For those of a certain age, it can be hard to come to grips with the fact that rock music from the 1990s can be classified today as classic rock. For some it feels like those days were just yesterday with MTV, alternative rock radio, and grunge bands hitting the scene. Ah, how time flies.
But the truth of the matter is the 1990s was three-plus decades ago and there are many people alive today who have no memory of when songs from the decade were brand new. Today, they are examples of retro music. Classic rock. And here below, we wanted to explore a trio of those tunes that still stand the test of time today.
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“Under the Bridge” by Red Hot Chili Peppers from Blood Sugar Sex Magik (1991)
It’s a weird thing to say a song about drug use is supremely cool, but this song is supremely cool. Thankfully for all its pop and rock prowess, the song also illustrates how dark and dangerous drug use can be. The scene that lead singer Anthony Kiedis paints is not one you’d want to find yourself in. But the epic quality of this track from the Los Angeles-born band and its staying power make it one of the most representative and important songs of the 1990s. On the song, Kiedis sings,
Is where I drew some blood
(Under the bridge downtown)
I could not get enough
(Under the bridge downtown)
Forgot about my love
(Under the bridge downtown)
I gave my life away
“Champagne Supernova” by Oasis from (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? (1996)
A masterclass in composition, this song from the British-born band Oasis showcases just how talented the group was. Not only were they known for their brash, often argumentative behavior, but when it came down to it the band, especially Noel Gallagher, knew how to write music. This song swells and sways, explodes and expands. It really is a supernova, a galaxy of sounds and performance prowess. And on the song, lead singer Liam Gallagher sings,
How many special people change
How many lives are living strange
Where were you while we were getting high?
Slowly walking down the hall
Faster than a cannon ball
Where were you while we were getting high?
Some day you will find me
Caught beneath the landslide
In a champagne supernova in the sky
Some day you will find me
Caught beneath the landslide
In a champagne supernova
A champagne supernova in the sky
“Zombie” by The Cranberries from No Need to Argue (1994)
An anti-war song at it’s best, this song from the Irish-born band The Cranberries has garnered more than 1.5 billion streams on YouTube, alone. The song was written to point out the violence and deaths that were the direct result from the time period known as The Troubles in Northern Ireland, a conflict that lasted from 1960 to 1998. And on the iconic, well-known track, lead vocalist (and the song’s author) Dolores O’Riordan, sings,
Another head hangs lowly
Child is slowly taken
And the violence caused such silence
Who are we mistaken
But you see it’s not me
It’s not my family
In your head, in your head
They are fighting
With their tanks and their bombs
And their bombs and their guns
In your head, in your head
They are cryin’
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