I swear i'll be writing more in 2014

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

The Top 100 Songs of 1993

Phish! Widespread! Dave Matthews! Blues Traveler!  The titans of jam at the apex of their relevance!  If you ask me, this is going to be one helluva year.  It kind of makes me want to go to the HORDE Festival right now.  1993 is also the last great year for rap music.  You can tell it's dying by every single song maintaining a one-line hook chorus.  Oh, and Wu-Tang ain’t nuttin’ ta fuck with. 

100.  Come to My Window – Melissa Etheridge (Rock)93

With this song, it’s the unofficial start to the “Roaring Women of the 90s” genre.  Yes, there may have been some already, but this kitten’s got claws. 

99.  Disarm – Smashing Pumpkins (Alternative)93

What I choose is my choice is a fabulous line. 

98.  Come Clean – Jeru the Damaja (Rap)93

If anything, this song has to be included because of the way he spells “Damager”. 

97.  Cool Like the Blues – Justin Warfield (Rap)93
96.  Henry Parsons Died – Widespread Panic (Jam Rock)93
95.  I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles) – The Proclaimers (Pop Rock)93
94.  Rocket – Smashing Pumpkins (Distorted)93
93.  Slam – Onyx (Rap)93

It’s too bad “grimy” never took off because then my hands would be less burdensome.  Onyx deserves a roster spot just for having a song that goes, “Me and Jack, the black vagina finda” (I’m pretty sure I have to spell “finder” incorrectly there).

92.  Indifference – Pearl Jam (Psychedelic Rock)93
91.  Fast Enough For You – Phish (Country)93

I wish there were more lyrics, but this is a nice soothing song. 

90.  The Wu-Tang Clan Isn’t Anything To Mess With – Wu-Tang Clan (Rap)93

Gotta say that in a really white voice. 

89.  Feed the Tree – Belly (Alternative)93
88.  God Lives Through – A Tribe Called Quest (Rap)93

It seems like all Tribe does on Midnight Marauders is come up with a hook to start a song and rap a few verses and then call it.  It’s a little disappointed coming from the band who says “rap is not pop and if you call it that then stop.”

87.  She Kissed Me – Terence Trent D’Arby (Hard Rock)93

I’m not exactly sure what D’Arby is trying to prove with this one, but it’s fun to go on the ride. 

86.  Pleas – Widespread Panic (Jam Rock)93
85.  Lemon – U2 (Alternative)93
84.  Rooster – Alice In Chains (Grunge)93
83.  Fallin – De La Soul & Teenage Fanclub (Rap)93
82.  K Sera Sera – Justin Warfield (Rap)93
81.  Leash – Pearl Jam (Grunge)93
80.  Tripping Billies – Dave Matthews Band (Jam Rock)93

These jammers are the antithesis to grunge. They’re the punk compared to the disco of their era. 

79.  Diner – Widespread Panic (Jam Rock)93
78.  The Wanderer (feat. Johnny Cash) – U2 (Electronic)93
77.  Protect Ya Neck – Wu-Tang Clan (Rap)93
76.  Hazy – Built to Spill (Progressive Rock)93

Here you have a band that jams, but is more depressed about it, so they’re not really part of the hippie movement.  You’d be depressed to if you were from Idaho. 

75.  Where’s Sly – Medeski, Martin and Wood (Jazz)93
74.  Pilot Can At the Queer of God – The Flaming Lips (Psychedelic Rock)93
73.  All I Wanna Do – Sheryl Crow (Pop Rock)93

I can’t believe this song is nearly 20 years old.  Rock me sexy Jesus. 

72.  Save His Soul – Blues Traveler (Jam Rock)93
71.  Dumb – Nirvana (Alternative)93
70.  Dissident – Pearl Jam (Grunge)93
69.  Oh My Pregnant Head – Flaming Lips (Psychedelic Rock)93
68.  Break’em off Some – Cypress Hill (Rap)93
67.  My Name Is Mud – Primus (Distorted)93
66.  Ants Marching – Dave Matthews Band (Jam Rock)93

I like Dave in his innocent years, meaning, I haven’t heard University of Tampa’s Fraternities (without Frat houses) blare them yet in 1993, so they’re still not ruined.  I don’t think that happened to me until about 1996. 

65.  Open Up – Leftfield (House)93

Best way to get me to like house music?  Keep it short. 

64.  Numb – U2 (Industrial)93

Side Fact: I have three U2 songs on my 1993 list and only 1 of them is sung by Bono. 

63.  Who Am I? – Snoop Dogg (Rap)93
62.  City Sickness – Tindersticks (Alternative)93

These guys almost sound like Leonard Cohen. 

61.  Fisherman’s Grotto – Justin Warfield (Rap)93
60.  Shuck It Up – Medeski, Martin & Wood (Jazz)93

It must be tough playing great jazz in an era when no one cares about it except hippies. 

59.  Down With the King – Run DMC (Rap)93

This song sounds surprisingly fresh, which I wouldn’t expect from a Run DMC song in 1993. 

58.  Laid – James (Alternative)93

Is this song only a big deal because of the line “she only comes when she’s on top?”

57.  Syeeda’s Song Flute – Medeski, Martin and Wood (Jazz)93
56.  Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge on Seattle – Nirvana (Grunge)93
55.  Pets – Porno For Pyros (Alternative)93
54.  Electric Relaxation – A Tribe Called Quest (Rap)93

I like them black, brown, Puerto Rican and Haitian

53.  For Tomorrow – Blur (Rock)93
52.  Thoughts in Buttermilk – Justin Warfield (Rap)93
51.  6’1” – Liz Phair (Alternative)93

Here’s something new I learned today.  Liz Phair’s first album is a song for song response to the Stone’s classic Exile on Main Street.  That kind of gimmick makes me almost want to buy the album.  This song is pretty good so it may happen. 

50.  Human Behaviour – Bjork (Electronic)93
49.  My Friend, My Friend – Phish (Progressive Rock)93
48.  Lodi Dodi – Snoop Dogg (Rap)93

It’s probably not as good as Slick Rick’s version, but it’s definitely not as sloppy. 

47.  Serve the Servants – Nirvana (Grunge)93
46.  Daughter – Pearl Jam (Rock)93
45.  The Wedge – Phish (Jam Rock)93
44.  50ft Queenie – PJ Harvey (Distorted)93
43.  Blow Out – Radiohead (Distorted)93

Some hints of the future on this one. 

42.  Method Man – Wu Tang Clan (Rap)93

It’d be much better if it didn’t take nearly two minutes of them screwing around before the song started.  I love the sketch, but it needs to be a separate track or something so it can be skipped.  A big problem with rap is these sketches age so horribly. 

41.  Turn It On – Flaming Lips (Distorted)93

It’s incredible that it’s only 1993 and they’ve already made a bunch of great music.  Now it’s 2011, and they’re still making great music … with some bad moments here and there.  That’s very hard to do. 

40.  Mr. Krinkle – Primus (Distorted)93

People think Phish is weird because they dressed up like chickens or some shit, but seriously in the first half of the 90s, EVERYONE was doing it! (Every Scottish person does it!)

39.  Rearviewmirror – Pearl Jam (Grunge)93
38.  Ain’t Going Out Like That – Cypress Hill (Rap)93

I’m not pointing a finger here at Cypress Hill, but 1993 seems to be the year in which rap just becomes finding a hook and a groovy bass line and not doing too much else. 

37.  Da Mystery of Chess Boxin – Wu-Tang Clan (Rap)93

Like cocaine, straight from Bolivia

36.  B-Boys on Acid – Justin Warfield (Rap)93

Sometimes all you have to do with rap is reference a bunch of cool things hippies like and you cross over.  This dude now heads She Wants Revenge if you’re scoring at home.  

35.  One Sweet World – Dave Matthews Band (Jam Rock)93
34.  The Horse>Silent In the Morning – Phish (Slow Rock)93
33.  Insane in the Brain – Cypress Hill (Rap)93
32.  Fuzzy – Grant Lee Buffalo (Alt-Country)93
31.  Mo Ti Mo – Medeski, Martin & Wood (Jam Rock)93

This King Sunny Ade cover may sound boring to some, but if you’re looking for something “chill”, this led to a birth of Medeski songs in which they took a cover and went “chill” with it. 

30.  C.R.E.A.M. – Wu-Tang Clan (Rap)93

Dollar, dollar bill y’all

29.  Animal – Pearl Jam (Grunge)93
28.  Fade Into You – Mazzy Star (Slow Rock)93

I’m glad I missed this song in the 90s because I really enjoy it now. 

27.  Very Ape – Nirvana (Grunge)93

If you know a man named Owen Meats, and he plays this song for you, it automatically catapults it a few notches higher than it probably should be. 

26.  Anyone Can Play Guitar – Radiohead (Distorted)93

Radiohead’s first album isn’t that good, which is shocking because pretty much the rest of them are. 

25.  Are You Gonna Go My Way – Lenny Kravitz (Hard Rock)93
24.  Elderly Woman Behind the Counter – Pearl Jam (Folk Rock)93
23.  Heart-Shaped Box – Nirvana (Grunge)93
22.  Tha Shiznit – Snoop Dog (Rap)93

Here’s another rap song that’s great, you just have to get past some nonsense in the beginning. 

21.  Horn – Phish (Jam Rock)93

The guitar solo in this one is beautiful. 

20.  Clan in da Front – Wu-Tang Clan (Rap)93

Sometimes I think I just like these guys because Dave Chappelle sketches, but then the song finally kicks in (after a couple minutes of shenanigans mind you) and it’s great. 

19.  Minarets – Dave Matthews Band (World)93

The snake rising horns on this probably make it, but either way, it’s an incredible song.  It’s hard to believe Dave used to be more than a pop sensation. 

18.  Award Tour – A Tribe Called Quest (Rap)93

It’s kind of sad in a way, but even though this is a great song, you can tell Tribe has started to lose their mojo in 1993.  So goes the life of a rap act, even the great ones, great for a few years then it's over. 

17.  Gin and Juice – Snoop Dogg (Rap)93

In the early 2000s, there was a controversy over who played the hillbilly version of this classic.  It was not Phish.  It wasn’t String Cheese.  It wasn’t a lot of hippie bands.  It was a band called The Gourds, who's best known for covering Snoop Dogg's "Gin and Juice." 

16.  Tearz – Wu-Tang Clan (Rap)93

Wu-Tang’s debut album can probably go round for round with almost any other rap album out there. 

15.  I Want to Get High – Cypress Hill (Rap)93

Do you think Cypress Hill ever got into a bong hitting competition with Snoop Dogg or The Pharcyde? 

14.  Today – Smashing Pumpkins (Grunge)93

The guitar texturing qualifies this as grunge for sure, but it seems to be a happy song which would disqualify it.  It seems hopeful.  Then again, I may be missing the point of this song completely because aside from the chorus, I don’t know the lyrics. 

13.  I Love You Mary Jane – Cypress Hill w/ Sonic Youth (Rap)93

Cypress Hill should’ve recorded their whole next album with Sonic Youth after the Judgment Night collaboration.  I doubt Sonic Youth probably would have though because they’re really not doing too much here, well, aside from helping make this song incredible. 

12.  She Don’t Use Jelly – The Flaming Lips (Distorted)93
11.  Pennyroyal Tea – Nirvana (Grunge)93

Here’s another “pure depression” favorite of mine.  Nirvana and Elliott Smith are quite good at that. 

10.  Rebirth of Slick – Digable Planets (Rap)93

Can’t this song just be called “Cool Like That?”  I understand they put it in parenthesis and what not, but c’mon.  Its 1993, year of the rap hook!  Use it as a title and sell more records baby! 

9.  Hits From the Bong – Cypress Hill (Rap)93

It’s too bad that Cypress Hill’s two great pot songs from this album are both under 3 minutes rendering them very difficult to actually get high too. 

8.  Sober – Tool (Distorted)93

These guys are one of those bands that people go mental over.  I’ve never been a huge fan of off-times, and technical rock so I haven’t listened to them much.  Ultimately, they’re one of those bands I respect but have never found a space of my life I’d like to share with them. 

7.  Rift – Phish (Jam Rock)93

This one has a certain magic to it.  The verses may be a little hokey, but the music … ahh, the music.  

6.  Cannonball – The Breeders (Distorted)93

What’s great about miscommunication is I never knew Kim Deal was a Pixie.  Researching this to confirm, I clicked on who’s responsible for the video which was partially directed by Kim Gordon of Sonic Youth fame.  I almost used this space to taunt an anonymous friend that the Breeders “chick” was in fact from Sonic Youth, due to my misclicking. 

5.  All Apologies – Nirvana (Grunge)93

This song got more popular a little bit later, more towards the acoustic performance, and naturally his death.  It’s weird how when musicians die, certain songs of theirs take over.  This is the Kurt Cobain death song.  Michael Jackson had “Man in the Mirror’ and I’m not sure there have been any other musician deaths that were that big of a deal.   I think the acoustic version of this song may be better. 

4.  Loser – Beck (Distorted)93

In a very creative time for music, Beck seems to trump them all.  It’s hard to label this one. 

3.  Go – Pearl Jam (Grunge)93

It always seems like Pearl Jam puts most of their energy into the albums first track and the rest of the album never reaches that peak. 

2.  Cherub Rock – Smashing Pumpkins (Grunge)93

This is one of those Smashing Pumpkins songs (my favorite) that mistakenly gets mislabeled as being grunge because it’s grunge. 

1.  Maze – Phish (Jam Rock)93

1993 is the year Phish sounds better than everyone else.  It’s no coincidence that’s the same year they got big.  

1 comment:

  1. Man, this is the year that live music started becoming relevant to me! -DCG

    ReplyDelete