The rock music tree in the 1990s featured many branches. There was party rock, grunge, metal, and, of course, alt-rock. The latter sub-genre opened the eyes and ears of many a music fan, showcasing a new style of act playing buzzy tunes.
That’s just what we wanted to dive into below. We wanted to explore three songs from three alt-rock groups from the era we can’t live without. Indeed, these are three songs from the 1990s that will instantly turn you into a fan of alt-rock.
Videos by American Songwriter
“Buddy Holly” by Weezer from ‘The Blue Album’ (1994)
In the mid-1990s, Weezer had a thumb on the proverbial pulse of culture. And somehow that meant releasing a catchy rock song named after a 1950s artist that included a music video rooted in the famed sitcom Happy Days. Anyone who stayed home sick from school during the decade loved and rewatched the television show. So, when Weezer put clips from it in this throwback track—well, they became heroes.
“Loser” by Beck from ‘Mellow Gold’ (1993)
As soon as the slide guitar comes in over the hip-hop beat on this track, you know you’re in for something special. Then Beck enters the picture with his vivid, Salvador Dalí-like imagery. We see splinters, monkeys, butane, plastic eyeballs, mace sprayed in the dark, and termites choking on splinters. What else could we want? And then Beck puts the exclamation point on it all. He calls himself a loser. It was the perfect moniker for the 1990s, a decade that saw so many disillusioned with, well, winning.
“Run-Around” by Blues Traveler from ‘Four’ (1994)
If you want to talk about alt-rock from the 1990s, there might not be anything more alt than Blues Traveler. The New York City-via-New Jersey-born group featured a whirling dervish of a harmonica player at its center. Indeed, Blues Traveler frontman John Popper was a one-of-one. There was no one like him on the scene in the 1990s. His harmonica playing was unparalleled. The guy even wore a vest with specific pockets made to hold a harmonica in every key on the music scale. For evidence of the band’s talent, check out their 1994 tune, “Run-Around”. It’s a trip.
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