Flashback: July 20, 1990

Welcome Back

Hey there, fellow survivors of the analog age! Welcome back to The GenX Edit, where we dig through the cultural debris of our formative years and wonder how we made it this far.

Sure, we've got a few battle scars from navigating life without GPS or googling every random question that pops into our heads, but somehow we emerged with our wit intact and our cynicism perfectly calibrated.

We're rewinding to July 20, 1990…back when Friday night meant racing to Blockbuster before all the good movies were gone, hoping that someone hadn't already snagged the last copy of whatever everyone was talking about.

So grab your parachute pants (or at least the spiritual equivalent) and let's revisit the week that was shaping us, whether we knew it or not. Because sometimes the moments that matter most are the ones we barely noticed while we were busy being teenagers who thought we had all the time in the world.

Let’s dive in.

This Mixtape Memory Lane is sponsored by 50 Ways to Keep Your Lover.

Mixtape Memory Lane 

• "U Can't Touch This" – MC Hammer
  This wasn’t just a song—it was a cultural takeover. With its Rick James sample, catchy hook, and Hammer’s legendary parachute pants, “U Can’t Touch This” was everywhere: dance floors, school assemblies, commercials, even cartoons.

• “Hold On” – Wilson Phillips

  Three voices, one anthem. “Hold On” gave us polished harmonies and emotional uplift just when we needed it. It was the optimistic soundtrack to teen drama, late-night car rides, and every ‘90s montage that needed a sense of triumph.

• “Cradle of Love” – Billy Idol

  Billy was back, and he wasn’t playing around.n “Cradle of Love” came in hot with rock swagger and a video that MTV couldn’t stop playing…part comedy, part teenage fever dream.

• “Vision of Love” – Mariah Carey

  Mariah came out of nowhere with a five-octave range and a song that married gospel soul with pop gloss. “Vision of Love” was more than a hit…it was a warning shot: the ‘90s were hers now.

• “Poison” – Bell Biv DeVoe

  “Poison” brought new jack swing to the mainstream with its stuttered beat, sharp synths, and a chorus made for shouting in packed gyms and school dances. Bell Biv DeVoe told us “never trust a big butt and a smile,” and we listened (sort of).

👆 Watch the full throwback video playlist on YouTube Music.

Screen Time Rewind 

In July 1990, Ghost wasn't just a movie—it was a full-body emotional experience. Patrick Swayze gave us the sensitive tough guy we didn’t know we needed, and Whoopi Goldberg basically stole the entire film (and scored an Oscar while doing it).

Between the pottery wheel scene and the Righteous Brothers' “Unchained Melody,” this movie had everyone suddenly believing in the afterlife and in dramatic, slow-motion romance.

Meanwhile, Die Hard 2 reminded us that if there’s one person you don’t want stuck in an airport during a snowstorm, it’s John McClane. Bruce Willis returned with fewer shoes, more explosions, and that signature mix of sarcasm and sweat.

Dick Tracy hit theaters in full technicolor weirdness, with Warren Beatty leading a cast that included Madonna, Al Pacino, and a bunch of prosthetic noses. It was campy, stylish, and trying really hard to be Batman (1989).

At home, we were parked in front of The Wonder Years, hanging on every wistful monologue from grown-up Kevin Arnold as we watched his younger self navigate middle school awkwardness and heartbreak in suburbia.

Family Matters was bringing joy to our Friday nights. Steve Urkel wasn’t the main character yet, but he was already stealing scenes and introducing us to suspenders, snorting laughter, and the power of pure, nerdy confidence. Did we do that? Yes. Yes we did.

And In Living Color? Nothing was the same after that. The Wayans family unleashed an unfiltered sketch show that hit hard with satire, swagger, and Fly Girls. It launched the careers of Jim Carrey, Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Lopez, and gave us permission to laugh (and cringe) at the absurdity of early ‘90s culture.

This Life Reboot is sponsored by La’Merde Designs apparel.

Life Reboot: Soul

Soul vs. Scroll: The Lost Art of Being Present

In 1990, soul wasn’t a wellness trend…it was baked into everything: the lyrics of your favorite slow jam, the time spent in real conversation, or the sacred ritual of making a mixtape for someone you loved. We felt our feelings. We sat with boredom. We made eye contact.

Fast forward to 2025, and we’re drowning in connection but starving for meaning. We're scrolling endlessly, always “on,” but often disconnected from ourselves. So here's a soul check:

● Do you still carve out time for solitude, or has silence become uncomfortable?
● When's the last time you did something for someone else with no expectation of return?
● What’s one thing that used to light you up…and have you made space for it lately?

This week, try one analog act of soul. Write a letter. Sing in the car. Take a walk with no podcast. Call a friend instead of texting. You don’t need to go full woo-woo to tap into your soul. Just pause long enough to hear it.

Need a little help tuning out the noise? Mindfulness.com offers bite-sized audio sessions, breathing exercises, and calming reflections that fit easily into your day—no incense required. It’s a simple way to re-train your brain to pause, listen, and be where you are. If you're ready for less scrolling and more soul, it’s a good place to start.

Visual Feature is sponsored by Practical Advice from the Scriptures.

Visual Feature: From the Archives

Remember when sidewalks and public buildings were basically fortresses against anyone who didn't fit the narrow definition of "able-bodied"?

On July 26, 1990, President George H.W. Bush picked up his pen and signed the Americans with Disabilities Act. This groundbreaking law threw open the gates to employment, public spaces, transportation, and telecommunication devices.

The ADA proved that sometimes progress isn't just about moving forward…it's about making sure everyone gets to come along for the ride.

Life Reboot is sponsored by La’Merde Designs.

Mixtape Memory Lane is sponsored by 50 Ways to Keep Your Lover.

Visual Feature is sponsored by Practical Advice from the Scriptures.

That’s a Wrap

And just like that, we've successfully procrastinated our way through another week in 1990.

Whether you spent it perfecting your Wilson Phillips harmonies, debating the merits of Ghost versus Die Hard 2, or just trying to figure out how to work the new cordless phone, you were exactly where you needed to be.

The thing about being GenX is that we lived through the last great analog childhood and the first digital adulthood.

We're the bridge generation, the translators between worlds. And sometimes, looking back at weeks like this one reminds us that we witnessed something pretty extraordinary…the end of one era and the messy, beautiful beginning of another.

If this little time capsule made you smile (or at least snort with recognition), spread the love. Subscribe, share it with your fellow survivors, tag us with #TheGenXEdit, or just quietly appreciate that we all somehow made it through the '90s with our sanity mostly intact.

Catch you on the flip side.