"Alternative" is a word that is thrown around a lot these days to describe music, and while "alternative," like "indie," should technically only describe what is not mainstream or music that is produced outside the corporate labels, the term "alternative rock" has come to mean something much more specific.
Rock and roll has its roots in the blues, and while the blues date back quite a ways, it wasn't until the 1950s that the blues was articulated into what is now considered to be rock and roll, giving birth to a brand new thread of music. While early rock and roll is generally considered to be pretty simple, with Elvis, Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly and the like, over the next couple of decades rock became considerably more complex in some cases.
Slowly but surely, a reaction formed in what is now considered punk, in which bands sought to simplify things again. By the late 1970s, a growing population began rallying around bands like the Clash, the Ramones, the Sex Pistols and the like, charting a new course for what would eventually became known as "alternative rock." The 1980s was an interesting decade for music, as the thread of music known as rock and roll ran its course and eventually died, overcome by its own decadence and self-indulgence, ridiculed by its newfound reliance on instantly outdated synthesizers, and collapsing under its own "sex, drugs, and rock and roll" mantra.
Meanwhile, a genre known back then as "indie rock" bubbled under the surface. And then in 1991, Nirvana's "Smell Like Teen Spirit" changed everything. People had had enough: Rock and roll was dead, and what was indie was now mainstream, leaving the members of the previous generation as frustrated and mystified as their parents had been when rock and roll came on the scene. The key distinction: rock and roll is blues based, alternative rock is punk based. Many use grunge and alternative interchangeably, but it must be noted that grunge is merely a part of the much broader alternative rock genre. Several other sub-genres like Britpop (Oasis, Blur), ska (Sublime, No Doubt), pop punk (Green Day, The Offspring), and industrial (Nine Inch Nails, Filter) fit in quite well with grunge under the alternative rock umbrella.
By the end of the 1990s, however, it was clear that alternative rock was running out of steam, and as someone who has been listening to this music since elementary school, it has pained me greatly to hear this genre fall apart completely over the course of the past decade. It has become more than a little clear that there's not much left in the tank, artistically, for alternative rock.
The 2000s reminded me a lot of the 1980s: mainstream rock went to complete hell while the indie scene thrived again. In fact, it has gotten to the point now where we need to stop calling this stuff "indie," since it is hardly unnoticed anymore and refers more to the style of the music itself than whether it was produced without a major label.
And now, in the first year of the new decade, it is entirely unclear what the future will bring for music. Are we due for another revolution? It would appear that way, since alternative rock has gotten so stale that soon alternative rock radio stations will only be playing alternative classics, like classic rock stations do now for rock and roll.
The newest song on my list is one I would like to examine in more detail: The White Stripes' "Seven Nation Army." The White Stripes ushered in a revival of so-called "garage rock" that hearkens back to simple, low fidelity punk. However, Jack White also reintroduced something that had scarcely been heard for years: the blues. "Seven Nation Army" is best known for its distinctive riff, but it also happens to be many things at once: part punk, part blues, and a lot of classic rock. Now that I think about it, I'm a little surprised "Seven Nation Army" didn't kick start a revolution of its own.
But if history shows us anything, something else will mark the shift into the next phase of rock music. If history will repeat itself, then the White Stripes and the Strokes are the equivalent of the Clash, the Ramones, the Sex Pistols, etc. And like the 1980s, the 2000s featured a burgeoning indie scene that has grown steadily in popularity, so much so that it seems to rival the popularity of the mainstream rock music.
I know I'm ready for the next breakthrough; I could use another "Smells Like Teen Spirit." If history repeats itself (which, if current indications are correct, it could), then the next "Smells Like Teen Spirit" shouldn't be too far away. We have just braved the storm of a horrible, horrible decade for not just alternative rock music, but almost all mainstream music in general. It really is astounding how similar the 2000s were to the 1980s: terrible rock music and pop music that was more produced and made than played and sung.
Will the 2010s be another 1990s? We'll just have to wait and see. But until we put alternative rock to rest and ask for something new, we won't get anything other than the same old post-grunge crap. Has it occurred to anyone that grunge ended in like 1994? This is a heartfelt plea to the music industry to give up alternative rock and look into the current indie scene to discover the next viable commercial rock format.
I suppose we should get on with the list. I wasn't around for most of them, so I don't feel comfortable ranking them. I have listed them chronologically instead.
A 30 second clip is provided for each song, and you can also buy each song from iTunes directly from this site (just click on the price). It's all there for your convenience.
Rock and roll has its roots in the blues, and while the blues date back quite a ways, it wasn't until the 1950s that the blues was articulated into what is now considered to be rock and roll, giving birth to a brand new thread of music. While early rock and roll is generally considered to be pretty simple, with Elvis, Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly and the like, over the next couple of decades rock became considerably more complex in some cases.
Slowly but surely, a reaction formed in what is now considered punk, in which bands sought to simplify things again. By the late 1970s, a growing population began rallying around bands like the Clash, the Ramones, the Sex Pistols and the like, charting a new course for what would eventually became known as "alternative rock." The 1980s was an interesting decade for music, as the thread of music known as rock and roll ran its course and eventually died, overcome by its own decadence and self-indulgence, ridiculed by its newfound reliance on instantly outdated synthesizers, and collapsing under its own "sex, drugs, and rock and roll" mantra.
Meanwhile, a genre known back then as "indie rock" bubbled under the surface. And then in 1991, Nirvana's "Smell Like Teen Spirit" changed everything. People had had enough: Rock and roll was dead, and what was indie was now mainstream, leaving the members of the previous generation as frustrated and mystified as their parents had been when rock and roll came on the scene. The key distinction: rock and roll is blues based, alternative rock is punk based. Many use grunge and alternative interchangeably, but it must be noted that grunge is merely a part of the much broader alternative rock genre. Several other sub-genres like Britpop (Oasis, Blur), ska (Sublime, No Doubt), pop punk (Green Day, The Offspring), and industrial (Nine Inch Nails, Filter) fit in quite well with grunge under the alternative rock umbrella.
By the end of the 1990s, however, it was clear that alternative rock was running out of steam, and as someone who has been listening to this music since elementary school, it has pained me greatly to hear this genre fall apart completely over the course of the past decade. It has become more than a little clear that there's not much left in the tank, artistically, for alternative rock.
The 2000s reminded me a lot of the 1980s: mainstream rock went to complete hell while the indie scene thrived again. In fact, it has gotten to the point now where we need to stop calling this stuff "indie," since it is hardly unnoticed anymore and refers more to the style of the music itself than whether it was produced without a major label.
And now, in the first year of the new decade, it is entirely unclear what the future will bring for music. Are we due for another revolution? It would appear that way, since alternative rock has gotten so stale that soon alternative rock radio stations will only be playing alternative classics, like classic rock stations do now for rock and roll.
The newest song on my list is one I would like to examine in more detail: The White Stripes' "Seven Nation Army." The White Stripes ushered in a revival of so-called "garage rock" that hearkens back to simple, low fidelity punk. However, Jack White also reintroduced something that had scarcely been heard for years: the blues. "Seven Nation Army" is best known for its distinctive riff, but it also happens to be many things at once: part punk, part blues, and a lot of classic rock. Now that I think about it, I'm a little surprised "Seven Nation Army" didn't kick start a revolution of its own.
But if history shows us anything, something else will mark the shift into the next phase of rock music. If history will repeat itself, then the White Stripes and the Strokes are the equivalent of the Clash, the Ramones, the Sex Pistols, etc. And like the 1980s, the 2000s featured a burgeoning indie scene that has grown steadily in popularity, so much so that it seems to rival the popularity of the mainstream rock music.
I know I'm ready for the next breakthrough; I could use another "Smells Like Teen Spirit." If history repeats itself (which, if current indications are correct, it could), then the next "Smells Like Teen Spirit" shouldn't be too far away. We have just braved the storm of a horrible, horrible decade for not just alternative rock music, but almost all mainstream music in general. It really is astounding how similar the 2000s were to the 1980s: terrible rock music and pop music that was more produced and made than played and sung.
Will the 2010s be another 1990s? We'll just have to wait and see. But until we put alternative rock to rest and ask for something new, we won't get anything other than the same old post-grunge crap. Has it occurred to anyone that grunge ended in like 1994? This is a heartfelt plea to the music industry to give up alternative rock and look into the current indie scene to discover the next viable commercial rock format.
I suppose we should get on with the list. I wasn't around for most of them, so I don't feel comfortable ranking them. I have listed them chronologically instead.
A 30 second clip is provided for each song, and you can also buy each song from iTunes directly from this site (just click on the price). It's all there for your convenience.
Want More?
Music, that is.
Some of my other pages:
- My Twitter
- Only read it if you like to be entertained.
- My Blog
- I update it every so often. I'll try to post a little more.
- My BLIP.fm Station
- Kind of like my own personal radio station. If you like the songs I've chosen for this list, you'll love this.
- The 100 Greatest Songs of All Time
- Recently updated. It's the most Googled "greatest songs of all time" page, so you know you want to check it out.
- My 100 Favorite Songs of the 2000s
- Exactly what it says, but with commentary!
"Save It for Later" by The English Beat
1982
Billboard Hot 100: N/A
Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks: N/A
Alternative Songs: N/A
| Track | Artist | Album |
|---|
"It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)" by R.E.M.
1987
Billboard Hot 100: #69
Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks: #16
Alternative Songs: N/A
| Track | Artist | Album |
|---|
"Jane Says" by Jane's Addiction
1988
Billboard Hot 100: N/A
Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks: N/A
Alternative Songs: #6
| Track | Artist | Album |
|---|
"Head Like a Hole" by Nine Inch Nails
1989
"About a Girl" by Nirvana
1989
Billboard Hot 100: N/A
Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks: N/A
Alternative Songs: N/A
NOTE: An acoustic version, from the MTV UNPLUGGED IN NEW YORK album, was released as a single and charted, but since it is a different recording I have decided to not let its charting accomplishments apply to the original.
"Come As You Are" by Nirvana
1991
Billboard Hot 100: #32
Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks: #3
Alternative Songs: #3
| Track | Artist | Album |
|---|
"Smells Like Teen Spirit" by Nirvana
1991
Billboard Hot 100: #6
Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks: #7
Alternative Songs: #1
| Track | Artist | Album |
|---|
"Alive" by Pearl Jam
1991
Billboard Hot 100: N/A
Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks: #16
Alternative Songs: #18
| Track | Artist | Album |
|---|
"Mysterious Ways" by U2
1991
Billboard Hot 100: #9
Mainstream Rock Tracks: #1
Alternative Songs: #1
| Track | Artist | Album |
|---|
"One" by U2
1991
Billboard Hot 100: #10
Mainstream Rock Tracks: #1
Alternative Songs: #1
| Track | Artist | Album |
|---|
"All Apologies" by Nirvana
1993
Billboard Hot 100: #45
Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks: #4
Alternative Songs: #1
NOTE: "All Apologies" and "Rape Me" were released as a double A-side single, so the charting information applies to both of them. However, I have only included "All Apologies" on this list because "Rape Me" is neither good enough to make this list nor is it thematically related to "All Apologies" a la Green Day's "Brain Stew" and "Jaded."
"Creep" by Radiohead
1993
Billboard Hot 100: #34
Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks: #20
Alternative Songs: #2
| Track | Artist | Album |
|---|
"Cherub Rock" by The Smashing Pumpkins
1993
Billboard Hot 100: N/A
Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks: #23
Alternative Songs: #7
| Track | Artist | Album |
|---|
"Today" by The Smashing Pumpkins
1993
Billboard Hot 100: N/A
Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks: #28
Alternative Songs: #4
| Track | Artist | Album |
|---|
"Sober" by Tool
1993
Billboard Hot 100: N/A
Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks: #13
Alternative Songs: N/A
NOTE: This song is not available on iTunes.
Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks: #13
Alternative Songs: N/A
NOTE: This song is not available on iTunes.
"No Excuses" by Alice in Chains
1994
Billboard Hot 100: #48
Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks: #1
Alternative Songs: #3
| Track | Artist | Album |
|---|
"6 Underground" by Sneaker Pimps
1996
Billboard Hot 100: #45
Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks: N/A
Alternative Songs: #7
| Track | Artist | Album |
|---|
