Top Songs — 1992
▶ Spotify PlaylistThe late teens and early twenties are a pivotal time in the life of any music lover. Perspectives shift, tastes mature, and we're especially receptive to new sounds and ideas. I imagine most people look back on this era as the pinnacle of great music. I feel the same — but having followed music closely my entire life, it's hard not to see the early '90s as uniquely transformative, especially for rock.
The big-hair, glam-rock excess of the '80s was fading, making way for the mainstreaming of alternative music. Even within the alt scene, things were evolving — synth-heavy new wave was giving way to grunge and post-punk. Classic rock had taken its last breath, and we embraced the shift, believing (naively, in hindsight) that it mirrored a permanent re-liberalization of the country.
Maybe I'm biased in my glorification of this era, but I'm forever grateful to have entered college during such a profoundly meaningful time for music.
1.⭐ Pavement — In The Mouth A Desert
2.⭐ Ween — Push Th' Little Daisies
3.⭐ Sugar — Helpless
4.⭐ Faith No More — Midlife Crisis
5.⭐ Sugar — If I Can't Change Your Mind
6.⭐ Bad Religion — Generator
7.⭐ R.E.M. — Nightswimming
8.⭐ Pearl Jam — State of Love and Trust
9.⭐ Beastie Boys — Pass The Mic
10.⭐ Prince — 7
11.⭐ Alice In Chains — Would?
12.⭐ R.E.M. — Find The River
13.⭐ The Boo Radleys — Does This Hurt?
14.⭐ Sugar — A Good Idea
15.⭐ Pearl Jam — Breath
16.⭐ Manic Street Preachers — Motorcycle Emptiness
17.⭐ Faith No More — A Small Victory
18.⭐ Sugar — The Act We Act
19.⭐ Alice In Chains — Right Turn
20.⭐ Ned's Atomic Dustbin — Intact
21.⭐ Sugar — Hoover Dam
22.⭐ Ride — Time of Her Time
23.⭐ Nine Inch Nails — Wish
24.⭐ Pearl Jam — Yellow Ledbetter
25.⭐ Sebadoh — Brand New Love
26.⭐ Heavenly;Calvin Johnson — C Is The Heavenly Option
27.⭐ Ministry — Just One Fix
28.⭐ Indigo Girls — Galileo
29.⭐ The Lemonheads — Rudderless
30.⭐ Blind Melon — No Rain
31.Beastie Boys — So What'Cha Want
32.R.E.M. — Try Not To Breathe
33.Arrested Development — Mr Wendal
34.The Cure — A Letter to Elise
35.Soul Asylum — Somebody to Shove
36.Stone Temple Pilots — Sex Type Thing
37.Ned's Atomic Dustbin — Suave And Suffocated
38.Ween — The Stallion Pt. 3
39.Radiohead — Creep
40.The Cure — Friday I'm in Love
41.4 Non Blondes — What's Up?
42.The Cure — From the Edge of the Deep Green Sea
43.The Silos;Walter Salas-Humara — Miles Away
44.R.E.M. — The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite
45.Catherine Wheel — I Want To Touch You
46.The Black Crowes — Sometimes Salvation
47.The Smashing Pumpkins — Drown
48.Spectrum — How You Satisfy Me
49.Neil Young — Unknown Legend
50.The Lemonheads — Mrs. Robinson
51.Pavement — Perfume-V
52.Soul Asylum — Without a Trace
53.L7 — Pretend We're Dead
54.The Cranberries — Dreams
55.10000 Maniacs — These Are Days
56.Tripping Daisy — My Umbrella
57.Pulp — Babies
58.The London Suede — Metal Mickey
59.Pavement — Zurich Is Stained
60.The Lemonheads — Confetti
61.Pearl Jam — Footsteps
62.The Sugarcubes — Hit
63.Arrested Development — Tennessee
64.Jonathan Richman — A Higher Power
65.Bad Religion — The Answer
66.Ned's Atomic Dustbin — Two And Two Made Five
67.Beastie Boys — Stand Together
68.Nirvana — Son Of A Gun
69.Manic Street Preachers — Theme from M*A*S*H (Suicide Is Painless)
70.R.E.M. — Everybody Hurts
71.Stone Temple Pilots — Plush
72.Rocket From The Crypt — Sturdy Wrists
73.The Jesus and Mary Chain — Far Gone and Out
74.Beastie Boys — Gratitude
75.Alice In Chains — Angry Chair
76.Denim — Middle of the Road
77.They Might Be Giants — The Statue Got Me High
78.Soul Asylum — 99%
79.The Lemonheads — The Turnpike Down
80.Bad Religion — No Direction
81.Ween — Don't Get 2 Close (2 My Fantasy)
82.Green Day — 2000 Light Years Away
83.Ride — Time Machine
84.The Breeders — Do You Love Me Now
85.Eric Clapton — Tears in Heaven
86.The Brian Jonestown Massacre — She Made Me
87.Catherine Wheel — Flower To Hide
88.Tori Amos — Silent All These Years
89.The Cure — Trust
90.The Boo Radleys — Towards the Light
91.Juliana Hatfield — Everybody Loves Me But You
92.Belly — Gepetto
93.Gin Blossoms — Hey Jealousy
94.Ride — Twisterella
95.Cracker — Teen Angst (What The World Needs Now)
96.R.E.M. — Drive
97.Sugar — Needle Hits E
98.Catherine Wheel — Texture
99.Chris Cornell — Seasons
100.XTC — Ballad Of Peter Pumpkinhead
101.Paul Westerberg — Dyslexic Heart
102.The London Suede — The Drowners
103.Heavenly — Our Love Is Heavenly
104.Screaming Trees — Nearly Lost You
105.The Black Crowes — Remedy
106.Stereo MC's — Connected
107.The Cure — High
108.Pavement — Trigger Cut/Wounded-Kite At :17
109.The Lemonheads — Kitchen
110.Nine Inch Nails — Gave Up
111.Pavement — Loretta's Scars
112.R.E.M. — Star Me Kitten
113.Bruce Springsteen — Lucky Town
114.R.E.M. — Man On The Moon
115.Nirvana — Molly's Lips
116.Lush — For Love
117.Pavement — Jackals, False Grails: The Lonesome Era
118.Snow — Informer
119.Green Day — Welcome to Paradise
120.The Gits — Another Shot of Whiskey
121.Jonathan Richman — I Was Dancing In The Lesbian Bar
122.Bettie Serveert — Tom Boy
123.Sophie B. Hawkins — Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover
124.The Boo Radleys — Lazy Day
125.The Gits — Second Skin