3 Grunge Songs From the 1990s You Won’t Ever Forget, No Matter When You Hear Them

In the early 1990s, grunge music was everywhere. The rock subgenre born in the Pacific Northwest was inescapable. If you turned on MTV, if you turned on the radio, chances were you’d immediately hear a dreary guitar-driven song.

Here below, we wanted to highlight three grunge tracks from back in the day that have stuck with us beyond the craze. Indeed, these are three grunge songs from the 1990s you won’t ever forget no matter when you hear them.

“Come As You Are” by Nirvana from ‘Nevermind’ (1991)

While there may be some Nirvana songs that come more quickly to mind when thinking of the famed grunge trio, “Come As You Are” might be the band’s most special track. Not only was Nirvana the biggest band in the world in the early 1990s, but the group was comprised of decent people, too. The song remains a strange anthem of welcoming. On it, lead vocalist Kurt Cobain says that people should be themselves. Come as you are—not as you aren’t. It’s great advice—worth remembering.

“Once” by Pearl Jam from ‘Ten’ (1991)

On Pearl Jam’s debut LP, Ten, lead vocalist Eddie Vedder is possessed. He’s a man on fire with song, singing his heart out into the abyss. And perhaps nowhere is that more clear than on “Once”. On the track, Vedder is beyond passionate. He almost redefines the word. He’s a supernova of a singer. And while other grunge bands were more established at the time, Pearl Jam landed on the scene in 1991 and has never left.

“Fell On Black Days” by Soundgarden from ‘Superunknown’ (1994)

In the 1990s, grunge music was known for its at times depressing messages. And perhaps no grunge song was as sullen as “Fell On Black Days” by Soundgarden. While the band was the first grunge group to garner a Grammy Award nomination, it took until the middle of the 1990s for their star to really hit its peak. But with Superunknown in 1994, Soundgarden became a household name. And “Fell On Black Days” became one of the group’s signature songs. On it, lead vocalist Chris Cornell makes you feel as low as a slug. But that’s the immutable, unforgettable power of art. It transmutes you.

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