Lovefool (The Cardigans)

The Cardigans were a Swedish band out of Jönköping whose breezy sound found its perfect vehicle in 'Lovefool,' released in 1996 from their album First Band on the Moon. Singer Nina Persson's honeyed delivery made the song sound like pure bubblegum, even as the lyric — a plea to be loved by someone who clearly doesn't — carried real heartbreak underneath.

The song's global breakthrough came from Baz Luhrmann's Romeo + Juliet (1996), whose hit soundtrack put it in front of millions; a third music video was even cut specifically to promote the film, intercutting the band with footage of Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes. In the United States it became a massive airplay hit — number two on the Hot 100 Airplay chart and number one on Top 40 — but curiously never appeared on the Billboard Hot 100 itself, because it was never released as a commercial single there and, under the rules of the time, airplay-only songs were ineligible.

It reached number two in the UK and topped the charts in New Zealand, cementing itself as The Cardigans' signature song abroad. Decades later it remains a definitive slice of 1996 — the sound of a bittersweet feeling wrapped in the most cheerful melody imaginable.