# Best #1 Modern/Alternative Rock Song of the '80s/'90s **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 9, 2015, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-modern-alternative-rock-song-of-the-80s-90s/709417 "2015-01-09T17:44:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Les\_Espaces\_Du\_Sommeil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/les_espaces_du_sommeil/32/308_2.png) [@Les\_Espaces\_Du\_Sommeil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Les_Espaces_Du_Sommeil)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2015, 8:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-modern-alternative-rock-song-of-the-80s-90s/709417/21 "2015-01-10T08:21:49Z")
_Smells Like Teen Spirit_ is the most historically relevant song of the list but I’ve grown increasingly tired with it since the mid-90s so my vote goes the well-crafted and deeply moving _Veronica_. _No Rain, 1979, Closing Time_ are solid songs. _Friday I’m In Love_ is one of **The Cure** ’s weakest tracks but, unfortunately, also one of their most famous. And I can’t stand **Oasis**. ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2015, 9:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-modern-alternative-rock-song-of-the-80s-90s/709417/22 "2015-01-10T09:04:37Z")
Well, the correct answer, obviously, should have been R.E.M.'s “The One I Love,” but I guess the charts didn’t exist back then? I’ll go with “Tubthumping.” ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2015, 9:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-modern-alternative-rock-song-of-the-80s-90s/709417/23 "2015-01-10T09:20:07Z")
“Smells Like Teen Spirit” awoke us all from a long lumbering sleep. Rock and roll can never die. It just goes dormant for periods. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2015, 9:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-modern-alternative-rock-song-of-the-80s-90s/709417/24 "2015-01-10T09:45:31Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > “Smells Like Teen Spirit” awoke us all from a long lumbering sleep. Steady on there with the broad brush - some of us never went to sleep, you know. The 10 years _before_ _Spirit_ were the greatest years of indie music, IMO. ---
**Author:** ![GrumpyBunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bc8723/32.png) [@GrumpyBunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrumpyBunny)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2015, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-modern-alternative-rock-song-of-the-80s-90s/709417/25 "2015-01-10T12:46:12Z")
> [@Les\_Espaces\_Du\_Sommeil](#): > > _Smells Like Teen Spirit_ is the most historically relevant song of the list but I’ve grown increasingly tired with it since the mid-90s so my vote goes the well-crafted and deeply moving _Veronica_. I had a hard time choosing between “Veronica” (which makes me cry) and “Smells Like Teen Spirit” (which was, at the time, a huge musical game-changer; I remember seeing Nirvana live before they were famous, and people couldn’t figure out what the hell they were). So I went with Nirvana for the band’s impact on music. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2015, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-modern-alternative-rock-song-of-the-80s-90s/709417/26 "2015-01-10T16:40:44Z")
My thought after looking at the list was, I like pretty much all these songs, but there isn’t a one of them that I’d consider great. (I’ve heard enough Nirvana by now that if they were going to grow on me, it would have happened already. And Oasis is definitely one of the most overrated bands in the history of rock n’ roll.) I voted for Semisonic just so their song wouldn’t be the only one with zero votes. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-modern-alternative-rock-song-of-the-80s-90s/709417.md?page=1)