Top 10 '90s rock songs

By Alex Christiansen
Collegian Reporter
October 10, 2007

10) The Verve’s “Bittersweet Symphony—Although this British rock group may not have made any money from this song after being sued for using part of a Rolling Stones song, it brought them to their peak of success here in the states. Richard Ashcroft’s British croon, coupled with a psychedelic rock sound, made for a great single.

9) Weezer’s “Buddy Holly”–A band that is still very popular today, Weezer’s self-titled blue album made them the popular band they are today. It featured songs like “Say It Ain’t So” and “Undone-The Sweater Song”.

8) Rage Against the Machine’s “Killing in the Name”—Zac De La Rocha’s hip-hop vocals blended over one of the greatest guitar players of our time, Tom Morello creates a great metal sound. A band known for its politics, “Killing in the Name” brings criticism against white supremacy. Featured in Guitar Hero II, it is definitely one of the great rock songs of the ’90s.

7) Smashing Pumpkin’s “1979”—Billy Corgan’s Chicago- based rock group moved away from the punk rock sound of the early ’90s to create a deep guitar heavy sound that would allow the band to dominate ’90s rock. “1979” led their second album Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness to a number 1 debut on the Billboard charts.

6) Beck’s “Loser”—In 1994, Beck Hansen released this song as a single and entered the world of popular rock music. Not necessarily known for his rock music, Beck surprised critics with this hit single. “Loser” brought Beck into popularity and was followed by his critically acclaimed album Odelay in 1996.

5) Red Hot Chili Pepper’s “Under the Bridge”—In 1991, the Red Hot Chili Peppers released the album Blood Sugar Sex Magik. It was their fifth studio album and brought them into the public eye with the song “Under the Bridge.” Reaching number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, it remains the band’s most critically acclaimed and successful single.

4) R.E.M.’s “Losing my Religion”—The title is a Southern expression meaning to lose one’s temper or cool. It has nothing to do with religion at all, but Michael Stripe and R.E.M. won a Grammy in 1991 for the single, which still receives a lot of airplay oday.

3) Pearl Jam’s “Jeremy”— Eddie Veder’s voice, flannel shirt and Doc Martins became the formula for the grunge movement. Pearl Jam was the original grunge band and some consider them to be the first truly alternative rock band. A group with tons of great material, “Jeremy” rises above the rest and was one of the best songs of the ’90s.

2) Radiohead’s “Creep”— This song, featured on Radiohead’s first record Pablo Honey, was unsuccessful in its first release in 1992 because it was dubbed as “too depressing” by Radio One. But, when re-released a year later the song took off and “Creep” brought critical acclaim to the British alternative-rock titans. Considered to be one of the greatest alternative rock groups of all time, Radiohead owes much of its success to this song’s popularity in the early ’90s and today.

1) Nirvana’s “Smells like Teen Spirit”—The hit single from Nirvana’s breakout album Nevermind brought the group to public prominence. It changed the face of rock in the ’90s. It brought an end to the hair metal of the ’80s and ushered in the alternative rock era. It became one of the most influential rock songs of all time, and allowed Nirvana to bring grunge and alternative rock to the forefront of music.

chistiansena1@lasalle.edu