The 1990s had some of the best rock songs ever written. There were upbeat ones, like “Little Miss Can’t Be Wrong“. We also had somber ones, like “Glycerine“. And then there were a few that were just disturbing.
Okay, so the songs themselves weren’t disturbing, but the stories behind some of these songs were crazy dark and sometimes depressing. Wanna know about a few you might have overlooked?
“The Way” by Fastball (1998)
When Fastball’s “The Way” took off in the spring of 1998, its immense catchiness had us all singing along. But what were we singing without ever knowing what it meant?
Turns out, the song was inspired by the true story of Lela and Raymond Howard. The elderly couple, who were both living with serious health issues, went missing in 1997. According to reports, they wanted to attend a nearby festival, so they set off in their car. They never reached their destination, however.
Weeks went by, and eventually, the couple’s car was found hundreds of miles away. And at the bottom of a ravine. It’s a tragic and disturbing story that Fastball’s Tony Scalzo was captivated by. So, he turned into the beloved ’90s anthem we still sing along to today. (I would also point out that this music video walked, so My Chemical Romance’s “Helena” music video could run.)
“Polly” by Nirvana (1991)
Nestled right in the middle of Nirvana’s second album, Nevermind, is “Polly”. It’s a folky, acoustic tune that, if you didn’t know any better, you’d think was about a parrot the way Kurt Cobain repeats “Polly wants a cracker.”
You’ve read this far, though, so you already know that’s bulls***. Well, you’re right, and the real story is actually insanely f***ed up. Nirvana’s “Polly” was inspired by the 1987 kidnapping of a 14-year-old girl in Tacoma, Washington. The girl was abducted while on her way home from a concert.
The man who took her was named Gerald Friend. He has been described as “a sadistic criminal” who had previously been convicted of a similar crime in 1960. After being subjected to unspeakable terrors, the teen girl eventually escaped. Some time afterwards, Friend was captured and convicted again.
Kurt Cobain, a Washington native, was apparently (understandably) revolted by the whole thing, and it inspired him to write “Polly”. The song tells a fictional abduction story from the perspective of the abductor to bring awareness to it. So, yeah, that’s f***in’ dark, man.
“Jeremy” by Pearl Jam (1992)
For our final entry, we have one of the most famous examples of a 90s rock song with a really disturbing backstory: Pearl Jam’s “Jeremy”. The song was part of the band’s debut album, Ten (1991), and was the record’s third single.
While it was a big hit, the subject matter behind “Jeremy” was nowhere near as enchanting as the song it begat. While penning the song’s lyrics, Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder pulled from two different stories. The first was the real-life story of Jeremy Delle. A teenager who, in 1991, shot himself in front of his classmates.
The second thing that inspired the song actually came from Vedder’s own life. As a high school student, a peer from his town shot up a school property.
Interestingly, the music video for “Jeremy” became controversial, and MTV heavily censored it for airplay. Quite a coincidental turn for a song with such a disturbing background.
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