Once upon a time songs on the radio sounded wildly different from one another. Hit records could come from any genre imaginable. Matchup #4 features four songs that were all major smash hits but could sound more dissimilar. And that’s a beautiful thing.

Hurt

Vs

MmmBop

Vs

Un-Break My Heart

Vs

Mo Money Mo Problems

The Breakdown

This one is a real doozie folks. Talk about covering all ends of the spectrum, these four jams are just about as different as different could be. Hurt has taken on a life of its own over the last 25 years as a go to moody cover song for TV and film but the original still packs a wallop and a gravitas that’s unparalleled. MmmBop is a just a straight up jam, a sing-along classic that instantly turns frowns upside down. Un-Break My Heart is the ultimate diva tour de force. They don’t make R&B songs like that anymore. Mo Money Mo Problems was the pinnacle of Bad Boy Records. That’s where they reached the mountain peak and it was all downhill from there. Steeped in tragedy after Biggie’s murder, the video and song were a celebration of what was and what could have been.

Winner

Probably our tightest matchup so far. All four would be deserved winners but there can only be one and MmmBop just can’t be denied. The Brothers Hanson came out of literally nowhere to gift the world the purest piece of musical candy, the sweetest of bubblegum pop singles possibly ever created. Deride this song at your own ignorance. MmmBop is joy. MmmBop is life.