The world is a tough, unfair, unforgiving place that just remembers the winners. Despite this, there are some who correctly point to Supergrass as one of the greatest alternative rock bands ever.
No, no great tragedy happened to this band. This isn’t the story of Badfinger or The Tragically Hip. Supergrass had hits. But those hits were, nearly always, judged in comparison to the bigger ones enjoyed by their contemporaries, and to the group’s sole American success, “Alright.”
The music of Supergrass is precious. But neither serious critics nor Britpop lads seem to love it enough. This is why I’ve assembled a list of the top 10 Supergrass songs.
Greatest 10 Songs by Supergrass
10. “Caught by the Fuzz”
Supergrass enjoyed so much good press with its debut that it nearly spoiled the band rotten.
“Caught by the Fuzz” was the group of three teenagers (and the older brother of one of them), recalling a night out partying, and receiving brief incarceration.
The world was in love! Movie producers wanted to remake the 60s television show of The Monkees with Supergrass. Magazines wanted them on their covers. Fashion brand wanted cool Gaz Coombes in their show.
Supergrass turned most of these opportunities down. Instead, the world, eventually, grouped the band with the Britpop crowd, something that never quite fit.
9. “Alright”
“Alright” is one of the biggest hits of the 1990s. And, I think, that it’s more than alright. It’s a great pop tune. The only thing wrong with the whole thing is that the tune erased any chances Supergrass might’ve had at respectability.
Written as a tongue-in-cheek anthem about tourists and exchange students visiting murky ol’ Britain and expecting a glorious party scene, “Alright” is a song that, musically, could’ve just as well been a Brian Wilson composition.
8. “Diamond Hoo Ha Man”
Supergrass split up in the late 2000s over musical differences. And hearing the great, underrated “Diamond Hoo Ha Man”, you can kind of hear why.
In equal parts, Supergrass was a funtime party band and a serious, Pink Floyd-like group for modern, stoned kids who liked to philosophize about the meaning of life. But they were never both things at the same time.
“Diamond Hoo Ha Man” went for the rocking good time. It failed to ignite the charts and spelled the end for the band. But it is, surely, one of the finest tracks in the group’s catalogue.
7. “Pumping On Your Stereo”
“Pumping On Your Stereo” is yet another proof of just how entertaining this quartet (although only three tend to appear in promo photos) could be both on record, as well on camera.
In one of the hookiest songs of the late 1990s, Supergrass delivered something far too light for post-grunge and nu-metal crowds, and way too unpolished for Britpop fans back at home. Listeners to Top 40 radio liked it, though.
6. “Rush Hour Soul”
By the early 2000s, Supergrass were tired of journalists talking about their happy, bubbly singles. Hadn’t they listened to the deep cuts?
“Rush Hour Soul” was a dark, twisted tale. It was put out as a single. And while the backing vocals and sing-along guitar riff remind you that this one is a power-pop track in its bones, it was noticed only by the band’s faithful devotees.
Forget any and all of the record sales, and the album “Life on Other Planets” is a real out-of-time masterpiece.
5. “St. Petersburg”
With 2005’s excellent “Road to Rouen,” Supergrass finally put all of the band’s collective faith in critics, record collectors, and highly attentive listeners.
It’s a bummer of a mood that “St Petersburg” puts you in. But this is also the sound of a band that could, clearly, craft music that fully envelops you.
“St Petersburg” is a great song that hints at Gaz Coombes’ later work. It further helped to confuse listeners, but it’s aaal-right!
4. “Richard III”
Make no confusion! Gaz, Danny Goffey, and Mick Quinn were, on early records, stoners discovering the magic of electric guitars for the first time.
But, together with Rob Coombes, they made extremely clever rock records that also delivered pop hooks with no effort at all.
“Richard III” is an experiment to meld the heavy-metal-beloved evil-sounding chord progressions to the band’s fizzy sound. And, boy, does it work!
3. “Mary”
Sinister! Ghoulish! And, well, kinda, fun. That’s what “Mary,” one of the most underrated songs by Supergrass, sounds like.
And while the band delivers a song about “knocking teeth out” and “coming apart at the seams” with a straight face, you know they’ll be smiling again once the effect of the weed wears off.
“Mary” is a great song where the e-bow is the real star of the show!
2. “Late in the Day”
One day, the world will look at the early albums of Supergrass and judge them in the same way that they judge Beach Boys records.
Sure, these were pop songs made by kids! But, oh, golly, were these excellently composed and effortlessly fun.
“Late in the Day” showed that the band had more than one gear. This was a dynamic song that left you waiting for the inevitable hook.
Yeah, it was a hit in Britain. But, like usual, it just confused record buyers obsessed with the confidence of Oasis and The Verve, or the sly Britishness of Pulp and Blur.
1. “Moving”
Oh, is there a more satisfying chorus than that of “Moving?” Then again, is there a more desperate-sounding verse about touring life?
“Moving” is the greatest Supergrass song because, for one, the group managed to blend their two extreme personality traits – bubbly joyousness and deep melancholy.
I know very few better songs and even fewer bands that could hope to create a track like this. “Moving” is one of the greatest alternative rock songs of all time.
