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

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Parachute Woman, Feb 6, 2019.

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  1. BZync

    BZync Senior Member

    Location:
    Los Angeles
    “Vasoline” – Stone Temple Pilots - I wasn't crazy about the first STP album but I sure liked Purple. On Purple, to my ears, STP went retro pop. Sort of the more melodic answer to Pearl Jam. Purple had some great tracks that I hope will show up on future listings. Vasoline was not quite punk not quite hard rock. The stuttering guitar riff reminds me of McCartney's Spin It On from his most rock oriented album (of originals). In many of the STP songs going forward I can hear classic rock influences. They struck a great balance for a few albums. Scott Weiland is a terrific rock singer. He had a knack for making his voice sound different on each part of the song, almost like it were different singers doing the parts.

    “Prayer For The Dying” – Seal - I saw Seal perform live during the tour supporting this album. His first album was absolutely astounding. his second was still quite good but didn't reach the heights of the debut. This track struck me at the time as a bit MOR. Still does but it is a pleasant song performed well. Seal was a major talent.

    “Stay (I Missed You)” – Lisa Loeb & Nine Stories - Every guy I knew had a crush on Lisa Loeb. This is the only song of hers that I know and it is a stunner. Great hooks, charming vocal. A few years back my daughter attended a workshop for teenage girl writers. When I was waiting to pick her up, I strolled in and Lisa Loeb was among the panel of professionals mentoring the students. I pointed her out to my daughter and encouraged her to ask for a photo. I didn't approach her myself because 1) it wasn't the appropriate venue for a fan boy, and 2) I probably would have made an idiot of myself.

    “Basket Case” – Green Day* - Green Day were just on fire. This one was so much better than Longview and really made me take note. And still it was only the beginning.

    “Labour Of Love” – FRENTE! - I don't know how half the songs on this week's list qualify as Alternative. I don't know if this delightful acoustic ditty was on mainstream radio, but it should have been.

    "Closer" - Nine Inch Nails - This song was notorious, of course, for it's chorus: "I want to **** you like an animal". But NIN was more than just a shock chorus. I don't know how NIN got such a menacing sound without heavy guitars. At the time I had a single cassette for my car with new songs on it. I would keep recording any new song over whatever was on previously so it was one 90 minute rolling playlist of whatever was new. I was living in Los Angeles and my playlist was made up entirely of songs played on KROQ. A buddy from New York was visiting and I was playing this cassette while driving him around. He commented on the fact that a great many of the songs contained a vulgarity. He was finding it rather excessive. Of course, the very next song was Closer. Proving once again that timing is everything.

    "Sabotage" - Beastie Boys - I wasn't a fan of this song but my wife loved it. Many years later she rented a convertible Mustang and made up a playlist specifically for that weekend. This was the opening track. She came screaming around the corner to pick up my daughter in middle school with Sabotage blasting. Perhaps I never loved my wife more than that moment. :)

    "Until I Fall Away" - Gin Blossoms - The Gin Blossoms were a nice dose of power pop that radio really needed.
     
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  2. Retro Hound

    Retro Hound Forum Resident

    Location:
    Pittsburg, KS
    “Fall Down” – Toad The Wet Sprocket - Man, I don't even remember this one!

    “Come Out And Play (Keep ‘Em Separated)” – The Offspring - Offspring was such a fun band. I like Green Day also, and fequently mix them up, but Offspring had more of sense of humor, while Green Day, especially later, got so dour.

    “Girls And Boys” – Blur - I never did like this, but I do like a lot of other stuff from Blur.

    “Vasoline” – Stone Temple Pilots

    “Prayer For The Dying” – Seal - This is modern rock? I like Seal, but I don't consider him alternative in any way.
     
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  3. bvb1123

    bvb1123 Rock and Roll Martian

    Location:
    Cincinnati Ohio
    On this chart there's a few I like:
    The Offspring at #1 I liked for about a week and quickly got sick of it. Amazing how they basically recycled it for 2 or 3 more hits a few years down the road.
    Stone Temple Pilots - "Vasoline" My second favorite song by this band. "Still Remains" will always be my favorite STP song but "Vasoline" is pretty close. This band showed promise that it never really lived up to, but seeing Scott Weiland's problems, it's not too hard to figure out why.
    Green Day - "Basket Case" Still one of my top 5 Green Day songs despite its oversaturation on alternative radio.
    Counting Crows - "Einstein On The Beach (For An Eggman)" Probably my favorite song by them although I like a lot of their material up until the song from Shrek. They lost me after that.
    Beastie Boys - "Sabotage" Great song. One of the most awesome videos in MTV's heyday. What more could you ask for?
    Gin Blossoms - "Until I Fall Away" I've always loved this song. They have a couple I like a little better but that takes nothing away from my love of this tune.
     
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  4. WilliamWes

    WilliamWes Likes to sing along but he knows not what it means

    Location:
    New York
    101. "Einstein on the Beach (For an Eggman)" by Counting Crows

    Song by Counting Crows
    from the album DGC Rarities Volume 1
    [​IMG]

    Released
    1994
    Recorded 1991
    Genre Alternative rock
    Length 3:56
    Label Geffen
    Songwriter(s) Adam Duritz, David Bryson
    Producer(s) T-Bone Burnett

    "Einstein on the Beach (For an Eggman)" is a song recorded by Counting Crows from the album DGC Rarities Vol. 1. It was included on the band's best-of compilation, Films About Ghosts (The Best Of...). The title of the song was inspired by the Philip Glass opera Einstein on the Beach. The song became the band's first number one song on the Modern Rock chart, beating their previous highest-charting single, "Mr. Jones" which reached number two. However, "Mr. Jones" stayed longer on the Modern Rock chart and became an enduring pop hit, whereas "Einstein" failed to achieve the same success.

    Although the song only charted in the United States, it ranked at number 47 on the Australian Triple J Hottest 100 for 1994, one position above "Mr. Jones"

    According to Counting Crows frontman Adam Duritz, "Einstein on the Beach" was first recorded around 1991, shortly after the band first formed, as a home recording. Duritz believed the song would have been ignored, so it was not included on the band's debut album, August and Everything After. In 1994, however, when Geffen Records asked Duritz for a song to include on the rarities album DGC Rarities Volume 1, he allowed them to use "Einstein on the Beach" on the compilation. Upon hearing it, the label saw the song as a hit, so it was serviced to radio stations and gained popularity, reaching number one on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart for the week of August 13, 1994.[2] This success caused Duritz dismay, as he was afraid the listeners of their songs would turn on them due to overexposure (citing fellow rock band Hootie & the Blowfish as an example), so the band scaled down their promotion and refused to make a music video for their single "Rain King".[3]

    The message of "Einstein on the Beach" can be seen as the achievements that come about by accepting failure, although Duritz claimed the song was a facetious creation. In an interview with Songfacts, Duritz did admit the song had some meaning, saying, "It sort of takes the idea of, what if you're someone who's a brilliant mathematician like Albert Einstein or any of us doing creative work on something that seems so clean and brilliant, and then it turns out to be an atomic bomb. It's your idea, which is so amazing and graceful in and of itself, but it turns into something not so great."[3] Duritz also stated he liked the song, specifying its good harmony and the enthusiasm of his voice, and he still listens to it occasionally.

    Top 10 for the week of August 13th, 1994

    1. “Einstein On The Beach (For An Eggman) – Counting Crows
    2. “Basket Case” – Green Day*
    3. “Vasoline” – Stone Temple Pilots
    4. “Come Out and Play” – The Offspring
    5. “Prayer For The Dying” – Seal
    6. “Am I Wrong” – Love Spit Love
    7. “All I Wanna Do” – Sheryl Crow
    8. “Black Hole Sun” – Soundgarden
    9. “Fall Down” – Toad The Wet Sprocket
    10. “Headache” – Frank Black
     
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  5. WilliamWes

    WilliamWes Likes to sing along but he knows not what it means

    Location:
    New York
    102. "Basket Case" by Green Day

    #1 for 5 weeks starting the week of August 20, 1994.

    [​IMG]

    Single by Green Day
    from the album Dookie
    Released
    August 1994[1]
    Format
    Recorded
    Genre
    Length 3:01
    Label Reprise
    Songwriter(s)
    Producer(s)


    "Basket Case" is a song by the American punk rock band Green Day. It is the seventh track and third single from their third studio album, Dookie (1994). The song spent five weeks at the top of Billboard's Alternative Songs chart.
    Green Day vocalist/guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong said "Basket Case" is about his struggle with anxiety; before he was diagnosed with a panic disorder years afterward, he thought he was going crazy. Armstrong commented that at the time, "The only way I could know what the hell was going on was to write a song about it."[4]

    "Basket Case" was one of the songs producer Rob Cavallo heard when he received Green Day's demo tape. He ended up signing the band to Reprise Records in mid-1993.[5] Green Day and Cavallo recorded the version of "Basket Case" released on the trio's major label debut Dookie between September and October 1993 at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley, California.[6]

    "Basket Case" was the second single released from Dookie, following "Longview". "Basket Case" peaked at number one on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart, a position it maintained for five weeks.[6] In 1995, "Basket Case" garnered a Grammy Award nomination in the Best Rock Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group category.[9]

    In 2006, on Mike Davies and Zane Lowe's Lock Up Special on BBC Radio 1, the listeners voted "Basket Case" the Greatest Punk Song of All Time.[10] In 2009, it was named the 33rd best hard rock song of all time by VH1.[11]

    Top 10 for the week of August 20, 1994.

    1. “Basket Case” – Green Day
    2. “Vasoline” – Stone Temple Pilots
    3. “Einstein On The Beach” – Counting Crows
    4. “Am I Wrong” – Love Spit Love
    5. “Come Out And Play (Keep ‘Em Separated)” – The Offspring
    6. “All I Wanna Do” – Sheryl Crow
    7. “Prayer For The Dying” – Seal
    8. “Undone – The Sweater Song” – Weezer
    9. “Sometimes Always” – The Jesus And Mary Chain
    10. “Headache” – Frank Black

    Under the top 10
    21. "I'll Stand By You" - The Pretenders
    23. "Andres" - L7
    29. "Big Empty" - Stone Temple Pilots
     
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  6. scratchtasia

    scratchtasia Forum Resident

    Location:
    Kansas City, MO
    "Come Out and Play (Keep 'em Separated)" by the Offspring: Novelty punk. I've tried with these guys--they seem to be coming from the right place--but I'm just not into them. I did like follow-up "Self-Esteem" more.

    "Einstein on the Beach (Song for an Eggman)" by Counting Crows is one I didn't remember until hearing it again. It's catchier than "Mr. Jones" but there's something too jam-band about it for me.

    "Basket Case" by Green Day is the first #1 I've really liked since Nirvana's "All Apologies" back in January, over six months earlier. This song bore enough of a Buzzcocks influence to convince me that I couldn't totally dismiss Green Day. It remains one of my favorites by them.

    And hey, a few other favorites have made the top 10: I love "Am I Wrong" by Love Spit Love, the band Richard Butler formed during the hiatus of the Psychedelic Furs, "Headache" is probably my favorite Frank Black solo number, and "Sometimes Always" by the Jesus and Mary Chain with Hope Sandoval (of Mazzy Star) is solid.

    It's funny at this point to see Sheryl Crow's "All I Wanna Do" on the alternative chart--radio programmers didn't know what to do with her at first, but she wouldn't be considered "alternative" by anyone much longer. Ditto with Seal.

    And, notably, here's the debut of Weezer. I like a lot of bands that get compared to them, but I've never warmed to Weezer themselves (and I've tried, with multiple albums). They still hit this chart 25 years later, though, so that's some impressive longevity.
     
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  7. Cheevyjames

    Cheevyjames Forum Resident

    Location:
    Graham, NC
    The Offspring - Come Out and Play

    Catchy, but I still don't like it. I wondered if my opinion would soften over the years. Nope! Can't stand the dude's voice and it's the primary part of the song.

    Counting Crows - Einstein on the Beach

    Never heard this before. I wasn't a Counting Crows fan at all so it doesn't surprise me. It's a bit peppier than their usual depressed droning. Still, it's incredibly basic. Just standard pop rock that doesn't move me. I say that as someone who played in a pop rock band in college and I'm sure others could've said that about the band (I didn't write the songs, I just played bass).

    Green Day - Basket Case

    Once again, another incredibly fun song from these guys. The drumming is wonderful on this. Thoroughly enjoyable.

    I'm shocked that Weezer's Sweater Song didn't make #1. I've never been a fan, but that song was unavoidable.
     
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  8. BadJack

    BadJack doorman who always high-fives children of divorce

    Location:
    Boston, MA
    "Sometimes Always" is a gem and I also like the Love Spit Love song.

    But still, rough times. I used to hear "All I Wanna Do" and wonder if I'd put the wrong station on.
     
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  9. Planbee

    Planbee Negative Nellie

    Location:
    Chicago
    Before it drops off the chart, I'll say that Seal's "Prayer For The Dying" is a very nice song. Even if it doesn't really belong here...
     
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  10. WilliamWes

    WilliamWes Likes to sing along but he knows not what it means

    Location:
    New York
    103. "What's the Frequency, Kenneth?" by R.E.M.

    #1 for 5 weeks starting the week of September 24, 1994.
    [​IMG]
    Single by R.E.M.
    from the album Monster
    B-side
    "What's the Frequency, Kenneth?" (instrumental version)
    Released September 5, 1994

    Length 4:00
    Label Warner Bros.
    Songwriter(s)
    Producer(s)


    "What's the Frequency, Kenneth?" is a song by the American alternative rock band R.E.M. from their 1994 album Monster. It was the first single taken from the album, which was released three weeks later. It peaked at number 21 on the Billboard Hot 100, number 9 on the UK Singles Chart, and was the first song to debut at number one on Billboard Modern Rock Tracks.[6] The song's title refers to an incident in New York City in 1986, when two then-unknown assailants attacked journalist Dan Rather, while repeating "Kenneth, what is the frequency?"

    It was placed on R.E.M.'s compilation albums In Time: The Best of R.E.M. 1988–2003 in 2003 and Part Lies, Part Heart, Part Truth, Part Garbage 1982–2011 in 2011, the only track from Monster to feature on either. The song was one of the band's most-played songs at live gigs, and was played at every show on their 2008 Accelerate tour.[7] A live version was released on R.E.M. Live in 2007.

    R.E.M. began work on Monster in August 1993 and "What's the Frequency, Kenneth?" was realized about two months later in October. This song was written and recorded at Kingsway Studio, New Orleans, where the band also wrote and recorded "Tongue" and "Crush with Eyeliner".[1] Lead singer Michael Stipe has said in interviews[when?] that the lyrics are about the Generation X phenomenon in contemporary mass media, sung in character as an older critic whose information consists exclusively of media products.

    “ I wrote that protagonist as a guy who's desperately trying to understand what motivates the younger generation, who has gone to great lengths to try and figure them out, and at the end of the song it's completely ****ing bogus. He got nowhere. ”
    — Michael Stipe
    Guitarist Peter Buck explained why the song slows towards its conclusion in an interview with Guitar World magazine:

    “ The truth is, Mike [Mills, bassist] slowed down the pace and we all followed, and then I noticed he looked strange. It turned out he had appendicitis and we had to rush him to the hospital. So we never wound up redoing it.[8]

    Top 10 for the week of September 24, 1994

    1. "What's The Frequency, Kenneth?" - R.E.M.
    2. "Basket Case" - Green Day
    3. "Interstate Love Song" - Stone Temple Pilots
    4. "Fade Into You" - Mazzy Star
    5. "Einstein On The Beach" - Counting Crows
    6. "Self Esteem" - The Offspring
    7. "Sometimes Always" - The Jesus And Mary Chain
    8. "I Alone" - Live
    9. "Am I Wrong" - Love Spit Love
    10. "All I Wanna Do" - Sheryl Crow
    ---
    11. "Feel The Pain" - Dinosaur Jr.
    13. "Far Behind" - Candlebox
    15. "Something's Always Wrong" - Toad The Wet Sprocket
    20. "Supernova" - Liz Phair
    21. "Snail Shell" - They Might Be Giants
    27. "Good Enough" - Sarah McLaughlin
    32. "Superstar" - Sonic Youth
    38. "I'll Stand By You" - The Pretenders
     
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  11. WilliamWes

    WilliamWes Likes to sing along but he knows not what it means

    Location:
    New York
    Of note; this is the first chart I'm posting that has a new expanded Top 40 instead of the Top 30 we saw for the first 5 years.
     
  12. scratchtasia

    scratchtasia Forum Resident

    Location:
    Kansas City, MO
    Well, hey, at least I like half of this top ten! "What's the Frequency, Kenneth?" by R.E.M. isn't my favorite of theirs by any stretch (nor is its parent album, Monster), but it's catchy and amusing. And then you've got Mazzy Star's lovely "Fade Into You," and the previously praised cuts by Green Day, Love Spit Love, and the Jesus and Mary Chain. I'll take those and leave the rest.
     
  13. BZync

    BZync Senior Member

    Location:
    Los Angeles
    “Am I Wrong” – Love Spit Love - I love Richard Butler's voice. But this is an odd recording. I'm not sure there is a chorus to this song. Is the Lay The Blame On Love part the bridge? I don't know. It becomes this strange marching band song towards the end. I don't know what to make of it but I like it.

    “All I Wanna Do” – Sheryl Crow -
    I always remember the 90s as the decade when more and more women musicians were on Alt radio. That was very welcome. I saw Ms Crow open for Crowded House when the only song of hers I had heard was Las Vegas. Eventually wound up getting the album. Solid.

    “Headache” – Frank Black
    - I love me a tightly written pop song. Wonderful backing vocals.

    "I'll Stand By You" - The Pretenders
    - I'm trying to figure out what song this melody ripped off. It sounds so familiar and I can't put my finger on it.

    Sometimes Always” – The Jesus And Mary Chain - This really isn't much of a song. It's all of two chords repeated endlessly and one verse repeatedly endlessly. Yet, somehow, it is irresistible to me.

    Undone – The Sweater Song” – Weezer - This is the first CD I noticed was a lot LOUDER than my other CDs. This is a fun song but it drags a bit for me. Much prefer Buddy Holly.

    What's The Frequency, Kenneth?" - R.E.M. - Not my fave REM album. Grunge didn't suit them. I prefer my REM guitars to jangle. Given that, it's not a bad song and I do enjoy it. Lots of changes for REM.

    "Interstate Love Song" - Stone Temple Pilots - STP doing Pearl Jam. Good one but not their best.

    "Fade Into You" - Mazzy Star - I love an atmospheric pop song. This is so pretty.

    Self Esteem" - The Offspring - This one always felt like the drums were lagging behind the rest of the track. Great intro!

    "I Alone" - Live & "Far Behind" - Candlebox - second wave grunge. Boring, boring, boring. Too much of this was on alt radio at the time.
     
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  14. bvb1123

    bvb1123 Rock and Roll Martian

    Location:
    Cincinnati Ohio
    Wow! We're flying through these top 10s like a madman on meth. Ok, I like too many from these charts. I'll just cover the ones I like the most.
    Love Spit Love - "Am I Wrong" Great song. Unfortunately really the only thing they did that even approached these heights.
    Frank Black - "Headache" Killer tune. Gave me hope since the Pixies were no more.
    Weezer - "Undone - The Sweater Song" Wow! Who'd have picked this almost novelty alternative band to still be going strong 25 years later? Not me.
    The Jesus And Mary Chain - "Sometimes Always" Complete change of style for them that worked perfectly, especially with guest vocals from Hope Sandoval from Mazzy Star.
    R.E.M. -
    "What's The Frequency, Kenneth? Not even close to my favorite R.E.M. song it was still a declaration that this wasn't your father's R.E.M. They were here to rawk and wanted everyone to know it.
    Dinosaur Jr - "Feel The Pain" I love Dinosaur Jr and this was the song that introduced me to them. I'd only been vaguely aware of them before but this song really got to me. Now I love all of their stuff and it's all thanks to this song.
     
  15. applebonkerz

    applebonkerz Senior Member

    There were a lot of early R.E.M. I liked a lot, and then they lost it for me. But then came What's The Frequency, Kenneth? and it is still one of their last singles that I really like a lot -- the overall sound to it, and the backwards guitar solo is really cool too.
     
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  16. Lance LaSalle

    Lance LaSalle Prince of Swollen Sinus

    I think at this time there was a real shift in the culture. The mainstreamification of post-punk influenced music was complete. These just seemed like normal rock music, and because no one in my surroundings was not alternative, most of this stuff really didn't seem alternative to me. Like, at all. The rebirth of the music industry was complete, as far as I am concrned.


    “Basket Case” – Green Day -- great, melodic song. It wears thin after the thousandth time, though.

    . “All I Wanna Do” – Sheryl Crow -- nice song...not my idea of "alternative" but I guess this is the point where she really began her descent into mainstream superstar.

    “Headache” – I really think that Frank Black's first two albums are underrated, five star classics all the way and this song has so nicely written and the singing is just incredible. That bit where he whispers "Then I found you....maybe you could help me...and I could help you" gives me chills.

    "Fade Into You" such a simple song, but it is really hauntingly gorgeous.

    "What's the Frequency Kenneth" was a departure. Monster is not quite a great album, but it's certainly not bad. I like this song a lot, particularly the lyrics.

    "Undone" was a truly "alternative" sounding song that somehow spelled to me the end of an era. What I mean is that with it's spoken word outsider messages and musical dissonance, it still sounded like a hit in a way, almost as if dissonance and outsider-dom was old hat...There was nothing that shocked me about it. But I love it, because I think it really was a true representation of Rivers Cuomo. It's just that that kind of thing really couldn't be called alternative any more.

    "I'll Stand By You". Kinda boring, a bit too 80s power ballad to me.

    "Self Esteem"-- Smooth air-conditioned, blow-dried punk rock. Not my thing, but certainly melodically memorable.

    Candlebox: always struck me as an LA hair metal band that rapidly changed to Seattle grunge when the tastes shifted. Perhaps Im being unfair.

    "Snail Shell"-- by They Might Be Giants. I think that JOhn Henry is one of the greatest albums of 1994. Very underappreciated, extremely dynamic album filled with stellar songwriting and lyrics with real depth. Their pinnacle, as far as I'm concerned.

    "Something's Always Wrong"-- a pleasant sort of REM lite song...well, not exactly. More like Gin Blossoms-lite.

    "Superstar" -- I remember this well, it was the moment when the Carpenters became suddenly less uncool for me. Now, of course, I enjoy their music a lot. Thanks Sonic Youth.

    "Super Nova" is a great sort of fuzz powerpop song. Very nineties. I owned that album but it didn't make much impression on me, but I thought that song was cool and sexy.

    "Vasoline" -- STP: dammit, there's just something about it that grabs me, I can't put my finger on it. I want to dismiss it, but I can't.
     
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  17. thefxc

    thefxc Forum Resident

    Location:
    Wichita, KS
    1. "What's The Frequency, Kenneth?" - R.E.M.
    This is where, with great sadness, I got off the R.E.M. wagon. Like Depeche Mode's Songs of Faith and Devotion I think they tried to toughen up their sound to fit in better on rock radio, but it sounded tired and forced. I wish the band had taken an extended break (not just from touring) after Automatic; it didn't help that they seemed ubiquitous around this time.

    3. "Interstate Love Song" - Stone Temple Pilots
    urgh

    4. "Fade Into You" - Mazzy Star
    It's become something of a standard, and deservedly so. I can't sit through an entire Mazzy Star record but this hits. (For a band who did the ethereal thing rather better I recommend Hex: Donnette Thayer from Game Theory + Steve Kilby from The Church)

    5. "Einstein On The Beach" - Counting Crows

    When I tell people that Einstein on the Beach is one of my favorite musical works I hope they know I don't mean this song

    6. "Self Esteem" - The Offspring

    I think this has become a bit lost to time, which is a shame because it is a really clever Gen X anthem, fun, self-deprecating, obnoxious. I didn't get why 'Keep em Separated' was a big deal, but this song got me on board with Offspring. (Not for long tho)

    7. "Sometimes Always" - The Jesus And Mary Chain
    Stoned and Dethroned is often overlooked in lists of 'most common used-CD store filler'. This track is great; Hope Sandoval rules the top 10 this week! (Around this time I saw J&MC in concert where she came out to do her part here.)

    8. "I Alone" - Live

    Anthemic classic rock comes to alternative radio!

    9. "Am I Wrong" - Love Spit Love

    I could not tell the difference between this and Psychedelic Furs, and suspect Richard Butler really just wanted to change the name of his old band so they could promote them as new to radio. Also IIRC Butler based the band in the US–a good move considering this chart's move away from UK acts. Great track, very consistent with PF's proclivity for great singles.

    10. "All I Wanna Do" - Sheryl Crow
    Another reminder that by this time record labels had figured out how to use Modern Rock radio to break mainstream acts. I can't imagine a college radio or alt radio programmer would hear this song and think 'alternative'. The payola must have been awesome.

    Don't know how many of these will go top ten, but:

    11. "Feel The Pain" - Dinosaur Jr.
    I don't think these guys every broke as big as Sire wanted them to. Whatever, DJr did a good job of carrying their indie ethos over to the big leagues.

    20. "Supernova" - Liz Phair
    By miles the best song on this chart this week. Less than a decade later she'd be singing backup on a Sheryl Crow record...

    32. "Superstar" - Sonic Youth
    I found this Carpenters tribute CD at a library sale a few weeks ago; it was worth the dollar to hear this song again and then forget about it for another decade. Pop-kitchy Sonic Youth was not my favorite version of the band.
     
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  18. WilliamWes

    WilliamWes Likes to sing along but he knows not what it means

    Location:
    New York
    104. "Zombie" by The Cranberries

    #1 for 6 weeks starting October 29, 1994.
    [​IMG]
    Standard artwork (CD and vinyl edition pictured)
    Single by The Cranberries
    from the album No Need to Argue
    Released
    19 September 1994


    "Zombie" is a protest song by Irish rock band The Cranberries, written about the 1993 IRA bombing in Warrington, and in memory of two young victims, Johnathan Ball and Tim Parry.[1] It was released in September 1994 as the lead single from their second studio album, No Need to Argue (1994). It preceded the release of No Need to Argue by two weeks. The song was written by the band's lead singer Dolores O'Riordan, and reached No. 1 on the charts in Australia, Belgium, France, Denmark and Germany.

    It won the "Best Song" award at the 1995 MTV Europe Music Awards.[2]

    In 2017, the song was released as an acoustic, stripped down version on the band's Something Else album.[3]

    The lyrics and chords of "Zombie" were written by Dolores O'Riordan during the Cranberries' English Tour in 1993. The song was written in response to the death of Johnathan Ball and Tim Parry, who had been killed in the IRA bombing in Warrington earlier that year.[4]

    The Cranberries former manager Alan Kovac stated that Island Records urged them not to release the "politically urgent" song as a single, and that O'Riordan had ripped up a $1 million cheque the label offered her to work on another song. “Dolores was a very small, fragile person, but very opinionated,” said Kovac. “Her belief was that she was an international artist and she wanted to break the rest of the world, and ‘Zombie’ was part of that evolution. She felt the need to expand beyond ‘I love you, you love me’ and write about what was happening in Ireland at the time.”[5


    Top 10 for the week of October 29th, 1994.

    1. “Zombie” – The Cranberries
    2. “What’s The Frequency, Kenneth” – R.E.M.
    3. “About A Girl” – Nirvana*
    4. “Interstate Love Song” – Stone Temple Pilots
    5. “Self Esteem” – The Offspring
    6. “Feel The Pain” – Dinosaur Jr.
    7. “Supernova” – Liz Phair
    8. “Landslide” – Smashing Pumpkins
    9. “Welcome To Paradise” – Green Day
    10. “Seether” – Veruca Salt
    ---
    13. "Sweet Jane" - Cowboy Junkies
    15. "Doll Parts" - Hole
    18. "Supersonic" - Oasis
    25. "My Wave" - Soundgarden
    28. "Coming Down (Drug Tongue)" - The Cult
    37. "Mamouna" - Bryan Ferry
    38. "Euro-Trash Girl" - Cracker

    * = future #1
     
    Last edited: May 26, 2019
    superstar19 likes this.
  19. scratchtasia

    scratchtasia Forum Resident

    Location:
    Kansas City, MO
    It's admirable that the band stuck to their guns about "Zombie" by the Cranberries, but I'm not into it. The heavier sound didn't play to their strengths, and I don't care for the yodel or whatever you'd call the vocal thing that she does a lot in the song. But it worked for a lot of people, and it's still well-remembered today, so what do I know?

    We've seen worse top tens, though. Besides "Zombie," I'll pass on the Stone Temple Pilots song and Smashing Pumpkins' Fleetwood Mac cover (vocals are a major turn-off with both), but I like or at least don't mind the rest. Glad to see Dinosaur Jr. in there.
     
    BZync likes this.
  20. WilliamWes

    WilliamWes Likes to sing along but he knows not what it means

    Location:
    New York
    105. "About a Girl" by Nirvana

    #1 for 1 week -December 10, 1994.

    [​IMG]
    Single by Nirvana
    from the album MTV Unplugged in New York
    B-side
    "Something in the Way" (live)
    Released October 24, 1994
    Format CD
    Recorded November 18, 1993

    Length 3:37
    Label DGC
    Songwriter(s) Kurt Cobain
    Producer(s) Nirvana and Scott Litt
    Nirvana singles chronology
    "Pennyroyal Tea"
    (1994) "About a Girl"
    (1994) "The Man Who Sold the World"
    (1995)
    MTV Unplugged in New York track listing
    show

    "About a Girl" is a song by American rock band Nirvana, written by vocalist and guitarist Kurt Cobain. It is the third song on their debut album, Bleach, released in June 1989.

    The song reached a wider audience after its acoustic performance during Nirvana's MTV Unplugged concert in November 1993. This version was released as a single to promote the posthumous album MTV Unplugged in New York in October 1994, and reached number one on the Billboard's Modern Rock Tracks chart and number 22 on Billboard's Hot 100 Airplay chart

    Dating back to 1988, "About a Girl" was reportedly written after Cobain spent an entire afternoon listening to Meet The Beatles!, the 1964 second American release by the Beatles.[1] The song was recorded in December 1988 by Jack Endino at Reciprocal Recording in Seattle, Washington, and appeared on Nirvana's debut album, Bleach, in June 1989. It was debuted live at a dorm party at the Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington in February 1989.

    According to Cobain, he had been attempting to conceal his pop songwriting at this time, and was reluctant to include the song on Bleach for fear of alienating the band's then-largely grunge fan base. In a 1993 Rolling Stone interview with David Fricke, he explained:

    "Even to put 'About a Girl' on Bleach was a risk. I was heavily into pop, I really liked R.E.M., and I was into all kinds of old ‘60s stuff. But there was a lot of pressure within that social scene, the underground — like the kind of thing you get in high school. And to put a jangly R.E.M. type of pop song on a grunge record, in that scene, was risky." [2]

    Top 10 for the week of December 10, 1994

    1. “About A Girl” – Nirvana
    2. “Bang and Blame” – R.E.M.
    3. “Zombie” – The Cranberries
    4. “Doll Parts” – Hole
    5. “Landslide” – Smashing Pumpkins
    6. “Buddy Holly” – Weezer
    7. “Interstate Love Song” – Stone Temple Pilots
    8. “Seether” – Veruca Salt
    9. “Supernova” – Liz Phair
    10. “When I Come Around” – Green Day*
     
  21. Retro Hound

    Retro Hound Forum Resident

    Location:
    Pittsburg, KS
    My word, I'm way behind! I like a lot of these songs. There, that should sum it up.
     
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  22. applebonkerz

    applebonkerz Senior Member

    Loved Zombie from the first time I heard it back then, and still do today. I keep it on all of my main playlists. Usually I don't like weird vocal affectations either (I guess that's what you can call it), but in this song I think it totally works and sounds pretty cool. The heaviness of the guitars sounds great too.
     
  23. John54

    John54 Senior Member

    Location:
    Burlington, ON
    I for one don't like the vocal affectation in Zombie ...
     
    scratchtasia and BZync like this.
  24. bvb1123

    bvb1123 Rock and Roll Martian

    Location:
    Cincinnati Ohio
    Ok here we go again. Just my thoughts on a few of these chart-making songs:
    The Cranberries - "Zombie" I liked it then, I like it know. Great little tune and not what anyone was expecting from The Cranberries.
    Cracker - "Euro-Trash Girl" Boy Howdy, do I love this song? Woo! I like Cracker a lot. Not like they're one of my favorite bands but in the tier right below that. And, as far as I'm concerned, this song was their best. Great story song. I just love everything about it.
    Nirvana - "About A Girl" Inescapable on alternative rock radio for a good six months I was sick of it for a long while. But I heard it not that long ago and realized that I really liked this song. Great performance too.
    R.E.M. - "Bang And Blame" Definitely second tier R.E.M. but still I really like it. Weird song. It was still a hit single, you gotta give it that. Mid-90s is the only time this song could've been a hit single.
    Weezer - Loved the song straight off. Saw the amazing video soon after and just loved it all. But, through sheer oversaturation I came to barely tolerate this song and band. It was years before I gave them another shot and I gotta admit, in their very specific genre, they are great. They're not quite novelty but pretty damn close at times. But there's only one Weezer. Now I once again think this song is great but don't listen to it that often. Anyone who listened to alternative rock radio from 1994-1999 can tell you why.
     
    BZync likes this.
  25. Grant

    Grant Life is a rock, but the radio rolled me!

    :thumbsup: I liked this song and hearing the voice with those lyrics would make me, or any guy melt like butter. But, after having a few bi-polar girlfriends, I became lactose intolerant to that butter. I still like the song, but now I hear it as someone who needs serious therapy and some good meds.

    They were certainly different. I liked them immediately. And, that Dookie album cover Laugh: I had a big poster of it in my living room when I was single. I wish I knew what happened to it.

    Ah! NIN, the industrial music price of the day. It's all keyboards and computers. Some people will argue it, but I hear it as a rape song. And, women still love it.

    "Buddy Holly". My buddy at the time was crazy about the song. I wasn't, but he compelled me to buy the CD anyway. I love that guitar wall of sound, though.
     
    BZync likes this.
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