Every Billboard Modern Rock/Alternative #1 Single (Part 2: The 1990s)

Yeah, I had a friend who was obsessed with "Soul to Squeeze" back in the 90's. They would do a lot of songs like this years later maybe because this did so well along with "Under the Bridge".

Bjork had some of the most amazing videos. I have to check them out again and I'll watch the one for "Human Behaviour".

Love Smashing Pumpkins - heard them first with "Today" and I'm still a fan. I have everything. Excellent boxsets and 1993 was a major year for them.

 

85. Red Hot Chili Peppers – "Soul to Squeeze"
Well, we’ve gotten just a small taste of a large bunch of Red Hot Chili Peppers material that had already been released and though they take a long time between releases, they will consistent chart high just about every time they start releasing singles from an album. This was from ‘The Coneheads’ soundtrack and later was released as a single. It’s on the melodic side which was still the exception for the Peppers who were still funking and rocking out usually. Beautiful guitar curls from John Frusciante (his final appearance until 1999), a cooled down lyric and vocal from Anthony Kiedis and a lot of sparse moments to hear Chad Smith and Flea’s light and effective rhythm. One of their best because it’s like a continuation of “Under the Bridge” – “Where I go I just don’t know” – almost matches that excellent melody but it’s time to leave that bridge behind, but where to next? “Behind the Sun” charted as a re-release earlier in 1993 and this also has a sunniness with some shadows that is perfect for summertime when it charted. I’m sure plenty of people have memories of this song and having fun in the sun.

Urge Overkill – Sister Havana
Pretty cool rock song with a bit of 90’s alt rock flavor and a touch of classic rock, I never really heard any Urge Overkill at the time. I still don’t know much but this song is alright. It’s upbeat with youthful energy and I like the vocalist who emotes well.

86. The Juliana Hatfield Three - "My Sister"
She was always around in the early 90's but I never got to listen to her much. I tried out the album this is off of Become What You Are but I wasn't too enamored. This is a good one. The lyrics sound the same until you listen closely and hear she is changing the lyrics as it goes "I love my sister" starts the first verse, "I hate my sister" starts the second. Regardless, the point is the sister is no longer around and Hatfield misses her. It's a grower - no big punch on the chorus or melody that catches the ear immediately but it eventually works somehow. Basic guitar-driven alt. rock but there's something else I want to touch on.

Parachute Woman said there was a lack of ladies on these charts starting around this time so I'm going to keep an eye on the rest of the charts below the top 10 if that's what it takes to have some female representation here. I think rock is so male-dominated that balance was needed and I still think it's a reason why rock is not as popular now. So once in a while, I'll toss in an artist that may be below the top 10.

 

For our current "threadrunner", a brief trip back to the '80s:

 

One more...

 

My Sister - I liked this song a lot at the time. Today it's still a good one but, like many songs from the 90s, aren't as exciting to me as they used to be. In any case, I liked it enough that I went to see her perform (at a club in Vancouver).
Creep - This is still a great song. It hasn't aged at all. In fact I was a bit surprised when it showed up on the chart as I didn't think it was quite that old. I purchased it on CD single and was shocked by the profanity. The radio edit contained the line "you're so very special". I had no idea it was the censored version. Honestly, I don't think this song required the f bomb. It worked just fine without it. I also recall trying to figure out what the opening line to the song was. My wife deciphered it as "when you're on the phone I can't look you in the eye", which makes perfect sense. I countered that it really stated "when you're on the farm", which made very little sense bit I stuck by my guns. Turns out I was wrong.
Pets - is a fun song. This is another that we miss heard. My wife thought it was "we make great sex". Works either way for me.
Human Behaviour - loved this when it was on the radio. It sounded so fresh and new. It's still a fun listen.
Cherub Rock - I really liked the Pumpkins back when they were on the radio. But, again, there are a lot of 90s bands that just didn't age well for me. I still like the songs but they have shed their excitement. The 80s have held up much better for me personally. Perhaps because you can dance to them. I don't know. Sorry to be such a 90s party pooper.

 

I liked "Break It Down Again", but it seemed fairly pedestrian coming after the amazing The Seeds of Love album, and I wasn't sure I liked the direction Tears For Fears was heading in at that point, especially without one half of the duo.

"Numb" was a big departure for U2 but I loved it. They were on the pinnacle at that point and could hardly do any wrong. Zooropa is a fantastic album that was a huge part of the soundtrack for my summer of 1993.

I remember being quite disappointed in Paul Westerberg's "World Class Fad", having held out high hopes for his debut solo album (which was good but hardly great). It seemed forced somehow.

Matthew Sweet's "The Ugly Truth" is a killer track from a very strong album. He, too, was on constant play that year, both his previous album Girlfriend and his then-new one Altered Beast, from which this song comes.

Never liked OMD or The Posies much at all.

 

"Soul To Squeeze" never did much for me, but I really didn't become a RHCP fan until later on, and even now, I really only listen to their work from One Hot Minute onward, as their early stuff just struck me as juvenile.

"No Rain" was pretty ubiquitous in the American Midwest. I liked it, but grew tired of it fairly fast.

I remember Urge Overkill being played a lot (they were from nearby Chicago and I lived in Madison) and I liked some of their stuff, as well as their retro glammy aesthetic, which was a refreshing change from the flannel/grunge/alt nation aesthetic that was so prevalent. "Sister Havana" wasn't their best track in my opinion.

"Cherub Rock" was the first song I can remember hearing by Smashing Pumpkins and I thought it was great straightaway.

 

I have no real recollection of "My Sister", and I mostly was familiar with Hatfield through her connection to The Lemonheads. Can't say I ever investigated any of her own work.

Nice to see another Catherine Wheel track on the chart. Solid song.

"Crazy Mary" was another one that got a ton of radio play in my region. Pearl Jam was ridiculously hot at that time, and this is a fantastic cover of a then-unreleased Victoria Williams song from the Sweet Relief fundraiser album. I still love hearing this one, as well as Williams' own later recorded version from her incredible Loose album.

 

I love two of D'arby's early albums (his debut and third; the second was okay but a bit of a disaster). Have to admit that I completely agreed with all of the criticisms of Stone Temple Pilots at the time and never even gave their music a chance. I, too, never warmed up to Depeche Mode at all.

Midnight Oil, on the other hand, was on an amazing roll at that time. Earth and Sun and Moon (from which "Truganini" comes) is one of their best albums and probably the last in a decade long run of excellence for them. Their later albums had some great stuff too, but this was the last one that I found consistent from start to finish. I rate Blue Sky Mining as their best album overall, but the ones @mark winstanley mentioned are fantastic as well.

 

“Soul to Squeeze” – Red Hot Chili Peppers - As I stated before, I'm not of a RHCP fan, just like a few of their songs, and this is one I like.

“Human Behaviour” – Bjork - I also tend to not like Bjork, she tosses her voice around and makes a very interesting voice sound like a seance gone wrong. I had the first Sugarcubes album, but got rid of it pretty quickly. I found it frustrating because you could tell there was something there. However, I do like this song, she seems to keep it all under control here.

“Sister Havana” – Urge Overkill - cool song, don't think I'd heard it before.

“Cherub Rock” – Smashing Pumpkins - When I first heard them I wasn't sure if I liked them, his voice is so unique. But I got around to where I really do like them.

"My Sister" - The Juliana Hatfield Three - I remember this song, but I never paid a lot of attention to the lyrics. Pretty clever.

"Crank" - The Catherine Wheel - Don't remember hearing these guys back in the day, but if I had, I probably would have been a fan.

"Crazy Mary" - Pearl Jam - A great song from them.

 

As I stated before. I really like "My Sister" but on this top 10 I think my favorite is Pearl Jam's cover of "Crazy Mary". It's still in my top 10 Pearl Jam songs after all these years. Victoria Williams' version is really good but Pearl Jam just made that song their own. The rest of the top 10 is just ok for me.

 

Yeah Midnight Oil was well known then but I don't know if they are still as famous - at least in the U.S. They're not talked of too often. Maybe @mark winstanley knows more. "Crazy Mary" by Pearl Jam was the opposite for me. I had no clue about it until years later. I think there was so much PJ all over at the time that one got lost on me or it just wasn't played as much as other stuff. It took years for me to find it too. Yeah, OMD and Poisies I never really got into.

I've misheard lots of lyrics over the years. I probably had trouble understanding all the lyrics for both "Creep" and "Pets"-they both sometimes don't clearly annunciate. Yeah Bjork was great, not sure how she is nowadays and how good her singing is but man what a unique talent.

 

Around 2003, Midnight Oil went on hiatus for about 15 years while lead singer Peter Garrett pursued a political career and actually served in the Australian Parliament. They finally reunited a couple of years ago and I saw them here in Denver. They were as fantastic as ever from a live performance standpoint. There have been rumors about them recording new material, but nothing concrete has been announced.

They've always been one of my favorite and most admired bands, as much due to their political content and commitment as for their wonderful music. I've always seen them as on the same level as The Clash, but far longer lasting.

 

87. "No Rain" by Blind Melon

#1 for 3 non-consecutive weeks starting September 18, 1993.

"No Rain" is a song by American rock band Blind Melon. It was released in 1993 as the second single from the band's debut album Blind Melon. The song is well known for its accompanying music video, which features the "Bee Girl" character. The music video, directed by Samuel Bayer, received heavy airplay on MTV at the time of its release. It subsequently helped propel Blind Melon to a multi-platinum level.

The song is the band's highest-charting song, reaching number 20 on the US Billboard Hot 100, and number-one on both the Album Rock Tracks and Modern Rock Tracks charts. The single proved successful internationally, hitting number 1 in Canada and number 8 in Australia.

The music video, directed by Samuel Bayer, stars Heather DeLoach as the "Bee Girl" — a young tap dancer wearing a homemade bee costume and large glasses, modeled after the Blind Melon album's cover: a family picture of Georgia Graham, younger sister of drummer Glen Graham.[2] The Bee Girl's story is intercut with footage of Blind Melon performing in a field against a clear blue sky.

It opens on the girl's tap routine; the audience responds with mocking laughter, and the girl runs off stage in tears. As the song plays, she wanders through a city, stopping to perform her dance for whomever will watch. Ultimately — at the point in the song where the word "escape" is repeated — she peeks through a gate, which elicits a look of astonishment on her face, then runs through the gate to join a group of "bee people" of all shapes and sizes dancing joyfully in a green field.

As a result of the video, DeLoach appeared on the 1993 MTV Video Music Awards, and reprised her Bee Girl dance (in full costume) in the video for "Weird Al" Yankovic's song "Bedrock Anthem".

VH1 ranked the "No Rain" video 83rd on its "100 Greatest Videos of All Time" list; One-Hit Wonders" list and No. 15 of its "40 Greatest One-Hit Wonders of the 1990s."

Top 10 for the week September 18, 1993:

1. “No Rain” – Blind Melon
2. “Soul to Squeeze” – Red Hot Chili Peppers
3. “My Sister” – The Juliana Hatfield 3
4. “Human Behaviour” – Bjork
5. “World (The Price of Love)” – New Order
6. “Crank” – The Catherine Wheel
7. “Heart-Shaped Box” – Nirvana*
8. “Sublime” – The Ocean Blue
9. “Cherub Rock” – Smashing Pumpkins
10. “Crazy Mary” – Pearl Jam

* =future #1

 

"No Rain" was a great song that got overplayed to death. It seemed like every radio station in my area spun it every half-hour. I still have a hard time listening to it because of that. It's still a great song though.
Of the songs on the chart I haven't already talked about it's good to see Nirvana make an appearance with "Heart Shaped Box", one of my favorites of their's.

 

Spot on mate

 

No Rain is a fantastic release and a well-deserved # 1. I never get tired of this one. I purchased the album based on the strength of No Rain, but didn't care for it.

 

Isn't this like the 3rd top ten from Ocean Blue? I hadn't even heard of them until after 2000, though I had heard one of the songs, just didn't know who did it. They sound nice, but nothing really stands out so I'm surprised they had so many hits.

That and Nirvana are the only new ones this week.

 

No Rain is a unique song. It really stood out on the radio at the time. I rarely hear it nowadays but if it comes up on shuffle I enjoy it. It holds up well. Doesn't sound like any particular time frame.

 

Depeche Mode - Walking in My Shoes

It's got the electronic vibe, but I certainly wouldn't call it a "dance" track. Of course you have the haunting vocal and the synths along with the guitars. This song sounds a few years ahead of its time. I'm really surprised at the quality of these DM tracks from Songs of Faith and Devotion. This is another great song. I love the way the backing track works with the vocal. As I said, it's really haunting. I love the Fripp-like lead guitar that comes in a couple times.

It's a surprise that Radiohead's Creep didn't make #1 - it stalled at #2. At the time it kind of annoyed me, with the weak & whiny verses and the SUPER HEAVY DISTORTED chorus. I didn't take the band seriously at all. It would take me quite a few more years until I finally picked up OK Computer and "got it". I do really like Pablo Honey, though. It's always slagged because it's not as good as The Bends or OKC, but I think it's a great album and I listen to it often. As I do with nearly all of their albums. Creep is an absolute classic and I wish that I had paid more attention at the time.

Porno For Pyros - Pets

I love that clean tone on the guitar, combined with Perry Farrell's vocals. The drums do sound like crap, though. I can get over that. This song has a great mellow vibe, but it's always pushing forward. I still hate the chorus on this one; it's way too repetitive. It's catchy, of course, but it's really run into the ground. Still, overall I like this song, esp. the music.

Like Radiohead's Creep, Plush was a huge decade-defining song that didn't make #1 on this chart. The other singles from STP's debut were all pretty good, but this one really pushed it forward. At the time my friends and I liked the song a lot, even if we were very aware of how similar it was to Pearl Jam.

Tears For Fears - Break it Down Again

I always welcome hearing Orzabal's voice come into this chart. He sounds great here. This song is still missing that extra magic that makes it one of the top tier TFF songs. Orzabal needs Curt Smith, it's the way the band should be. His voice carries the song, but otherwise it's just OK for me.

U2's Numb is a great song that should've made the top spot. I loved this period of U2's music where they were all about experimentation. Such a different sounding song.

Red Hot Chili Peppers - Soul to Squeeze

This song has the same mellow vibe that a few of the songs on BSSM had, namely Under the Bridge. Though, this song is MUCH happier. I just love Frusciante's guitar playing. One note and you know it's him. Doesn't every song these days from RCHP sound like this? It totally sounds like a template for future songs. Surprisingly, Anthony Keidis doesn't annoy me here as he usually does during this BSSM period. Good song.

The rest of the top 10...wow. Besides the 2 upcoming #1's, you've got Human Behaviour, Sister Havana & Cherub Rock. All huge songs. Cherub Rock is still my favorite Pumpkins song.

Juliana Hatfield Three - My Sister

This song is just the sound of fall '93. It's got the jangly guitars, but also the grungy/heavy bits all with Juliana Hatfield's distinctive voice. I like hearing the grunge sound mixed with something totally poppy. This song really takes me back. I don't think I've heard it since then. It still holds up, great song.

Catherine Wheel pops up in the top 10 with Crank and it's a much better song for me than Black Metallic from the previous album. Both Ferment and Chrome are great albums.

 

I don't believe I've ever heard No Rain before, although I've seen the "Bee Girl" thing. If I didn't know what it was, I might have guessed it was by some second-or-third-echelon early-'70s "classic rock" band. What its massive appeal is, I have not the slightest idea. However I have certainly heard worse ...

 

88. "Heart Shaped Box" by Nirvana

#1 for 3 weeks starting October 16, 1993.


"Heart-Shaped Box" is a song by American rock band Nirvana, written by vocalist and guitarist Kurt Cobain. The song was released as the first single from the group's third and final studio album, In Utero, in 1993. It was one of two songs from the album mixed by Scott Litt in order to augment the original production by producer Steve Albini. While Nirvana's label DGC Records did not release a physical single for sale in the United States, "Heart-Shaped Box" received much American radio airplay, reaching number one on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart.[2][3] The international release of the single made the Top 10 in several countries, including number four in Portugal, number five in the United Kingdom,[4][5] number six in Ireland, number nine in Finland and number nine in New Zealand. It also made the Top 40 in numerous other countries. The song's music video, directed by Anton Corbijn, garnered critical plaudits, and won two awards, including Best Alternative Video at the MTV Video Music Awards in 1994. "Heart-Shaped Box" was the last song Kurt Cobain performed live in public with Nirvana, on March 1, 1994 in Munich, Germany.[6]

Cobain said the song was inspired by documentaries about children with cancer. He told biographer Michael Azerrad, "Anytime I think about it, it makes me sadder than anything I can think of."[18] Azerrad asserted in his biography Come as You Are: The Story of Nirvana that despite Cobain's explanation, the song actually appeared to be about Courtney Love.[11] Charles Cross wrote in his Kurt Cobain biography Heavier Than Heaven that with the lyric "I wish I could eat your cancer when you turn black", the frontman "sang in what has to be the most convoluted route any songwriter undertook in pop history to say 'I love you'".[19] After a performance of the song by singer Lana Del Rey in 2012, Courtney Love asserted on Twitter that the song is about her ******. The tweets were deleted shortly after.[20] Cobain said that the song's chorus of "Hey/Wait/I've got a new complaint" was him giving an example of how he was perceived by the media.[21]

Top 10 for the week October 16, 1993

1. “Heart-Shaped Box” – Nirvana
2. “Cannonball” – The Breeders
3. “Sublime” – Ocean Blue
4. “No Rain” – Blind Melon
5. “Soul to Squeeze” – Red Hot Chili Peppers
6. “Low” – Cracker
7. “Lemon” – U2
8. “Go” – Pearl Jam
9. “Sodajerk” – Buffalo Tom
10. “Everything In The World” – Squeeze

We're actually up to our final #1 coming up tomorrow. We may take one day off for the rankings of the year and any last comments on 1993 and then move on to 1994. Parachute Woman, you are our inspiration. We haven't forgotten you anytime come back and continue this. I know you wrote that 1994-1998 was a time you really enjoyed and I'm saddened to not see you back here yet. Hope you're well!

 

Several great songs this time.

“Heart-Shaped Box” – Nirvana
“Cannonball” – The Breeders - Funny, I've recognized both songs they've had in the top ten, but I don't really remember them as a band that much. Perhaps I need to look into them more.
“Low” – Cracker - Love this album.
“Lemon” – U2 - Don't remember this on the radio at all, so I'm surprised it charted. Not that that's a bad thing.
“Go” – Pearl Jam - A real driving song from them. PJ is going a whole different direction from Nirvana.

Don't recognize “Sodajerk” by Buffalo Tom at all. Not a bad song at a half-listen.

“Everything In The World” – Squeeze sound very 1985. Like, a lot.

 

Wow, I have certainly fallen behind quickly. These charts are now showing a clear transition: there's still quite a bit of stuff I like, but we're seeing more examples of the bands that ruined "alternative" for me: Stone Temple Pilots, Smashing Pumpkins, Pearl Jam, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Blind Melon, Porno for Pyros. I'll try to keep a lid on my negativity, though.

"Pets" by Porno for Pyros is one of the more tolerable Perry Farrell songs, by a hair or two. At least the concept is amusing.

"Break It Down Again" by Tears for Fears is not their finest moment, which makes some sense given the absence of half the band (Curt Smith). It's not bad, and I wouldn't change stations if it came on the radio, but they have much better songs.

"Soul to Squeeze" by the Red Hot Chili Peppers is one of their better songs, I suppose.

"My Sister" by the Juliana Hatfield Three is pretty good. I've always liked Juliana Hatfield's voice, but sometimes I think I prefer her as a background or secondary vocalist. And her songs don't always do it for me, but this one is good. I saw her with the Lemonheads in July of 1992--she opened, but she might have also played in the Lemonheads at the time. I can't recall.

"No Rain" by Blind Melon: All I can say is that this song always irritated me and still does. I hate to speak ill of the dead, but Shannon Hoon's whiny vocals are so grating, and the song just sounds like half-baked '70s rock (and not the good kind). I'm pretty sure the popularity of the video helped this song do as well as it did. But as for me, no thanks.

"Heart-Shaped Box" by Nirvana found them pushing things sonically after the catchier hits from their previous album. So many bands copped their sound, but as usual, Nirvana were so much better than their competition.

As for songs that peaked lower, a few interesting ones have popped up:

I'd forgotten about "She Kissed Me" by Terence Trent D'Arby, but it was familiar once I listened to it again. It's pretty good, and I appreciate that his sound was evolving, though I loved those sophisticated pop hits from his debut.

As a big fan of power-pop, I love the Posies and have seen them a few times. "Dream All Day" is a great song, one of my favorites from this period. Matthew Sweet is another big favorite from the power-pop side of things, and though I wouldn't necessarily rank "The Ugly Truth" among his best, I like it.

I'm glad to see the Catherine Wheel here again (with "Crank"). They were a great band, despite the occasional missteps.

"Human Behaviour" is one of my favorite Bjork songs.

"Cannonball" by the Breeders is a classic--catchy as all get out, but still pretty weird. It feels like one of the songs that defines the era. Too bad Nirvana kept them at #2--I can't really argue with it, but if they had peaked a few weeks earlier or later, they probably would have made #1 (and improved the stats for female acts!).

Buffalo Tom is one of my favorite bands (I saw them again just last year), so I'm glad to see them on this chart, and I do love "Sodajerk."

I'm surprised to see "Everything in the World" by Squeeze here. I'm a huge Squeeze fan and didn't even remember this song until I played it again. It's really not their strongest song, but I remember its parent album Some Fantastic Place as a great latter-day effort from them. I should get that out again.

 

Already mentioned what I thought about "Heart Shaped Box" in an earlier post. Still one of my favorite Nirvana songs.
"Cannonball" is a song I thought was just ok but I finally got around to buying The Breeders' album that it's on, Last Splash, and it's awesome!
"Low" by Cracker has always been a favorite. I really enjoyed Cracker. About even with Camper Van Beethoven, their kinda-sorta predecessor.
"Sodajerk" by Buffalo Tom is a great song. I discovered it on a compilation album and for some reason have never dug any deeper into the band.