Grunge

My Playlist

1. Would?

2. Man in the Box

3. Unwind

4. Touch Me I'm Sick

5. Enemy

6. Smells Like Teen Spirit

7. Lithium

8. Heart-Shaped Box

9. Alive

10. Even Flow

11. Black Hole Sun

12. Jeremy

13. Spoonman

14. Hunger Strike

15. Nearly Lost You

Starting in the late 1980s, grunge was a form of music that originated in Seattle, Washington. With the height of its popularity coming in the early 1990s, bands such as Nirvana and Pearl Jam are ones that are most commonly associated with the term “grunge”. While alternative music was generally used as a term for underground rock bands, grunge bands integrated guitar rock with punk and metal to create a new movement. The new sound used slower tempos, dissonant harmonies, and more complex instrumentation to set itself apart from other forms of music.

Grunge is generally characterized by heavily distorted electric guitars, sometimes called “sludgy” due to its feedback effects, and apathetic or angst-filled lyrics. The lyrics heard in most grunge songs are characteristically angst-filled, often using themes such as social separation, apathy, captivity, and a desire for freedom from mainstream society.

This playlist aims to identify the tracks that embody the sound of grunge that began in Seattle, Washington. There has never been a place in my opinion that almost single-handedly gave birth to an entire genre of music. Seattle was the "place" to be in the late 1980s and 1990s if you were in tune with the growing popular grunge music scene.

Artist: Alice in Chains
Song: Would?
Album: Dirt
Record Company: Columbia
Date of Publication: 1992
Catalog number: CK 52475
Lyrics: http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/a/alice_in_chains/would.html
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3FnQMSD4Zg

Written for late Mother Love Bone frontman, Andrew Wood, “Would?” is about going through rehab and what happens afterward. The last part of the lyrics compels the listener to wonder if the future is any more promising. The heavy guitars and deep vocals give the song a weird feel. The song is very instrument heavy and the vocals sound more like incoherent screaming than real singing. 

Artist: Alice in Chains
Song: Man in the Box
Album: Facelift
Record Company: Columbia
Date of Publication: 1990
Catalog number: CK 46075
Lyrics: http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/a/alice_in_chains/man_in_the_box.html
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TAqZb52sgpU

Man in the Box deals with the issue of censorship. Alice in Chains chooses to use animal cruelty to depict this. On the heels of “Man in the Box”, Alice in Chain’s Facelift became the first album by a Seattle grunge band to go platinum. With heavily distorted electric guitars and deep throated vocals, the song also has a strange, eery quality to it. The vocals go into screams at times, but then suddenly go back down into throaty vocals. The guitars and vocals are very characteristic of the grunge era.

Artist: Green River
Song: Unwind

Album: Green River
Record Company: Columbia
Date of Publication: 1987
Catalog number: SP11a
Lyrics: http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/g/green_river/unwind.html
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_XVHkpBaxk

Also one of the founders of modern grunge, Green River still uses elements of earlier jazz and rock music with their opening guitar riff. The song deals with a man who is trying to get with a girl as he invites her over to his apartment to “unwind”. "Unwind" uses distorted electric guitars at a fast tempo and fast, loud, and sometimes screaming vocals that gives the song the distinction as being one of the first "grunge" songs.

Artist: Mudhoney
Song: Touch Me I'm Sick
Album: Touch Me I'm Sick
Record Company: Sub Pop
Date of Publication: 1988
Catalog number: n/a
Lyrics: http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/m/mudhoney/touch_me_im_sick.html
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bNj7ZyZy7cw

"Touch Me I’m Sick" is a song about disease, self-loathing, angst, and dirty sex. The song uses dark humor to take on the issues of disease and violent sex in a sarcastic manner. Mudhoney’s influence paved the way for bigger grunge bands such as Nirvana. The song's high tempo, heavy use of distortion, and frenetic drumming are characteristic of grunge music.

Artist: My Sister's Machine
Song: Enemy
Album: Wallflower
Record Company: Chameleon
Date of Publication: 1993
Catalog number: n/a
Lyrics: http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/m/my_sisters_machine/enemy.html
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vu7cBEq3Yt8

My Sister’s Machine is also one of the forerunners of modern grunge. Enemy deals with the unstable relationship between a man and his best friend. Trust is a main issue in the song, as the man cannot be sure his friend is actually his friend or, in fact, his enemy in the sense that he can’t be trusted. More than the pounding electric guitars, the song most portrays grunge music in the sound of the vocals. The deep, raspy screams of the lead singer are very characteristic of the grunge music scene.

Artist: Nirvana
Song: Smells Like Teen Spirit
Album: Nevermind
Record Company: DGC
Date of Publication: 1991
Catalog number: DGC-24425
Lyrics: http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/n/nirvana/smells_like_teen_spirit.html
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTWKbfoikeg

The most critically acclaimed song from Nirvana, “Smells Like Teen Spirit” was the first “alternative” song to become a huge hit. The song tells us about Kurt Cobain’s dislike for the mass mentality of conformity. The distorted electric guitar and Cobain's raspy vocals, along with a catchy chorus that is barely comprehensible, make this song the predominant grunge song to ever be released.

Artist: Nirvana
Song: Lithium
Album: Nevermind
Record Company: DGC
Date of Publication: 1991
Catalog number: DGC-24425
Lyrics: http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/n/nirvana/lithium.html
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x698XNiV6T8

 Lithium sounds like one of Nirvana’s darker songs, and is believed to deal with a man on the edge of suicide. His repeated “I’m not gonna cry” gives the listener the appearance of Cobain singing about someone about to end their life. Another Nirvana song that deals with dark matters, "Lithium" also uses distorted guitars to give the song a heavy feeling. The song alternates between soft and hard verses, lulling the listener into thinking the song isn't eery or disturbing.

Artist: Nirvana
Song: Heart-Shaped Box
Album: In Utero
Record Company: DGC
Date of Publication: 1993
Catalog number: DGCC-24607
Lyrics: http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/n/nirvana/heart_shaped_box.html
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6P0SitRwy8

"Heart Shaped Box" is not known to have one definite meaning, but many believe that the song is about his shaky relationship with his wife, Courtney Love. The song deals with what appears to be an unstable romance between two people, pointing to the aforementioned theory. Just as with "Lithium" and some of their other songs, "Heart Shaped Box" starts off slow, but then descends into the heavy guitar that grunge is known for. Cobain's vocals scream out over the track to get across his message in his unique voice.

Artist: Pearl Jam
Song: Alive
Album: Ten
Record Company: Epic
Date of Publication: 1991
Catalog number: Z-47857
Lyrics: http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/p/pearl_jam/alive.html
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qM0zINtulhM

Alive was written about a boy who finds out his father is actually his step-father, and that his real father is dead. The song deals with the strained relationship with his step-father due to the fact that his real father was dead. Eddie Vedder's vocals are the key to this song, as his raspy voice cuts through the music and pierces the ears. The guttural sound of his natural singing voice and the tone changes in the song fit perfectly into the grunge sound.

Artist: Pearl Jam
Song: Even Flow
Album: Ten
Record Company: Epic
Date of Publication: 1991
Catalog number: Z-47857
Lyrics: http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/p/pearl_jam/even_flow.html
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CxKWTzr-k6s

Even Flow was written about a homeless man who is neglected by society. The song was written to increase awareness and tolerance of homeless people. Along with the distorted electric guitars, it is again Vedder's voice that catches the attention of the listener. The raspy, guttural voice, hard to understand at times, exemplifies the sound of grunge music.

Artist: Soundgarden
Song: Black Hole Sun
Album: Superunknown
Record Company: A&M
Date of Publication: 1994
Catalog number: 540 215-2
Lyrics: http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/s/soundgarden/black_hole_sun.html
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qiSkyEyBczU

Black Hole Sun was written and released with no apparent meaning. Although the song is fairly upbeat and seemingly positive, the term “black hole sun” is meant to be a bad thing. Even as this song nears the end of the grunge era, the distorted electric guitars are still heard at parts of the song, and at parts the lead singer breaks into a louder, eerier voice that is typical of the earlier grunge music.

Artist: Pearl Jam
Song: Jeremy
Album: Ten
Record Company: Epic
Date of Publication: 1991
Catalog number: Z-47857
 Lyrics:  http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/p/pearl_jam/jeremy.html
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MS91knuzoOA

 Jeremy is a song about a boy who kills himself at school as a way to get back at the students who bullied him. A true story about a boy in Texas, the song presents a clear message to the listener about the effects of bullying children in school. Vedder's vocals are once again the main focus of this track as he yells over the sounds of electric guitars and basses in the background to get his point across to the listener.

Artist: Soundgarden
Song: Spoonman
Album: Superunknown
Record Company: A&M
Date of Publication: 1994
Catalog number: 540 215-2
Lyrics: http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/s/soundgarden/spoonman.html
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWkbFKJZB0k

Spoonman is largely credited with launching Soundgarden into mainstream success. The song is about an actual street musician named “Artis the Spoonman” in Seattle, and how he is perceived by the people who watch him. The song teaches, “don’t judge a book by its cover”. The dark, heavy guitar and screaming vocals very typical of grunge music give the song a bizarre sound that still manages to fit together nicely. 

Artist: Temple of the Dog
Song: Hunger Strike
Album: Temple of the Dog
Record Company: A&M
Date of Publication: 1991
Catalog number: 75021 5350 2
Lyrics: http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/t/temple_of_the_dog/hunger_strike.html
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjNjJR9jUGo

"Hunger Strike" was written after the loss of lead singer’s Chris Cornell’s best friend, Andrew Wood. The song was a kind of political statement that dealt more specifically with socialism. The “Hunger Strike” in the song refers to a reaction to witnessing injustice in food distribution. Also possessing a low, guttural voice, the lead singer of Temple of the Dog is able to send a powerful message with just his voice alone. The song descends into heavy guitar playing and screaming that take the song back to its grunge roots.

Artist: Screaming Trees

Song: Nearly Lost You
Album: Sweet Oblivion
Record Company: Epic
Date of Publication: 1992
Catalog number: 471724 2
Lyrics: http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/s/screaming_trees/nearly_lost_you.html
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JwNdLjqaMLs

Known as one of the “godfathers of grunge”, Screaming Trees released “Nearly Lost You” for the soundtrack to 1992’s movie Singles. The song is about a man who is trying to get back his lover after much pain and sorrow. Another song that features a lead singer with a raspy, guttural voice, "Nearly Lost You" sounds like an earlier forerunner for grunge because it lacks some of the intense, distorted guitar playing that later grunge bands had. However, the heavy drumming in the background to go along with the vocals do well to convey a dark, ominous feeling about the song.