My 300 Favorite Alternative Songs of the Nineties, #201-250

When we think of MTV, most of us conjure up memories of cheaply made, cheesy videos and the heyday of the channel. But, MTV was at its peak powers in the Nineties. They were riding the pop cultural waves, fully in touch with all the stars of the Nineties rock world. During the decade, one could go to the channel to see 2pac, Nirvana, Mariah Carey and all of the other stars of the decade.

Heady times, that’s what the Nineties were. The Nineties gave us our last rock stars ever, such as Foo Fighters’ Dave Grohl, Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong and Dr. Dre, who have grabbed the rock and roll torch and run with it. But, that decade gave us the first glimpse of the world of indie rock’s anti-rock stars, like Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain, Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder, and many of the big rap stars of the day, who all eschewed the trappings of rock royalty and tried to forge a new way of living in the digital age.

By the end of the decade, with the advent of the internet and Dick Clark’s prophesy from the Seventies of everyone having access to a huge library of music that would make radio obsolete coming true, music stopped being a communal thing. Now, it is totally an individual choice. Like a song? Download it and forget the album. Don’t want to pay outrageous prices for an electronic file, then download illegally yet for free. The genie is out of the bottle now, and rock music will never be the same. No longer will college kids gather in dorm rooms to listen to the latest Prince or Springsteen release, like we did when I was in college. No longer will festivals like Woodstock will cater to the group with one stage and some “magic”. Now, people might listen to the latest Kesha song on their phones, or go to Bonaroo and move from stage to stage to tent in order to find some music you might want to enjoy. We now live in a world that would make Ayn Rand happy. where the individual is celebrated over the group.

Currently, music is in a transition period. I am not sure if we will ever have another moment in music where we are all brought together. In the Fifties, it was Elvis Presley on TV shaking his hip. In the early-Sixties, it was the Beatles on TV or the collective acid-fried memories of a few that glorified Woodstock. After those moments in time, the big events paled in comparison. In the Seventies, there was Elton John on In Concert or KISS on American Bandstand or The Band on Saturday Night Live. And, the Eighties had Live Aid, Madonna writhing on the stage floor of the first MTV Music Video Awards show and Michael Jackson moonwalking across the stage during the Motown 25 anniversary show. And, in the Nineties, MTV brought us together every day for the brilliant videos being produced.

Yes, the individual rules today. But, I still believe in the power of music to pull people together. Adele sells a bundle of CDs, but she hasn’t brought up together. Vinyl record sales are on the rise, but I expect that bubble to burst soon. But, I do not collect music for monetary value. I collect it for the enjoyment and the empowerment music gives me.

Now that I finally got that off my chest, let’s dig in to the next fifty songs on my list of My 300 Favorite Alternative Songs of the Nineties. Let the countdown roll on!

201. The Chemical Brothers – “Block Rockin’ Beats” (1997)

202. The Presidents of the United States of America – “Peaches” (1995)

203. Spacehog – “In the Meantime” (1996)

204. Neneh Cherry with Michael Stipe – “Trout” (1992)

205. Nirvana – “Where Did You Sleep Last Night” (1994)

206. Belly – “Gepeto” (1993)

207. L7 – “Pretend We’re All Dead” (1992)

208. Babes in Toyland – “Sweet 69” (1995)

209. Blur – “Girls & Boys” (1994)

210. R.E.M. – “At My Most Beautiful” (1998)

211. Teenage Fanclub – “Metal Baby” (1991)

212. Hole – “Celebrity Skin” (1998)

213. Beastie Boys – “Intergalactic” (1998)

214. Sister Hazel – “All for You” (1997)

215. Mazzy Star – “Fade into You” (1993)

216. Neutral Milk Hotel – “In the Aeroplane Over the Sea” (1998)

217. Helmet – “Unsung” (1992)

218. R.E.M. – “Electrolite” (1996)

219. Weezer – “Say It Ain’t So” (1994)

220. 10,000 Maniacs – “These Are the Days” (1992)

221. Red Hot Chili Peppers – “Otherside” (1999)

222. Candlebox – “Far Behind” (1993)

223. Primal Scream – “Movin’ on Up” (1991)

224. The Cranberries – “Zombie” (1994)

225. The Sundays – “Here’s Where the Story Ends” (1990)

226. Tori Amos – “God” (1994)

227. Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians – “So You Think You’re in Love” (1991)

228. Supergrass – “Caught by the Fuzz” (1994)

229. U2 – “Staring at the Sun” (1997)

230. White Town – “Your Woman” (1997)

231. Fugazi – “Bed for the Scraping” (1995)

232. Cocteau Twins – “Iceblink Luck” (1990)

233. Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds – “Do You Love Me?” (1994)

234. Nirvana – “In Bloom” (1993)

235. Sloan – “The Good in Everyone” (1996)

236. Material Issue – “Goin’ Through Your Purse” (1994)

237. Son Volt – “Drown” (1995)

238. 7 Year Bitch – “M.I.A.” (1994)

239. Pearl Jam – “Breath” (1992)

240. The Offspring – “Pretty Fly for a White Guy” (1998)

241. Ween – “Freedom of ‘76” (1994)

242. PJ Harvey – “50ft Queenie” (1993)

243. U2 – “Discotheque” (1997)

244. The Lemonheads – “My Buddy” (1992)

245. Bush – “Glycerine” (1994)

246. Gin Blossoms – “Hey Jealousy” (1994)

247. Afghan Whigs – “Gentlemen” (1993)

248. Lou Reed – “What’s Good” (1992)

249. Ash – “Goldfinger” (1996)

250. Sonic Youth – “Kool Thing” (1990)

And, that does it for today. We have completed 100 songs so far. I know HERC is mad at me after I placed a couple of his favorites on my first list. Anyone else upset? Let me know in the comment section! If not, thanks for reading! Peace out dawgs! (Yeah, I said it! So what?!?! HAHAHAHA!!!!)