While on vacation, I heard the Lithium channel on Sirius XM counting down the top 100 Alternative and Grunge songs of the 90?s. But as my wife pointed out, ?isn?t that what they always play anyway, but now it?s in order?? Well, yeah, but?okay I see your point.
As we closed in on the top 10, she asked me who I thought number 1 would be. Obviously it would be Nirvana?s ?Teen Spirit.? It?s always number one. But then there it was at number 5?!? Okay, so it must be a Pearl Jam song since we already heard Alice in Chains, Soundgarden, and Smashing Pumpkins in the top 10. Nope, ?Alive? landed at number 3. The Nirvana MTV Unplugged cover of David Bowie?s ?The Man Who Sold the World? came in at number 2. What is happening?!?!?! We reached the number one song of the list and I was thoroughly confused. The number one alternative and grunge song of the 90?s according to the Lithium channel was ?Everlong? by the Foo Fighters. Don?t get me wrong, I love me some Foo?s and ?Everlong? is a great song, but the number 1 song of the 90?s Alternative and Grunge era? No.
Here is the complete list:
100. Praise You ? Fatboy Slim
99. Scar Tissue- Red Hot Chili Peppers
98. My Own Worst Enemy ? Lit
97. Cherub Rock ? Smashing Pumpkins
96. Tomorrow ? Silverchair
95. Learn To Fly ? Foo Fighters
94. In The Meantime ? Spacehog
93. Hey Jealousy ? Gin Blossoms
92. Big Empty ? Stone Temple Pilots
91. Closing Time ? Semisonic
90. Glycerine ? Bush
89. The Distance ? Cake
88. Daughter ? Pearl Jam
87. The Beautiful People ? Marilyn Manson
86. Stupid Girl ? Garbage
85. Otherside ? Red Hot Chili Peppers
84. Good ? Better Than Ezra
83. What?s The Frequency Kenneth? ? R.E.M
82. Champagne Supernova ? Oasis
81. Burden In My Hand ? Soundgarden
80. Just A Girl ? No Doubt
79. In Bloom ? Nirvana
78. Backwater ? Meat Puppets
77. Brain Stew/Jaded ? Green Day
76. Loser ? Beck
75. Undone-The Sweater Song ? Weezer
74. I Alone ? Live
73. I?ll Stick Around ? Foo Fighters
72. Hey Man Nice Shot ? Filter
71. Guerrilla Radio ? Rage Against The Machine
70. Song 2 ? Blur
69. Comedown ? Bush
68. Flagpole Sitta ? Harvey Danger
67. Plush ? Stone Temple Pilots
66. What Would You Say ? Dave Matthews Band
65. 1979 ? Smashing Pumpkins
64. Black ? Pearl Jam
63. Jane Says (Live) ? Jane?s Addiction
62. Give It Away ? Red Hot Chili Peppers
61. Would? ? Alice In Chains
60. Epic ? Faith No More
59. Monkey Wrench ? Foo Fighters
58. Low ? Cracker
57. Heart Shaped Box ? Nirvana
56. You Oughta Know ? Alanis Morissette
55. Man On The Moon ? R.E.M.
54. Buddy Holly ? Weezer
53. Peaches ? Presidents Of The United States Of America
52. Basket Case ? Green Day
51. Don?t Look Back In Anger ? Oasis
50. Fell On Black Days ? Soundgarden
49. Machinehead ? Bush
48. What I Got ? Sublime
47. Sabotage ? Beastie Boys
46. Tonight Tonight ? Smashing Pumpkins
45. Come Out And Play ? Offspring
44. Californication ? Red Hot Chili Peppers
43. Even Flow ? Pearl Jam
42. Semi-Charmed Life ? Third Eye Blind
41. Heaven Beside You ? Alice In Chains
40. Santa Monica ? Everclear
39. Lightning Crashes ? Live
38. Down ? 311
37. My Hero ? Foo Fighters
36. Possum Kingdom ? Toadies
35. Come As You Are ? Nirvana
34. Hunger Strike ? Temple Of The Dog
33. Interstate Love Song ? Stone Temple Pilots
32. Longview ? Green Day
31. Bittersweet Symphony ? The Verve
30. Killing In The Name ? Rage Against The Machine
29. Losing My Religion ? R.E.M.
28. Santeria ? Sublime
27. Everything Zen ? Bush
26. Spoonman ? Soundgarden
25. Rooster ? Alice In Chains
24. Creep ? Radiohead
23. Bullet With Butterfly Wings ? Smashing Pumpkins
22. No Rain ? Blind Melon
21. Lithium ? Nirvana
20. Self-Esteem ? Offspring
19. Creep ? Stone Temple Pilots
18. Been Caught Stealing ? Jane?s Addiction
17. Say It Ain?t So ? Weezer
16. All Over You ? Live
15. Wonderwall ? Oasis
14. When I Come Around ? Green Day
13. Jeremy ? Pearl Jam
12. Bulls On Parade ? Rage Against The Machine
11. Where It?s At ? Beck
10. Man In The Box ? Alice In Chains
9. Closer ? Nine Inch Nails
8. Under The Bridge ? Red Hot Chili Peppers
7. Black Hole Sun ? Soundgarden
6. Today ? Smashing Pumpkins
5. Smells Like Teen Spirit ? Nirvana
4. Vasoline ? Stone Temple Pilots
3. Alive ? Pearl Jam
2 .The Man Who Sold The World (Unplugged) ? Nirvana
1. Everlong ? Foo Fighters
The core artists of Nirvana, Pearl Jam, STP, Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, Chili Peppers, Smashing Pumpkins, Green Day, Bush, and Foo Fighters make up 47 songs on the list. However, three of the five songs from RHCP come from the Californication album, which was released in the summer of ?99 barely qualifying for this list. Is it a good album? Absolutely, but not so much that three of the songs should outweigh other 90?s artists left off this list. Where?s Candlebox, Seven Mary Three, Soul Asylum, or even Collective Soul? I about drove off the road when I heard Harvey Danger made the list, but there?s no Butthole Surfers or the Cranberries.
Lithium host, Hardy, had this to say about compiling the list:
Narrowing down a decade?s worth of music to a list of 100 was a great deal easier than one would think. It only required two teams of experts, working 1,700 miles apart. The first team consisted of 9 of the world?s top alternative and grunge music experts locked in a conference room in the former Kmart World Headquarters in Troy, MI. These musicologists needed only 3 weeks to compile a list of songs they felt deserving of being on the Lithium Top 100.
But in what order? That?s where the second team began their work, in a laboratory built nearly a quarter mile beneath the surface of a nondescript patch of New Mexico desert. There, 17 rogue scientists used math, Bunsen burners and a particle accelerator to determine what song was truly number 1, and which one was 2. And 3. And so on.
So, enjoy! And give a silent nod to the brave men and women who gave so much to give you the definitive, undeniable and absolute Lithium Top 100 Countdown. Unless you don?t agree with the list, in which case, blame Twitter and Facebook.
At best this is an arbitrary list (what list isn?t?) designed to get people like me that grew up with this music to talk about what they left out and how I would rearrange the entire thing. Well played, Lithium.
