The 90s gave us some of the best rock songs of all times. Hello, friends and welcome to my new music post about rock music for you to listen to right away.
"I'm into rock 'n' roll because rock 'n' roll, to me, means freedom." Ozzy Osbourne.
Without further ado, let's begin:
20-Red Hot Chili Peppers – Scar Tissue (1999)
This was the first single of their 1999 big comeback album Californication. It was good to see John Frusciante again with the band after leaving in 1992. Frusciante fell into drug addiction after that, but went into rehab and rejoined the band in 1998. I remember back then, me a very young man, getting into an argument with another rock fan over who was a better guitarist, Dave Navarro or John Frusciante. As much as I think Dave is great, I have to prefer John. 1999 was a horrible year for music, but the RHCP gave us this melodic ballad with a very nice guitar solo, ideal for a road trip. The Californication album is considered one of the best comeback albums in music ever.
19-Saigon Kick - Love Is on the Way (1992)
Although this song is from 1992 I remember hearing it for the first time in 1993. It was a ballad all the guys could sing aloud. Too bad Saigon Kick never released another track like this one, which pegged them in the one hit wonder category. At least they gave us this nice ballad.
18-Collective Soul – December (1995)
This cool song was the second single of their 1995 album after Gel. It was number 2 in Canada. Lead singer and songwriter said this about Decemeber: “I just wanted to talk about how I felt I was being used and whatever I did was not good enough ever”. I used to have this cd back then in 1995, I don’t know what ever happened to it.
17-The Breeders - Cannonball (1993)
Three chicks and a guy drummer from some place called Dayton, Ohio, released this track in the middle of the grunge/alternative craze in the early 1990’s. It was a powerful rock song and at the same time a very melodic, cool one. It has appeared in several media between movies, TV and commercials. The video was directed by Spike Jonze, the guy who directed the Praise You video by Fatboy Slim in 1998. Killer drums and guitar riffs and one of the best bass intros ever.
16-Oasis – The Masterplan (1995)
The B-side for Wonderwall was released as a single in October of 1995, but fans around the world had to wait for three years until the 1998 album also tilted The Masterplan to have this song in an actual record. About this mistake Noel Gallagher admitted he was "young and stupid" and of course regrets having this song released as a B-side instead of including it in a full album. It’s a celebration of British rock and the video is one of Oasis most beautiful videos. According to some Oasis fans, this is their best song ever.
15-Alice in Chains – Heaven Beside You (1995)
This was the second single of their 1995 album, better known as The Dog Album. Songwriter and guitarist Jerry Cantrell wrote a something different from his tortured and existential lyrics he was used to. This time about a break up with his then girlfriend. The unplugged version is better than the original album version, that’s why I included it here (trust me on this one). RIP Layne Staley.
If Nirvana’s 1993 MTV Unplugged is the best Unplugged ever, well, Alice in Chains’ Unplugged of 1996 is the second in line.
14-Kiss – Domino (1992)
Sang by Gene Simmons with his long tongue, this one is the third single of Kiss 1992 album Revenge which included a drum solo by the late Eric Carr. Simmons admitted he was trying to copy his own song Deuce from the 1970s when he wrote Domino. A stripper/hustler from Vegas does whatever she wants with this poor man, Ow!
I share this with all of you: This is my favorite Kiss song ever!
13-Ratt – Nobody Rides For Free (1991)
Tough, mysterious, kind if a rant and sexy at the same time. Killer guitar solo, old school style. This was Ratt’s last single in 1991 when hair metal was still a big thing. They separated in 1992 and regrouped again in 1996, but things weren’t the same anymore.
You can listen to this track at the end credits of the best action movie of the 1990s: Point Break, with a young Keanu Reeves and the late and great Patrick Swayze.
12-Jesus Jones – Right Here, Right Now (1991)
The world was kind of happy in 1991. The Berlin Wall fell two years earlier, communism collapsed in Russia and Eastern Europe, and The United States beat Dictator Saddam Hussein in a swift Operation Desert Storm. After that there was hope for the world and you could feel it in the air. This nice song was inspired by all of those world-changing events. The video features the band performing on a sound stage while surrounded by projected video showing news footage of the Eastern Europe during the fall of communism.
This song won some awards and it was the most played song on college radio in 1991. Hair metal bands were everywhere, people wore a lot of white t-shirts and Terminator 2 was released. What a great year!
11-Radiohead –High and Dry (1995)
Drummer Tommy Lee from Motley Crue has stated that Radiohead’s second album released in 1995 is his favorite record of all times. And this cool melodic and sad song was the second single of that album. With this song they proved they weren’t just a one hit wonder after 1993’s Creep. There were two videos for this song, I included here the first one and although the band expressed dissatisfaction with it when it was released this is the one that has stood the test of times. Believe me, is the best of both.
Ah, this is my favorite song from Radiohead: “Don't leave me high…
10- Blur - Coffee & TV (1999)
It was obvious that the guys of Blur were tired of the craziness of the music industry in the late 1990s; nevertheless in 1999 they released a couple of great singles, and this is the second one. Taken from their album 13, this was written by guitarist Graham Coxon about his struggles with alcoholism. The video is one of the best pop/rock videos ever made; a feisty but sensitive milk carton, that features guitarist Coxon, searches for him everywhere.
You can hear this one in the movie Cruel Intentions (1999) when two women kiss each other in New York’s Central Park. It was also included on an episode of the third season, called Pine Barrens, which fans have called the best episode of the best series in TV history: The Sopranos.
9-Garbage – Vow (1995)
I rediscovered this one this very year, I can’t believe I have forgotten about this great track! And want me to tell you something? This is the song that inspired me to write this post.
This was Garbage’s first single in 1995 and the lyrics are said to be about revenge and retaliation supposedly inspired by a newspaper article on domestic abuse. By the way the director of the video is Samuel Bayer, if you don’t know who he is, well, he is the guy who directed the video of the song that altered the music industry forever: Smells Like Teen Spirit.
8-Candlebox - Far Behind (1993)
Music industry scene changed drastically in the early 1990s and record labels wanted to profit from that. They wanted something heavy, grungy but something you could play on the radio also. And this song was just that. A rock band from Seattle, Candlebox released this single in 1993, the third one of their debut album. It was a monster rock hit, it played non-stop in the middle of 1994. It was inspired by two friends who overdosed on heroin and deals with the feeling of emptiness of those who were left far behind. Candlebox released several other albums, but none of their songs could top the success of Far Behind.
7- The Offspring – Gone Away (1997)
The band playing inside a slaughterhouse under an eerie blue light, that’s the video of this song about people that suddenly are no longer with us. I love Dexter’s vocals in this one. Can you believe that a lousy cover of this great song by some people called Five Finger Death Punch has more views on YouTube than the original by The Offspring? How come is that? A criminally underrated song!
6-The Cardigans – My Favorite Game (1998)
Their first single in 1998 was accompanied by a cool video directed by Jonas Akerlund that reportedly cost 850,000 dollars. In this video, singer Nina drives recklessly on a highway in the American West, playing a game that could lead her to death; and she looks great in it!
The Cardigans could never topple their 1996 successful single Lovefool, but don’t let this dissuade you from listening to their music. They continued releasing very cool songs and videos throughout the end of the 1990s and the early 2000s. An underrated band form Sweden. As far as the lyrics go remember that sometimes it’s better to leave a failed relationship in which you are only just losing you’re time and energy.
5-Hole – Malibu (1998)
A cool and refreshing song written by Courtney Love and with arrangements by lead guitarist Eric Erlandson and Billy Corgan. Love has said this one is inspired by a former boyfriend whom she lived with in Malibu the late mid-1980s. Say whatever you want about Courtney Love but you have to admit that she looked so hot in this video! The harmony in this song is extremely well done. We need more songs like this one.
4-Lenny Kravitz – Believe (1993)
An inspiring and uplifting song, the second single of Lenny’s excellent third album, Are You Gonna Go My Way. I Love the 2001 setting of the video. I received the Are You Gonna Go My Way cd as a present in December of 1993, and I still have it in my collection!
Don’t give up on the 21st century yet, I know it’s a pain in the ass what we are living right now, but you have to keep going: “Just put your faith in God and one day you'll see it”
3-U2 – Staring At the Sun (1997)
The second single of their much hated 1997 album Pop. A nice ballad about hope in a world in chaos. It has been reported that the line "Stuck together with God's glue" by another Irish band inspired this song, released as "anthem to rival One." It was a success and fans could breathe again after the shock of Discothèque. Personally I think the Pop album deserves more love, don’t you think?
2-Pearl Jam – Yellow Ledbetter (1992)
Somehow this B-side from their 1992 single Jeremy found its way into radio stations in 1994 and 1995. They say is about a young man who has received a letter that tells him his brother has just died while at war overseas. The guitar part is a tribute to Jimi Hendrix and his song Little Wing. While composing it, Eddie Vedder started making up words on the spot and we kept them. He has said: “I still don't know what it's about and I don't want to! I love it”. Supposedly the word Ledbetter in the title is a reference about a friend of Eddie Vedder in Chicago named Tim Ledbetter.
This song became a sensation back then in 1995 despite never been released as a single. Some people went on to buy the dark album Vitalogy of 1994 and got a major deception when they realized this song wasn’t there. This song didn’t appear on any of Pearl Jam's studio albums; the only way you could find it in the 90s was in live recordings of the band in concert. Finally it received a proper physical released when it was included in the band’s 2003 album Lost Dogs, a 2-cd record that was a collection of rarities and B-sides, which also included the 1999 single Last Kiss.
1-The Wallflowers – One Headlight (1997)
The video of this song was the most aired video of 1997. It is The Wallflower’s biggest hit which unfortunately has led to label the as a one hit wonder. Singer/songwriter Jakob Dylan has said that the song is about "the death of ideas". The lyrics tell about the funeral of a pretty girl who chose to stick around in a place that had nothing to offer, only to die tragically and never got to experience more out of life.
Personally I don’t think The Wallflowers should be considered just as a one hit wonder. I prefer to call them an underrated band. I recommend you to listen to their 2005 song The Beautiful Side of Somewhere, is really nice.
Bonus:
Guns N’ Roses –Since I don’t Have You (1994)
A killer riff courtesy of Slash starts this cover of a 1958 song. The video features beautiful women together with the band and a crazy guy who turns out to be none other than legendary actor Gary Oldman. The crazy guy just can’t stop doing pranks, mocking and laughing at singer Axl Rose. You can listen to the original version of this one in the 1985 movie Mischief, with the beautiful Kelly Preston.
The second and final single of the The Spaghetti Incident? album from 1993. This album was the final one the band recorded before parting ways. It was GN’R’s response to the grunge/alternative craze of the early 1990s.
One final thought. When I was putting together this post I realized that there were a lot of bands with female members in the 1990s that has just disappeared. Look at all we had in the 90s: The Cranberries, Elastica, Republica, Garbage, Hole, The Breeders, Roxette, The Corrs, The Cardingans, and that is just to name a few. I think only Garbage is still active today. If you are a woman reading this and play a musical instrument consider starting your own rock band, we need you.
This is my third music-related post since I started here on Ecency. Check the other ones here:
@thereadingman/20-of-the-most-beautiful
@thereadingman/10-of-my-favorite-science
And what do you think about the list? Feel free to share in the comment section your favorite and forgotten rock song of the 1990s. Remember this: good music is timeless, and besides classical music, rock music is the best that exist. Help to share it!
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Until next time.
Take care.
The reading man.