Remembering Grunge

This April marks the 30^th anniversary of Kurt Cobain’s death, a cultural moment that shook the lives of people around the globe, especially younger folks - the angsty counter-culturists for whom Nirvana and their “grunge” contemporaries provided an emotional outlet.

Cobain’s death happened to coincide with the more gradual decline of the grunge era, after having enjoyed roughly five years in the mainstream, from 1990 to 1994. But its influence lived on, and still lives on. While I was a bit too young to experience grunge at its pinnacle, the “Seattle Sound” still had a profound influence on my musical taste and, for better or worse, attitude. Whether I was passively listening to it on the radio, or blasting it through the speakers of my five-CD (yes, five!) stereo, grunge followed me everywhere.

But what is grunge? Though that question has been debated since the scene’s beginnings, there seems to be consensus among critics, historians, and musicians that the single, unifying characteristic of the grunge ethos was the artist’s aversion towards success. And therein lies the inherent contradiction that has come to characterize the grunge scene as much as flannel shirts and ripped jeans: the same grunge bands that derided success eventually became…successful.

To be fair, though, I believe that many grunge bands weren’t necessarily opposed to success. Rather, they saw a trend playing out that was “success-first, music-second,” which mirrored what was happening in the larger world where everything you did was in pursuit of success, and they sought to undermine that trend. For bands like Screaming Trees, Mudhoney, Nirvana, even Pearl Jam - who went straight to a major label, success once earned shouldn’t compromise your artistic or personal integrity. Instead, your musical output should speak for itself. If money and fame come your way, you should accept them with humility, not indulge in their excesses. This ethos was borne out by the bands’ lyrics, their high-energy, sometimes intentionally-reckless performances, and their open defiance of mainstream media and the music industry.

But what about the sound of grunge? Is there one? While most grunge bands harnessed their own unique sound, I think that there were some defining sonic qualities that made a grunge band “grunge.” Perhaps if you listen to the landmark grunge albums outlined below, all available to you with your library card, you will agree. 

Temple of the Dog – Temple of the Dog (April 1991)

Just four months before Pearl Jam made history with their seminal debut album, Ten, most of its members, fronted by Soundgarden’s Chris Cornell, released Temple of the Dog, recorded by the band of the same name. Probably best known for “Hunger Strike,” which featured a duet with Eddie Vedder, I think the album’s opening and closing tracks, “Say Hello 2 Heaven” and “All Night Thing,” respectively, are its most powerful and definitive.

Nirvana – Nevermind (September 1991)

I have a feeling that most loyal Nirvana fans regard 1993’s In Utero as their best album. But their commercial breakthrough, Nevermind, was always my favorite. On this album, Cobain solidified himself as a master of melody, layering dark lyrics under catchy, distorted riffs and pop hooks. The other two members, Krist Novoselic and Dave Grohl, follow suit, a testament to what a band with chemistry sounds like. “On a Plain,” buried at the back of the album at track 11, is my personal favorite.

Sonic Youth – Dirty (July 1992)

A case could be made that Sonic Youth’s Dirty is part of the grunge canon, albeit more experimental. For this album, the seminal no-wave band from NYC recorded songs that were more traditional in song structure, and showcased some of the hallmarks of grunge. Fun fact: The lyrics to Kim Gordon’s “Drunken Butterfly” were plucked almost entirely from songs by Heart, and patched together to form a cohesive song (kind of like book-spine poetry?).

Pearl Jam – Vs. (October 1993)

Heavy, aggressive, and raw, Pearl Jam’s second studio album, Vs., found the band distancing themselves from what they considered the too-polished sound of their first album, Ten. Unlike their grunge contemporaries, whose anti-establishment sentiments were usually ambiguous at best, Pearl Jam was never afraid to make their personal politics known, a trend that really started with this album.

Soundgarden – Superunknown (March 1994)

Their fourth full-length album, Superunknown is widely regarded as Soundgarden’s opus. The album spawned five singles: “Black Hole Sun,” “The Day I Tried to Live,” “Fell on Black Days,” “My Wave,” and “Spoonman”—all hits, and deservedly so. On the whole, the album’s fifteen tracks showcase Soundgarden’s signature sound, which I believe also happened to be the quintessence of grunge: mixolydian scales, odd time signatures, down-tuned guitars, and contrarian lyrics.

Hole – Live Through This (April 1994)

Abrasive, noisy, yet somehow undeniably catchy, Live Through This has to be one of the most important albums of the grunge era. The oscillations between quiet-loud and sing-scream make for a truly visceral sound that punctuates Courtney Love’s pointed, unadorned lyrics.

Mudhoney – Plastic Eternity (April 2023)

One of the first grunge bands, if not the first, Mudhoney is still making records today, with three of its four members playing on every release since its inception in 1988. Since then, Mudhoney has released eleven full-length albums, with 2023’s Plastic Eternity being the latest. While their rivals in terms of staying power, Pearl Jam, are also still recording and touring, Mudhoney holds the distinction of retaining the grunge sound.

Books

60 Songs That Explain the ‘90s by Rob Harvilla

A companion to the podcast of the same name, Harvilla’s writing is witty, and his observations are shrewd as he looks at popular songs from the ‘90s and groups them by interesting themes, like “Sellouts [Or Not] [Or Maybe]”, and “Women vs. ‘Women in Rock.’”

Everybody Loves Our Town: An Oral History of Grunge by Mark Yarm

Mark Yarm, a contributor to several publications including The New York Times, New Yorker, and Rolling Stone, interviews several grunge musicians and their producers to get to the heart of the question, What is grunge?

Girl in a Band by Kim Gordon

A moving and enlightening memoir by one of alternative rock’s most important figures.

Lamestains: Grunge, Sub Pop, and the Music of the Loser by Nicholas Attfield

A critical look at the rise and fall of grunge, with a particular focus on the inner workings of Sub Pop Records, the famous Seattle independent record label that gave birth to the scene.

Mud Ride by Steve Turner

A fun and interesting journey through the history of grunge told by one of its progenitors, Steve Turner, guitarist for Mudhoney.

The Nineties by Chuck Klosterman

A humorous and compelling examination of what Klosterman believes made the 1990s “the ‘90s.”

Serving the Servant: Remembering Kurt Cobain by Danny Goldberg

Written by Danny Goldberg, Nirvana’s manager in the 90s, this is the first and only biography written about Kurt Cobain by someone who actually knew him.

- by Keith, Twin Rivers Branch