3 Heartland Rock Songs From the 1990s That Prove Grunge Didn’t Completely Rule the Decade

Grunge was a dominant genre in the 1990s, but it didn’t dominate everything. Among other contemporary forms, hip-hop, R&B, and country music were also ascending in popularity. Meanwhile, there were plenty of heartland rock classics released while the music world was focused on what was coming out of Seattle’s music scene. By the middle of the decade, grunge had already begun to wane after only a few years of cultural ubiquity. And these three heartland rock tunes from the 1990s prove that pop culture was far more diverse than many remember.

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“You Wreck Me” by Tom Petty

When Rick Rubin gathered with Tom Petty to work on Petty’s second solo album, the pair agreed they wanted freedom from the singer’s longtime band. Still, The Heartbreakers, minus drummer Stan Lynch, are featured on Wildflowers, with guitarist Mike Campbell also co-producing. “You Wreck Me” is one of those lets hit the highway songs. With Petty, up against the world, falling in love, consumed by the chaotic joy of romance, and faith in a radio song. With the kind of radio tunes Petty wrote, who wouldn’t have faith in such things?

“Misunderstood” by Wilco

Things were a little shaky for Jeff Tweedy following the breakup of Uncle Tupelo. His first album with Wilco, A.M., seemed to shrink beneath the shadow of his ex-bandmate’s new project, Son Volt. But Tweedy quickly figured things out. “Misunderstood” opens Wilco’s second album, Being There. And being there is exactly the point. Tweedy, a true lifer as a musician, just kept going. The track foreshadows the experimentalism of Wilco’s looming masterpieces. While many alt-country artists were content to recycle a genre that Tweedy and Jay Farrar helped popularize, Wilco ran in the opposite direction and became one of the most important American rock bands of its time.

“The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite” by R.E.M.

In 1992, R.E.M. released the gorgeous and organic folk-rock classic, Automatic For The People. While grunge bands dialed up the angst and distortion, the Athens band instead recorded an album featuring acoustic instruments, baroque strings, and lots of space. You know the album’s hits: “Drive”, “Man On The Moon”, and “Everybody Hurts”. But “The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite” reveals a band utterly unconcerned with the popular rock trends of the time. The track echoes “The Lion Sleeps Tonight”, 1960s jangle pop, and name checks Dr. Seuss.

Photo by Stephen Sweet