4 Unforgettable One-Word Alternative Rock Songs From the 1990s

Many alternative rock artists in the 1990s only needed one word for song titles. These days, you need BRAT-style sentence case (“I might say something stupid”) or Coldplay emojis—for which I’ll spare my editor the icons—to stand apart on Spotify. But one-word titles were ubiquitous in the 1990s. And here are four unforgettable songs that don’t require a Wikipedia search to find out how to pronounce the names.

“Creep” by Stone Temple Pilots

Not that “Creep”, the other one. Stone Temple Pilots’ debut Core was released one week after Radiohead’s breakthrough song. “Creep” was one of three successful singles from Core, and had more in common with Pearl Jam’s dark ballads than with Thom Yorke’s Brit-grunge anthem. Now, Stone Temple Pilots formed in San Diego, and if you’ve ever been there in June, you might understand the band’s gloom. Both songs were massive, with plenty of “Creeps” to occupy rock radio for decades.

“Lithium” by Nirvana

Kurt Cobain had so many great one-word titles, it’s hard to choose. “Breed”, “Polly”, “Dive”, and “Sliver” all belong on this list. In “Lithium”, Cobain writes about a man whose girlfriend dies, and he turns to religion to avoid the temptation to kill himself. Michael Stipe, inspired by Nirvana’s blissful chorus, punctuated R.E.M.’s “Man On The Moon” with numerous “yeahs” in a nod to Cobain’s writing style. Nirvana’s blockbuster second album, Nevermind, inspired countless one-word tunes. (An album title condensing two words into one!)

“Closer” by Nine Inch Nails

Hit songs often benefit from having hooks that are as easy to remember as a nursery rhyme. If you are familiar with “Closer”, then surely you can recite its primal hook. But this is no nursery rhyme and not something you want to repeat in polite company. If kids in Middle America weren’t already familiar with fetish equipment, then the music video’s non-stop rotation on MTV would provide the introduction. “Closer” appeared on Trent Reznor’s industrial masterpiece, The Downward Spiral. An album featuring another track perfect for this list: “Hurt”.

“Loser” by Beck

Beck had been making anti-folk records for a few years before his slacker rap landed on MTV. Before he had a hit, Beck often played for indifferent audiences. So he’d sprinkle into his set “ridiculous songs just to see if people were listening.” “Loser” was born from these experiments. Blending folk and hip-hop, he modernized a traditional music form, and soon, Beck’s audience was no longer ignoring him.

Photo by Kevin Mazur/WireImage