Sirius XM Lithium Top 100 list

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.

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