Country rock as a genre can be traced all the way back to the late 60s. But in the 90s, the genre took on a whole new flavor as grunge started to take over the airwaves. The following country rock songs from the 1990s managed to walk the line between grunge and country with pretty impressive balance, and they still sound so good after all these years.
“Daughter” by Pearl Jam from ‘Vs.’ (1993)
Pearl Jam got pretty experimental on the album Vs., and “Daughter” is a fine example of the famed grunge outfit taking elements of their original sound and mixing in a healthy dose of country rock. Those rootsy textures are to die for, honestly.
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“Daughter” by Pearl Jam was a pretty successful hit single for the band. It peaked at No. 1 on both the Alternative Airplay and Mainstream Rock charts in the US. The tune also reached the Top 40 across multiple other countries.
“Backwater” by Meat Puppets from ‘Too High To Die’ (1994)
This one might be a bit out there, considering Meat Puppets crammed a ton of genre elements into this song. It’s got some grunge, a little alt-rock, and even some more pop-oriented rock elements. But there’s this undercurrent that has that country sort of movement, even though it’s subtle. There’s a reason why many fans believe Meat Puppets helped invent the niche subgenre known as “cowpunk.”
“Backwater” by Meat Puppets came super close to becoming a Top 40 hit in the US. It peaked at No. 47 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
“Drown” by Son Volt from ‘Trace’ (1995)
There’s no way I could leave Son Volt off our list of country rock songs from the 1990s that walked the line between country and grunge. They’re an iconic group in the alt-country space, and I think their song “Drown” from 1995 fits the criteria of this list perfectly.
“Drown” by Son Volt did fairly well on the charts in 1995. It reached No. 15 on the Adult Alternative Airplay chart in the US, their highest ranking for a single. The song also peaked at No. 10 on the Mainstream Rock Airplay chart as well.
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