Top 10: Grunge songs

Hey guys, what about a top 10 on Grunge songs? 
Well, Grunge is not a definite music genre but it's more a movement with some Punk roots from the late 80s and especially the early 90s.  The rule is one song per day, just to avoid filling this page with Nirvana and Pearl Jam.

Shall we start? Ok, here we go.

10) Mudhoney - Touch Me I’m Sick (1988)
So, I was saying that Grunge is mainly a movement from the 90s but Touch Me I'm Sick by Mudhoney is dated 1988 so we can consider them precursors of the genre. Well, maybe we can even go back a little more but then it would be a little more complicated.



9) Screaming trees - I nearly lost you (1992)
Surely the most famous song by the Screaming Trees of Mark Lanegan, born at the beginning of the movement (the song, not Mark Lanegan). I Nearly Lost You is part of the soundtrack of the Cameron Crowe film, Singles, with lots of other artists of the genre. Give it a go if you have the chance. 

8) Temple of the dog - Hunger strike (1991)
A song by "Pearlgarden", at that time a mix between Pearl Jam and Soundgarden (now it will be only Pearl Jam with Chris Cornell, RIP.). Chris wrote this song as a tribute to Andrew Wood, Mother Love Bone. There is even Eddie Vedder who originally wasn't part of the plan, but Chris really loved his voice. Enjoy the song!  



7) Radiohead - Creep (1992)
When Radiohead were... "simple". I don't think Creep needs any introduction as this song is so famous you probably heard it a million times by many bands of your city and even covered by famous artists. Tom Yorke, the singer of Radiohead, tried to "ruin" the song with some electric guitar parts but the song became very famous despite that. The label won.

6) The Smashing Pumpkins - Bullet with Butterfly Wings (1995)
Back in the day when Billy Corgan had hair on his head. I've never been a fan of The Smashing Pumpkins but I really love this song despite the fact I've never understood a word of the chorus. But it's so good that I don't really care.

5) Stone temple pilots - Interstate love song (1994)
Another talent who left us, Scott Weiland, who was a big character and a big voice of the genre, especially with the first two Stone Temple Pilots albums. The second one, Purple, in particular, is a little gem to me. Among all the great songs in the album I chose Interstate Love song but I could have picked up many songs from that record.


4) Alice in Chains - Man in the Box (1990)
Sometimes music is strange. I got this song more than 25 years later. My favourite of the band was Would? but at some point, Man in the Box hit me like a truck, mainly thanks to a magnificent performance by Layne Staley, showing us how you should sing in a song like this. The chorus of Man in the Box is a masterpiece.

3) Soundgarden - Black Hole Sun (1994)
What can you say about Black Hole Sun by Soundgarden?! Great song, very radio-friendly but very dark at the same time, showing the dark side of Chris Cornell. The drumming by Matt Cameron would be probably in my all-time top 10, the parts before the choruses, in particular. "tu tududututudu - Black hole sun...". Those ones.



2) Pearl Jam - Jeremy (1992)
You know how much I love Pearl Jam, but they are not in the first position, today. Among all the songs I picked up not my absolute favourite but one that represents the movement and one that probably helped the band the most to become very famous, thanks to MTV that was broadcasting Jeremy constantly.

1) Nirvana - Heart-shaped box (1993)
Well, maybe a more appropriate song would have been Smells Like Teen Spirit from Nevermind, maybe the "Grunge song", but I prefer Heart-shaped Box, single from the following album, In Utero. This sounds more mature to me and I think that this was the real sound of the band. Dave Grohl is a monster behind the drumkit and Kurt Cobain is a pure genius. Enjoy the magnificent song and the video.



Giovanni Gagliano

Passionate about music I wrote my first article for "Given To Rock" in 2012, reaching now 30K global followers. I am also a musician, gigging around London.

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