So, to get us caught up, here’s every song that topped the Modern Rock chart during this “year.” You can see that there were several #1s I left off:
One important side note: “Hey Jealousy” by the Gin Blossoms, did not make the Modern Rock chart, even though it was a Mainstream Rock and Hot 100 hit. It is confusing, but by the strict rules of this exercise, it does not get ranked.
With that in mind, let’s get to 25-1.
25). "Runaway Train" by Soul Asylum (from Grave Dancers Union, released on 10/6/1992) (peaked at #13 on 7/17/1993)
So it was 26 cases resolved of the 36 missing kids featured in the video, and not all of them were happy endings. Well, that seems about right for trying to do something positive.
24). "Everyday Is Like Sunday" by 10,000 Maniacs (from the "Candy Everybody Wants" single, released on 3/27/1993) (peaked at #22 on 2/20/1993)
Fun fact: The title of this song is misspelled in Spotify. Fun fact #2: While this version is an interesting reinterpretation of the Morrissey original, The Pretenders’ cover from 1995 for the Boys on the Side soundtrack is even better.
23). "Cherub Rock" by The Smashing Pumpkins (from Siamese Dream, released on 7/27/1993) (peaked at #7 on 8/28/1993)
Billy Corgan’s nightmare on Jeopardy! “Who is righteous? What is bold?” only to learn that they will only accept your first answer.
22). "Black" by Pearl Jam (from Ten, released on 8/27/1991) (peaked at #20 on 2/13/1993)
I am sure Eddie Vedder would prefer I not mention this one if he was willing to politely ask hikers to stop singing it, but it is here nevertheless.
21). "Start Choppin" by Dinosaur Jr. (from Where You Been, released on 2/9/1993) (peaked at #3 on 3/27/1993)
The guitar work on this one gives it a wonderful juxtaposition to the lyrics, which are kind of a downer. This happens a lot. It’s fine.
20). "Man on the Moon" by R.E.M. (from Automatic for the People, released on 10/5/1992) (peaked at #2 on 1/30/1993)
We literally got an entire movie built off the lyrical musings of Michael Stipe.
19). "Somebody to Shove" by Soul Asylum (from Grave Dancers Union, released on 10/6/1992) (peaked at #1 on 12/5/1992)
Still waiting for the Snyder cut of the “Somebody to Shove” video.
18). "Ordinary World" by Duran Duran (from Duran Duran (aka The Wedding Album), released on 2/11/1993) (peaked at #2 on 2/6/1993)
Utterly gorgeous song on every level. Exceptionally well done.
17). "Candy Everybody Wants" by 10,000 Maniacs (from Our Time In Eden, released on 9/29/1992) (peaked at #5 on 1/30/1993)
We’ve covered that Natalie Merchant was one of my high school celebrity crushes, right? OK, moving on.
16). "Dollar Bill" by Screaming Trees (from Sweet Oblivion, released on 9/8/1992) (peaked at #28 on 1/16/1993)
The slow, lamenting verses balanced by the powerful choruses always get me.
15). "Dizz Knee Land" by Dada (from Puzzle, released on 9/8/1992) (peaked at #5 on 12/26/1992)
When I first got a car with Sirius back in 2007, I really enjoyed Lithium because back then, the programming would actually dip across a much broader cross-section of 1990s grunge and alternative than they do now. The first time I ever heard this one was on Lithium, I immediately tracked it down on iTunes. Really fascinating track.
14). "Drive" by R.E.M. (from Automatic For The People, released on 10/6/1992) (peaked at #1 on 10/17/1992)
Mike Mills’ Georgia-ness shines through from time to time, like when he noted that Automatic for the People is a golf album because it starts with “Drive” and ends with “Find the River.”
13). "Soul to Squeeze" by Red Hot Chili Peppers (from Coneheads soundtrack, released on 7/20/1993) (peaked at #1 on 8/14/1993)
“What if ‘Under the Bridge’ but you know, a second time?” Which was smart because people liked “Under the Bridge.”
12). "Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses" by U2 (from Achtung Baby, released on 11/18/1991) (peaked at #7 on 11/14/1992)
The band prefers the Temple Bar version, but what I find really interesting is that this is another song where the band claims that the meaning behind the song has changed as they have gotten older, moving from a song about lovers drifting apart to the lament of a father to his daughter growing up. I still prefer to see it as part of the Achtung Baby is a song-by-song story album about a complete relationship between two young lovers in Berlin. (Also, this is where I lament that the best song on Achtung Baby, “Until the End of the World,” was not a single.)
11). "Are You Gonna Go My Way" by Lenny Kravitz (from Are You Gonna Go My Way, released on 3/9/1993) (peaked at #2 on 4/23/1993)
This is just a straight-up traditional rock and roll song, and I love it. Plus, the video just looks cool and fun at the same time.
10). "Connected" by Stereo MC's (from Connected, released on 10/5/1992) (peaked at #5 on 3/13/1993)
When this song showed up in The Last Dance in 2020, it was this perfect marriage of song, footage, and Zeitgeist. It was one of my favorite moments of the series by far.
9). "Come Undone" by Duran Duran (from Duran Duran (aka The Wedding Album), released on 2/11/1993) (peaked at #12 on 3/27/1993)
Duran Duran just showed up in 1993 and dropped a well-liked and well-reviewed album that went platinum in the U.S. and had like two excellent songs on it. It’s not as remarkable when you think about it, given how many bands have success ten years apart. Still, the stylistic differences in the musical landscape between Duran Duran’s first peak and this release make it seem much more impressive.
8). "Nearly Lost You" by Screaming Trees (from Sweet Oblivion, released on 9/8/1992) (peaked at #5 on 10/31/1992)
Another song that benefitted from the Singles soundtrack bump, but it’s an excellent song and if that led people to seek out other songs on the album (see above), the more’s, the better.
7). "Dreams" by the cranberries (from Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can't We?, released on 3/1/1993) (peaked at #15 on 7/24/1993)
It has to be kind of a stunning upset that the most memorable Ireland tourism ad of a generation is backed by a song from a band other than U2, but “Dreams” is just that good. (Apparently, there’s also a four-minute-long director’s cut.)
6). "I Should've Known" by Aimee Mann (from Whatever, released on 5/11/1993) (peaked at #16 on 6/19/1993)
Aimee Mann’s post-Til Tuesday career is awesome and you should check it out. “Long Shot” (from 1996, which did not chart, most likely due to the casual profanity in it) was my second most played song of 2020 on Spotify. And that isn’t even counting that she did the haunting acoustic cover of Third Eye Blind’s “Never Let You Go” from M.O.D.O.K. that actually forms an emotional anchor for the show!
5). "Zooropa" by U2 (from Zooropa, released on 7/5/1993) (peaked at #13 on 8/28/1993)
A song in three parts, literally: The first 108 seconds of intro of whispers and rising tensions, like you’re hearing something in the distance and can’t quite make it out. As the first song on the album, it’s like you’re walking toward the source as the song continues to play. The tinniness of the vocals makes you think AM radio transmission or television in another room: That’s when the verses kick in, and you realize they’re all just advertising slogans while the questions “What do you want” and “What are you afraid of” play in the back. But then the slogans stop, and you get the Edge’s guitar ringing before an electronic effect shifts the song into another gear with the very post “end of the Cold War” look at things that says:
And I have no compass
And I have no map
And I have no reasons
No reasons to get back
And I have no religion
And I don't know what's what
And I don't know the limit
The limit of what we've got
It’s a remarkable song all in all.
4). "Cannonball" by The Breeders (from Last Splash, released on 8/31/1993) (peaked at #2 on 10/16/1993)
It may be the coolest bass line opening of a modern rock song in the decade, and certainly among the most memorable. What I did not know, Kim Deal’s “awoos” that open the song are a purposeful callback to the opening of the Pixies’ “Where is My Mind” except no one tells her to stop.
3). "These Are Days" by 10,000 Maniacs (from Our Time In Eden, released on 9/29/1992) (peaked at #1 on 11/21/1992)
It is perhaps the romantic in me that because of the line “These are days, you’ll remember, when May is rushing over you.” I have forever associated this song not only with my own graduation, but with graduations ever since. It’s not that you remember graduation, per se, it’s that at the end of that particular chapter in your life, you’re hit with a wave of nostalgia that ebbs back upon you each and every year. Plus, Natalie Merchant dancing on the heads of the art deco eagles of the Chrysler Building is a very memorable video.
2). "Linger" by the cranberries (from Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can't We?, released on 3/1/1993) (peaked at #4 on 11/27/1993)
The first song Dolores O'Riordan ever wrote, about her first kiss, and how that doesn’t always end up going the way you have it planned in your head, or at least, the aftermath. It’s remarkable how great this song is in every phase of it. Oh, and the version from the NPR Tiny Desk Concert series is something worth sharing.
1). "Courage (For Hugh MacLennan)" by The Tragically Hip (from Fully Completely, released on 10/6/1992) (peaked at #16 on 3/27/1993)
The Hip’s only charting single in the U.S. I would make a case that it is not their best song. “Wheat Kings” from Fully Completely has the most plays on Spotify. "Bobcaygeon" and "Ahead by a Century" both scored highly on the Canadian charts. Even “Fifty Mission Cap” and “At the Hundredth Meridian,” also on the same album, are comparably good. But I will always consider myself lucky that CanCon rules for 89X meant that Detroit alternative fans always got a solid dose of The Hip on their playlists (or as a live album venue). It is a classic “if you know, you know.” kind of band. And “Courage” was the first song I broke down for the 90s rock section of The Barchive last year when I actually was trying to follow a format. So there you go. Courage couldn’t come at a worse time.
And, as you’ve been waiting for, the full playlist.
The next outing will be my freshman year of college, 1996-97. There are more recognizable songs for me, which is good, even if some of the songs have aged very poorly upon relisten. I am not sure when the next installment will be coming, but if you sign up for The Barchive (which is free!!!), you will get it the moment it does.
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Thank you for listening and reading. Did I get it right? Did I make a huge mistake? Let me know in all the usual places or in the comments below.
Oh and as a bonus, here are all 260 songs from my high school list in “chronological order”
I will go to the mat for the bass line in "Soul to Squeeze," though. It is WAY more interesting than "Under the Bridge," and it's one of my all-time favorite bass parts.