In 1997, a teenager named Alex found a dusty CD burner in his dad’s garage—a relic that could hold 74 minutes of magic. His mission: create the perfect road trip mix for his girlfriend’s birthday, weaving the year’s top hits into a story of love, angst, and escape.

That mix tape survived 20 years. In 2017, their daughter found it, Googled every song, and realized: 1997 wasn’t just a chart—it was a time capsule of mourning, girl power, britpop, and the last breath before Napster changed everything. The top 100 hits that year told one story: we’re broken, we’re dancing, we’re not going home yet.

He started with Elton John’s “Candle in the Wind 1997” (a somber tribute to Diana, but Alex skipped it—too sad for a party). Instead, he dropped The Verve’s “Bitter Sweet Symphony” for that driving-into-sunset feeling. Then Spice Girls’ “Wannabe” —because her best friend was basically Sporty Spice. For the awkward school dance memory, Puff Daddy & Faith Evans’ “I’ll Be Missing You” (a hip-hop elegy that somehow played at every prom). He balanced grief with Hanson’s “MMMBop” —pure, dumb joy.