When the clock struck 12:01 a.m. on January 1, 1990, it was almost like the grunge fairy waved her wand and the gloomy, buzzy subgenre of rock became the most important thing in the world. But just because a sound goes global at a certain time doesn’t mean the thing really did pop up overnight.
When it comes to grunge music, the roots run deep. While you can look back in time and hear bands that sound grungey in past decades, officially, the grunge genre got going in the mid-to-late 1980s thanks to groups like Green River, Mudhoney, and Soundgarden, and the record label Sub Pop.
To that end, we wanted to eschew the ’90s here for a moment. Let’s forget about Nevermind, Ten, and Dirt. Instead, let’s highlight and appreciate the music that helped push the genre forward in the collective consciousness before the golden era of grunge could even begin. Indeed, these are four grunge songs that hit before the ’90s.
“Flower” – Soundgarden from Ultramega OK (1989)
The only single released on Soundgarden’s debut LP, Ultramega OK, this tune knows how to get the blood racing in your veins. While Soundgarden certainly wasn’t the first grunge band in the city of Seattle, it was the first to break in a major way. In fact, its debut album earned the band a Grammy nomination for Best Metal Performance. And it’s one of the many reasons why Soundgarden is now a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame band. “Flower” melts into your bones like Adamantium.
“About a girl” – Nirvana from Bleach (1989)
“The Grungefather” Jack Endino recorded Nirvana’s debut album in a matter of a few dozen hours. And the song from the LP that clearly indicates the band’s sublime sound is their original track, “About A Girl,” which the group also played on its now-iconic MTV Unplugged record released in the 90s. Cobain is like a wraith, appearing and vanishing between breaths, all the while enrapturing your senses.
“Touch Me I’m Sick” – Mudhoney (Single, 1988)
Another produced by Jack Endino, this influential grunge track was released at first as a standalone single in 1988. Perhaps more than any other grunge song, this track embodies what the sound’s vibe was. Loud, screaming, buzzy illnesses that were turned into ecstatic displays of life. Mudhoney was grunge distilled. So it makes sense that this offering so admirably summed up the ethic.
“Swallow My Pride” Green River from Come On Down (1985)
Mark Arm, the same person who fronts Mudhoney, was also the lead vocalist for the short-lived band Green River. And it was Green River that may have sparked grunge. While a movement like grunge is hard to pinpoint to an exact beginning, whenever it was, Green River was most certainly there. Along with Arm, the band also included Jeff Ament and Stone Gossard, who went on to form Pearl Jam. Green River’s “Swallow My Pride” showcases grunge’s early daydreams.
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