories
How well do you remember 1997?
7 quick questions — the songs, the artists, the year. No cheating. 😏
💿 Take this CD with you
Build this in your own Spotify in two taps — free, no account needed here. (For Apple Music or YouTube, open songs one-by-one below.)
Then open the free helper
🎵 1997 albums on vinyl
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📻 90s gear
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