Musical shifts seem to happen all at once. Though the groundwork may be overlooked, we can often look to a single song for inciting a new wave in a genre. The three songs below were tastemakers–genre-disrupters that broke new musical ground.
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“Smells Like Teen Spirit” (Nirvana)
Grunge was a finite time in rock history, although it didn’t remain potent for long. Nowadays, the spirit of grunge is diluted and dispersed among bands. A little angst here. A little grit there. We haven’t had a tried-and-true grunge artist since the 1990s. No one today can measure up to the vitriol the likes of Nirvana were peddling, particularly with their breakout track, “Smells Like Teen Spirit.”
“Smells Like Teen Spirit” didn’t invent grunge, but it certainly helped it endure. Though it was likely never their intention, this track became a massive hit for Nirvana. It’s regarded as a timeless rock anthem that, despite its sentiments, has mainstream appeal. At the time of its release, however, this Nirvana track went over like a slap in the face. It woke up rock fans everywhere and pointed them towards a new future. A future dripping in strong statements and counter-culture sympathies.
[RELATED: How Nirvana Saved One of Their Darkest, Underrated Songs From the Cutting Room Floor]
“Good Vibrations” (The Beach Boys)
Moving on to lighter fare, our next entry on this list of songs that changed everything about a genre is The Beach Boys’ “Good Vibrations.” Brian Wilson was regarded as one of the most influential tastemakers and trailblazers in rock. After retiring from the road, Wilson put all his energy towards innovating in the studio. One of the most rewarding results of those experiments was “Good Vibrations.”
“Good Vibrations” opened many doors. Suddenly, soft rock was on a new playing field. The scope was widened and Wilson’s skill invited imitators. Though no one was able to replicate the watershed moment this song was, psychedelia experienced an uptick in the wake of this Beach Boys classic.
“Paranoid” – Black Sabbath
Some people like to lean on happy songs amid challenging times, but there are many more of us who like to sink even further with a real downer. That was the case for post-war Birmingham, England. Black Sabbath fulfilled their wishes, becoming a sullen voice for a people who had little to hope for. And, thus, metal was established as a genre.
Many of Black Sabbath’s songs contributed to the formation of this sub-genre, but “Paranoid” is the song fans seem to cite the most. It’s easy to see how this track inspired subsequent bands. You can trace the lineage of almost any metal anthem back to this Sabbath song. Few songs have been as transparently transformative as this one.
(Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
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