The Top 70 Modern Rock Tracks of 1993-94 (Part 2)
“Is that classical music?” “Yes, Doctor, it would seem to be.”
After yesterday’s first part, let’s reset the stage (and a reminder, songs are placed in their “year” by when they first appeared on the Billboard Modern Rock Chart, which makes some weird things sometimes, admittedly, but every cutoff has flaws when dealing with periodization.)
And now, the Top 25.
25). "Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town" by Pearl Jam (from Vs., released 10/19/1993) (peaked at #17 on 4/16/1994)
The line “I just want to scream ‘hello!!!’” has been burned into my brain for a quarter-century.
24). "Shine" by Collective Soul (from Hints, Allegations & Things Left Unsaid, released 3/22/1994) (peaked at #4 on 6/8/1994)
“We had a massive hit song before we were really a band.” is always such a weird statement, but it is the Collective Soul story.
23). "Good Enough" by Sarah McLachlan (from Fumbling Towards Ecstasy, released 10/22/1993) (peaked at #16 on 10/19/1994)
Sarah McLachlan's voice remains one of the purest and most powerful of any vocalist of her generation.
22). "Found Out About You" by Gin Blossoms (from New Miserable Experience, released 8/4/1992) (peaked at #1 on 1/15/1994)
Yep, Gin Blossoms again. Their bench may not be as deep as some other artists of the decade, but I would put their starting five up against anyone.
21). "Fall Down" by Toad the Wet Sprocket (from Dulcinea, released 5/24/1994) (peaked at #1 on 6/18/1994)
I have been trying very hard to find the 90s sports figure analog to Toad the Wet Sprocket. 2 platinum albums, but not multi-platinum, 3 Hit 100 Top 40 hits, 7 singles that charted on the Modern Rock Charts (side note: “Fly from Heaven” was a single from Dulcinea that did not chart and it makes me sad because it’s an amazing song.) Remarkably consistent, but never the biggest star on the stage. This will require further pondering.
20). "Daughter" by Pearl Jam (from Vs., released 10/19/1993) (peaked at #1 on 1/8/1994)
There’s a strange line between gatekeeping in fandom and “real ones know.” “Daughter” is a great Pearl Jam song; it has all of the hallmarks of a Pearl Jam classic and is, in fact, their first Billboard Hit 100 Top 40 song (as a reminder, the SoundScan era is weird in its own way). But I wonder, and I know if it’s hard to classify this thing if people who really know the Pearl Jam catalog rate it as highly as casual fans do?
19). "Supernova" by Liz Phair (from Whip-Smart, released 9/20/1994) (peaked at #6 on 11/19/1994)
So, does anyone else remember that Ellen going to a Liz Phair concert was actually a plot point on a second-season episode of Ellen? Yes, this is the kind of thing stuck in my brain instead of more traditionally useful information, like Nicomachean Ethics or some such. Oh well.
18). "Watch the Girl Destroy Me" by Possum Dixon (from Possum Dixon, released 8/2/1993) (peaked at #9 on 2/26/1994)
Hey, I already covered Possum Dixon in a previous installment of the Barchive!
17). "Possession" by Sarah McLachlan (from Fumbling Towards Ecstasy, released 10/22/1993) (peaked at #4 on 4/30/1994)
I think it’s worth understanding that “Possession” is one of the most honest songs about the dangers of parasocial relationships. It doesn’t hurt that McLachlan’s vocals are always on point.
16). "You Let Your Heart Go Too Fast" by Spin Doctors (from Turn It Upside Down, released 6/14/1994) (peaked at #20 on 8/13/1994)
Oh no, one of my dreaded moments in this project has come. I have to defend the Spin Doctors. I make the same defense that Rolling Stone did In January 1993 when they put the band on the cover: “[Their] popularity is based on universal rock & roll virtues. The Doctors aren't trying to blaze new trails. They know we've been down this way with the Stones, Curtis Mayfield, and a few of their other touchstones. But the proof—plenty of it—is in the party.” The Spin Doctors are fun, and sometimes, that’s all you need.
15). "Cut Your Hair" by Pavement (from Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain, released 2/2/1994) (peaked at #10 on 5/7/1994)
Somewhere Michael Wilbon and Tony Kornheiser are smiling.
14). "Stay" by Lisa Loeb & Nine Stories (from Reality Bites Soundtrack, released 2/1/1994) (peaked at #7 on 8/6/1994)
Does “Stay” make the Modern Rock charts if it isn’t a part of the Reality Bites soundtrack? Hard to say for so many reasons, but it was worth considering as I watched the GEICO commercial.
13). "Seether" by Veruca Salt (from American Thighs, released 9/27/1994) (peaked at #8 on 12/10/1994)
What I like about “Seether” is that it’s just a great straight-up rock and roll song. I saw where it made the list of the greatest grunge songs ever, and I suppose the distortion effects on the backing guitars get it. Whatever the category, it’s a true 90s classic.
12). "Sometimes Always" by The Jesus and Mary Chain (from Stoned and Dethroned, released 8/15/1994) (peaked at #4 on 9/17/1994)
On September 17, 1994, songs with Hope Sandoval on vocals were the #3 and #4 songs on the Modern Rock Chart. It’s a testament to the absolutely ethereal quality her voice always possesses. You always wonder if you’re dreaming, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
11). "Backwater" by Meat Puppets (from Too High To Die, released 1/25/1994) (peaked at #11 on 5/28/1994)
The guitar work on this, from the distortion in the opening to the way the notes lay in through the verse in a half-halting way, it’s just a really great song.
10). "Round Here" by Counting Crows (from August and Everything After, released 9/14/1993) (peaked at #7 on 6/4/1994)
There are not many albums that are perfect, beginning to end, every song works, no skips. August and Everything After is absolutely one of those albums for me, and this is the song that kicks it off. Even discovering the proto-version from Adam Duritz’s previous band, the Himalayans, only serves to make how perfectly layered this song is stand out. (That said: “A Murder of One” is the best song on the album and not just because it’s a clever joke.)
9). "I'll Stand by You" by The Pretenders (from Last of the Independents, released 5/9/1994) (peaked at #21 on 8/20/1994)
Just an utterly lush and inspired outing from Chrissy Hynde. There’s something glorious about a song that has lyrics that do not shy away, in the least, from being there for someone, no matter what.
8). "Sodajerk" by Buffalo Tom (from Big Red Letter Day, released 9/21/1993) (peaked at #7 on 10/30/1993)
I am sure there are dozens of 90s bands that got a raw deal from record labels, timing, the zeitgeist, what have you…but if you actually listen to Spotify’s This is Buffalo Tom and realize this band only got one single that charted (and it’s not even close to their best song), and that charting was only goosed by being on the My So-Called Life soundtrack, even if “Late At Night” was used in a pivotal scene on the show. Short version: Buffalo Tom deserved better.
7). "Sabotage" by Beastie Boys (from Ill Communication, released 5/31/1994) (peaked at #18 on 7/9/1994)
I have the beats and shouting.
6). "Laid" by James (from Laid, released 9/27/1993) (peaked at #3 on 12/4/1993)
I am sure so many high school classes thought they were clever that they loved this song in the 1990s, so much so that it showed up in American Pie, which again sort of looped back on itself in its rightness.
5). "Feel the Pain" by Dinosaur Jr. (from Without a Sound, released 8/23/1994) (peaked at #4 on 10/14/1994)
Spike Jonze gave us so many videos, including the Dinosaur Jr. urban golf video, which likely got this a little brighter on the radar of many folks. It’s an absolute gem.
4). "Yellow Ledbetter" by Pearl Jam (from Jeremy, released 9/27/1992) (peaked at #1 on 1/8/1994)
Looking back, I love the idea of “Yellow Ledbetter,” which is a fantastic song in and of itself, as a concept that would be really challenging to wrap one’s head around 30 years later. It’s a B-side of a single, meaning that most people don’t have access to it. A radio DJ or two listen to it and start playing it; it builds momentum, but again, the average fan can’t get it because it’s on a single, and likely an import single, so it keeps people listening to the radio for it. The music business is weird.
3). "Because the Night (unplugged)" by 10,000 Maniacs (from MTV Unplugged, released 10/26/1993) (peaked at #7 on 12/18/1993)
As mentioned previously, my high school failure to appreciate the importance of Patti Smith to three of my favorite artists (R.E.M., U2, and 10,000 Maniacs) was completely on me, but I have rectified this. Fun fact: This is 10,000 Maniacs’ highest-charting song on the Billboard Hot 100.
2). "Stay (Faraway, So Close!)" by U2 (from Zooropa, released 7/5/1993) (peaked at #15 on 1/22/1994)
When I got to pick five songs for U2X Radio’s “Desire” show last year, “Stay” was on the list. It is Bono’s favorite U2 song, even if he did write it for Sinatra. The Berlin shot video gives it an unearthly quality, befitting its tie into Faraway, So Close!, a sequel to Wim Wenders 1987 film Wings of Desire.
1). "Fade Into You" by Mazzy Star (from So Tonight That I Might See, released 10/5/1993) (peaked at #3 on 9/17/1994)
I have this belief in the idea of their existing “perfect songs,” which does not necessarily make them great (though it helps), but that they achieve exactly what they set out to do, within the universe of the song, everything makes sense. “Fade Into You” is one of those songs. It was the song that when I had notions of writing screenplays, it would be playing the background of a climactic scene in a teen romantic comedy with a lot of heart. It is one of my perfect songs, and it tops the list.
That’s the list! As always, let me know what I got right, what I got wrong, and what I left off! If you enjoyed this, please use the button below to share it!
Without further ado, here’s the list!
I agree with you on August and Everything After as a perfect album, agree with you on "A Murder of One" as the best track, and yet... I never listen to the album version, because I love the version from Live Across A Wire so much more. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1XDmRQ8O5A
I'm listening to Laid right now- in addition to being a great album, the production/mixing on it is perfect. The way the percussion and the guitars are mixed is just wonderful.