3 One-Word Classic Rock Songs From 1993 That Are Just So Nostalgic

That time of year has come. So, head to your closet and look deep into the recesses of what you have hanging in there. Then reach in and pull out that old, thick, cozy flannel that you told yourself you’d only wear again on Halloween. It’s time to revisit the past in earnest! It’s time to remember 1993!

Videos by American Songwriter

While more than 30 years have passed since the early 1990s, they are still worth revisiting. And that’s just what we wanted to do here below. Indeed, these are three one-word classic rock songs from 1993 that are so nostalgic it almost hurts.

“Loser” by Beck from ‘Mellow Gold’ (1993)

Today, people know Beck for many of his works. But back in 1993, no one knew who this strange skinny kid was. All we knew was that he knew how to write a funny, yet poignant song about being alive in 1993. It bridged rap and rock and hooked you in with this magnetic acoustic slide guitar. All of a sudden you were thinking about melting wax and termites choking on splinters. You were pondering the very idea of what it meant to be a “loser”. Wherever this stuff came from, one thing was for sure, the artist Beck was here to stay. That was clear to everyone.

“Today” by The Smashing Pumpkins from ‘Siamese Dream’ (1993)

Another rock band that was breaking through into the mainstream at about this time was The Smashing Pumpkins. While grunge music was in full force coming out of the Pacific Northwest, it was Billy Corgan’s band that was offering something slightly different. The songs were great, the delivery corrosive in the best of ways. But The Smashing Pumpkins also offered something else. A portal into a darker universe. It chilled you and excited, too. And “Today” was an example of that to be sure. When you revisit it, you almost feel transported.

“Cryin’” by Aerosmith from ‘Get A Grip’ (1993)

This song almost seems less a part of the 1990s and more a part of the 1980s. Aerosmith’s brand of rock music hearkens back to another era of hair metal and cigarettes rolled up in shirt sleeves. But no matter what time it comes from, this song rocks. It’s emotive and pleading. And it also helped to introduce actor Alicia Silverstone, who played roles in several Aerosmith videos at the time. A star was born amidst lead vocalist Steven Tyler’s shrieking and crying!

Photo by Paul Bergen/Redferns