In the late 90s, alternative rock continued to stray away from grunge that dominated the first half of the decade. By 1997, post-grunge took over in grunge’s place. Alternative rock bands sought to establish the direction of rock music heading into the new millennium. These are three alternative rock hits from 1997 that every millennial will remember.
‘Everlong’ by Foo Fighters
In 1997, Dave Grohl contributed drums to yet another Foo Fighters album. While recording their sophomore album, creative differences between Grohl and drummer William Goldsmith resulted in Goldsmith leaving the group. Therefore, Grohl recorded the drums himself on the majority of the album, as he had on the Foo Fighters’ 1995 debut. Released on May 20, 1997, the follow-up album was a huge success, the first to feature members other than Grohl. All three singles, “Monkey Wrench”, “Everlong”, and “My Hero”, peaked in the top ten on the Mainstream Rock chart and the Alternative Airplay chart.
“One Headlight” by The Wallflowers
In 1996, The Wallflowers second album, Bringing Down The Horse, became the band’s biggest success. It peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 and spawned four hit singles. Among them, “One Headlight” became the band’s biggest hit. It was released as a single in January 1997, and peaked at No. 1 on both the Mainstream Rock chart and the Alternative Airplay. It’s one of the band’s signature tracks, along with the lead single “6th Avenue Heartache”. Though Jakob Dylan, son of folk icon Bob Dylan, is the sole original member, he continues to tour as The Wallflowers in 2026.
“Semi-Charmed Life” by Third Eye Blind
Not only is this Third Eye Blind’s most well-known song, but it’s also arguably one of the most well-known hits of the second half of the 90s. Millennials spent countless hours studying the lyrically dense verses of this hit. It’s truly a song that millennials will never get tired of, and younger generations may never understand. Released on February 18, 1997, “Semi-Charmed Life” went to No. 1 on the Alternative Airplay chart and the Pop Airplay chart. Also in 1997, “How It’s Going To Be” peaked at No. 5 on both charts. In 1998, “Jumper” landed at No. 2 on the Pop Airplay chart.
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