Classic rock was changing in big ways in the 1990s, and many fans of the genre and music historians alike believe that the onset of grunge marked the end of the classic rock era. Still, quite a few classic rock songs from the early years of the era are still beloved today, including more than a few songs from the year 1991. Let’s take a look!
“Losing My Religion” by R.E.M.
This alternative rock song kicked off the decade with a bang, and it remains one of rock band R.E.M.’s most well-known songs. A tune about unrequited love and general disillusionment found in many a 90s alt-rock song, “Losing My Religion” peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and No. 1 on the Alternative Airplay chart. The song also won several Grammy awards the following year.
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“Wind Of Change” by Scorpions
“Wind Of Change” was one of the biggest power ballads of the early 1990s, and it was also quite a hit for the German hard rock outfit Scorpions. In fact, “Wind Of Change” remains the best-selling single by a German artist or artists and is also one of the best-selling singles of all time. Now that’s impressive. Unsurprisingly, this soft rock jam also reached the Top 10 on countless charts, from the US Hot 100 to the UK Singles chart to Europe’s own Hot 100.
“Silent Lucidity” by Queensrÿche
“Silent Lucidity” is another power ballad on this list, but it’s far from your run-of-the-mill power ballad. It’s an excellent prog-rock song with heavy metal elements, and it’s quite shocking to me that this was American prog-metal band Queensrÿche’s only major hit in the US. “Silent Lucidity” peaked at No. 1 on the Mainstream Rock chart in the US and was also a crossover success at No. 9 on the Hot 100.
“Cream” by Prince and The New Power Generation
Prince was far from done with dominating the charts when the 1990s rolled around. He makes it to our list of ground-shaking classic rock songs from 1991 with the glam rock jam “Cream”. The song was yet another sexy pop-rock tune from the icon himself and his backing band, The New Power Generation. “Cream” peaked at No. 1 on the Hot 100 and reached the Top 10 globally.
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