The Smithereens Rule and Here Are 3 Songs That Prove It

Capitol Records dropped The Smithereens in 1993 as the band prepared its fifth album. Following the colossal success of Nirvana’s Nevermind, the music industry had changed, and many non-grunge bands found themselves unemployed.

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Kurt Cobain said he listened to The Beatles and The Smithereens while recording Nevermind, revealing the dark irony of the major label business model. Though the New Jersey band is often overlooked, the tracks below helped change the course of rock music. There’s a reason Cobain, Lou Reed, and other alt-legends thought The Smithereens ruled. Crank the tunes below and you’ll see why, too.

“A Girl Like You” from ‘11’ (1989)

Singer Pat DiNizio wrote “A Girl Like You” for Say Anything…, Cameron Crowe’s 1989 film. However, Crowe cut the song because he thought it gave away the plot. Guitarist Jim Babjak told Guitar World that Madonna was scheduled to record background vocals but canceled the day of the sessions. Maria Vidal sang in her place, and “A Girl Like You” remains one of The Smithereens’ heaviest and best-known songs. It opens the third album, 11, which gets its name from Ocean’s 11, the 1960 film starring the Rat Pack: Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Peter Lawford, and Joey Bishop.

“Blues Before And After” from ‘11’ (1989)

While touring to promote two successful albums, The Smithereens became a much louder and heavier rock band. You can hear the change on “A Girl Like You” and “Blues Before And After”. DiNizio’s songwriting and vocal delivery echo the punk leanings of Elvis Costello and the infectious pop of Buddy Holly. Grunge bands increased the volume with heavy metal influences, but The Smithereens existed on their own noisy pop island in an era when Mötley Crüe and Skid Row dominated MTV. Though they had popular songs, the band has sadly fallen through music history’s cracks because of the no-man’s-land between hair metal and grunge.

“Only A Memory” from ‘Green Thoughts’ (1988)

For some reason, The Smithereens’ second album, Green Thoughts, isn’t available on Spotify. Thankfully, “Only A Memory” does show up on streaming services on Greatest Hits… Revisited. If Pixies gave Cobain the loud/quiet songwriting blueprint, The Smithereens offered him a how-to guide on melancholy power pop. You can hear DiNizio’s vocal inflections in Nirvana’s “About A Girl”, “Rape Me”, and many others. Meanwhile, the rhythm section of bassist Mike Mesaros and drummer Dennis Diken gives a driving urgency to DiNizio’s despair. A truly complete band, also check out “Blood And Roses” while you’re building a Smithereens playlist.

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