I love grunge myself. Grunge oozes with emotion, lyrical intensity, and instrumental wonder. It is a very young genre, indeed. Compared to rock, blues, and obviously classical, grunge in its early stages of life. However, look at how many good tracks grunge has produced. Keep in mind that I have two guidelines in my genre lists. 1) The songs that I choose are the ones that I think best exhibit the genre. 2) I only use a particular artist ONCE. You will only be seeing ONE Pearl Jam song and ONE Nirvana song. That way it is fair. I present to you, my Top 10 Grunge Songs of All Time.
10. Crown of Thorns – Mother Love Bone
When I think of Mother Love Bone, I immediately think “pre-Pearl Jam.” Mother Love Bone contained Jeff Ament and Stone Gossard who would eventually go on to be in Pearl Jam. Crown of Thorns is really the Tour de Force of Mother Love Bone. They were only able to release one album due to the death of lead singer Andrew Wood. This song is able to demonstrate how much potential they truly had.
9. Tomorrow – Silverchair
I attempt to avoid the argument of whether this song is grunge or not. This song is EASILY grunge. The powerful chorus thrusts itself at the listener. The instrument tracks are exactly what true grunge exhibits. These qualities combine into a monumental grunge track.
8. Nearly Lost You – Screaming Trees
Nearly Lost You is a track that stands out in the grunge lineup. It enters the ears of the listener with a pop instrumental feel, but then the grunge vocals blast through that less-deserving track and the result is a great grunge song in the end.
7. Comedown – Bush
It’s difficult to compare how Bush sounded in the 1990s during the apex of grunge, and how Gavin Rossdale (lead singer) sounds now. Nevertheless, Comedown is an excellent showing of the genre. I heavily favor the opening guitar riff. It taunts you to listen to the song as it builds. The guitar riff basically creates the song itself and the listener wonders how the vocals will fit in with it, but then the guitar goes away for the lyrical entrance. Then the chorus delivers what I believe is one of the most powerful choruses in all of music.
6. Black Hole Sun – Soundgarden
Soundgarden is a truly exquisite band. They really put a ton of emotion and heart in their music. Black Hole Sun not only demonstrates this, but also how powerful grunge is in the musical world. Black Hole Sun. The opening guitar is like I mentioned on Comedown. It grabs the listener and pulls them into the song. I personally enjoy the lyrics and although the chorus isn’t as powerful as some songs on this list, it is very pleasing.
5. Hunger Strike – Temple of the Dog
Oh, how I wish Temple of the Dog would release a second album. On second thought, it might be better if they didn’t due to how special their only album is. How could you make a list of the top grunge tracks of all time and not include a band containing Eddie Vedder (Pearl jam frontman) and Chris Cornell (Soundgarden frontman.) They both show their vocal intensity in this song. Lyrically, I see it as a masterpiece. A collection of verses and bridges culminating in a wonderland of music that showcases all of the potential the artists in the song contain.
4. Smells Like Teen Spirit – Nirvana
The most heard and used song on this list. However, that fact shouldn’t degrade it’s quality. In reason, what does this song hold? What is this song really about? In the end, I believe the lyrics describe the song as exactly what it feels like: a song defining the generation. Slightly ironic if you think about it, Kurt Cobain supposedly wrote this song about his generation and ended up completely defining his generation with it.
3. Even Flow – Pearl Jam
If you take a look at my Pearl Jam Top 10, you will notice that Even Flow is behind “Alive” on that list. This isn’t because of my opinion’s inconsistency but instead because of the fact that my opinion thinks Even Flow is simply a better GRUNGE song. The riff, along with all of the instrument pieces, is utterly amazing. The distorted guitars and Eddie’s growling baritone easily make it a grunge classic. The song might not be intended to give you that dark, trapped-in-an-alley feel, but it does for me.
2. Would? – Alice in Chains
Would? has absolutely everything a song in this widespread genre should have. A creepy instrumental introduction, followed by a sinister single word slurred into a drum track that paves its way into the remainder of the song. Then the vocals slide in, leading up to a climax of intensity which I believe exhibits the most powerful chorus of all time, in any song. Plus, do not forget the engraving final phrase: “If I would, could you?”
1. Plush – Stone Temple Pilots
I don’t think it is possible to completely define the word grunge in word or visual form. You have to HEAR it. If I had a single song to represent grunge to someone who had never heard it before, Plush would be it. Sure, there is nothing technical or notable about the instrumental work. But the song doesn’t need it. I’m actually glad the song excludes a guitar solo. A guitar solo rarely takes away from a song, but in this case I believe it would. Plush is an honest representation of what grunge stands for, and no song can ever defeat that accomplishment.
