I’ve previously listed 5 Obscure Songs That I Like from the 1960s; 20 Obscure Pop Songs That I Like from the 1970s; and 25 Somewhat Obscure Pop Songs from the 1980s That I Like.
For my 1990s suggestions, the songs run the gamut
from very obscure to not overly obscure. But in the ’90s, it was getting more
difficult to know whether or not a song was widely known in the culture. A song
might have heavy play on an alternative station, but be invisible to kids
watching MTV and listening to pop music on the radio. It’s also hard to know
how deeply people listened to even the most popular CDs. I have selections on
my list from Jagged Little Pill,
Weezer’s Blue Album, and Mellon Collie
and the Infinite Sadness. The songs seem obscure to me, but maybe others
will not agree since they were on hugely popular CDs.
The
1990s began with hair metal and rap ascending the pop charts and modern rock becoming
established as an alternative for people who didn’t like what was being offered
on the pop charts. Everything in rock music changed with the arrival and
ascendency of grunge in 1991–1993. Nevermind
by Nirvana killed off hair metal within a year or two, but what is less-widely
acknowledged is how grunge also changed modern rock. By 1994, modern
rock/alternative stations no longer played late-80s style of college radio and
pop alternative (Psychedelic Furs, R.E.M., etc). Everything became louder,
darker, and more serious. This was unfortunate, because the popular music
umbrella had been expanding, but with grunge, it was now contracting. Through
this time period though, some great music was being made and for those who knew
where to look, they could find interesting music to listen to. Here are 26 songs
worth checking out:
26. “Euphoria” by School of Fish
I discovered
this song since I began writing up this list, but I wanted to include it. To my
ears, “Euphoria” is a very good tune that stops short of being great. I think a
top alternative rock producer could coax greatness from this song—it needs
something in its instrumentation that builds up to something special.
25. “When I’m Not” by The Magnolias
The
Magnolias are a Minneapolis-based rock band that had a little bit of local
success in the early ’90s. The lead singer in the band worked part-time at a
local record store that I would visit back in the day. “When I’m Not” has a
great vibe and nice tune. It reminds me a little bit of Superchunk.
24. “Sooner or Later” by The Feelies
The
Feelies were an alternative media darling in the ’80s, but their album Time for a Witness, from which this song
was taken, was considered one of their lesser albums. I really like this song
and it fits with the sound of the groups that started the Americana or
alt-Country genres.
23. “Step through the Portal” by Elf Power
Lo-fi
music became a thing in the ’80s and ’90s. Instead of recording in an expensive
studio, alternative and garage bands recorded their music in their basements
and bedrooms. This song is one lo-fi effort that really appeals to me.
22. “Make a Deal with the City” by East River Pipe
Another
lo-fi effort that is tuneful and wistful. I wish there was more music like this
being made today.
21. “Snail” by The Smashing Pumpkins
The
two biggest alternative records of 1991 were Nevermind by Nirvana and Ten
by Pearl Jam. Because of those two Seattle-based bands, the entire landscape of
rock music changed in the early ’90s. But better than either of those two
albums was another 1991 record: Gish,
by an alternative band out of the Chicago area. Every song except for “Suffer”
and “Daydream” is very good, but perhaps the best obscure song on the CD is
“Snail”—a great Smashing Pumpkins groover.
20. “Dreamtime” by The Heart Throbs
Heavy on synthesizer and pop in its sensibility, this kind of music was played on modern rock radio stations in the late ’80s to early ’90s. I’ve included a few modern rock songs from the year 1990 on this list, and this is an example of another type of music that was buried by grunge.19. “I’ve Got to Go Now” by Toni Childs
Adult
alternative is a subgenre that has a lot of boring music in it, but sometimes
when the melody, lyrics, and vocal delivery are just right, then you have a
special song. This is one of those.
18. “Can’t Be Sure” by The Sundays
The
Sundays were the alternative flavor of the month for a short time in 1990 with
their minor hit, “Here’s Where the Story Ends.” The song that follows that song
on the Reading, Writing and Arithmatic CD is just as good, if not better.
17. “My Favorite Drug” by The Pleasure Thieves
If
this song was released in 1986, it probably would have been a big hit. But it
came out in 1992 and couldn’t really find an audience. It was played for a few
weeks on the local alternative station and was never heard from again. It is
also surprisingly difficult to find today.
16. “California” by Wax
There is a style of music that I call “energy” songs. These are not necessarily the loudest or most rocking songs, but they are songs that make you want to move—“Ray of Light” by Madonna, “Song 2” by Blur, and this song are examples of energy songs.15. “Shutter’s Closed” by Tripmaster Monkey
Similar to energy songs are a style of song that I call “groovers.” These are songs that buzz along almost as a drone note and seem to slide from chord to chord. The Smashing Pumpkins cover this musical ground with a lot of their songs. And a little like the shoe-gazer genre out of Manchester, this song features heavy, buzzing guitars and a great melody. One of my favorite, truly underappreciated rockers from the ’90s.14. “Fear of Falling” by Shona Laing
Another adult-alternative gem, “Fear of Falling” creates a great mood and a melancholy tune.13. “Watch Me Fall” by Uncle Tupelo
From one of the original alt-country groups comes a fast-tempo country-rock classic.12. “Mary Jane” by Alanis Morrissette
Jagged Little Pill was one of the biggest records of the ’90s. I am not in the target audience for this album, and I can take or leave most of the songs on the CD. But I really like this deep track.11. “Sonic Boom” by The Gear Daddies
The Gear Daddies, from rural Minnesota, are kind of a local flavor. Their biggest national exposure was “Stupid Boy” off the Billy’s Live Bait CD. “Sonic Boom” has the kind of country, laid-back feel that is instantly appealing.10. “Dumpweed” by blink 182
There are some bands who release an album, and it creates kind of a subgenre of copycats. I think Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix by Phoenix and Enema of the State by blink 182 are two records like that. “Dumpweed” begins Enema of the State on a raucous and melodic note.9. “Here Is No Why” by The Smashing Pumkins
My theory is that Billy Corgan is interested in cool sounds, and he is able to craft those cool sounds into great songs. The clipped B and E chords that open “Here Is No Why” builds into a greater song than it should.8. “Little Suicides” by The Golden Palominoes
The Golden Palaminoes were kind of a concept band with different lineups and singers on different albums. This song is a mellow alternative song that is tuneful and yearning.7. “100 Ways to Kill a Love” by The Power of Dreams
The Power of Dreams is an Irish rock band that never had a big hit in the U.S., but “100 Ways to Kill a Love” got a short run on the local modern-rock station in 1990.6. “Shrine” by The Dambuilders
There are not many songs that have a simple bass line as a chorus, but this is one of them.5. “Not an Addict” by k’s choice
This song tells the story of addiction from the point of view of the addict who is lying to herself. It slowly builds in tension and volume, the storytelling and music work together to make this a great song.4. “It’s Up to You” by The Jayhawks
A lesser-known song by the Jayhawks in their post-Mark Olson period, this song has blissful melodies and a well-constructed tune. Lyrically, it works as a kind of “cut-down” song, but not angry.3. “My Name Is Jonas” by Weezer
The first song on the first side of the first Weezer album, you would hope this would be a great song—and it is. “My Name Is Jonas” builds an amazing energy that finally explodes in the great Friday afternoon chorus: “The workers are going home. The workers are going home, yeah!”2. “That Was Another Country” by Innocence Mission
When
I first heard “Bright As Yellow,” the first single off of the Innocence
Mission’s Glow album, I wrote them
off as Sundays and Cranberries clones. This they may be, but “That Was Another
Country” is a startlingly beautiful song.
