In the era of Pacific Northwest grunge music, the ’90s rock band Stone Temple Pilots shined through.
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The band, from San Diego, California (also where Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder spent a lot of time), rocked the charts thanks to vocalist Scott Weiland and the DeLeo brothers on guitar and bass. Rounding out the band was Eric Kretz on drums.
Founded in 1989, the group soared. Sadly, they had to fire Weiland in 2013. He died two years later from a drug overdose. Chester Bennington of Linkin Park stepped in for Weiland until 2015. Later, he, too, passed away in 2017 from suicide. In 2017, singer Jeff Gutt was hired and he took over frontman responsibilities.
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In total, the band released eight studio albums, from Core in 1992 to Perdida in 2020. Here though, despite all that tragedy, American Songwriter is highlighting Stone Temple Pilots’ best days by diving into the band’s top 10 songs.
1. “Interstate Love Song”
Released in 1994 on the band’s smash hit album, Purple, “Interstate Love Song” hit No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Album Rock Tracks Chart in September of that year. It replaced another of the band’s songs, “Vasoline,” remaining at No. 1 for 15 weeks, a record at the time. Together, they held the No. 1 spot for 17 weeks in a row.
2. “Plush”
From the group’s 1992 LP, Core, “Plush” was the second single from the LP. It was released in 1993, becoming STP’s first single to hit the No. 1 spot on the U.S. Billboard Album Rock Tracks. One of several to come. Later, “Plush” won the Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance.
3. “Vasoline”
Also from Purple, this was the second single from the LP. As noted above, “Vasoline” also hit No. 1 just before “Interstate Love Song” took over on the charts. Opening with a wah-wah pedal, the song drives, as sticky as it is powerful.
4. “Kitchenware & Candybars”
The final song on Purple, “Kitchenware & Candybars” begins intimately with an acoustic guitar before it gets strong and booming with electric instruments. It also contains a hidden track called “Second Album,” which is something of a parody of most hidden tracks. It’s a hidden gem that only the biggest STP fans know well.
5. “Trippin’ On A Hole In A Paper Heart”
From the group’s third album, Tiny Music… Songs from the Vatican Gift Shop, this song was recorded in 1995 and released in 1996. Later, this one would also end up on STP’s greatest hits LP, Thank You.
6. “The Big Empty”
Another major hit from the band, “The Big Empty” appeared on the 1994 soundtrack for the tragic movie The Crow. The song then later ended up on the group’s LP, Purple. It peaked at No. 3 and No. 7 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks and Modern Rock Tracks Charts, and won the MTV Movie Award in 1995 for best song in a film.
7. “Sex Type Thing”
The first single ever released by the band, “Sex Type Thing” was part of their debut LP, Core, in 1993. It was also later released on their greatest hits album. While not from the Pacific Northwest, the track helped earn STP attention for its grunge sound. It peaked at No. 23 on the U.S. Billboard Album Rock Tracks Chart.
8. “Between the Lines”
Released in 2010, “Between the Lines” was the first single from the group’s sixth LP, the self-titled, Stone Temple Pilots. The song also set the record for the biggest jump on the Billboard Rock Songs chart, starting at No. 40 and then jumping to No. 2, before later hitting the top spot. It was also nominated for Best Hard Rock Performance at the 53rd Grammy Awards. In 1994, STP won the award for “Plush.”
9. “Down”
Released as the first single from the band’s fourth album—the aptly titled, No. 4—”Down” hit No. 5 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and No. 9 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart. For many, it remains a fan favorite.
10. “Creep”
Another from their debut album, Core, “Creep” remains a favorite STP song. As such, it also appears on their greatest hits album, Thank You. It’s one of the group’s most commercially successful tracks to date.
Photo by Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic, Inc
