The Best Songs of the 90’s
There was a lot of music to choose from, and the best songs of the 90’s have stuck with the music world long after their band’s respective retirements. Some of the best music of the decade included the following:
Nirvana – Heart Shaped Box
Everyone was shocked when they first heard “Smells like Teen Spirit.” I couldn’t believe my ears either, but I’m also one of many Nirvana fans (Kurt Cobain himself included) that has heard the song so many times any further enjoyment has been ruined for the rest of our lives.
Heart Shaped Box, however, came out at a time when we had been waiting for new material from the band for years. Cobain had already threatened to record a terrible album for the sole purpose of getting the music world to leave him the hell alone, so no one knew what to expect. Fortunately, the album In Utero was recorded by Steve Albini and sounded exactly the way Nirvana was meant to sound. Raw, choppy, feedback filled and imperfect.
Pearl Jam – Jeremy
Yeah, I’m sick of the video too, but the song is still fantastic. The instrumentation, the lyrics, and the arrangement are amazing. The video also was pretty cool the first five hundred times it was broadcast on Mtv.
Failure – The Nurse Who Loved Me
So you’ve never heard of Failure? I’m not surprised, just as you might be surprised how many of your heroes have been inspired by these space rockers (that means YOU, Cave-In fans). Failure was the songwriting team of Ken Andrews and Greg Edwards, backed by drummer Kelli Scott and lead guitarist Troy Van Leeuwen.
Failure toured with Tool (Maynard James Keenan still goes on about how much he loves this band), Flaming Lips, Lollapalooza and many others. While one of their singles, “Stuck On You,” had some commercial success when it charted, the band never broke through to mainstream success.
“The Nurse Who Loved Me” is probably one of the funniest sad songs you’ll ever hear, and it does a pretty good job of letting you know what lead to the band’s break-up.
To shed some more light on the band’s legitimacy, A Perfect Circle did a cover (albeit a terrible one) of the song on their album Thirteenth Step.
Nevertheless, both Andrews and Edwards still make music. Andrews has been responsible for producing bands like “Creeper Lagoon,” “Pete Yorn” and “Mae,” along with his solo projects “On,” and “Year of the Rabbit.”
Edwards currently plays with “Autolux,” who have released the album Future Perfect on DMZ.
Red Hot Chili Peppers – Give It Away
Everyone talks about “Under The Bridge” because its both easy to sing and easy to pigeonhole. That’s why a song like “Give It Away” hooked so many people on the Peppers goofy, sexual funk.
The Red Hot Chili Peppers took a funk song, put in a jaw harp and a couple of jumping naked guys, and all of a sudden they had something that couldn’t be explained – only utilized to rock the funk out.
Sir Mix A Lot – Baby Got Back
So what if some people think it is a tad cheesy by today’s standards. There still has never been a better rap song about booties, and since booties are a favorite topic in popular rap, that’s saying a lot.
Naturally a lot of people labeled the song as sexist, but the truth of the matter is Baby Got Back is a perfect example of how to respect and desire a woman sexually.
Faith No More – Midlife Crisis
“Epic”, the band’s famous anthem, is not only about masturbating – it was also released in 1989, despite its presence on many top 90’s lists.
Midlife Crisis was the first single on Angel Dust, the band’s follow up to their hit record The Real Thing. They had an album under their belt with vocalist Mike Patton, and they were never tighter. Angel Dust is a perfect example of what an eclectic band can accomplish when everyone has input, and the blend of metal guitars, dramatic keyboards, and almost-tribal drumming made Angel Dust a must have for anyone who can expand their horizons a little.
The song Midlife Crisis demonstrated Patton’s amazing range, versatility and Andy Kaufman-esque desire to mess with everyone’s heads and make them wonder whether or not he was joking.
The 90’s
I’ll be the first to admit that there were a lot of embarrassing side effects from the music of the 90’s. It got annoying to watch floods of high schoolers in torn-up Cobain gear sit on sidewalks and act depressed. The sheer quantity of singers who still try to mimic the vocals of Eddie Vedder and Layne Staley is irritating.
The good aspects of the music, however, still shine through. While I tended to think at the time that the music around me just went to show that we were in a bad musical decade, I can’t help but hear a song by Disturbed, Linkin Park or 3 Doors Down and feel thankful that I had it as well I did.
