3 Grunge Music Videos From 1993 That Are Still in Our Blood

When you watch certain movies like Blow or Scarface, there is always an exciting rise to the main character’s story. They are discovering their strengths, getting the rewards from their work. But then the fall inevitably happens. Well, if they were to make a movie about grunge music, 1993 would be the year before it all fell apart.

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Grunge music, which has seen more than its fair share of tragedy, enjoyed a high in 1993. A year later, or so, and things would tumble, kicked off largely by the death of Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain. But 1993? Fun times! Below, we wanted to explore three music videos from that year that helped make grunge part of the zeitgeist. Indeed, these are three grunge music videos from 1993 that we love.

“Heart-Shaped Box” by Nirvana from ‘In Utero’ (1993)

On April 5, 1994, Kurt Cobain died. With his passing, many said, grunge died, too. It was a sad day. But about six months before that, Cobain and his rock trio Nirvana released their 1993 LP, In Utero, which included one of their most famous songs, “Heart-Shaped Box”, which also spawned one of the band’s most famous and unnerving music videos.

“Rooster” by Alice In Chains from ‘Dirt’ (1993)

While Alice In Chains released their seminal album, Dirt, in 1992, the band released the war cry single “Rooster” a year later, along with the accompanying music video. It was 1993 when fans saw Layne Staley singing behind black sunglasses about the torments and tortures of war. Written about AIC’s Jerry Cantrell’s father, the band honored the hardship of conflict in this classic song and vid.

“Far Behind” by Candlebox from ‘Candlebox’ (1993)

Grunge bands had been bubbling up in the Pacific Northwest for years by 1993, starting in the mid-1980s. But it was in the early 90s when record execs began to pounce on the city, trying to sign and snap up anyone who might write a hit. Candlebox was one of the beneficiaries of that, and they made a name for themselves in the mid-90s as radio darlings. Sadly, grunge died a year later with Cobain’s passing, and Candlebox was in some ways a band without a home. Either way, “Far Behind” simply slaps, even today, from its guitar work to its music video.

Photo by Paul Bergen/Redferns