Rock music has gone through many evolutions. It only takes one song to come in and shake things up, and all of a sudden, there’s a new sonic direction dominating the airwaves. The three songs below all managed to effectively kill another rock sub-genre. Once these songs were released, nothing that came before them could compare, creating a fork in the road for rock fans.
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“Seven Nation Army” — The White Stripes
Before the release of The White Stripes’ “Seven Nation Army” in 2003, the post-grunge movement was dominating rock. This sub-genre saw rock get a little more polished than the generation before and more accessible to the general public. While this White Stripes song was certainly popular with a mass audience, it did shift rock’s sound in a unique way.
“Seven Nation Army” brought back a garage mentality to the genre. It swapped rock’s soft, polished nature at the time for something heavier and less “pretty.” This song effectively killed the post-grunge movement and opened up the door for 00s rock that wasn’t afraid to get a little messy.
“Welcome To The Jungle” — Guns N’ Roses
Guns N’ Roses’ “Welcome To The Jungle” took hair metal from a genre that co-opted metal’s style, albeit with a certain showmanship that softened its edginess, into something truly befitting the genre. This song was earnestly dangerous. Though the band was still toting around big hair and flashy outfits, this song had a grit to it that couldn’t be denied.
Though this song didn’t kill hair metal fully, it certainly changed its course. The entire rock landscape changed after this song was released, foreshadowing the serious turn rock would take in the following decade.
“Smells Like Teen Spirit” — Nirvana
No rock song has effectively killed a genre quicker than Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit.” 80s hair metal didn’t stand a chance against this 90s masterpiece. The genre was irrevocably changed.
Grunge rock quickly rose in popularity after Kurt Cobain and company released this hit. It was a clear departure from the arena-filling sound of the decade prior. This new genre preferred solemn lyrics and apathetic delivery. Once the younger generation of rock listeners got their hands on “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” grunge rock was fully in motion with nothing standing in its way.
(Photo by Jon Super/Redferns)
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