Runaway Train by Soul Asylum reached number five on the US Billboard Hot 100 in 1993, winning two Grammys and becoming notable for a music video featuring real missing persons that directly led to twenty-six of them being found.
Runaway Train: Soul Asylum’s Grammy-Winning Rock Hit Read Post »
One Headlight by The Wallflowers reached number one on both US rock charts in 1997 and won two Grammy Awards, written entirely by Jakob Dylan and produced by T Bone Burnett as the defining single from Bringing Down the Horse.
One Headlight: The Wallflowers’ 1996 Chart-Topping Hit Read Post »
I’d Do Anything for Love (But I Won’t Do That) by Meat Loaf reached number one in the US and UK in 1993, written by Jim Steinman as a twelve-minute operatic rock statement that became the best-selling single of the year in both countries.
Meat Loaf I’d Do Anything for Love: 1993 Rock Opera Peak Read Post »
If It Makes You Happy by Sheryl Crow reached number ten on the US Billboard Hot 100 in 1996, co-written with Jeff Trott and built on a central paradox about doing what makes you happy even when you know it probably isn’t good for you.
If It Makes You Happy (1996): Sheryl Crow’s Rock Statement Read Post »
Hey Jealousy by Gin Blossoms reached number one on the US Mainstream Rock chart in 1993, written by Doug Hopkins before his alcoholism led to his firing from the band, and reaching its commercial peak after his death in December 1993.
Hey Jealousy (1992): Gin Blossoms’ Bittersweet Rock Anthem Read Post »
Santa Monica by Everclear reached number one on the US Modern Rock Tracks chart in 1996, written by Art Alexakis as an escape fantasy drawn from real personal experience and produced to connect with the post-grunge alternative audience that defined mid-1990s rock radio.
Santa Monica (1995): Everclear’s Alt-Rock Breakthrough Read Post »
Only Wanna Be with You by Hootie and the Blowfish reached number one on the US Adult Top 40 in 1995 and helped drive Cracked Rear View to twenty-one million US sales, built on Darius Rucker’s warmth and a lyric that referenced Bob Dylan and Dan Marino in the same song.
Only Wanna Be with You: Hootie & the Blowfish Classic Read Post »
Lightning Crashes by Live reached number one on the US Mainstream Rock chart in 1994, written by Ed Kowalczyk about birth, death, and the cycle of souls, and driven by a philosophical directness that gave Throwing Copper its emotional center.
Lightning Crashes: Live’s 1994 Philosophical Rock Hit Read Post »
Don’t Speak by No Doubt held the Billboard Hot 100 Airplay chart at number one for sixteen consecutive weeks in 1996, written by Gwen Stefani about her breakup with bassist Tony Kanal and driven by an emotional directness that connected across global pop radio.
Don’t Speak: No Doubt’s Record-Breaking 1996 Radio Anthem Read Post »
Semi-Charmed Life by Third Eye Blind reached number four on the US Billboard Hot 100 in 1997, packaging a crystal meth addiction narrative inside one of the most immediately catchy guitar pop arrangements of the late 1990s.
Third Eye Blind’s Semi-Charmed Life: Deceptive 1997 Hit Read Post »
Glycerine by Bush reached number one on the US Modern Rock Tracks chart in 1995 and became the defining ballad from Sixteen Stone, building a massive American rock audience for a London band that had found its home market harder to crack.
Glycerine: Bush’s 1994 Post-Grunge Ballad That Won America Read Post »
Creep by Radiohead flopped on its 1992 UK release before breaking internationally in 1993, eventually reaching number seven in the UK and becoming the defining early recording of a band that would spend decades trying to move beyond it.
Creep (1992): Radiohead’s Reluctant Breakthrough Single Read Post »
