When Michael Bay's epic new film Pain & Gain hits theaters on April 26th, you might find yourself doing something you never thought you would: yearning for the days of the 1990s. Based on the true story of the "Sun Gym Gang," Pain & Gain follows two down-on-their-luck gym rats (Mark Wahlberg and Anthony Mackie) who solicit the help of a super ripped, recently paroled ex-con (Dwayne Johnson) in order to kidnap and rob a wealthy jackass (Tony Shalhoub). The men do so whilst sporting some retro '90s styles (Skidz and Cavariccis, anyone?) and to the beat of a number of '90s tracks you may have forgotten you love so much. They include:
Coolio - "Gangsta’s Paradise" - You didn't need to see (or like) 1995's Dangerous Minds in order to love this multi-award-winning track, which sampled a mid-'70s Stevie Wonder tune and featured a very intense L.V. singing the song's chorus. We've been spending most our lives unsuccessfully trying to get this tune out of our heads.
C+C Music Factory - "Things That Make You Go Hmmm" - You may not remember, but this song's title and main hook were inspired by a running bit by none other than Arsenio Hall. (True story.) Hall used the saying so much on his late night talk show that it basically became his signature catch phrase. In hindsight, that does indeed make us go "Hmmm..."
Bon Jovi - "Blaze of Glory" - Hey man, the '90s wasn't all house and hip-hop. There was still plenty of room for power ballads! This tune was the official theme to the 1990 film Young Guns II, and features JBJ's signature intensity.
C+C Music Factory - "Gonna Make You Sweat" - Odds are, you know this song better by it's main hook: "Everybody dance now." If there is a tune that defines the '90s more than this one, we don't know of it. By the way, the "C+C" in the group's name comes from its founding members, Robert Clivillés and David Cole. The duo continued recording music together until Cole passed away in 1996.
The Pain & Gain film includes some other fantastic tracks from artists of other decades, including The Rolling Stones, Ted Nugent, and Cedric Gervais. You can also check out the film's buzz-worthy trailer to hear Macklemore's dope track "Thrift Shop" (listen for it about 90 seconds in).
