Where it started, where it went and how the hell did it end up there
Pearl Jam turned the deeply emotional grunge music of the 1990s into arena rock. And why not? I felt that their songs were life-affirming, and so did millions of others, even when the songs were inspired by personal anguish and bizarre fiction about troubled families. “Alive” is one of the greatest alternative rock songs of the 1990s.
One of the greatest alternative rock songs of the ’90s is the result of madness that, for once, the band had no hand in? R.E.M. had thoroughly reached its artistic and commercial zenith by the 1990s when it blended arena-ready riffs with characteristically obscure lyrics for the excellent “What’s the Frequency Kenneth?”
Pulp never really belonged, not even in the music scene, Britpop, of which they were one of the most important bands. Jarvis Cocker wrote with great empathy about all sorts of goofy characters, including himself. Some of those songs are bona fide classics. “Disco 2000” is one of the greatest alternative rock songs of the 1990s.
King Crimson was, believe it or not, the band that the world was waiting for as the psychedelic 1960s came to a close. It was a different time, one in which a high level of musical complexity and fantastical tales were all the rage.
The Dead Kennedys may have just been the most revolution-inspiring comedy group that ever was. Making a fun of world aflame and writing unusual, catchy songs around Jello Biafra’s sardonic humour, The Dead Kennedys became loved by some, and hated by everyone in the American establishment. The Dead Kennedys is one of the greatest punk-rock bands of all time.
The Smashing Pumpkins eased their way into “1979,” sneaking power-chord alt-rock hits into the charts before mustering the courage to release this as a single. Luckily, I didn’t have to decide whether I liked this sound better than the group’s prog-grunge, as I heard it as part of the group’s “Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness.”
Rockstars of the 1970s may have looked otherworldly. But, in reality, you’ve never sat at a bigger distance from a rock star than you are today. This is not your fault, don’t you worry! Don’t bother writing fan mail, and don’t waste time stalking their trailer after the show. It’s entirely the result of them wanting to cut connections with you. But there are still artists, like SP3, who treasure your involvement.
The way that we humans work has shaped what music sounds like, what it can do,…
“Come As You Are” was the first Nirvana song that I remember hearing. It was easy to get the guitar intro stuck in your head or the image of Kurt Cobain swinging from a chandelier. It’s one of the most iconic grunge songs, after all. The rest of it was a mystery to me, not least the unsettling lyrics of the chorus. It remained so for a while, and even after hearing and being blown away by “Nevermind,” the group’s poppy and punk ticket to platinum success.
The greatest rock songs of all time innovated, bewildered and inspired passionate reactions. The greatest rock songs of all time are played loudly and in near-perfect rotation on oldie rock stations, devoted rock fans’ playlists and in the struggling music shops still selling them in the form of records. Always there, but never quite overplayed, these songs still deserve our attention.