In the 1990s, people seemed a bit more agreeable than they do today. For one, it was a decade that wasn’t impacted by the fracturing nature of the internet. It was a time when there were fewer options and most people listened to the radio or went to local record shops to get their music. Ah, memories!
But because culture wasn’t nearly as splintered as it is today, there was a great deal more consensus about what we listened to. Here below, we wanted to dive into that very fact. We wanted to highlight four songs from the decade that, well, just about every music-loving person could agree on. These are four alt-rock songs from the 90s everyone simply adored.
“Ironic” by Alanis Morissette from Jagged Little Pill (1996)
The former child actor-turned-rock songwriter was on the tip of everyone’s tongues in the 1990s. Whether we were singing along with her songs like “Ironic” or “You Oughta Know” or trying to decipher who those songs were written about, Alanis in many ways was the 1990s. So much so that she even played God in the 1999 Kevin Smith comedy, Dogma. But that’s just the presence Morissette boasted.
“Losing My Religion” by R.E.M. from Out of Time (1991)
A rock song that features the mandolin—just add that to the lengthy list of creative accomplishments by the Athens, Georgia-born rock group. This song is dark and brooding but it’s also somehow catchy and memorable. R.E.M. lead vocalist Michael Stipe makes his pain yours and in that way, the burden of spirituality and philosophical thought is spread out and shared by all of us. Somehow, we all accepted this fate. And we continue to every time we play this iconic, acoustic-driven tune.
“1979” by The Smashing Pumpkins from Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness (1996)
Listening to the Smashing Pumpkins was like walking into a dream. Sounds exciting, right? But the only thing about that proposition was that you didn’t quite know if it was a pleasant dream or a nightmarish one. But that is the fine line that the Pumpkins’ lead vocalist Billy Corgan walked. They were transportive, but they took you to the place that he mapped out. This in between space where things seemed interesting and new but also you had to keep your head on a swivel. That’s the beauty of art—it can surround, envelop and spin you around so much that it changes you.
“Bulls on Parade” by Rage Against the Machine from Evil Empire (1996)
Everyone who heard the Los Angeles-born rockers Rage Against the Machine was suddenly turned into a protester. And everyone adopted this reality easily. Rage’s, well, rage was seductive. Lead singer Zack de la Rocha felt like an army general recruiting you to his ranks. Yes, the world is imbalanced. Yes, financial disparity is real and choking the planet. Yes, that guitar riff and those vocal screams are compelling me to think about the world differently. Yes, I’d like to hear more! Rage pushed us all to think beyond ourselves.
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