Features

Forty Years In A Hundred Songs, Part 2

by Pete Crigler

PART 1

52. Jimmie’s Chicken Shack – “Hole” (Pushing The Salmanilla Envelope; 1997)
A Nineties alt-rock band from Maryland that had two big hits and are still going. This is from their major label debut on Elton John’s record label and while it wasn’t a single, it’s always been a song I’ve used when I’ve been in a negative space. It’s a heavy track with what you could call uplifting lyrics; it’s just a song that I’ve relied heavily on throughout my life when shit gets you down. This album quickly became one of my favorites in terms of Nineties alt rock and although, in my opinion, they never topped this record, they still cranked out good tracks over the next few years, though this was definitely their pinnacle. Post-1994 may be damned in a lot of circles for bringing on the Cobain clones, but there was still magic that was coming out and Jimmie’s Chicken Shack definitely contributed to that. It’s another of those songs that has come down a tad in the rankings but it’s still there because of its value and importance for being one of those songs to help when you get in a negative space in life and you just want to pull yourself out of that hole.

51. Queensryche – “Silent Lucidity” (Empire; 1990)
Now this is one I can legit remember loving ever since I was a child. This song was ubiquitous on MTV circa 1990/91 and it was an early favorite of mine. One of the most luscious-sounding ballads ever written. It’s not really a power ballad a la “To Be with You” or “Home Sweet Home,” it’s more just a straight-ahead ballad with a lightly added electric solo. Geoff Tate’s vocals, Chris DeGarmo’s songwriting and the production are just top notch and really serve the song all over. This was an album that I continued to love long after I fell out with “hair metal” even though this band couldn’t be categorized as such. This was a band that I lost track of after 1993 because it took four years to release a follow-up and in the Nineties, that was the equivalent of a death knell. But when a band makes music that sounds this timeless, it’s alright if they don’t make anything equal to it afterwards. Most fans probably love their Eighties output more than this, but for me, this song, this album are just as connected in my musical journey as anything by Faith No More or Lamb of God.

50. Mr. Bungle – “Retrovertigo” (California; 1999)
Speaking of FNM, I got into Bungle around 1997 when I got their second album on cassette. I was stoked when California was released in 1999 and I ended up with it on cassette that Christmas. I loved it immediately as it was more accessible and about as straightforward as a band like Bungle could get. This track, written solely by bassist Trevor Dunn, is their piece de resistance. A masterpiece, an instant classic and one song that immediately jumped out to all Bungle fans for years to come. It’s still Bungle, but without all the chaotic insanity that most people think of when they think about Bungle. It’s one of those types of songs that hits me every time it comes on; I don’t even hear it that often these days, which makes it more special when it does. I love Bungle, though obviously not as much as FNM, but that’s because FNM has always been the better band in terms of songwriting. I’d say both bands are neck and neck in terms of musicality, but Bungle just don’t have enough songs like this that really stand out and are this monstrous. Still, every band needs at least one masterpiece and this is theirs.

49. Screaming Trees – “Working Class Hero” (Working Class Hero: A Tribute to John Lennon; 1995)
This was an interesting find, recorded for a John Lennon tribute album in 1995 that also contained tracks by the likes of the Chili Peppers, Cheap Trick and Mary Chapin Carpenter, among others. It’s never appeared on any other album except maybe a UK reissue import of Dust but my God, it’s amazing. Lanegan is in top form and what he’s able to do with his voice is mind blowing. The closest they come to sounding as they do here is a b-side cover of an obscure song by an Australian band called Buffalo. The song was “Freedom” and it’s 12 minutes and it’s close to this but not quite. This was released during the deluge of tribute albums in the Nineties; seemingly everyone from the Carpenters to Carole King were getting the tribute treatment and most of the records fell miserably flat, but some of them contained some magic. This is the top example for me. The Trees were always one of those bands that was seemingly slept on and their full power wasn’t recognized until long after they split in 2000. This song isn’t even available for streaming; just good old CD and YouTube rips, but it’s definitely worth your time.

48. Sponge – “Plowed” (Rotting Pinata; 1994)
One of those Nineties alt-rock songs that people forget about, but as soon as they hear it, it’s immediately remembered. With that recognizable riff and straight to the face beat that never lets up, it was a calling card for this band from Detroit that were seemingly here today, gone by 1997. But they’re still around, still touring and while they had only three big radio hits, they’ve managed to carve out a touring career because of how timeless those hits are. This is one of those songs that I always crank all the way when it comes on and I never really see that changing as I get older. I must have been eight or nine when I first heard this and as I enter my fourth decade, I still love it just as much, if not more than I did as a kid. Some songs and bands, even if they didn’t have a lot of staying power have a way of implanting their music in your DNA and Sponge was one of those bands. This is still one of my favorite songs of the entire decade and it’s had a spot on this list since before I even created it.

47. Rob Rule – “Only Thing” (Rob Rule; 1994) 
Now THIS is a weird one and probably the most obscure on the list. It’s never been on streaming and I, personally, had to upload it to YouTube. I had loved Mary’s Danish, a late eighties/early Nineties alt band that broke up by 1993. The band split in halves, forming two bands. A singer and guitarist formed Battery Acid while drummer JBJ, guitarist David King and bassist Wag formed Rob Rule with Chili Peppers roadie Robbie Allen. Their music was more Southern based and didn’t really fit with what was on the radio. Wag wrote this particular song about his wife and departed the band after recording the song to join Battery Acid because he wanted to ‘rock more.’ This album spawned one minor radio hit and died on impact. I found it in a box at a flea market and loved the song immediately. It has the most soul and spirit of anything on the disc and has so much power. It’s just an awe-inspiring song and gives me the chills every time it comes on. I’ve had the pleasure of letting Wag and JBJ know how much this song means to me and I will shout from the mountaintops of its greatness. 

46. Metallica – “Battery” (Master Of Puppets; 1986)
Forget the title track; THIS is the best Metallica song of 1986. Oh sure, everyone brags about the title track and it’s been on TV, video games and everywhere else, but this is the better song. It gets the album off to a ripping start and barely lets up. It’s certainly one of the heaviest songs they’d yet released as well. There’s a slight break from the intensity, but it doesn’t last long before the band is ripping again. Imagine running to the record store in 1986, ripping off the cellophane, putting this on the turntable and hearing this first. My mind was blown the first time and I can’t even begin to imagine what it was originally like. Cliff really shines all over this record and this could not have been a better send off. While this is not my all-time favorite Metallica song (that comes later), it’s definitely been up near the top since probably college. Why it took longer than that to hear this is one of my musical mysteries but once I did, I never forgot it and it erased the Metallica that was currently on the radio, thank God.

45. For Squirrels – “8:02 PM” (Example; 1995)
It was September 8, 1995 and an unknown band on the cusp of releasing their major-label debut were travelling home to Florida from a triumphant show in New York when a tire blew on their van in Georgia. The band’s vocalist, bassist and tour manager were killed and the survivors were devastated. The album had small success but then disappeared into the ether. Cut to 2001 and the record store I frequented in Williamsburg, VA had bought out the dead stock from another store and was selling things off cheaply. I picked up this record based off the name and stuck it in the player. This opening track blew me away from the first listen and by the end of the year, this was one of my favorite all time albums and I’ve made it a mission to make more people aware of this band and these amazing songs. I’ve interviewed drummer Jack Griego, met a really good online friend because we were the only two people we knew who loved this band and I’ve bought at least three copies of this album. Unfortunately, it was destined to spend too much time in CD bargain bins, but even if you only like this one song, it’ll still blow your mind.

44. Ned’s Atomic Dustbin – “All That I Ask of Myself is That I Hold Together” (brainbloodvolume; 1995)
This opening from the band’s third and final album hit in a different way than “Cut Up.” I didn’t find this album until years after I first discovered them. It took a while to actually find the CD, but once I did it was worth it. This album is a lot more downbeat than most of their catalogue and by the time it was released in America, Britpop was beginning to take over and listeners just didn’t seem to be interested in what Ned’s had to offer. But this song is outstanding, beginning with a slow burn intro that evolves into a barn burner that never lets up with its raucous beat and never-ending guitars courtesy of Rat. The song still rings heavy 31 years after it came out. I loved it immediately and it’s one I still sing all the time; that’s why it gets ranked higher than “Cut Up,” because to me it’s just that much better of a song. There’s never been another band to duplicate their sound. The band’s fortunes declined with this record, as it ended up being their last, but they went out on really high note and I feel really left their mark on Nineties alternative. 

43. Tripping Daisy – “Prick” (i am an ELASTIC FIRECRACKER; 1995)
Jesus, this song! I knew of the Daisy because of “I Got A Girl” and I found this CD shortly after guitarist Wes Berggren died. I was about 13 and I loved it. About a year or so later, I truly discovered this nine-minute epic. Sequenced as the second to last song instead of one of the most dynamic album closers possible, this song talks about drug addiction; sadly ironic as that is what killed Berggren in the fall of 1999. On the other side, this song really showcases Wes and features one of his rare guitar solos. In my mind, it’s one of the most epic, wild, fucking crazy solos I’ve ever heard. There’s all these elements thrown in that really showcase his influences. It’s one of those solos that you judge all other solos against. I’ve been able to let bassist Mark Pirro know just how much I appreciate this song and how damn near transcendent Wes’ solo really is. It’s truly one of those songs that has become one of my all-time favorite songs not just of the Nineties, but of all time. I have that connection with a lot of songs but this music has become a part of my DNA.

42. fulflej – “Microwave” (Wack-Ass Tuba Riff; 1996)
No one remembers this. I’ve yet to see many online posts about this band, let alone this song. This is a Richmond, Virginia based band who hooked up with James and D’Arcy of the Smashing Pumpkins when they were launching a label. They released their only full-length in the fall of 1996 and it promptly disappeared without a trace. I became aware of them when I was working on my first book about rock music in Virginia. The band’s drummer sent me a CD-R of this album and this track stuck out. It’s a weird song where the singer does the whole song in a baby vocal and there’s surf guitar, e-bow and other weird shit. I can do a good impression of the vocal. The band’s bassist, who I later befriended, hated the vocal and swore the original EP track was better. I begged to differ; sometimes you need some goofy Nineties alternative shit in your playlist. Some people have “Loser”; I have this. By 1998, the band was over and vanished without a trace. The bassist is the only one still making music; the singer used to have a YouTube channel of the band’s music, but that hasn’t been updated in ages.

41. The B-52’s – “Private Idaho” (Wild Planet; 1980)
I must’ve heard “Rock Lobster” when I was young; of course “Love Shack” was everywhere, but I never liked that one. “Rock Lobster” was the song where I was like, “Oh, this is dumb as all hell, but it’s amazing.” I do not remember hearing this one in my youth, but I must have been late high school/early college when I came across it and I was dumbstruck. It wasn’t as hilariously dumb as “Rock Lobster,” but it hit me similarly and I loved it even more. When I was listening to their greatest hits record, this is the track I gravitated towards and I still do today. It’s the song of theirs that gets the most listens from me and I love it every time. Not every song has to have some kind of deep meaning or be the type of trash to soundtrack a TikTok video. Why this isn’t as huge as those other songs, I don’t know, but it damn well should be. Personally, I think the band should have stopped after 1989, but they kept going and not making any great music; such is life.

40. Death Angel – “Seemingly Endless Time” (Act III; 1990)
During college I was starting to get into thrash. Beyond Metallica, I wasn’t aware of much but that would soon change. I was familiar with the name Death Angel and their teenaged drummer, who was about 17 when they made this record. The band was made up of five Filipino cousins and I ended up finding this record cheap at an FYE in the mall. This was the opening track and it completely blew my mind. Blazingly fast with drums that are as fast, loud and heavy as anything Lombardo or Ulrich were doing at the time and the kid wasn’t old enough to vote let alone drink! This album quickly became one of my favorites during college; it’s not well liked by a lot of tastemakers because of the softer, slower songs, but this was a band in transition. Trying to figure out their next move as they came up into the majors. It wasn’t destined to be for them but they’re still around, even though the lineup has changed significantly. Ultimately this song is a time capsule for me and allows me to dream about a timeline where I could’ve been a 17-year-old drum king.

39. Screamin’ Jay Hawkins – “I Put A Spell On You” (At Home With Screamin’ Jay Hawkins; 1956)
I’ve had this one since I was a child. I remember hearing it in a commercial and being fascinated with it because it’s legitimately insane and it didn’t start out that way. It was supposed to be a straight-ahead ballad, but then everyone got drunk and let Jay do his thing. For many, it’s the beginning of what became known as “shock rock.” Alice Cooper or Marilyn Manson wouldn’t have meant a damn thing if it wasn’t for Hawkins first. This is one of the first real “rock” songs of the Fifties because of its intensity and the vocals which have to be heard to be believed. This song has numerous cover versions but Hawkins’ version is THE version, about the only one I even acknowledge. When I was younger I used to be able to howl the song just like Jay and freak people out. Those days are long gone but it’s still fun whenever this song comes on. Eventually, I got to be an actual fan and discovered that the man had a lot of legitimately good songs throughout his catalogue. If you want some scary with your Fifties r&b, then this is the perfect place to start.

38. Otis Redding – “You Left The Water Running” (single; 1976)
A song actually inspired by the book that inspired this project. Critic Dave Marsh wrote a book in the late Eighties about the 1001 greatest songs of the rock and roll era. This was one of them; a rarity that Marsh obtained on a bootleg 45 in the seventies and fell in love with. I had known of the song through the book, but then heard it when I got a two-disc Otis anthology not long out of college. Very sparse, basically just a demo recording with Otis, a guitar and some middling percussion, but does Otis completely sell it. He doesn’t phone anything in, sings just like it was “Respect” or “Shout.” I like it because it’s just simple Otis, the anonymous overdubs came later. It sounds great, makes you feel good and to me that’s what good music of any genre should do. If it doesn’t make me feel good, then what’s the point. I got introduced to Otis probably in high school and he’s still one of my favorite singers of all time. This is probably one of his least-known songs but it deserves to be known by more than just the diehards.

37. Peter Schilling – “Major Tom (Coming Home)” (Error In The System; 1983)
This is one of those songs that, if you listened to the radio in 1983 or you were enjoying old videos on VH1 in the late ’90s, you know this song. Yes, it’s a fake sequel to the Bowie classic, but I think it’s the better song. German New Wave was ripe for the picking for MTV and top 40 radio at the time and it launched a classic. Though Schilling was destined for one-hit wonder status, he’s never seemed bitter at the prospect and seems overjoyed with the life the song has had. And he should be, it’s a damn fine song that I still sing along with every time it comes on. It’s just one of those quintessential Eighties songs that you either love with all your soul or you’ve forgotten it and don’t know what the hell what it is. I feel like it’s been with me ever since high school. I don’t even remember when I first heard it, it’s another of those songs that I’ve always loved. I remember putting this on a CD mix in college and it just blending seamlessly with the alternative and punk on the same disc; that’s what this song does: blend with any other genre perfectly.

36. Fishbone – “Pouring Rain” (Truth And Soul; 1988)
I got into Fishbone through the 1993 Last Action Hero movie soundtrack. It had the song “Swim” on it and I must have been seven or eight when I got the cassette and I just loved that song immediately. I got further into the band in high school. They were my second-ever live show and a greatest hits was released around the same time and that was all she wrote; I was a huge fan from then on. I’ve fallen off the wagon of obsessive love over the years, but the love I have for some of these songs will never go away. This was written by Chris Dowd, who along with guitarist Kendall Jones wrote the more straightforward songs of the band’s career. On this album, they got more of a chance to shine and with their abilities, they went full throttle. This is one of the longest songs on the record. but you never want it to end. By the time of the finale, it’s broken down into an almost acapella doo-wop type of thing. It’s definitely Fishbone’s best song and like the rest of their career, its mind boggling how this song, let alone the band, never got their full due.

35. The Rutles – “I Must Be In Love” (The Rutles; 1978)
Okay, I know what you might be thinking. “WTAF is the Beatles parody from the Seventies  by Neil Innes and Eric Idle doing here?” Well, it’s because this song is a damn perfect encapsulation of the Beatles and Sixties pop music. Innes wrote all the songs and Idle came up with the script and the two melded together beautifully. The songs that Innes came up with were so catchy and so reminiscent of the Beatles that he ended up losing most of the publishing to Lennon/McCartney. This is one of the best pop songs I’ve ever heard in my life. Beyond the Beatles, beyond Sixties pastiche, just unbelievable pop songwriting. I love the Beatles (more than the Stones), the Beach Boys, all that but this is just slightly above all that. Sometimes you just find a song in the most uncommon of places and you still fall in love with it regardless. Not every song has to have some super serious meaning or have a story that the listener feels tells their own story. This is definitely one of those for me and has been since I first heard probably right out of college.

34. Miracle Legion – “The Backyard” (The Backyard EP; 1983)
This was a band I discovered probably late in high school or early in college and this was not the song I heard. I didn’t hear this song until later in college and once I did, that was all she wrote. One of the best indie rock tracks of the eighties and they were so early, they were originally considered new wave, which is so far off track it’s funny. They became more well-known later in the decade for their inspired take on folk-inspired alt rock and Mark Mulcahy’s singular voice. But this was their first release and damn if it isn’t totally impressive. It’s got one of the best riffs of all Eighties alt rock and it’s the riffs and melodic hooks that would become among the band’s signatures. This band would have a lot of ups and downs in their career, but unfortunately never had that colossal breakthrough that would make them a household name, but by God they should’ve been. This should be the type of song that everyone and their mother knows but alas, life is not like that so it leaves wondrous musical treasures to those of us who are truly devoted to music.

33. Snow Patrol – “Run” (Final Straw; 2003)
One of the few songs on this list that I liked as soon as I heard it. The song came on my radar probably in early 2004 in the waning days of high school. It was the last-ditch single in America to help record sales. I must’ve caught it on MTV2 or Fuse or maybe even VH1, but as soon as I heard it, I wanted to hear it over and over again. I was just figuring out how to download music and make mix CDs and when I was finally comfortable enough doing so, this was one of the first songs I downloaded. I subsequently became a fan of the band and still am, even though their glory days are long past them. This is just one of those once-in-a-lifetime type songs that whenever it comes around, it speaks to a generation and beyond. I was one of those that became a fan before “Chasing Cars” and I’m still a fan all these years later. Seeing this done live in a British stadium on YouTube will send chills down your spine. There’s just not much more to say about this particular one; the song speaks for itself.

32. XTC – “King For A Day” (Oranges & Lemons; 1989)
I can’t begin to remember where I came into contact with XTC. May have been through VH1 Classic, maybe it was during college. I can’t quite remember, but whenever it was that I first heard this song, it was all she wrote. Written and sung by guitarist Colin Moulding, as opposed to Andy Partridge, this song is a delicate swirl of Sixties pop and Eighties alternative wrapped up in the most delectable package. It’s one of those songs that if you love it, you love it instantly. It’s my favorite XTC song by a county mile and while I really do enjoy a lot of XTC, it just doesn’t get better than this. I remember sitting down to eat at a Shoney’s, one of those family-style restaurants closed down by Covid and this song came on over the speakers. I immediately perked up and it made my entire visit worth it. One of those strange occurrences when you hear a song you love in a space you would never think about hearing it. This song was not a smash hit, those honors went to “Mayor Of Simpleton,” but damn this deserved to be a monster.

31. Jim Croce – “Time In A Bottle” (You Don’t Mess Around With Jim; 1973)
I was 11 watching a new show on VH1 called Behind The Music. It was amazing seeing music documentaries at that age, pre-YouTube, and one of the first episodes was about Jim Croce, a folky singer-songwriter who died in a plane crash just as he was about to become a superstar. His music was played throughout the show and I latched onto some of it. I remember wanting to immediately hear more and grabbing probably a greatest hits on cassette at Walmart and falling in love with his voice and songwriting. This song immediately stuck out and became an instant favorite. It’s one that hasn’t really diminished at all in nearly thirty years. People are often surprised when I mention my love of Seventies AM folk-pop in between all the metal and hardcore but it’s hard to say no to a song this good. I was a sponge when I was but a wee lad and a lot of what I was absorbing has never left and often allowed me to seek out similar sounds and find other artists, such as a few further on the list, that expanded my horizons and allowed appreciation of stuff I probably overlooked plenty of times over.

30. Nirvana – “Come As You Are” (Nevermind; 1991)
Now this looks like a no brainer, but this wasn’t one that came right away. As previously stated, I didn’t become an immediate fan of the band even though they were everywhere. For whatever reason, they didn’t click with me immediately like the other Seattle bands. But by 1999, I was ready and after getting the Unplugged CD, I was ready for more. I grabbed Nevermind, probably at Walmart, and fell in love with the second single. I liked “Teen Spirit” of course, but this song and “Lithium” were better to my ears and I didn’t hear them as often as I did “Teen Spirit.” In the passing years, this became my favorite track and it still is. I never became a mega fan of Nirvana the way I did with the other bands, including Mudhoney, but damn if this song doesn’t destroy every single time it comes on. It’s difficult to follow up something as “the one” as “Teen Spirit,” but this is one of those follow-ups to a smash that just does it; it’s on the same level for me and we’ve now entered the part of the list where I’m talking about songs I will never ever get tired of hearing.

29. The Spinners – “I’ll Be Around” (Spinners; 1972)
This must’ve been another of those songs I was introduced to as a kid on oldies radio, but as I got older it became one of the all-time faves. I always liked old school r&b, especially from the Sixties and Seventies but this one got to the top of the heap. The vocals, the harmonies, the music, everything about it is just amazing and phenomenal. I don’t know anyone who doesn’t love this song and that’s always the sign of a classic if no hate could be found for it. The Spinners became one of my favorite old-school r&b groups and have stayed there; the music is timeless and even the ballads, which are usually not my favorite, are still good when done in their own classic style. They had the right producer and songwriters working with their strengths and they got the hits out of those strengths and a lot of those are still classics today and rightfully so. Why it took them so damn long to get into the R&R Hall of Fame is a complete mystery, but at least they are there; regardless, a song this good will live forever.

28. Red Hot Chili Peppers – “Warped” (One Hot Minute; 1995)
I was already a fan of the Chili Peppers by 1995. They were, again, one of those omnipresent bands that was always on MTV. The release of this album was met with a lot of hype around September ’95. They were all over MTV doing promo and this was the first single. I don’t remember when I first heard it, but damn did I love it. It was different than the rest of the Peppers stuff I’d heard by this point, but it didn’t matter; it was amazing. This was the first (and only) record with Dave Navarro on guitar and it was hyped all over. Then this song came out and pretty much landed with a dud; it didn’t do as well as “My Friends” and fans were like, what are we supposed to do with this? Me? I didn’t care; loved it then still do even more so today. That riff is one of the band’s best and it’s a song I never get tired of hearing as opposed to other overplayed Chili Pepper tracks. Probably not many other fans would put this one up over all their hits but it’s the song that made me a fan and I still am 30 years later.

27. Creedence Clearwater Revival – “Who’ll Stop The Rain” (Cosmo’s Factory; 1970)
This one’s for Pop. My grandfather and I rode around a lot. He had a Chevy pickup truck he’d bought in West Virginia and it had a cassette deck. We used to go all around and eventually he asked me to start looking for tapes. One he really wanted was CCR’s Greatest Hits. Found it and at the time, I wasn’t overly familiar with CCR. I couldn’t have been more than 12 and once I got in the truck, it was pretty much CCR, Doobies, Seger and Skynyrd all the time. This was my deep introduction to Seventies classic rock and while I never became a diehard for most of it, I loved CCR. I heard the songs on Chronicle so damn much they became a part of me. Riding around town running errands or going to the flea market listening to these tapes is one of my best memories of my grandfather; he’s been gone 5 ½ years now and I miss him and my grandmother a lot, but I’ve got some great tunes to remember him by and I’m always happy as hell about that. Some music just leaves you with familial memories and that’s why it’s important to me.

26. Tad – “Plague Years” (8-Way Santa; 1991)
Yes, I ranked a Tad song higher than Nirvana. Tad are just that good, okay! Normally known for being heavy and loud as fuck, this song shows the band turning things down just a smidge and generally crafting a great rock song. No one paid much attention to this band when they were around; it took until after they had disbanded in 1999 for people to realize just how amazing their catalogue really is. Hell, I didn’t start listening to them until college, but I’m beyond glad that I did. Around 2007, a documentary came out about the band and I quickly snagged a copy at my local; it blew me away and I needed to hear more as fast as I could. In the all-time top five grunge bands for me and I’ve been trying to turn people onto them for years. This song is their crowning achievement and one that a lot of other wannabe grunge bands should’ve aspired to try for. Tad turns his vocals down as well as the guitars and it makes a difference and this should’ve been a smash, but MTV and maybe the world at large just wasn’t ready for them yet.

25. Killswitch Engage – “Temple From The Within” (Alive Or Just Breathing; 2002)
I got into metal full-on during college and the so-called “New Wave of American Heavy Metal” that was coming out around this time hit me like a ton of bricks. It was a full-on audible assault and I was totally up for it. MTV2 had re-introduced “Headbanger’s Ball” as I was entering my senior year of high school and it was perfect timing. Headed into college, I was on my own for the first time and I needed music to help me find my way. This was a song I found through file sharing I believe. LimeWire was all important and could help you find whatever type of music you were looking for and this was one of those that spoke to me. Heavy as hell and full of emotion in Jesse’s vocals and I was sold. This band has been hit or miss with me for years but this is one of those songs where a band really hits it out of the park. I remember being on a Christian mission retreat in the mountains of Virginia with friends and people who were uber-Christian that I didn’t see eye to eye with and blasting this song on the back porch of our cabins.

24. Therapy? – “If It Kills Me” (High Anxiety; 2003)
This was one of the best surprises of my early college years. I was only vaguely familiar with the name Therapy? I knew they were Irish and they could be really heavy, but what I could find at that stage in America was limited; they never sold a lot of records in America and most of that stuff was already out of print by this time. But Yahoo was uploading videos just about the same time YouTube was starting up and for someone wanting to watch music videos, this was a godsend. This was one of the videos I saw and I was captivated. It just shows the band playing in a white-walled room, but damn the song was outstanding and I was immediately hooked. I got my hands on a few of their Nineties records as quickly as I could but there was something about this song that sucked me in. Eventually I got my hands on the album and while I was underwhelmed by the disc as a whole, it just made this song stand out even more. Being able to hear something fresh for the first time is a feeling that never leaves and this is a prime example of that!

23. Pearl Jam – “Given To Fly” (Yield; 1998)
Yield was the first Pearl Jam album I got as soon as it came out. I had to have it immediately. I just wish I had kept that cassette. I had heard this track at least once or twice but as soon as I got the record, it shot straight up the list of my favorite PJ songs and it’s still there. It’s more akin to a ballad than songs like “Jeremy” or “Hail, Hail,” but I love it regardless. Eddie’s vocals take on a sense of soaring which is appropriate given the song and it just helps the song become all that more powerful. This song is hardly ever mentioned when it comes to the band’s top songs, but it’s maintained its position on my list for a really long time. At this point, I still love songs like “Jeremy,” “Why Go” and “Animal,” but this song scratches that nostalgic itch in just the right spot. I don’t hear it very often as opposed to other PJ songs in my playlists, but when it comes on, it sounds just right no matter the moment. That’s what a good song should always be able to do.

22. Rick Nelson – “Gypsy Pilot” (Rudy The Fifth; 1971)
I knew who Ricky Nelson was from early on because I was initially a fan of his hair metal-playing sons. But as I got older and I saw a documentary about Rick and his family, I got interested more. Then in college I was reading about some of his Seventies material and I discovered this song, a deep cut if there ever was one. It’s about a pilot and the song ends with the sounds of a plane crashing. Eerily prescient considering his cause of death, right? But it’s a damn good song. There’s a little bit of country rock which was what Rick had thrown himself into by this point but there’s also a fair mix of straight up rock which helps the song immensely. Rick presents the song as if he is the narrator, the fabled gypsy pilot talking about how “when they claim my body, they won’t have much to say.” Hell of a lyric and one can’t help but think that maybe Rick may have had a sense of foreboding about how his life might end. We can only speculate of course, but damn if we didn’t get an amazing song out of him.

21. Morphine – “In Spite Of Me” (Cure For Pain; 1993)
One of the absolute most gorgeous songs ever written and it’s just mandolin and vocals. The late, great Mark Sandman could make a lot of noise with just a two-string bass, but he didn’t even need that here. Instead, he used his melodious voice and a friend playing mandolin and composed a song about a girl achieving a lot in life despite his former presence in her life. This was yet another college discovery, even though I was already somewhat familiar with the band during high school and reading about Sandman’s passing of a heart attack on stage in Italy in 1999. I can’t pinpoint the first time I heard this song but I was hooked immediately. I love Morphine, but this is the band’s number one best song and no one could tell me otherwise. It always puts me in a reflective mood whenever it comes on and it’s the type of song you wish was five times longer than it really is. Sandman and co. left a hell of a legacy and were definitely a one of a kind alternative band. I’m so glad I discovered them and have a song like this in my life.

20. America – “A Horse With No Name” (America; 1972)
I think I was probably nine or ten and was listening to the radio when I distinctly remember hearing this for the first time and I was perplexed; I’d never heard anything like it and didn’t know what to make of it. I just knew that I really, really liked it. Not long after, I must’ve seen a live TV performance from the Seventies on VH1 and I was like whoa, I love this thing. It’s probably one of the first “oldies” type of songs that I remember falling in love with. I was 15 asking for America’s Greatest Hits for Christmas. I got it, but I didn’t find a lot of similar songs that I worshipped. This song, though, is just a straight classic and holds up infinitely better than other Seventies soft rock sap by the likes of Poco or Bread. And no, I’ve never thought this song sounded like Neil Young and I hate it when that comparison is brought up; there’s a few similarities, but nothing that would’ve made me think this wasn’t America. The group’s harmonies are flawless and the song itself is fantastic and I think that’s one reason it’s held up for so long.

19. Anthrax – “In My World” (Persistence Of Time; 1990)
Now this was a find! This wasn’t on the greatest hits record I picked up in 2004; this had to wait till I picked up a two-disc anthology a few years later. This record doesn’t get the love that 1987’s Among The Living gets but dear God, the amount of heavy material on this record is devastating. This is the type of song that I drifted to when I was younger and felt like I was on my own in this world; the lyrics and Joey Belladonna’s powerful vocals just struck me at the right time in life and as I grew older and didn’t feel so alone, I didn’t rely so much on the song as I had previously, but it still continues to resonate. Thrash bands sometimes did the damnedest things with serious subject matter like suicide, depression and hopelessness and Anthrax was no exception; they absolutely nailed the subject matter here. They had always been seen as one of the goofier bands in the genre due to their love of rap and their clothing which often featured the Ninja Turtles or Tweety, but they really came into their own here and they’ve pretty much stayed in this lane ever since.

18. The Ocean Blue – “Breezing Up” (Cerulean; 1991)
Certain songs always bring up seasons and different times of the year. The Ocean Blue’s first three albums, to me, represent: fall (1989), spring (1991) and winter (1993). Their second record Cerulean always brings to mind spring and this opening track is one of the most hypnotic songs the band ever recorded. Inspired by New Wave among other genres, the band blended smooth alt rock with swirling keyboards and occasional saxophone. This song has one of the best intros ever heard; drums and keys before pushing into a guitar riff that is transcendental. It’s the type of songs that will take you places. It’s incredibly lush and serene and gives the listener the image of swimming in the middle of the ocean on a warm spring day. The song eventually was used in a 2024 J. Crew commercial promoting the U.S. swim team and it synched up perfectly and was one of the better commercials I’ve seen recently. When I went to see them in 2019, a friend was curious about who they were, as he was thinking about going so I sent him this song and he got intrigued and bought tickets and loved them. Just that type of song you could listen to forever.

17. 311 – “Prisoner” (Transistor; 1997)
It was summer of 1997 and I was watching some rock show on MTV, probably hosted by Matt Pinfield. This was how I was getting my rock fix without M2. I of course knew who 311 was because of “Down” and “All Mixed Up” from the previous year and a half. Their new album, Transistor hadn’t been out that long and the title track had been the first single and I hadn’t been that impressed. This was the second single and I probably never saw it more than once or twice total on MTV and I never remember hearing it on the radio, but it was a song that hooked me instantly. This was not a hit at all but it became my favorite song from this band and it’s their track that I undoubtedly listen to the most. It’s quick, about two and a half minutes, but the way the music connects with the vocals and feels like you should be floating in space just connected with me in a way that’s difficult to explain beyond what I’ve already written. It’s just that deep of a cut that hits in all the right ways.

16. Blind Melon – “Galaxie” (Soup; 1995)
I believe it was summer 1996 and I had found this on cassette at my nearest Sam Goody. I was interested in hearing the album after Shannon Hoon had died the previous fall. I absolutely do not recall hearing this on MTV or VH1 during its initial release in any form. Anyway, I put the cassette in my player and this song came on first. Absolutely blown away the first damn time. The riff was exceptional and the groove was perfection and I was on board immediately. It became THE song for me at the moment. I was determined to let everyone I knew know about this band and this song and over the next few years I was able to do just that. I managed to turn at least half a dozen friends onto this album and this song specifically. Years later, I got the opportunity to tell all of this to guitarist Christopher Thorn when I interviewed him. He was very gracious and appreciative that people still loved the music all those years later. What’s not to love? This is just fantastic alternative rock and should be viewed as a watermark highpoint of the genre and the era.

15. Lamb Of God – “Overlord” (VII: Strum Und Drang; 2015)
I had been a huge fan of Lamb by the time I got this record and I was as usual, really excited about this one. I had been hearing that some of Randy Blythe’s vocals took a different turn this time around and I was really psyched. When I got the disc and sat down to listen and got to this one, I was absolutely blown away. Randy was actually singing for the first time instead of his estimable growl and it absolutely killed me. The song is dramatic and the band’s absolute best track and the vocals are a main reason why. Randy can actually sing and the way he switches back and forth is something I wish a lot of other extreme metal vocalists would be able to do. The song is also one of the slowest in the band’s catalog and that also works to their advantage as they’re able to take hold of a sound they previously hadn’t really explored and what came out was dynamic and powerful as hell. There’s one more all-out metal song on this list but this is just as heavy as that and also just as powerful with quite the story to tell.

14. R.E.M. – “The One I Love” (Document; 1987)
This is one that’s been with me since I was a kid. I’d been aware of R.E.M. forever because for a while they were legitimately everywhere and you couldn’t avoid them. Over the years, this song moved heavily in the ranks until it hit its peak. It’s just one of those songs that I never ever skip and I sing along with every time it comes on. It’s absolutely infectious and one of the defining songs in their catalogue. It’s peak Eighties alt rock before Jane’s Addiction and their ilk came in and changed what alt rock would sound like. Michael’s voice and the lyrics are just magic and there’s so much conviction and power in the words it’s just awe inspiring and powerful. The power and emotion in “FIRE!” alone is worth the price of admission; it’s just one of those musical moments that stays with you forever. A lot of people say R.E.M’s peak was 1986-1992 and I’m one of those, but they still continued cranking out good material. Some people live for “Everybody Hurts” or “Losing My Religion,” but this is the real shit; the real R.E.M. that fans will continue to live for throughout eternity.

13. Alice in Chains – “Would?” (Dirt; 1992)
I definitively remember hearing about Alice through MTV. I couldn’t get away from “Man In The Box,” “Them Bones” and this classic. I probably became a fan of Alice before all the other bands, with Pearl Jam being a close second. I couldn’t get enough of the music and particularly Layne’s vocals. This song was an immediate and early favorite as I was coming into realizing what kind of music I really liked. As I went further through school, I met a lot of people who were really into this band. I even lent the band’s 1999 boxset to a classmate in like 10th grade and he came back raving about everything he’d heard. In 2026, it’s still one of my go-to songs and every time it comes on, I have to crank the volume and sing to my heart’s content. It’s hard not to with a song this kickass and important. Alice has always been one of those bands that those first four years or so stand as their absolute pinnacle and that hasn’t changed. The later records with Duvall are fine but Layne will forever be remembered as one of those dynamic, one in a million kind of frontmen and this song stands as the textbook example.

12. Violent Femmes – “Country Death Song” (Hallowed Ground; 1984)
The fabled library! I can’t recall if the Pamunkey Library had this on CD or cassette but whichever way, around 1999-2000, I checked it out. I only vaguely only knew about the Femmes because of “Blister In The Sun” but I figured I’d give their second album a listen. Maybe one or two listens and I was hooked, particularly on this song. Written by Gordon Gano in study hall in high school, it’s a religious allegory of a farmer who decides to take one of his fine young daughters and toss her into a bottomless well and subsequently hang himself in a barn. The stuff every 10th grader wants to listen to! Add to this, that I was the water boy for the football team for a minute. Imagine being on a bus of a sports team and jamming out to this on your headset. The storytelling in Gano’s lyrics, the banjo by Tony Trischka, Victor’s incessant percussion and the steady riff of Brian Ritchie, it all comes together and it sounds absolutely amazing. This album was what opened my brain to the magic of the Femmes, but this record (and song) is still their peak in my opinion.

11. Faith No More – “King For A Day” (King For A Day/Fool For A Lifetime; 1995)
An overlooked sleeper of a record, but not for this fan. I got this record for my ninth birthday and while I wasn’t immediately blown away, given a few more years, it became one of my favorites. The band I feel, intentionally shot themselves in the foot by following a schizophrenic record such as Angel Dust with something so seemingly straightforward and out of sorts, particularly for 1995. This song, stuck dead center in the record, was something completely different. A six-minute magnum opus, it wasn’t like everything else on the disc and that’s one thing that made it stand out for someone who was just discovering their love of this band. The song only got better as the years wore on and though I love this whole album, it’s probably one of about five songs that I continually go back to over and over again. The keyboards (one of the few songs on the album with them present at all) and Patton’s smooth, subdued vocals are key to what makes the song so damn good. Quite a good singalong too if you’re one of those that feels like singing along with Mike Patton is cool.

10. Love – “Always See Your Face” (Four Sail; 1969)
I must’ve seen High Fidelity early on in college and discovered to my delight that my college library had a copy of the soundtrack. I was only faintly aware of Love; this was the time I was just hearing The Damned doing “Alone Again Or” and I wanted more. This was a song that at the time wasn’t as heralded or regarded as their earlier catalogue. This was the album recorded with a new lineup in a warehouse put out by Elektra to finalize their contracts with the past. This is the sound of Arthur Lee breaking free from the overall feel and vibe of psychedelia and trying again, searching for a new sound. There’s such a simplicity in this song; it’s really hard to establish when this became such a favorite but it’s one of those songs on this list that whenever I hear it, the biggest shit eating grin comes over my face. I’ve been browsing at 2nd and Charles and heard this over the store PA and I had to do all in my power to not sing every lyric at top volume; it’s just that powerful for me and it will forever remain that way.

09. Counting Crows – “Colorblind” (Cruel Intentions soundtrack; 1999)
Hate all you want; Adam Duritz and his ridiculous hair made some good music in the ’90s. I tend to not listen to anything they’ve done after that abysmal “Big Yellow Taxi” cover, but we still have three albums worth of great stuff. This was a song that was first released on the Cruel Intentions movie soundtrack in spring of 1999 alongside The Verve, Placebo and Massive Attack, but was also included on their third album released that fall. It’s a rather simple song: Charles Gillingham’s solemn piano and Duritz’s vocals; sometimes that’s all you need to create a masterpiece. Doesn’t have all that overwrought emotion that Duritz could be found rather guilty of,; instead he turned in one of the most subtle, almost mournful vocal performances of his career. This is now their sixth most streamed song on Spotify with good reason, it has crossed that threshold from being a song that just fans love to the type of song that all music lovers could discover and become enthralled with. I never expected a Crows song to be this high, but I just get all those good feelings whenever I hear it and it’s that type of song that I want to hear in between all the heaviness.

08. Harry Chapin – “Sniper” (Sniper And Other Love Songs; 1972)
Yes, a good ol’ song about the mind of a mass murderer from the singer of “Taxi” and “Cats In The Cradle.” Charles Whitman was a Marine in Texas who lost his mind one summer and in the course of a day, murdered his wife and mother, climbed the clock tower at the University of Texas and killed 15 more before being taken out by police. Chapin was a struggling singer/songwriter when this occurred and took the time to pen a near ten-minute epic about the mind of a mass shooter, decades before it became an all-too-common occurrence. Sung from the narrator’s perspective, it’s one of the darkest songs ever made in the history of popular music And I love it. I became aware of Chapin during the late Nineties watching Behind The Music,  but I wasn’t aware of this song; that didn’t come until college when I was able to start reading more about true crime and the story of Whitman came up and I learned there was a song about it. Didn’t expect it to be from such a sometime hokey singer, but hey, he could nail dramatic when he wanted to. Dark, creepy, foreboding; just a damn good song and an amazing listen.

07. Mother Love Bone – “Chloe Dancer/Crown Of Thorns” (Shine EP; 1989)
This is another song brought to me courtesy of the Singles soundtrack. I was enthralled with Pearl Jam and once I knew there had been a previous band, I wanted to know more about them. Flushed with the success of PJ, Mother Love Bone’s label released a compilation of their recordings in 1992 and I had to have it. I wished I had kept that cassette, but I fell in love with this band. The first three songs on that album blew my mind and then I came upon this and I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. There was something about the overall composition of the song, Andy Wood’s lush, beautiful vocals and subtle piano playing and the story he was telling; ostensibly about his girlfriend. Andy has been gone 36 long years now and I still wonder what he would’ve accomplished. He had barely even gotten started before he unfortunately succumbed to his drug habit. Another one of those “what could have been” scenarios, but he left us with some unbelievable music and while this eight-minute masterpiece is hard to appreciate in one sitting, once you take the time, you’ll never hear music the same way again.

06. Harry Nilsson – “The Moonbeam Song” (Nilsson Schmilsson; 1971)
“Have you ever watched a moonbeam? As it slid across your window pane…” Nilsson’s vocals on this track from his breakthrough in 1971 opened my eyes to the majesty of early Seventies pop music, and not the Tony Orlando shit I’d previously been exposed to. This was the type of music that was completely different from the metal and alt rock I’d been absorbing. I was familiar with things I had liked from that era (America, Chapin, Croce) but this was different. This was like hearing my number one song for the first time. I became a diehard Nilsson fan and around the same time discovered Badfinger, among others and my horizons were broadened within a few months’ time. This is, hands down, one of the prettiest songs I’ve ever heard and the way Nilsson hits those high notes as the song begins to fade is just immaculate. Songs like this didn’t come around that much and were certainly not heard in 1971 unless you were still listening to the Beatles. To me, Nilsson was on an entirely different wavelength than the rest of the pop world and it would take decades for the world to catch up.

05. Metallica – “One” (…And Justice For All; 1988)
I was watching MTV pretty heavily by the time I was about six and it literally had to be policed as to when I could watch. Somewhere between 1992-1994, I saw this video. Metallica were legitimately one of the four biggest bands on the planet at that point so there was no avoiding them. I wasn’t as familiar with this song but I quickly grew to love it. As I got older and I got more of an understanding of the song’s meaning, it blew my mind. In high school, I read “Johnny Got His Gun” and it left me shellshocked. Despite the lack of audible bass, the song is the darkest and heaviest song I’ve come across and that’s one reason why I love it so damn much. Say what you want about Lars but damn he really carries the whole song with that beat. Hetfield’s delivery can’t be matched and the guitars are legitimately scary with their intensity. Metallica cemented their reputation on this album, before they blew up into superstars, and while most people feel the music isn’t as strong these days there’s no denying the power they had in their prime.

04. The Judybats – “Saturday” (Down In The Shacks Where The Satellite Dishes Grow; 1992)
As previously stated, I became a diehard of this band during my college days. I must have been out of college by the time I got my hands on their second record. It hadn’t sold as well and there weren’t used copies readily available everywhere. The record can be a bit of a slog but this song piqued my interest in ways most of the album couldn’t reach. Life in a small town on a Saturday and the travails of running into a girl you had a crush on at the corner store. I grew up and still live in a small town (bite me Mellencamp), but the town that my birth father grew up in was pathetically small. Even came with a corner store that sold live bait. The lyrical imagery of frontman Jeff Heiskell was something to behold and it’s on pure display on this track. Barely promoted as a single without even a video that probably could’ve been amazing, the song went unsold and seemingly unloved. I have talked to numerous members of this band and I will never stop going out of my way to let the world know how much I love this band and this fantastic song.

03. The Damned – “Life Goes On” (Strawberries; 1982)
This was an odd one. I of course loved The Damned, probably my favorite off all the British punk bands and I had discovered them in college which helped me discover all the songs I thought I needed to know. But this was 2014 and I was reading an article from “Entertainment Weekly” with comedian Fred Armisen where he talked about his favorite bands and records. This was one of them; I wasn’t familiar with the song at all so off I went to YouTube. Four minutes later, I felt like my life was forever changed. A more melancholic song delivered by the irreverent Captain Sensible in one of his straightest performances. It’s a tour de force by the Captain and the whole band. One of the most dynamic performances by a punk band I’ve ever heard. I must’ve listened to the song ten more times that evening; completely bowled over and mesmerized by this amazing 30-plus year old track. I feel like the reverence for this track has been steadily growing ever since and it’s amazing to see people discover this thing of beauty and hold it up for the masterpiece it truly is.

02. Faith No More – “Ashes To Ashes” (Album Of The Year; 1997)
I got this album the week after it came out on cassette from my nearest Sam Goody as my mom and pop record shop hadn’t received it yet. It’s a memory I still retain every second of and I treasure it. In the fall of that year, I remember watching what was called a “sample hour” of M2 and seeing the video for this song; I was overjoyed seeing a FNM video on TV and loved the song immediately. I liked it already from the album, but enjoying it on my television almost transported me. In the years since, it became the be-all end-all song from FNM for me. It’s the song I want played when I die, blasting from the speakers of a church or cathedral for all to hear. Patton’s vocals are as soulful as they ever got and the music is understated, with plenty of laid-back guitar and beautiful keyboard work that really helps sell the song. Damn shame it wasn’t more massive as it really should’ve been. I’ve been asked before what my favorite FNM song is. This wasn’t it for a while, but the more I’ve thought, I keep going back to this one.

01. Gin Blossoms – “Found Out About You” (New Miserable Experience; 1992)
Here it is. The primero numero uno, the big kahuna, the top dog… I have written extensively about this song and why it’s my favorite. Check it out here: Perfect Sound Forever: GIN BLOSSOMS' GREATEST SONG. I became aware of this song by the time it became a single in early 1994. I remember seeing it on VH1 and just losing my mind. Even then I thought it was the best damn song I’d ever heard. There’s something about Doug Hopkins’ forlorn lyrics, Robin Wilson’s vocal and the way the music intertwines with it all. It’s the perfect combination of lyric, melody and music in one delicious package. I would have to say this has been the number one since I was in high school. There’s been quite a few to try and make their way to the top, but they’ve never been successful. Another of my cherished memories is hearing the band perform this live with my mother in attendance around 2013 in Richmond, VA. Something about hearing your favorite song performed live in front of you is something to behold. It’s something that never leaves you; just like this song. I never tire of this song and I still get chills when it comes on; I hope I never lose that feeling.

This is what great music does; it brings back memories and makes you remember about where you were when you first heard it—what you were doing and where you were in your life at any given time. As I enter my 40th year, I can’t help but smile at a lot of these memories and hope that the joy that music has brought me never leaves; that it only keeps growing and that I may continue to find new songs to eventually add to this list.