# Best #1 Modern/Alternative Rock Song of the Year: 1994 **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 10, 2014, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-modern-alternative-rock-song-of-the-year-1994/704208 "2014-11-10T02:26:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![woodstockbirdybird](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/woodstockbirdybird/32/7905_2.png) [@woodstockbirdybird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woodstockbirdybird)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2014, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-modern-alternative-rock-song-of-the-year-1994/704208/1 "2014-11-10T02:26:01Z")
Still some worth voting for, but the line between alternative and mainstream is getting increasingly blurred. The bland has started overtaking the interesting, but this is nothing compared to what’s coming. ---
**Author:** ![Steophan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steophan/32/9595_2.png) [@Steophan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steophan)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2014, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-modern-alternative-rock-song-of-the-year-1994/704208/2 "2014-11-10T02:36:42Z")
Daughter. One of the greatest songs ever written, by just about the only grunge band to survive the 90s more or less intact. ---
**Author:** ![Eddie\_F](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/22d042/32.png) [@Eddie\_F](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eddie_F)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2014, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-modern-alternative-rock-song-of-the-year-1994/704208/3 "2014-11-10T02:40:59Z")
Much as I wanted to vote for “All Apologies” and “The More You Ignore Me, the Closer I Get”, this year I _must_ go with the Lemonheads. Pure pop deliciousness, that. ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2014, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-modern-alternative-rock-song-of-the-year-1994/704208/4 "2014-11-10T02:42:05Z")
Call it mainstream or whatever, I like nearly all of those songs. I picked _Selling the Drama_ just to pick one. ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2014, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-modern-alternative-rock-song-of-the-year-1994/704208/5 "2014-11-10T03:17:51Z")
Dadaist rap is the best rap. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2014, 11:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-modern-alternative-rock-song-of-the-year-1994/704208/6 "2014-11-10T11:20:21Z")
I love the Beck album _Mellow Gold_ (I think “Beercan” is my favorite song from it), but I went with Nirvana’s melodically and lyrically exquisite “All Apologies.” I hope this is about the MTV Unplugged version, but if it’s the noisier studio version, that’s okay, too. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2014, 11:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-modern-alternative-rock-song-of-the-year-1994/704208/7 "2014-11-10T11:39:09Z")
> [@woodstockbirdybird](#): > > Still some worth voting for, but the line between alternative and mainstream is getting increasingly blurred. The bland has started overtaking the interesting, but this is nothing compared to what’s coming. Or, you could say that the main chart was going so far off into a new world of “‘R+B’ and dance music plus some hip-hop” that the “alternative” chart was shifting over as well, winding up musically not far from where the main chart was in some years from 1965 to 1990. Meaning, a rock and pop-rock core, leavened with other things\*. While it’s true that many hip, “truly alternative” bands you seem to have in mind are less apparent on this chart, in terms of general musical style it seems they are rather well represented, no? \*Including some “alternative hip-hop,” but not enough of this, in my opinion, unless you count the rap influence on artists like Beck. There’s a tension here between appearing to classify by commercial popularity (“mainstream” vs. “alternative”) vs. by musical style (“dance and r+b” vs. “rock”). Of course, there is a racial aspect to this tension, though white acts and white fans are certainly an increasing part of the “dance and r+b” thing – in fact, I’d say by 2012 the popular music landscape would rather resemble that of 1982 (Katy Perry and Drake sharing a musical space like Madonna and Michael Jackson did). ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2014, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-modern-alternative-rock-song-of-the-year-1994/704208/8 "2014-11-10T11:40:40Z")
> [@scabpicker](#): > > Dadaist rap is the best rap. Is this in reference to “Loser”? ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2014, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-modern-alternative-rock-song-of-the-year-1994/704208/9 "2014-11-10T12:45:05Z")
I know folks tear their hair out over them, but if you ask me what song gets played to this day most often in my house, gotta go with Longview by Green Day. Just love that song as do my kids… ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2014, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-modern-alternative-rock-song-of-the-year-1994/704208/10 "2014-11-10T12:50:00Z")
Another (oversimplified) way to say what I wrote in post #7 is that, when “rock” was more or less mainstream\*, “punk” was alternative. When hip-hop/R+B became mainstream, “rock” was alternative, but where did that leave “punk”? (I’m using “punk” in the broadest sense – more an attitude than a musical genre). I think that’s one way of expressing what woodstockybird alluded to. \*“Oversimplified” because the Billboard #1s lists were _never_ truly dominated by rock music, except for maybe 1964 (thanks to Beatlemania). In the 1970s, Led Zeppelin couldn’t outcompete Helen Reddy; and in the 1980s, R.E.M. didn’t stand a chance against Madonna. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2014, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-modern-alternative-rock-song-of-the-year-1994/704208/11 "2014-11-10T13:28:58Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > I know folks tear their hair out over them, but if you ask me what song gets played to this day most often in my house, gotta go with Longview by Green Day. Just love that song as do my kids… Fantastic album, start to finish, too. Hard to go wrong with Green Day. But I ended up going with Beck’s “Loser,” just because I remember it just sounding different to everything else going on at the time in modern rock, or at least what was played on alternative radio stations, drawing from all sorts of musical influences. While a bit mainstream, I like this list a lot. There’s hardly a song here I wouldn’t want to hear again (The Offspring number comes close, but I’ll listen to it for nostalgia’s sake.) ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2014, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-modern-alternative-rock-song-of-the-year-1994/704208/12 "2014-11-10T13:33:36Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Fantastic album, start to finish, too. Hard to go wrong with Green Day. > > But I ended up going with Beck’s “Loser,” just because I remember it just sounding different to everything else going on at the time in modern rock, or at least what was played on alternative radio stations, drawing from all sorts of musical influences. > > While a bit mainstream, I like this list a lot. There’s hardly a song here I wouldn’t want to hear again (The Offspring number comes close, but I’ll listen to it for nostalgia’s sake.) All true and yeah, Loser stands out, too. Before the interwebs, I couldn’t figure he was saying “Soy un perdador” in the chorus - I’m a loser in Spanish. I like that Offspring song okay. They’re kinda harmless but I love their song Self Esteem - smart lyrics. ---
**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:** [November 10, 2014, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-modern-alternative-rock-song-of-the-year-1994/704208/13 "2014-11-10T14:54:32Z")
Voted for _Daughter_, but could easily have voted for many others. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Panda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ee7513/32.png) [@Darth\_Panda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Panda)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2014, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-modern-alternative-rock-song-of-the-year-1994/704208/14 "2014-11-10T15:13:53Z")
Tough call, but I love _All Apologies_, it’s the song I most enjoyed learning how to play on guitar (I was never that good and being able to play a song I loved was just awesome). ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2014, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-modern-alternative-rock-song-of-the-year-1994/704208/15 "2014-11-10T15:32:46Z")
> [@JKellyMap](#): > > Is this in reference to “Loser”? Yes, sorry if I was unclear. It doesn’t totally eschew words like some dadaist poetry, but I think he’s working in dada nonetheless. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2014, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-modern-alternative-rock-song-of-the-year-1994/704208/16 "2014-11-10T15:39:44Z")
“Loser” is still in common rotation on my USB stick so I guess it wins. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2014, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-modern-alternative-rock-song-of-the-year-1994/704208/17 "2014-11-10T17:09:16Z")
> [@scabpicker](#): > > Yes, sorry if I was unclear. It doesn’t totally eschew words like some dadaist poetry, but I think he’s working in dada nonetheless. I think that your description was PERFECT! I just wanted to make sure I wasn’t missing out on some _other_ Dadaist rap from this list. ---
**Author:** ![SaharaTea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@SaharaTea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SaharaTea)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2014, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-modern-alternative-rock-song-of-the-year-1994/704208/18 "2014-11-10T18:03:15Z")
If there was a poll for **worst** song of the 90s, I would choose Crash Test Dummies in a heartbeat. That song makes me want to stab someone repeatedly. ---
**Author:** ![Zercon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e8c25b/32.png) [@Zercon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zercon)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2014, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-modern-alternative-rock-song-of-the-year-1994/704208/19 "2014-11-10T18:11:43Z")
Why isn’t Weezer on the list? Buddy Holly! The Sweater Song! ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2014, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-modern-alternative-rock-song-of-the-year-1994/704208/20 "2014-11-10T18:16:17Z")
> [@SaharaTea](#): > > If there was a poll for **worst** song of the 90s, I would choose Crash Test Dummies in a heartbeat. That song makes me want to stab someone repeatedly. At least it gave us Weird Al’s [Headline News.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dU95v23MQ4c) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-modern-alternative-rock-song-of-the-year-1994/704208.md?page=2)