This is a list of notable events in music that occurred in 1996.

Specific locations

Specific genres

Events

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

Also in 1996

Bands formed

Bands disbanded

Bands on hiatus

Bands reunited

Albums released

January–March

April–June

July–September

October–December

Release date unknown

Biggest hit singles

The following songs achieved the highest chart positions in the charts of 1996.

Top 40 Chart hit singles

Other Chart hit singles

• 2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted" - 2Pac & Snoop Dogg • "Ahead by a Century" – The Tragically Hip • "Aicha" – Khaled • "Beautiful Ones" – Suede • "The Beautiful People" – Marilyn Manson • "Because You Loved Me" – Celine Dion • "Before" – Pet Shop Boys • "Betcha by Golly, Wow" – Prince • "Between You And Me" – dc Talk • "Beyond the Invisible" – Enigma • "Blue Jeans" – Lynda Thomas • "Bohemian Rhapsody" - The Braids • "Boomerang" – Blümchen • "Born Slippy .NUXX" – Underworld • "Break My Stride" – Unique II • "Breakfast at Tiffany's" – Deep Blue Something • "Breathe" – The Prodigy • "Bullet with Butterfly Wings" – The Smashing Pumpkins • "Bulls on Parade" – Rage Against the Machine • "California Love" – Tupac Shakur / Dr. Dre • "Champagne Supernova" – Oasis • "Change the World" – Eric Clapton • "Charmless Man" – Blur • "Child" – Mark Owen • "Children" – Robert Miles • "C'Mon N' Ride It (The Train)" – Quad City DJ's • "Coco Jamboo" – Mr. President • "Cold Rock a Party" – MC Lyte & Missy Elliott • "Cosmic Girl" – Jamiroquai • "Crash Into Me" – Dave Matthews Band • "Crying in the Rain" – Culture Beat • "Da Bomb" – Inner Circle • "Dance into the Light" – Phil Collins • "Do You Know (What It Takes)" – Robyn • "Don't Look Back in Anger" – Oasis • "Don't Speak" – No Doubt • "Don't Stop Movin'" – Livin' Joy • "Down" – 311 • "Drill Instructor" – Captain Jack • "E-Bow the Letter" – R.E.M. & Patti Smith • "El Amor No Tiene Edad" – Lynda Thomas • "Everyday Is a Winding Road" – Sheryl Crow • "Everything Falls Apart" – Dog's Eye View • "Fable" – Robert Miles • "Falling into You" – Celine Dion • "Fastlove" – George Michael • "Firestarter" – The Prodigy • "Flava" – Peter Andre • "Follow You Down" – Gin Blossoms • "Forever Love" – Gary Barlow • "Free as a Bird" – The Beatles • "Freed from Desire" – Gala • "Freedom" – Robbie Williams • "Fu-Gee-La" – Fugees • "Funky" – Tic Tac Toe • "Get Down (You're the One for Me)" – Backstreet Boys • "Get Money" – Junior M.A.F.I.A. • "Gira Que Gira" – Lynda Thomas • "Give Me One Reason" – Tracy Chapman • "GoldenEye" – Tina Turner • "Goldfinger" - Ash • "Guilty" – Gravity Kills • "Hand in My Pocket" – Alanis Morissette • "Head over Feet" – Alanis Morissette • "Heaven" – U96 • "Heaven Beside You" – Alice in Chains • "Hero of the Day" – Metallica • "How Bizarre" – OMC • "How Can You Live With Yourself" – The Tubes • "How Deep Is Your Love" – Take That • "How Do U Want It" – Tupac Shakur • "I Ain't Mad at Cha" – 2Pac • "I Believe I Can Fly" – R. Kelly • "I Belong to You" – Gina G • "I Can't Help Myself" – The Kelly Family • "I Don't Wanna Be a Star" – Corona • "I Feel You" - Peter Andre • "I Give You My Heart" – Mr. President • "I Love You Always Forever" – Donna Lewis • "I Need You" – 3T • "I Want to Come Over" – Melissa Etheridge • "I Want You Back" – 'N Sync • "Ich Find' Dich Scheisse" – Tic Tac Toe • "If I Ruled the World (Imagine That)" – Nas & Lauryn Hill • "If It Makes You Happy" – Sheryl Crow • "If You Ever" – East 17 & Gabrielle • "If Your Girl Only Knew" – Aaliyah • "I'll Never Break Your Heart" – Backstreet Boys • "I'll Stick Around" – Foo Fighters • "I'm Raving" – Scooter • "Insomnia" – Faithless • "Ironic" – Alanis Morissette • "It's All Coming Back to Me Now" – Celine Dion • "It's Oh So Quiet" – Björk • "Jealousy" – Natalie Merchant • "Jesus to a Child" – George Michael • "Keep On Jumpin'" – Todd Terry & Martha Wash & Jocelyn Brown • "Killing Me Softly With His Song" – Fugees • "King of New Orleans" – Better Than Ezra • "King Nothing" – Metallica • "Kleiner Satellit (Piep, Piep)" – Blümchen • "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" - Dunblane • "Last Night" – Az Yet • "Let's Make a Night to Remember" – Bryan Adams • "Lemon Tree" – Fool's Garden • "Loungin" – LL Cool J & Total • "Love Don't Live Here Anymore" – Madonna • "Love Message" – Love Message • "Macarena" – Los Del Mar • "Macarena" – Los Del Rio • "Mama Said" – Metallica • "Mysterious Girl" – Peter Andre • "Name" – Goo Goo Dolls • "Never Gonna Say I'm Sorry" – Ace of Base • "A Neverending Dream" – X-Perience • "Nobody" – Keith Sweat & Athena Cage • "Nobody Knows" – The Tony Rich Project • "No Diggity" – Blackstreet & Dr. Dre • "Novocaine for the Soul" – Eels • "No Woman No Cry" – Fugees • "Number One" – Alexia • "One and One" – Robert Miles • "One by One" – Cher • "One Headlight" – The Wallflowers • "One in a Million" – Aaliyah • "One More Chance" – Madonna • "One Sweet Day" – Mariah Carey & Boyz II Men • "The Only Thing That Looks Good on Me Is You" – Bryan Adams • "Ooh Aah...Just a Little Bit" – Gina G • "Open Arms" – Mariah Carey • "Over Now" – Alice in Chains • "Paparazzi" - Xzibit • "Pepper" – Butthole Surfers • "Peaches" – The Presidents of the United States of America • "People of the Sun" – Rage Against the Machine • "Pony" – Ginuwine • "Popular" – Nada Surf • "Pray" – DJ BoBo • "Pretty Noose" – Soundgarden • "Professional Widow" – Tori Amos • "Quit Playing Games (With My Heart)" – Backstreet Boys • "Reach" – Gloria Estefan • "Ready or Not" – Fugees • "Real Love" – The Beatles • "Rebel Yell" – Scooter • "Return of the Mack" – Mark Morrison • "Roses Are Red" – Aqua • "Salva Mea" – Faithless • "Salvation" – The Cranberries • "Se a vida e (That's the Way Life Is)" – Pet Shop Boys • "Setting Sun" – The Chemical Brothers • "Seven Days and One Week" – B.B.E. • "Sexy Eyes" – Whigfield • "Sinnerman" – Extra Fancy • "Slight Return" – The Bluetones • "So Strung Out" – C-Block • "Soldier, Soldier" – Captain Jack • "Spaceman" – Babylon Zoo • "Spinning the Wheel" – George Michael • "Standing Outside a Broken Phone Booth with Money in My Hand" – Primitive Radio Gods • "Stranger in Moscow" – Michael Jackson • "Stupid Girl" – Garbage • "Summer Is Crazy" – Alexia • "Take Cover" – Mr. Big • "Tha Crossroads" – Bone Thugs-N-Harmony • "That Girl" – Maxi Priest & Shaggy • "That Thing You Do!" – The Wonders • "That's What My Love Is For" – Anne Murray & Aaron Neville • "Theme from Mission: Impossible" – Adam Clayton & Larry Mullen • "They Don't Care About Us" – Michael Jackson • "Three Lions" – Baddiel & Skinner & Lightning Seeds • "Tic, Tic Tac" – Carrapicho • "Time to Say Goodbye" – Andrea Bocelli & Sarah Brightman • "Throw These Guns Away" - Dunblane • "To Love You More" – Celine Dion • "Tonight, Tonight" – The Smashing Pumpkins • "Trash" – Suede • "Twisted" – Keith Sweat • "Un-Break My Heart" – Toni Braxton • "Until It Sleeps" – Metallica • "Vapors" – Snoop Doggy Dogg • "Verpiss' dich" – Tic Tac Toe • "Virtual Insanity" – Jamiroquai • "Walking on the Milky Way" – OMD • "Wannabe" – Spice Girls • "We've Got It Goin' On" – Backstreet Boys • "When You're Gone" – The Cranberries • "What I Got" – Sublime • "Whatever You Want" – Tina Turner • "What's Love Got to Do with It" – Warren G • "Where Do You Go" – No Mercy • "Where It's At" – Beck • "Who Wants to Live Forever" – Dune • "Who Will Save Your Soul" – Jewel • "Who You Are" – Pearl Jam • "Why" – 3T & Michael Jackson • "Wonder" – Natalie Merchant • "Wonderwall" – Oasis • "Woo Hah!! Got You All in Check" – Busta Rhymes • "Words" – Boyzone • "Wrong" – Everything but the Girl • "The X-Files" – DJ Dado • "The X-Files" – Mark Snow • "You Don't Fool Me" – Queen • "You Learn" – Alanis Morissette • "You Must Love Me" – Madonna • "You Oughta Know" – Alanis Morissette • "You Showed Me" – The Lightning Seeds • "You Were Meant For Me" – Jewel • "You're Makin' Me High" – Toni Braxton • "Zehn kleine Jagermeister" – Die Toten Hosen • "Zero" – The Smashing Pumpkins

Notable singles

Other Notable singles

• "Elevator Song" – Dubstar

Classical music

Opera

Jazz

Musical theater

Musical films

Births

Fujiwara]], Japanese singer (Naniwa Danshi)

Deaths

Awards

Charts