3 Rock Songs From 1992 You Haven’t Heard in a While (or You’re Hearing for the First Time)

Rock music was more diverse in 1992 than many remember. Yes, grunge and alternative rock had become ubiquitous on MTV and the radio. But Metallica and Guns N’ Roses were neither grunge nor alternative, and they both played stadiums in 1992. And in our current era, with a deluge of songs populating Spotify daily, it’s easy to overlook or even forget about prominent releases from the past.

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So I want to highlight rock songs from 1992 you haven’t heard in a while. Or, if you’re young enough, you’re hearing it for the first time. We’ll begin with an art rock legend, then move to a genre-defying band’s first major release, and finally, end with a group of warring brothers not called Oasis.

“Digging In The Dirt” by Peter Gabriel

This is one of my favorite Peter Gabriel songs, which is saying something considering his 1986 masterpiece, So. Six years later, Gabriel returned with Us, which again expertly combines his pop instincts with an impulse for experimentation. “Digging In The Dirt” finds Gabriel looking inward, exploring the darker layers internally, while unearthing the causes of bad behaviors. Several sections in this arrangement would have been giant choruses in lesser tunes.

This time, you’ve gone too far.

“Opiate” by Tool

The title track of Tool’s debut EP suggests a reference to Karl Marx’s famous quote that religion is “the opium of the people.” It’s often misinterpreted to equate religion with a mind-numbing substance. However, the metaphor really describes religion as both a protest against and a kind of pain relief from society’s ills (“the sigh of the oppressed creature”). Meanwhile, Tool’s early banger critiques how people abuse religion and positions of authority to manipulate others. “Opiate” is musically straightforward by Tool’s standards, and you can sense the band working hard to restrain itself. By the track’s end, drummer Danny Carey unleashes a fury of rhythms that foreshadow the band’s more math-minded output.

“Remedy” by The Black Crowes

Following a blockbuster debut, The Black Crowes returned in 1992 with The Southern Harmony And Musical Companion. The Atlanta band seemed utterly uninterested in rock’s dominant trends at the time. Instead of grunge, alternative rock, or heavy metal, The Black Crowes echoed American roots music, blending R&B, funk, and soul with twangy Southern rock. You can hear The Rolling Stones and Faces in “Remedy”, but the Robinson brothers somehow manage to pay tribute while also sounding like themselves.

Photo by Mick Hutson/Redferns