Best Grunge Song
Grunge music emerged from the Pacific Northwest in the late 1980s, replacing the outrageous styles and slick solos of hair metal with grinding guitars, growling vocals, and ample ennui. The so-called Seattle Sound broke into the mainstream via bands like Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains, Soundgarden, Hole, and others, before fading away after just a few years. While the genre’s cultural footprint may have been brief, if you were a disaffected young person in 1990s America, grunge was likely part of the soundtrack of your life. Now, more than 30 years after we all pretended not to care, the Great Pop Culture Debate is donning our flannel and attempting to name the Best Grunge Song.
Songs discussed: “Smells Like Teen Spirit” by Nirvana, “Man in the Box” by Alice in Chains, “Jeremy” by Pearl Jam, “Bullet with Butterfly Wings” by Smashing Pumpkins, “Even Flow” by Pearl Jam, “Cannonball” by Breeders, “Everlong” by Foo Fighters, “Glycerine” by Bush, “Black Hole Sun” by Soundgarden, “Down by the Water” by PJ Harvey, “Doll Parts” by Hole, “Heart-Shaped Box” by Nirvana, “Today” by Smashing Pumpkins, “Pretend We’re Dead” by L7, “Seether” by Veruca Salt, “Interstate Love Song” by Stone Temple Pilots
Join host Eric Rezsnyak and GPCD panelists and fellow 90s teens Jim Czadzeck, Joelle Boedecker, and Karissa Kloss as they discuss and debate 16 songs that spawned from the Seattle Sound.
Play along at home by finding the listener bracket here. Make a copy for yourself, fill it out, and see if your picks match up with ours!
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Round 1 Match-Ups:
Not a Patreon subscriber? Here’s a primer on how we came up with the bracket.
Match-Up 1: “Smells Like Teen Spirit” by Nirvana (1) vs. “Man the Box” by Alice in Chains (4)
Match-Up 2: “Jeremy” by Pearl Jam (3) vs. “Bullet with Butterfly Wings” by Smashing Pumpkins (2)
Match-Up 3: “Even Flow” by Pearl Jam (1) vs. “Cannonball” by The Breeders (4)
Match-Up 4: “Everlong” by Foo Fighters (3) vs. “Glycerine” by Bush (2)
Match-Up 5: “Black Hole Sun” by Soundgarden (1) vs. “Down by the Water” by PJ Harvey (4)
Match-Up 6: “Doll Parts” by Hole (3) vs. “Heart-Shaped Box” by Nirvana (2)
Match-Up 7: “Today” by Smashing Pumpkins (1) vs. “Pretend We’re Dead” by L7 (4)
Match-Up 8: “Seether” by Veruca Salt (3) vs. “Interstate Love Song” by Stone Temple Pilots (2)
Want a playlist of all the nominated songs, as well as some additional grunge/alternative picks from the panel? You can find it here on Spotify, or find it here:
Want to play along at home?
Download the Listener Bracket and see if your picks match up with ours!
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Episode Credits
Host: Eric Rezsnyak
Panelists: Jim Czadzeck, Joelle Boedecker, Karissa Kloss
Producer: Bob Erlenback
Editor: Jim Czadzeck
Theme Music: “Dance to My Tune” by Marc Torch
